Church leaders, members and guests commemorate the special event. Photo provided by Jeffery Chan
Church leaders, members and guests commemorate the special event. Photo provided by Jeffery Chan

The Los Angeles Cantonese Adventist Fellowship Group in San Gabriel, Calif., was officially recognized as a Company with a special celebration service on Aug. 12. The L.A. Cantonese Adventist Fellowship Group originally grew out of the L.A. Chinese church. “We found there is a great need for outreach to Cantonese-speaking people in the community,” recalled Pastor Jeffery Chan.

The theme of the celebration service was “We Are the Light of the World.” Throughout the past seven years, the group had changed facilities multiple times. “We really want to serve the Lord,” said Chan. “We want to glorify how God has provided for us. That’s why we picked this theme for the event.”

“Since its inception seven years ago, this group has been very enthusiastic about mission and Cantonese culture and community,” noted Sam Lee, Asian-Pacific Region director.

The afternoon service was followed by a celebratory banquet at a nearby restaurant. Attendees listened to testimonies about the group’s history, and members expressed gratitude to the L.A. Chinese church for its support along the way. Small candles were on each table as a gift to guests, with votives designed to carry the “We Are the Light of the World” theme. Photo provided by Jeffery Chan
The afternoon service was followed by a celebratory banquet at a nearby restaurant. Attendees listened to testimonies about the group’s history, and members expressed gratitude to the L.A. Chinese church for its support along the way. Small candles were on each table as a gift to guests, with votives designed to carry the “We Are the Light of the World” theme. Photo provided by Jeffery Chan

Outreach is an important facet of the group’s growth, evidenced by the response to their annual evangelistic meetings. “We really want to have evangelistic meeting for the Cantonese-speaking community every year,” Chan said. Hundreds of attendees have come to hear topics on health, family, and spirituality.

“We have good results,” said Chan. “When people come, they find what they need. This is our mission to serve those who speak Cantonese.” Since the group was established in 2011, 33 members have been added through baptism. Their speaker for the most recent series in October, Dr. Brian Wong, professor of biology at Andrews University, speaks Cantonese.

In 2013, the group attended a podcast training hosted by the Southern California Conference. They were encouraged to produce a podcast in Cantonese, supported by Adventist World Radio. They launched their first episode in July of the same year and have produced more than 215 episodes since, with more than 25,000 downloads weekly.

In January 2015, the congregation welcomed Chan, who has built on the church’s outreach ministries and growth. “They are a group of integrity with Adventist belief — that has been my impression from the outset,” Lee said. “The result is that God blessed the growth of this group. Pastor Chan’s character and caring mind as a leader is a great contribution to growth. The mission became greater since he came. I’d like to give the credit to him.”

“We hope that people in our church will still pray for us,” Chan noted, “because we only have a small group now, but we want to establish not only Cantonese but also a Mandarin and an English service in our community of Temple City.”