Location: Irvine, Calif.

Presbytery: Pacific Coast

Organization: Oct. 17, 2016

Membership: 11 communicant; 0 baptized

Pastor: Hsing Tang

Website: asrpci.org

The city of Irvine, meticulously planned and nestled in Orange County, Calif., boasts a population of 300,000 and stands as a global example of urban design excellence. Just 15 miles from the enchanting Disneyland, Irvine has become a thriving hub, particularly for its Mandarin-speaking population, which has burgeoned to around 50,000 since 1997. Within the city, 22 Mandarin-speaking churches have sprung up. Amid this, a unique story unfolded—the planting of All Saints (Irvine, Calif.) RPC.

The origins of this Mandarin-speaking church plant trace back to 2008 when Hsing and Nancy Tang opened their home for a weekly Bible study. Hsing, a graduate of Westminster Seminary in California, led this gathering. In 2010, three families from the Bible study joined All Saints (Brea, Calif.) RPC, finding support and nourishment from its ministry. Brea RPC, subsequently accepted into the Pacific Coast Presbytery (PCP), played a pivotal role in the formation of the new church.

Under the supervision of the Brea session and PCP, the inaugural Sunday afternoon Mandarin worship service took place on Oct. 17, 2016, at Northwood Park Community Center in Irvine. All Saints (Irvine, Calif.) RPC, was officially established as a mission church by PCP on Dec. 15, 2017. Today, the congregation comprises 11 communicant members, gathering with 12–16 individuals for worship each Lord’s Day.

The journey to establish a Mandarin-speaking RP church in Irvine has been a deliberate and challenging process, focusing on understanding the Presbyterian approach to church government and instilling a foundational grasp of RP distinctives through teaching and preaching. Central to the mission has been the commitment to preach and teach the whole counsel of God.

The ordinary means of grace are administered every Lord’s Day through two consecutive services. The first worship service begins at 1:30 p.m. with recitations of historical doctrines such as the Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, and Chalcedonian Creed. This is followed by a call to worship, congregational singing of a preselected psalm of adoration, a brief invocation prayer, reading and explaining a section of God’s Word, acknowledging sins publicly with a prayer for forgiveness, private prayers of repentance and forgiveness, singing a psalm of thanksgiving, the pastor’s intercessory prayer, and the singing of a preparation psalm (usually Psalm 119), followed by expository preaching.

The Lord’s supper is observed weekly, starting with singing a psalm of lament, often accompanied by a short message about the significance of our Lord’s work on the cross. The service concludes with singing a psalm of gratitude and a benediction. The second worship service involves catechism, Q&A time, congregational fellowship, and a prayer meeting.

Reflecting on the past year, the church expresses gratitude for the Lord’s providential care. Churches in Asia played a vital role, translating The Book of Psalms for Worship into Mandarin and making the audio files available, enabling the initiation of the Mandarin church plant in the United States. Financial support from Agape In Truth (AIT), a mission organization based in Irvine, and securing a worship venue free of charge in the beginning years at Northwood Community Center, further highlighted the Lord’s providence.

The Covid pandemic presented challenges, prompting the church to adapt by livestreaming worship services and Bible studies on YouTube, expanding their reach to more Mandarin-speaking Christians. Following the pandemic, we began seeking a co-laborer in pastoral ministry. Despite several hurdles along the way, by God’s grace, Brother Noah Bi and his wife, Molly, joined our church planting journey. Initially members of the Irvine church plant, Noah and Molly moved to North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC in 2018. Bi graduated from RPTS and completed his teaching elder examination in 2023. We view this as a new phase moving forward, anticipating various challenges ahead and seeking your prayers for:

1. Continued transformation by the Holy Spirit’s work in the lives of the congregation through the ministry of the Word;
2. God to open doors to the local Mandarin-speaking community, increasing the numbers in the Irvine church;
3. Thanks to the Lord for the baptism and membership reception of Ed and Phyllis Pau in 2023;
4. More individuals to join us in this long-term endeavor, thanking the Lord for initiating this by bringing Noah and Molly;
5. Noah and Molly’s future change in US residence visa status (Noah holds an R1 religious worker visa).