LEARN ABOUT

THE BEGINNING

After Vietnam fell under the Communist regime on April 30, 1975, millions of Vietnamese fled the country in search for freedom. By the end of spring that year, approximately 125,000 had arrived in the US and around another 20,000 to other countries throughout the world. The US government have opened the doors of immigration to the Vietnamese people. During this time, many humanitarian groups and churches participated in supporting these refugees. The Southern Baptist Convention responded and cooperated closely with the US government in sponsoring and creating a friendly environment for the Vietnamese refugees to adapt to their new life in the US. The First Baptist Church of Beverly Park sponsored some of these families, most of whom were people who did not know God. Pastor Branton and the faithful at Beverly Park graciously helped the refugees and invited them to attend church activities. Since then, many have opened their hearts to accept Jesus as their Lord. Each week the new believers would worship and fellowship alongside the congregation at the First Baptist Church of Beverly Park. The number of Vietnamese people who put their faith in God kept increasing day by day.

THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH

Around 1978, God brought a Vietnamese missionary by the name of Bao Hanh, who graduated from Golden Gate seminary, to help care for the new believers. She served as a spiritual leader as well as an interpreter for them. They also came up with a name for the new church: Thien An Baptist Church. And in 1981 officially Thien An Baptist church was established. To facilitate worship services in Vietnamese, some of the church leaders agreed to let the Vietnamese people use a small trailer on the church property as a place of worship each week. In 1986, Miss Bao Hanh left Seattle to serve in her new calling in Atlanta, GA. Before she left, she invited Pastor Nguyen Huu Lich, a mission field pastor from the NW Baptist Convention, to take her place in caring for this new church.  In 1985, Pastor Nguyen Huu Lich invited Pastor Ho Viet to oversee the adult ministry and Pastor Phan Minh Hoi to oversee the youth ministry.

GROWTH

As the Vietnamese population continues to grow in neighboring cities, the church leaders decided to plant two more churches in Olympia and Tacoma. Pastor Ho Viet is sent to Olympia to pastor the new church while Pastor Phan Minh Hoi is sent to minister and care for the Vietnamese Baptist Church in Tacoma. Praise the Lord that these two church plants are still growing and active today. During this time frame, a number of families have come together to form a small group which in a number of years became known as Agape Baptist Church in Renton, WA. Around 1987, Pastor Nguyen Huu Lich invited Pastor Ha Cam Tu to replace him as the senior pastor at Thien An Baptist Church so he can return to missions and church planting with the Northwest Baptist Convention. Pastor Ha Cam Tu continued tending the flock which continues to meet in the small trailer behind First Baptist Church of Beverly Park. That same year, the NW Baptist Convention notified Pastor Tu that the pastoral team and elders of Grandview Baptist Church would like to hand over their premises to any congregation in need of a church building. Upon understanding the needs of Thien An Baptist Church, Grandview Baptist church transferred the land and building to Thien An church and ensured a very smooth transition of ownership. In 1990, Thien An officially moved to their previous location at 2900 SW Myrtle St in Seattle. In 1991, Operation Desert Storm took place and Pastor Ha Cam Tu had to leave his role as the senior pastor since he was an army chaplain in active reserve status. That same year, Pastor Nguyen Huu Trang was asked to assume the role of senior pastor of Thien An church. Around these years, other immigration programs such as the Orderly Departure Program or ODP, brought more Vietnamese refugees to the US. With the increasing number of refugees to Seattle, more people heard the gospel, and many were added to Thien An church. There are many revival and training programs and activities in church for all ages.  Thank the Lord for His provision. In 2009, the church added an English- speaking service on Sundays and with the name Trueliving to reach the next generation. The church adopted the new name Thien-An Trueliving Church to showcase the parallel growth of both Vietnamese-speaking members and the diverse English-speaking members to the church. 

In 2015, after Pastor Nguyen Huu Trang indicated he is ready for retirement, Pastor Vu Ho, the associate pastor, assumed the new role as senior pastor. As the church members grew, their needs to expand to a larger facility was evident.  After three years of searching, our church finally transitioned to a new church home located in Burien, previously owned by Glendale Lutheran Church. In the same year, Thien-An Trueliving Church transitioned to the name Trueliving Church to highlight that we are one church. Through the process of formation and development, Trueliving church has endured many kinds of trials but God has always walked with us and protected us over the past 36 years.  Trueliving is still continuing to grow strong and run the race to expand the kingdom of God. In the words of the apostle Paul: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

GOD

We believe God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, who exists in three Persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal and one God. He is Alpha and Omega; Beginning and End. His character is Love, Holy and Just. (Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22, Mathew 28:19, 1 Peter, 1:2, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Revelations 1:8, 1 John 4:16b, 1 Peter 1:16, Deuteronomy 32:4)

JESUS CHRIST

We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and co-equal with the Father. Jesus is true God and true man lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death, ascended to Heaven and will return again to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5; 14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, I Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world by bringing conviction and awareness of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every believer from the moment of salvation and sanctifies them to be like Christ daily. He regenerates the Christian heart and provides them with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is godly. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (II Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13; 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:18)

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To do God’s work, we need God’s power. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” The purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to empower believers for service, to witness, for spiritual warfare, and for boldness in their testimonies (see Acts 1:8; 4:19–20, 29–31; 6:8–10; 1 Corinthians 2:4). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit fills the believer’s mind with a genuine understanding of truth, takes possession of the believer’s abilities, and imparts gifts that qualify the believer for service in the body of Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity in every Christian’s life for the service to which God has called us.

HUMANITY

We believe people are created in the image of God. God’s purpose for them is to have a loving relationship with Him. However, people have rebelled against God, became separate from God through disobedience. As a result, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and choose to sin against God. Humanity is unable to recover a right relationship with God through his own efforts. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6a, Romans 3:23, Colossians 1:21, Isaiah 59:1-2)

ETERNITY

We believe humanity was created to live forever. People will either live eternally separated from God by sin, or together with God through forgiveness and salvation. When a person die, you will either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. Eternal separation from God happens in Hell. Eternal union with God occurs in Heaven. (John 3:16, I John 2:25; 5:11-13, Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15)

SALVATION

We believe salvation is a gift from God to humanity. It is by God’s grace that man gets saved. Man can never make up for his sin by self- improvement or through good works. It is only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one confesses with their mouth and receives Jesus Christ into his/her life by faith. We believe that Jesus Christ died as the substitution for the death penalty we owed. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 14:6; 1:12, Titus 3:5, Galatians 3:26, Romans 5:1)

THE BIBLE

We believe the Bible is God’s Word to all men. It was written by human authors under the supernatural inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the ultimate foundation of truth for Christian beliefs and living. It is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man and the woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 1:13, Psalm 119:105,160, Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5)

PRAYER

We believe in prayer. The greatest privilege a Christian has is the privilege of prayer. Not only is it a privilege, but it is also the responsibility of every believer. Jesus said that we ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). Prayer is simply talking to God, letting our concerns and requests be made known to Him. When we pray, we admit our need for God and our utter dependence on Him. Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ do we have access to God (see 1 Timothy 2:5). We approach God in Jesus’ name, not our own. Prayer is not a means of trying to get from God what we want, but rather a means by which we enable God to give us what He wants. We're to pray because God commands it (see 2 Chronicles 7:14; Luke 18:1). Through prayer, we receive things (see James 4:2), experience fullness of joy (see John 16:24), and find help in times of trouble. Prayer is the cure for worry (see Philippians 4:6) and also helps us resist temptation (see Matthew 26:41). We are to pray always (see Ephesians 6:18). The Bible instructs us to ”Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Neglecting to pray is a sin. Samuel said,”Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23). D. L. Moody summarized the necessity of prayer with this observation: “Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.”

WATER BAPTISM

We believe water baptism is not a personal choice, but a command for believers. Jesus established water baptism as an ordinance when He gave the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16). Water baptism is a public, outward testimony that indicates a personal, inward faith. It gives evidence of the inner change that has already occurred in the believer’s life when he or she was “born again” through faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism identifies the believer with the message of the gospel, the Person of Jesus Christ, and other believers. It associates the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and signifies the believer’s death to the old life and his or her resurrection as a new creation in Christ (see Romans 6:1–8; Colossians 2:12). We are to be baptized because Jesus Christ commanded it (Matthew 28:19), and because we love the Lord. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Throughout the Book of Acts, we read how the early church gave importance to water baptism (see 2:41; 8:12, 38; 9:18; 10:47–48; 16:15, 33; 19:3–5). All born-again believers in Jesus Christ—and only believers—should be baptized (see Mark 16:15–16; Acts 8:12, 36–38; 16:31–33; 18:8).

COMMUNION

We believe Jesus Christ instituted Communion on the eve of His death when He ate the Passover meal with His disciples (see Matthew 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:14–20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–25). Bread and wine were once served for the Lord’s Supper. Today, many churches, including ours, use crackers and grape juice. The bread symbolizes Christ’s body, which was beaten and broken for us as He died for the sins of humanity. The cup of wine symbolizes His blood, which was shed for us as He paid for our sins (see John 10:17–18; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:8–9). Anyone who participates in the Lord’s Supper must first be a believer. Jesus commanded His disciples to observe Communion (see Matthew 26:26); therefore, a person must have placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ for salvation before taking part in Communion. In addition to being believers, we must prepare our hearts to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Paul instructed believers not to “eat this bread or drink this cup in an unworthy manner…” (1 Corinthians 11:27). 

Last, we must examine our lives for any unconfessed sin. Paul reminds us,“Let a man examine himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28) to avoid bringing judgment upon ourselves. As we become right with God through confessing our sins (see 1 John 1:9), we may then participate in the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner.

THE CHURCH

We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the head of the church is Jesus Christ Himself (see Ephesians 1:22; 5:23). ”Under His direction, the whole body [the church] is fitted together perfectly” Ephesians 4:16 NLT). As a believer it is an absolute necessity to be involved in a church in order to walk with God and grow spiritually. The Bible instructs us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” (Hebrews 10:24–25).

In the New Testament, temple and synagogue are the only words that describe a building as a place of worship. Today’s church is not a building, but an assembly of people who make up the body of Christ (see Colossians 1:24; Romans 16:5). The universal church consists of genuine Christian believers of all ages, both on earth and in heaven. There won’t be any denominations in heaven; there will only be believers! Although we are all members of the universal church, the body of Christ, it’s very important for a Christian to identify with a body of believers in a local church. We need each other in order to develop fully as Christians (see 1 Corinthians 12:4–27) and to make disciples (see Matthew 28:19). 

Ultimately, the purpose of the church is to know God and make Him known. Through the Holy Spirit, the church accomplishes this in three ways. First, the church is to exalt God (see Ephesians 1:12). Second, the church is to edify the saints (see Colossians 1:28). Third, the church is to evangelize the world (see Mark 16:15). We believe in following to these purposes, while keeping them in their proper balance. A healthy church is the one that is a Worshiping church, Evangelizing church, Learning church, and Loving church.