Please meet Allen! He’s the newest addition to Lighthouse’s staff and he’ll be serving as an intern in Praxis, our young adult ministry. Learn a little bit about him through these questions and answers, then give him a warm welcome! (atsai@lighthousesouthbay.org)
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hi Lighthouse. My name is Allen Tsai and I’m married to my wife Berry who is a NICU nurse at UCLA. Together, we have two kids: a sweet and sassy six-year old daughter, Madison, and a wild, funny, yet sensitive son, Everett. I grew up and pretty much stayed in the LA area my entire life, having graduated from UCLA and TMS. Berry and I both attended Lighthouse a long time ago when we were in college and are excited to be able to recently return in the past month or so.
What are your hobbies and interests? What do you do in your free time?
In my spare time, I enjoy celebrating and mourning over all the LA sports teams (Lakers, Dodgers, Rams), playing basketball, reading books, drinking craft coffee, eating sushi, and chilling with my family.
As you may know by now, the Lighthouse staff LOVES food. What are your favorite foods?
Yes, I’m in good company. I’m partial towards most Asian cuisines, especially Chinese and Japanese (Torrance will be the end of me). And you can never really go wrong with the healthy stuff: street tacos, pizza, Popeyes, and In-N-Out.
Unfortunately, the day you joined our staff was the day we closed our office and began working from home. With having only one day to experience being in the office, what were your first impressions? What are you looking forward to?
I promise my arrival to Lighthouse has nothing to do with the offices closing down. Or I hope so. From my brief experience in being at the office, I enjoyed the unity, humility, and mutual edification of the staff. And the fun. There really seems to be a sense where everyone enjoys each other’s company and want to see everyone thrive. I’m looking forward to being part of this culture and sharing the joys and hardships of ministry as a team.
What will your role be on staff at Lighthouse?
I will be serving in Lighthouse’s young adult ministry, Praxis, and in whatever capacity the church needs.
In what ways are you looking forward to doing ministry at Lighthouse?
I’m eager to grow in godliness and learn from the body of Christ. For me, the major draw of this ministry opportunity was how being in a healthy church and surrounded by godlier saints would sharpen me and be good for my family spiritually. I’m also excited to see how I can continue to glean from the wisdom and experience of those I serve with and then to steward my growth and gifts for the benefit of the church.
How can we, as your church family, be praying for you?
Please pray for the acclimation process. It’s one thing for my family and me to transition back to Lighthouse. It’s another challenge to do so while the majority of church life and operations is currently online. Pray that in this season of longing and waiting, my family and I would learn whatever lessons God intends to teach us. Pray for my wife and the many other healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of this pandemic. And as always, pray for greater love for Christ and His people.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I’m just glad to be part of the church and look forward to meeting everyone and being able to worship together in person. In the meantime, feel free to reach out; I’d love to hear from you.
