Chairperson: Ms Amy Tong
Speaker: Pastor Edith Li
Interpreter: Ms Amy Tong
Worship: Steve G, Rebecca H, Enoch M, Fay O, Kenny P, Kinson L, Violet Y, Herman Y
Proclamation
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Psalm 100:1-2
Opening Prayer
Singspiration
The Ten Commandments
Scripture Reading
Sermon
Title: Serving Humbly
Response Hymn
Closing prayer
Doxology
Benediction
Threefold Amen
Announcements
Christmas Carol: Our three congregations will be joining forcing in delivering Christmas carols to the community on the 8th and 15th of December! Practices will be held today from 11-12. There will also be a combined practice across the three congregations on 1st December. If you are keen and able to commit, you can register your interest with Fung.
English Children Sunday School will have a Christmas break from 16th December 2018 to 24th February 2019. We need a hand from brothers and sisters to look after children from 10:45 am to 12:00 pm during this period. Please register at the Usher desk if you are willing to help.
The Caring Department is organizing an outing which will take place at Roger Park, Eastern Beach, on 25 November at 2:30 pm. Brothers and sisters are welcome to join. We will be meeting at church at 2 pm or directly at Roger Park at 2:30 pm on the day. For more information please contact Yvonne Pau, Alex Ma and Cannas Ng.
Mandarin Christmas evangelical Sunday service will be held on 16 December from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The program includes music worship, children’s choir performance, drama, and evangelical message. Refreshment will be served afterward. Brothers and sisters are encouraged to invite Mandarin speaking friends and family, and pray for this event.
“Love Connection: Understanding Children”, a Cantonese parenting lecture conducted by Dr. Cannis Tse (謝小珍), will be held on Saturday 24 November from 4 to 6 pm. Parents of children and adolescents are welcome. For more details, please refer to the flyers on the Usher desk.
2019 calendars are now available for brothers and sisters to take. Each family unit may take one copy.
Pastor ET is preaching at CACC this morning.
External News: "Love the World” music concert to be held at our Church on Friday 23rd November at 7:00 pm, which is hosted by Love The World 愛世界的角落. Please check out the event on Facebook for more details.
Mission News
Praying for Turkmenistan:
Turkmenistan's waterless terrain is inhospitable to plant and animal life, but it is still home to over five million Turkmens. Oases, found mostly along the foothills and rivers, are a welcome site in this nation comprised of 80% desert. Although desolate, its rolling sand dunes and ragged mountain ranges provide a beautiful landscape. With rich deposits of oil and gas, Turkmenistan has discovered great wealth even within the desert.
Once made a part of the Soviet Union, Turkmen property was taken, traditions were removed, and the Turkmens' nomadic lifestyle came to an end. Turkmenistan gained its independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s, but change has been very slow. Communist rule was replaced by a dictatorship until 2006. Turkmenistan has had difficulty rising to its feet, even under the rule of a new president elected under the first multi-candidate election in 2007. Rising crime, poverty, unemployment, and drug use have made progress difficult. The administration, although claiming to be a presidential republic and secular democracy, has often operated under more authoritarian rules, sacrificing certain human rights and religious freedoms. Despite the wealth brought in by the oil and gas industry, many of the Turkmen people remain impoverished.
Although the constitution claims religious freedom, the reality is quite different. With Sunni Islam (89%) and Russian Orthodoxy (9%) considered the only two legal religions, persecution of other faiths is prevalent. Unregistered religious gatherings are forbidden, often suffering grave consequences. But persecution and restriction have only strengthened the Turkmen Church. Prior to independence, Christianity was mostly non-existent, but today there are as many as 1,000 followers of Jesus. With all foreign missionaries expelled, several pastors exiled, beaten, or imprisoned, and the Bible not yet fully translated, the spread of the Gospel in Turkmenistan faces great challenges. Yet, the church continues to grow amid constant threat.
Mission Prayer Items:
• Pray for new Bibles for house churches whose literature has been confiscated and destroyed.
• Pray for open doors for humanitarian organizations to meet practical as well as spiritual needs.
• Pray for governing authorities to abandon the strict policies controlling religious activity.
For more information on Turkmenistan, go to the website: https://prayercast.com/turkmenistan.html
Prayer Items for the Week
Pray for brothers and sisters’ heart to apply the church motto in their life – Having the same mind as Christ.
Pray for the resource consent application process for our church expansion project. The Church proposes an operating hour from 9 am to midnight for weekdays and 8 am to midnight for public holidays and weekends. We are waiting for council’s approval. Please continue to pray for the church expansion project.
Pray for the recruitment of an English pastor. May God prepare a suitable pastor to minister the English congregation.
Please continue to pray for Brother Michael Kwok's cancer treatment. May God heal him, and give his wife Amy strength to look after him.
Last Week's Service Attendance
Cantonese Service: 134, Prayer Meeting: 7
English Service: 80, Prayer Meeting: 44, Children Sunday School: 15
Mandarin Service: 63, Prayer Meeting: 4, Children Sunday School: 24
Next Week's Roster
Chairperson: Mr Nixon Fong
Speaker: Pastor Mark Wen
Interpreter: Ms Layee Chen
Worship: Sharon C, Daniel H, Fung L, Justin L, Charlie M, Lilian W, Marco Y, Edward G