Chairperson: Mr Nicholas Powell
Speaker: Pastor ET Wong
Worship: Sharon C, Daniel H, Justin L, Charlie M, Lilian W, Marco Y, Edward G
Proclamation
Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Psalm 146:1–2
Opening Prayer
Singspiration
The Ten Commandments
Scripture Reading
Sermon
Title: Jesus the Priest
Response Hymn
Closing prayer
Doxology
Benediction
Threefold Amen
Announcements
Children Sunday School will have a 15-minute Christmas presentation at 10:45 am at the Cantonese Service today. Brothers and sisters are welcome to stay behind to attend the performance.
Christmas Carol: Our three congregations will be joining forces in delivering Christmas carols to the community on the 15th of December at Eastern Beach.
Children Sunday School will have a Christmas break from 16th December 2018 to 24th February 2019. We need assistance from brothers and sisters to look after children from 10:45 am to 12:00 pm during this period. Please register at the Usher’s desk if you are willing to help.
The English Service is holding a Christmas carnival on Tuesday 25 December from 3 pm to 5 pm. Each ticket costs $10 and will be used for games or purchasing food on the day. All profits will go to Auckland City Mission. Please invite friends to join.
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.
Cantonese Congregation will hold a Christmas worship and lunch gathering on 23 December from 10.45 am to 2.00 pm. Brothers and sisters are welcome to join and please feel free to bring friends along with. Please register at the Usher’s desk by 16 December if you would like to join the lunch gathering where offering is by will.
The deacon board has received a resignation letter of Pastor Kelvin Tong our Cantonese pastor. The last day of his office is 20 March, 2019, but he will finish on 13 January before taking his annual leave. Holy Word Church would like to thanks Pastor Tong for his faithful service and wishes him all the best in his ministry under God’s guidance.
Counseling Service: Miss Judy Hu, who hold a Bachelor of Counseling degree from Laidlaw College, will be offering counseling sessions at our church. She is kindly offering a discount price to serve our brothers and sisters. If you feel that you, or your families and friends are in need of such service, please feel free to contact Judy directly, or talk to our pastors and deacons. Please refer to the poster (link) for more details about Judy.
There is a registration form for floral offering for 2019 on the Usher’s desk. We invite all who want to participate in this ministry to register.
Church expansion update: The church has reached an agreement with the Council regarding the conditions of our resource consent. Subject to a review condition, the Council has approved that the operating hours of the church to be 9 am to midnight on weekdays, and 8 am to midnight on weekends and public holidays. Once we received the official paperwork, we can proceed with the construction process. Please continue to remember this in our prayers.
Congregation news: Our brother Michael Kwok is waiting for the Father to receive him into his heavenly home. He treasures this time to count the blessings with every visiting brother or sister. Please pray that God will guide him along to rest peacefully in Christ.
Mission News
Praying for Turkey:
A mix of antiquity and innovation, the nation of Turkey combines modernized industry with traditional agriculture to be the sixteenth largest economy in the world. Simultaneously one of the poorer nations of Europe yet also the most developed of the Turkic countries in Central and Western Asia, Turkey has acted as a bridge between these two worlds while remaining separate from either.
In spite of growth, the economy continues to be hindered by a high deficit and is dependent on unreliable, short-term investments. The Kurdish people, who compose nearly one fifth of the total population within Turkey, are in dispute with the Turks over ethnic recognition. Although the Kurdish language can legally be used in print and spoken in public settings, the government will often prosecute Kurd speakers and confiscate publications under the guise of prohibiting separatist propaganda. In response, the Kurds have sometimes violently demanded cultural rights, resulting in conflicts that have taken the lives of over thirty thousand people since the early 1980's. Security forces are also fighting narcotics trafficking from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan into Europe.
Turkey is a secular state without an official state religion. The Turkish Constitution provides people with the right to religious freedom. According to 2016 data, Islam is the main religion of Turkey 83% of the total population. Secondly, 13% are non-religious. Christianity is 2%.
Even though it was one of the earliest mission fields and home to many New Testament churches, hostility and persecution of Christians is strong in Turkey. It is culturally accepted that to be a Turk, one must be Muslim, even if nominally so, and over 98 percent claim the faith. Muslim extremists, government intimidation, and family pressure discourage many from coming to Christ and there is a deep national resentment towards Christianity, making evangelism more difficult. Even in the midst of persecution, God still stands, and He is calling out to His people of Turkey to accept the love and peace that only comes from him.
Mission Prayer Items:
• A radical change in deep-seated prejudices and biases against Christianity
• Wise leadership to peacefully navigate the tense rivalry between staunch nationalists and radical Islamists
• The work of evangelism to go forth in power despite increased hostilities and bitter persecution toward believers
For more information on Turkey, go to the website: https://prayercast.com/turkey.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.
Praise the Lord that we have reached an agreement with the Council’s planner this week with regards to our operating hours. Pray that we will be able to start the construction in the near future. 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.
Last Week's Service Attendance
Cantonese Service: 113, Pre-Service Prayer Meeting: 4
English Service: 72, Prayer Meeting: 38, Children Sunday School: 17
Mandarin Service: 55, Prayer Meeting: 13, Children Sunday School: 15
Next Week's Roster
Chairperson: Mr Nixon Fong
Speaker: Pastor ET Wong
Worship: Steve G, Enoch M, Fay O, Kenny P, Kinson L, Calla W, Violet Y, Herman