Chairperson: Mr Nicholas Powell
Speaker: Pastor ET Wong
Worship: Steve G, Rebecca H, Enoch M, Fay O, Kenny P, Kinson L, Violet Y, Herman Y
Proclamation
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:4–5
Opening Prayer
Singspiration
The Ten Commandments
Scripture Reading
Sermon
Title: Achan’s Sin
Response Hymn
Holy Communion
Doxology
Benediction
Threefold Amen
Announcements
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.
The new term for the “Word of Life” bible study course held by China Graduate School of Theology is now open for registration. The closing date is 29 January, 2019. The book to be studied is Leviticus and will be conducted in Cantonese. The course will run from 12 March to 7 May 2019 in the evening from 7:45–9:45 pm at Chinese Alliance Christian Church. To sign up, please visit https://www.cgst.edu/wolcourses. Note: 1) Those who signed up in the last course do not need to sign up again; 2) Those who are new to the course please contact Pastor Tong in person or via e-mail/Whatsapp for grouping purposes.
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 on Sundays from 11am-12pm, starting next Sunday. 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.
There will be a mission sharing by Reverend Daniel Huang from Care Ministries International (CMI) next Sunday (11 November) at 10:30 am. He will be introducing CMI to us, and share about the short-term mission trip to Vanuatu in June 2019.
Worship Training: The team from One Circle will also be holding a Worship training workshop (Cantonese) at our church on Monday 5th November at 7:30 pm. The workshop will involve: the relationship between praise and worship; the elements of praise and worship, styles & obstacles; overview of serving in worship ministry; worship leader/singer principle and skill. Brothers and sisters are encouraged to attend.
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.
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.
Last week there has been a mistake in our announcement about the Indonesia relief donation. The correct total amount of the money collected was $2,617.00.
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 a smooth resource consent application process for our church expansion project.
Pray for the recruitment of an English pastor. May God prepare a suitable pastor to minister the English congregation.
Our brother Michael Kwok has seen an oncologist on 29 Oct. The tumor in his lung and liver has increased in size. The doctors are going to start chemotherapy at the end of November trying to control it. Please keep him and his family in our prayers.
Last Week's Service Attendance
Cantonese Service: 120, Prayer Meeting: 11/70
English Service: 76, Prayer Meeting: 37, Children Sunday School: 20
Mandarin Service: 46, Prayer Meeting: 5, Children Sunday School: 20
Next Week's Roster
Chairperson: Dr Franklin Fung
Speaker: Pastor ET Wong
Worship: Sharon C, Daniel H, Fung L, Justin L, Charlie M, Lilian W, Marco Y, Edward G