Chairperson: Mr Franklin Fung
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
Proclamation
Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
Psalm 117:1-2
Opening Prayer
Singspiration
The Ten Commandments
Scripture Reading
Sermon
Title: Coming Home
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.
English Children Sunday School will have a Christmas break from 16th December 2018 to 24th February 2019. We need an 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 desk if you are willing to help.
The Caring Department is organizing an outing which will take place at Roger Park, Eastern Beach today 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.
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 Usher desk by 16 December if you would like to join the lunch gathering which offering is by will.
Counseling Service: Miss Judy Hu, who hold a Bachelor of Counselling degree from Laidlaw College, will be offering counselling 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 desk. We invite all who want to participate in this ministry to register.
2019 calendars are now available for brothers and sisters to take. Each family unit may take one copy.
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.
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: 101, Prayer Meeting: 5
English Service: 76, Prayer Meeting: -, Children Sunday School: 15
Mandarin Service: 49, Prayer Meeting: 7, Children Sunday School: 21
Next Week's Roster
Chairperson: Mr Fung Lam
Speaker: Pastor ET Wong
Worship: Steve G, Rebecca H, Enoch M, Fay O, Kenny P, Kinson L, Violet Y, Herman Y