WELCOME TO HWC ENGLISH SERVICE (22 OCTOBER 2023)

Chairperson: Fung Lam

Speaker: Rev. ET Wong

Singspiration: Worship Team

Committee on Duty: Lisa Fung

Proclamation
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
    Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
(Psalm 103:1-2)

Opening Prayer

Singspiration

The Lord's Prayer

Scripture Reading
Luke 19:1-10

Sermon
From a Taker to a Giver

Response Hymn

Closing Prayer

Doxology

Benediction

Threefold Amen

Announcements

  1. A warm welcome to everyone who joined us this morning. We are delighted to see you all.

  2. The Church's 30th Anniversary Magazine:

    a) Our next wave is the cover design for the magazine. The organizing committee requests that the layout be in A3 format (the finished product will be folded to serve as both the cover and back page of the special edition). Additionally, for this special edition, there is a designated "color theme," and color samples are posted on the church's dining hall bulletin board for reference. We welcome brothers and sisters to unleash their design creativity and incorporate the idea of "Love & Legacy" into the design, making it a collective memory for everyone.

    b) Meanwhile, considering the participation of children, the Children Sunday School will be co-hosting a drawing activity titled "What is my church?” This activity encourages children to express through imagery what church means to them or what significance it holds in their hearts. We highly encourage parents to participate in this parent-child activity, guiding their children in understanding the concept of church. If the artwork aligns with the theme, it may be considered for use as the cover. 

    c) The submission deadline for both design activities is November 5th, and digital/hard copy works can be submitted to the 30th-anniversary celebration event committee (Nancy Choy, Phoebe Lam, Sean Wang, Sarah Li, Sharon Chan and Sally Che). Click here for the Design Summary document.

  3. The Finance Department plans to send out an email in mid-November to distribute the total amount of contributions for the first half of the fiscal year 2023-2024 to all members. This will facilitate everyone in verifying whether the amounts are correct. If any members have recently updated their email addresses or have new registered email addresses, please notify the church by email. For members without email addresses, please contact Tony Yeung.

  4. Our church administrator Stanley Yu will be on leave from 1/11 to 28/11. During this period, Sister Elain Law will temporarily assume the role of administrator.

  5. TNT: There will be TNT at 11am today. We will be going through a book written by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop about how we can become a compelling community that we all desire. Here is a link to the notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_6QEvUK48EUCvl8u4DP4On54GOHnvjai?usp=sharing

Mission News

  1. Praise the Lord! The total amount of this year's offerings pledge received by the church is $31,000. Let us pray for the strengthening of the faith of those who have made the commitment and encourage everyone to use this year's tax refunds to support the M4 missionary work.

  2. Let us remember the English class teaching service provided by H & P, and especially pray for the successful visa application of H.

  3. We lift up Reverend Janet Tam in her service at the First Chinese Baptist Church and pray for their search for a larger meeting place.

  4. Please pray for the three seekers who have received Bibles from H & Y. Also, pray for H & Y's local language teacher and their family as they face difficulties. They are seeking the truth, and we ask the Lord to guide and help them.

  5. James and Jessica Che arrived safely at Ethiopia last week. Let us pray for the Lord to grant them strength and enable them to serve effectively.

Prayer Items for the Week

  1. Please continue to pray for Lucia, the Pastor Ivan's wife. Pray that the Lord watches over her recovery and all post-operative treatments. Also, pray for the Lord to safeguard Pastor Ivan's physical and mental well-being so that he can better care for his wife.

  2. Let us come together in prayer, seeking the grace of God to bring lasting peace to the Israel-Gaza conflict. May the Lord's hand guide and inspire all parties involved towards a peaceful and just resolution, where the rights and well-being of all people in the region are respected, and suffering comes to an end.

  3. Pray that we would regularly pray for our church.

  4. Pray that as God answers these prayers, he would be seen by those inside and outside our church as good, gracious, and glorious.

Last Week's Sunday Service Attendance (15 October 2023)

English Cantonese Mandarin
Sunday Service 42 143 50
Prayer Meeting 24 8 15
Children Sunday School 18 - 17

Next Week's Roster (29 October 2023)

Chairperson: Jason Chow

Speaker: Mr. Herman Yueng

Singspiration: Worship Team

Committee on Duty: Vincent Chan

WELCOME TO HWC ENGLISH SERVICE (15 OCTOBER 2023)

Chairperson: Amy Tong

Speaker: Jonathan Chow

Singspiration: Worship Team

Committee on Duty: Herman Yeung

Proclamation
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame..
(Psalm 138:1-2)

Opening Prayer

Singspiration

The Lord's Prayer

Scripture Reading
Daniel 1:1-20

Sermon
Living for Jesus in a world that doesn't know him

Response Hymn

Closing Prayer

Doxology

Benediction

Threefold Amen

Announcements

  1. A warm welcome to everyone who joined us this morning. We are delighted to see you all.

  2. Ps. Ivan Hui from Cantonese Congregation has applied for an extended leave due to personal and family needs from September 18, 2023, to February 29, 2024. Looking back at the past years during the pandemic, we are grateful that God sent him to Holy Word Church to serve wholeheartedly. After much prayer and careful consideration, the Deacon Board, mindful of the needs of pastors and caring for them during these difficult times, has decided to grant his request and allow him to take leave until the end of February next year. (The allocation of the leave is as follows: accrued paid leave+sick leave; eight weeks of compassionate paid leave, the rest is unpaid leave.)This decision is made in the hope that Pr. Hui will have a time of rest and rejuvenation, and return to serve the Lord with renewed strength.

    In addition, the Deacon Board has discussed the pastoral ministry arrangements during this period with Rev. Mureen Wong, aiming to minimize any unnecessary pressure on her.

    The Deacon Board earnestly requests the congregation to show understanding and love in this situation, as for if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Please remember Pr. Ivan and his family in your prayers.

    For any inquiries, please send an email to the Deacon Board at deaconboard@holywordchurch.org.nz. The Deacon Board will respond to each message individually.

  3. The Church's 30th Anniversary Magazine:

    a) Our next wave is the cover design for the magazine. The organizing committee requests that the layout be in A3 format (the finished product will be folded to serve as both the cover and back page of the special edition). Additionally, for this special edition, there is a designated "color theme," and color samples are posted on the church's dining hall bulletin board for reference. We welcome brothers and sisters to unleash their design creativity and incorporate the idea of "Love & Legacy" into the design, making it a collective memory for everyone.

    b) Meanwhile, considering the participation of children, the Children Sunday School will be co-hosting a drawing activity titled "What is my church?” This activity encourages children to express through imagery what church means to them or what significance it holds in their hearts. We highly encourage parents to participate in this parent-child activity, guiding their children in understanding the concept of church. If the artwork aligns with the theme, it may be considered for use as the cover. 

    c) The submission deadline for both design activities is November 5th, and digital/hard copy works can be submitted to the 30th-anniversary celebration event committee (Nancy Choy, Phoebe Lam, Sean Wang, Sarah Li, Sharon Chan and Sally Che). Click here for the Design Summary document.

  4. Overseas Mission and Hardship Fund Financial Report for September 2023
    Overseas Mission:

    Previous Month's Balance: $6,058.85

    Donation Income: $19,134.00

    Interest Income: $19.76

    Bank Balance 30/09/2023: $25,212.61

    Hardship:

    Previous Month's Balance: $9,585.11

    Donation Income: -

    Interest Income: $17.28

    Bank Balance 30/09/2023: $9.602.39

  5. TNT: There will be TNT at 11am today. We will be going through a book written by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop about how we can become a compelling community that we all desire. Here is a link to the notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_6QEvUK48EUCvl8u4DP4On54GOHnvjai?usp=sharing

Today’s Sermon Reflections

1. What are some creative, practical things you could do to help you keep Jesus at the centre of your life？

2. How can you be supporting your friends in their commitments?

3. Pick one spiritual discipline you're willing to commit to for the next 10 days.

Prayer Items for the Week

  1. Please continue to pray for Lucia, the Pastor Ivan's wife. Pray that the Lord watches over her recovery and all post-operative treatments. Also, pray for the Lord to safeguard Pastor Ivan's physical and mental well-being so that he can better care for his wife.

  2. Let us come together in prayer, seeking the grace of God to bring lasting peace to the Israel-Gaza conflict. May the Lord's hand guide and inspire all parties involved towards a peaceful and just resolution, where the rights and well-being of all people in the region are respected, and suffering comes to an end.

  3. Pray that we would become a better hearer of God’s preached word.

  4. Pray that faith-generating, God-honouring conversations about the weekly sermon and God’s word would increasingly characterise our church.

Last Week's Sunday Service Attendance (8 October 2023)

English Cantonese Mandarin
Sunday Service 52 135 49
Prayer Meeting - 9; 99 13
Children Sunday School 9/21 - 17

Next Week's Roster (22 October 2023)

Chairperson: Fung Lam

Speaker: Rev ET Wong

Singspiration: Worship Team

Committee on Duty: Lisa Fung