September 1, 2010

 

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,

as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God

and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city.”

Revelation 22:1-2

Rivers are life.  In Africa, where I was born, there flowed a river “clear as crystal” not far from our house that brought ‘life’ wherever it flowed.  In the Bible the story begins with a river flowing out of Eden to ‘water the garden’ (Gen. 2:10), and ends in Revelation with the ‘river of the water of life’ flowing down the ‘middle of the great street of the city’.  And you and I are called to be conduits of this living water here on the streets of this great city.

In John 7:38 Jesus says, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”  This coming Sunday we will be studying this passage together as we begin a new sermon series entitled “The me I want to be”.  The series is structured around the book by the same title from John Ortberg, and will look at how you and I, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can become “God’s best version” of us.  Invite your friends to this series as we’ll be exploring some of the practical obstacles in this process as well as ways to ‘bridge the gap’ between who we are now, and Christ’s vision for us.

In September, we’ll also be looking at the waters of Baptism with our ‘beach baptism’ scheduled for September 26.  If you’re interested please send a reply email, or simply join us at 9:00 am this Sunday at KWS for a Baptism class.  There are many other activities coming up including the kick-off of our Sunday School this coming Sunday, so please read through all of the opportunities below, and spread the word to your friends, families and neighbors.  You might pay special attention to the parenting class, “Boundaries with Kids” by Drs. Cloud and Townsend.

The above passage from Revelation continues with, “On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”   As the Spirit of God flows through us this week, may we ‘bear fruit’, and be part of the ‘healing of the nations’.

Blessings on your week, and see you on Sunday!

Pastor Steve

“Boundaries With Kids” Parenting Program Starting Next Tuesday

This DVD based program by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend addresses the critical issues involved in learning when to say “Yes” and when to say “No” to help your children gain control of their lives.

Time:               Tuesdays 12-2pm from September 7 to October 12

Venue:             Community Church Ministry Centre

                          3/F Wincome Centre, 39 Des Voeux Road Central 

Suitable for:    Anyone in parenting or teaching role
                            This program is targeted at children of age 10 or below 

Enrolment:      Limited to 20 for effective participation and exchanges 

Led by:            Barbara Whitehead, qualified counsellor and supported by Rulin Fuong from Community Church

Fee:                 HK$100 per person as a gesture of commitment

Sign-up:           Send email to Wendy Ng or sign up at church on Sunday.

A New Addition to the Community Church Family

Congratulations to Alan and Cecilia Wong and the birth of baby Abiel.  He was born at 4:27am on Aug 29, weighing 7 lbs 2 oz.  We rejoice with the Wongs and continue to pray for them as they adjust as a new family together.  

New Sermon Series This Sunday – “THE ME I WANT TO BE”

Sep 5	Bridging The Gap
Sep 12	Changing Your Mind
Sep 19	Life To The Full
Sep 26	The Unstoppable Community Of Love
Oct 3	Take A Mountain

Fall Festival

Mark your calendar for September 19 (SUN) and start inviting your friends and family to join us for our FALL FESTIVAL. There will be food, games, auctions, charity group tables, and a whole lot more.  Have fun and help others. Look for invitation cards at the welcome desk on Sundays and start spreading the good news around! 

What is Baptism and Why is it Important?

Interested in exploring or taking this next step along the journey of faith?  Baptism is an important part of the Christian experience and is a physical declaration of one’s identity in Christ.  If you are not yet baptized and want to learn more, please join for our Baptism class on September 5 (Sunday) at 9:00 am at Kwei Wah Shan College. 

Baptism Sunday:  September 26

On Sunday, September 26 we will be having a special baptism Sunday at Community Church. Our current plans are to make it a beach baptism (!) and so far several individuals are planning to be baptized on that day.  If you have already been considering baptism this would be a wonderful opportunity to be part of a Community-wide celebration.  Please contact Pastor Steve or Pastor Wade to find out more information.  If you are interested in baptism, but are not sure what is all involved, we would also love to sit down and discuss it with you.  You can contact us at the office, Pastor Steve or Pastor Wade. 

Exciting Children’s Ministry Update

Children’s Ministry:  Search, Discover, Challenge, Impact…… We’re ready to launch our new Sunday School classes this Sunday.  Children will start in main worship service with parents and then, following a blessing, we’ll head down to start the adventure in the jungle where we’ll explore the “ultimate guide to survive & conquer”!!  Sound exciting?  Make sure your children are there & invite their friends.

Youth Update

So summer is officially over, and with the onset of autumn we now begin this year’s youth ministry program.  I’m really excited for what’s coming up over the next few months, and I hope that you are too!

On Sunday we had our Youth Ministry Meeting, a chance for people interested in the youth ministry to hear about what’s going on and potential opportunities to serve.  For those of you who weren’t able to make it, or who couldn’t quite hear me, I thought I’d write up a quick recap of the key points to know.  Also don’t forget to pick up the calendar for the semester from the information table or from the Ministry Centre.

Spectrum – Friday Nights
                      Ministry Centre, 3/F Wincome Centre, 39 Des Voeux Road Central
- Junior Youth:  5:30 – 7:00pm
- Senior Youth:  7:30 – 9:00pm

Spectrum Church – Community Church @ KWS College
                                     62 Cloudview Road, Braemar Hill
- We’re starting a new youth service which will kick-off on October 3 and will run on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month for all youth both Junior and Senior. The service will run concurrently with the adult service in the canteen.
- On the 2nd and 4th Sunday the Seniors will be part of the main service and the Juniors will have Sunday School

Missions Trip – Thailand

This year we’ll be doing a week-long missions trip in April with Habitat for Humanity from the 22nd to the 28th. You can find the details attached to the e-mail, or on the youth website sometime over the next month

IMPORTANT NOTE: I did forget to mention at the meeting that we’ll be running a fund raising campaign to help contribute funds for the missions trip.  We’d like parents or family of the youth to provide the deposit, and then we’re aiming to raise the remainder of the money as a team.  We believe this will help build community within the team, as well as provide an opportunity for our youth to put in some “sweat equity” (to use Habitat for Humanity terminology) and get some experience with earning their own way.

- Josh

Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Events :

Sep 5 (Sun)                              Baptism Class

Sep 7- Oct 12 (Every Tue)      Parenting Class: Boundaries for Kids

                                                     (Lunchtime at the Ministry Centre)      

Sep 19 (Sun)                             All Church Fall Festival

Sep 26 (Sun)                             Beach Baptism Service

Oct 8-9 (Fri-Sat)                       Church Retreat

Nov 4-7 (Thu-Sun)                   Men’s Walk to Emmaus

Nov 11-14 (Thu-Sun)             Women’s Walk to Emmaus

Nov 25 (Thu)                            Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service

Dec 5 (Sun)                              Christmas Concert

Prayer Life

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.  -Psalm 17:6 (NIV)
Thank you for being there when I need you and for answering my prayers, even if I do not always understand your answer. Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit into my life. I know what life was like without you and I now know the joy of being filled with your love. Lord, there are times when I let you down – thank you for understanding my failings, please guide me towards the standards you expect of me.  I ask that you let me see more clearly the role you have planned for me and I will try to be worthy of the trust you place in me. I offer my prayer through your Son and my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Amen.  (-Brian Edwards)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 eGoodnews is a weekly electronic newsletter of the Community Church Hong Kong (http://www.cchk.org.hk)

IF YOU HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS TO BE INCLUDED ……

In order to streamline our flow of information, please submit all items for inclusion in future editions of eGoodnews directly to the Church Office (office@cchk.org.hk).   Articles for submission should be of general interest to the entire congregation and comprise 100 words or less.  The deadline to submit articles to appear in the next edition of eGoodnews is Monday, September 6, 2010.  THANK YOU!!