Volume. XXI, No. 48
Sunday, 27 May 2007
As Hope church celebrates her 21st anniversary today, there are many thanks we ought to give to the Lord. The Lord has been gracious to her in so many ways. Let me list a few of the thanksgiving items.
We thank the Lord for our privilege to worship. The Lord has brought His own people to Hope church in His own time. He has brought His servants to found the church and to continue the ministry of God here. We thank and praise the Lord for Rev. Ed Paauwe, the founding pastor, and his wife. At the moment, Rev. Paauwe is on the way to recovery from his recent surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his wife. They had laid the doctrinal foundation for the church so well. They had built up people to be able to serve in various areas of ministries. Of course, Rev. Peter Chua had spent some months here when Hope church needed a caring pastor. We thank the Lord for his timely help. Over the years, many ministers of God’s Word came and ministered to the Hopefuls. We thank the Lord for them. In this confused age, the Lord has given us His servants who believe in God’s Word and preach faithfully from it. We do not want to forget those who had helped us to get our worship place. There were both churches and individuals who made huge contributions to help us to purchase the Stone Mansion. We have not forgotten their kindness and generous heart. It is our hope and prayer that Hope church will be of help to other churches in the future.
We thank the Lord for our leaders. The organizational structure of the church in New Testament times was a Presbyterian government. Churches were governed by plurality of elders in individual local assemblies. Hope church does not belong to any particular individual but to God alone. At the same time, there is a proper organization by the plurality of leaders appointed and ordained properly according to the Biblical pattern. We have two elders (one is teaching and the other is ruling) and five deacons. The Session is consisted of two elders (pastor and elder Michael Lee) and five deacons. They have the responsibility of teaching, ruling, shepherding, and exercising oversight. The Session has enjoyed unity and a close work relationship. The Session members are teaching BBK and Neighborhood Bible Studies. We must thank the Lord that He has raised good men for us. The Session members are biblically sound, spiritually healthy, and individually dedicated people. I must say that not many churches are enjoying a good Session such as the one we have in our church. It is my prayer that the Lord will raise some more men to step into the leadership position and serve.
We thank the Lord for our worshippers. There are regular worshippers and visitors. We thank the Lord for all of them. In particular, I must mention some ministries that our worshippers are doing. We have Ladies’ Fellowship, Men’s Fellowship, Adults Fellowship Group, Young Adults Fellowship, Teen Fellowship, Sunday School, Choir, Book Shop Ministry, Lively Hope Editorial Team, Weekly Kitchen and flower duty, Sanctuary setups, Stone Mansion management, Audio and video responsibilities, and the computer ministry. Of course, I cannot miss out those who are providing transportation every week, and our precious music coordinator. There are people who are playing musical instruments during worship services and leading singspiration. Sunday afternoon Fellowship lunch is a big part of our ladies’ labour. We must thank and praise those who have given themselves to prepare meals for us. Of course, any contribution towards fellowship lunch needs to be praised. At the same time, it is appropriate for us to give thanks for those who are washing the dishes after lunch. We can probably name those who are regularly giving their effort to serve in the kitchen. Once a month, the working bee is another important day for our church cleanup. Thank and praise the Lord for the people who are regular helpers on working bees. Sunday school teachers are blessings to their students.
We thank the Lord for baptisms and transferred memberships. It is always a joy to see new converts baptized. Their confession of faith is inspiring and encouraging. Behind each baptismal candidate, there are always some people who have influenced on him/her. They have encouraged him/her to read the Bible and to come to worship services. We must thank the Lord for these encouragers.
We thank the Lord for missionary work. I do believe that it is an honour to be a part of mission endeavors worldwide. Though we may not be able to go out as missionaries, we can pray for them and support them financially. Our young people have prayed and supported missionaries. The Session is willing to support theological students from Cambodia. At the same time, we desire to be a blessing to missionary families. We thank the Lord for those who have donated to the mission fund. We are also grateful to the Lord for those who are willing to go out to visit mission fields.
We thank the Lord for those who are helping others. There are people who are visiting the elderly and the sick. There are people who are encouraging the discouraged. Most of us are immigrants. When we came to this country, we did not have any clear idea about many things. There were some people who guided us through and prayed with us. They spent time and effort to help us out. We thank the Lord for them.
We thank the Lord for the jobs we have. The Lord has given job opportunities to some of us during this financial year. We praise the Lord for jobs. We also know that there are people seeking for job openings. We also thank the Lord for the health and safety that He has provided for us. Some of us had crises in health issues and the Lord has helped them through. Thank the Lord for His goodness. We thank the Lord for new additions to our church families. We have a new born baby and are waiting for more to come. We are thankful to the Lord for babies and mothers and fathers. Of course, we are thankful for the weddings in our church.
I am sure that there are lots of answered prayers for the Hopefuls during the last one year. Let us not forget to give thanks to the Lord always without ceasing. May the Lord bless Hope church and the Hopefuls!
Because of Calvary,
Your Pastor
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