U Matters - 5 August 2021 | U Matters

U Matters - 5 August 2021

by Rev Dr Michele Bland on August 08, 2021

U MATTERS

Olympic fever - the only fever we want to have.

It has been an exciting 17 days watching athletes make Olympic history! And it has been so encouraging to see Hong Kong communities gather, rejoice and celebrate Hong Kong athletes. I love hearing the personal stories of the athletes - how they have pushed through injury, how they have overcome obstacles and how hard they have trained. These are incredible stories of perseverance and for many - a marathon.

This week, I along with some of the staff, joined members of the BUFF team for a meeting to discuss lighting. It was a 3.5-hour meeting, and this was only one of many meetings the BUFF team has had in the past few weeks. In many respects this meeting felt like a marathon - a stark reminder that our BUFF team has been running their own marathon for several years. Please join with me to continue to pray for and cheer the BUFF team on from the side lines. We are grateful and appreciate your ministry - both to us and to the city of Hong Kong.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Blessings, Pastor Michele

About the Author

Rev Dr Michele Bland

Pastor Michele came to Hong Kong in 1996 with her husband Glenn. Pastor Michele holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a Masters of Divinity, a Masters in Theology and a Masters in Psychology. Michele was ordained with the Canadian Baptist Convention, has advance standing in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), and before coming to Asia she was a youth pastor.

Pastor Michele was appointed Associate Pastor at Union Church in 2012 and became Senior Pastor in 2020. She is a trained Stephen Leader and has trained over 20 members of our congregation to become Stephen Ministers. During her time in Hong Kong, Pastor Michele served on the pastoral staff at another international church for over a decade and has worked in private practice. She has taught in hospitals in China, as well as seminaries in Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Pastor Michele has two university-aged children. Highlights have included working on a kibbutz in Israel, traveling to far off destinations and hanging out with her family. She loves good coffee and conversation.