Acts@22A

 
 

"Making mature followers in all nations for Jesus Christ"

 

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U Matters

As announced in church Sunday, Holly and I will be going on sabbatical from early January through March. We are so grateful to the leaders of Union who made this possible and the wonderful staff who will take on added responsibilities to their already hectic ministries. I will be a Cheshunt Fellow at Westminster College, Cambridge University. Please pray for us and for the church as we prepare for this adventure.

But before that comes Stewardship Month, Philip Yancey's visit, Advent, and Christmas. There will be some opportunities to grow and stretch your faith, worship together, and find community in a truly remarkable congregation. See you in church!

Pastor Greg

Stewardship

Why do we give to the church? 

We all have different motivations and capabilities for giving. Some like to support specific causes, while others prefer giving to general church activities. Some have the means to contribute more; while others might only afford to give "two coins" (Mark 12:42). In whichever way, God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7) if the giving comes from the heart - a heart of gratitude to the Lord for the joys you received through your relationship with Him. Giving is a reflexive response to God’s Grace in our lives - an overflow of joy for having been blessed with His gifts on earth and His promise of heavenly treasures above.

God intends to advance His Kingdom with all the resources He gives us - our time, talents and financial blessings. The foundation of stewardship is that God owns everything and we are mere stewards of His gifts. It is our responsibility to utilize His gifts for enlarging and enriching His Kingdom – passing on His Grace as we received from Him:

" …you are not your own…you have been bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

There is great power in each of our abilities and resources from God. Every moment, every effort and every dollar in service and giving helps to nourish a body, mind and soul in His Kingdom. Stewardship Month is a good time for us to reflect upon the many blessings we receive, and then to give gratefully, generously and joyfully in support of our church.

Let's Celebrate the Joy of Giving!!

Simone Loke

Opportunities at Union

Small Group Leader Gathering Small Group Leaders are invited for a lunch and a fall check-up session this Sun, 8 Nov, 12:15PM. Please plan to be there for a time of troubleshooting, prayer and connection. RSVP to Pastor Michele.

Looking for a Christmas Baptism? Baptism classes begin Monday 16 and 23 Nov, 7:30-9:00PM, see Pastor Michele if interested.

Music Makers  For those families who are big fans of Music Makers, we have good news! Music Maker will be held every Wed 4:00-5:00PM, 4 Nov to 9 Dec. Our Music Director, Chris Yorks, will be teaching all interested children how to sing. This is also a great opportunity for your child to get extra practice for the Christmas Musical. Please contact   to register your child. 

The Christmas Unplugged Children Musical -  Save the Date: 13 Dec 
For this year's Christmas Musical, our children will be sharing with us the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, through their eyes. The main focus of our Christmas Musical will be emphasizing the importance of “Family Time”. It will be meaningful, family oriented and filled with lots of fun scenes for all to enjoy. We invite all children from ages 3-10 years old to join us and be a part of this magical time of the year. Let us share the great news of Jesus’s birth for all to hear. 
The Christmas Musical rehearsals have started and will continue every Sunday until the 12 Dec. During this period of time, please bring your children directly to the Lower Annex at the beginning of the 9:30AM and 11AM service. If you would like to get involved by sharing your talents and time in staging, crowd control, costumes, group leaders, cast prompters, setting up the stage, or just helping us support and cheering for our children, please contact . We would love to hear from you and look forward to working with you to make this year's Christmas Musical a memorable event for all of us. Thank you. 

Philip Yancey, the author, will be speaking at Union Church on the evenings of 18 & 19 November.

18 Nov 8:00PM "Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?" 

19 Nov 7:30PM "Seasons of the Soul"

Tickets are available online by searching for "Union Church" at www.eventbrite.com or click the link below to go directly to the Eventbrite listing. Simply register and print your ticket, or have it available on your mobile device for scanning at the events. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE EVENT LISTING: https://goo.gl/f6IkVy

MAKE YOUR 2016 RESOLUTION: Read the Whole Bible in One Year! 
Have you ever read the whole Bible? Do you think you just don’t have the time to do this? Make 2016 the year that you will read the whole Bible. It will only take you 15 minutes a day. Each day’s reading includes portions from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. Sign up to the Union Church – Read the Whole Bible in One Year Commitment. We will help you, encourage you and have a quarterly gathering to share our progress, which will include informative teachings. Our goal is to have 100 members of Union Church committed to do this together. This is also a great program for children, who need to read 15 minutes before bedtime. We have found the best One Year Bible for Children to create this habit early in their lives. Sign up at the “Read the Whole Bible in One Year Commitment” table on the Green after services starting on Sun, 29 Nov.

Family Retreat 6-7 May, 2016  Dr. Rev. Jerry Root is coming back to Union! Hold the date!

Union Ladies Retreat to Thailand  21-24 Jan 2016  The Ladies of Union are invited to pause. Take a break with us! Our own Terri Appel will be guiding discussions on a great new year topic "Spiritual Fitness and Self Care". Sign up at Table on the Green. 

Oasis

Wed, 11 Nov, 7:45PM-9:15PM  (Refreshments will starts at 7:30PM)

Archa Glass, author and musician, will speak on 'A Woman's Pathway to Wholeness,' a subject for women coming out of crisis into the wholeness of a relationship with God. Though targeted at women, it is a relevant subject for all; please join her talk, followed by Q&A, from 7:45PM to 8:30PM. In the second half, from 8:30PM to 9:15PM, Oasis leaders Alex Ting, Jordan Wilkins, Judy Hon, John Anderson, Harry Mak, Mike Powers, and Wendy Hsu will lead three, separate small groups. Come with a friend, or meet new friends, or select a group based on topic. The three group topics of investigation are 1) Galatians, 2) The Life of David, and 3) Rob Bell's NOOMA video series (for university students). All groups will involve discussion, prayer, and fellowship.  

Youth

Youth Advent Banquet tickets on sale this Sunday! Our annual youth banquet will be held on 27 Nov from 7PM till 10PM at Union Church. Please join us for a business causal dinner, silent & live auction, caroling, and much more. It is a fun & festive evening to raise money for youth mission projects around Asia. This year it’s first come, first serve with very limited seating, so get your tickets this Sunday on the Green or you can reserve tickets by emailing Brenna.

Can’t come to the youth banquet but still want to support youth missions? This year we are going celebrate with 25 days of Christmas Raffle. Tickets will be sold on the Green starting this Sunday; $100 per raffle tickets or 6 for $500. The winners will be drawn on 27 Nov at the banquet but the winner need not be at the banquet to win. There are 25 different chances to win! In the raffle the first days of Christmas are small silly prizes but as we get closer to the 25th the prizes become more exciting, with our top prizes being a suit & shirt set from Manhattan Tailor, and our second top prize being $1,000 Gift Certificate to Wellcome. Raffle Tickets will also be sold on the night of the banquet.

Kingdom Kids

Book Fairs  Kingdom Kids will be hosting Book Fairs this Sunday, 8 and 15 Nov from 9:30AM to 12:30PM. Children's Bibles, Devotional and Prayers books, Veggie Tales DVDs, Parenting books, Women, Men’s Devotional, Philip Yancey’s books and lots more. Come and visit us at The GREEN (in front of lower annex). 

Sunday School Christmas Musical Rehearsals We invite all children from ages 3 to 10 years old to join us for the "Christmas Unplugged" Children's Musical rehearsals. Children please come straight to the Lower Annex at the beginning of the 9:30AM and 11AM services. 

Creche Manager  We are happy to announce that we have found a new Creche Manager, Elena Liu, and we warmly welcome her to our Children's Ministry team. Elena has a qualification in Early Childhood Education and she has a heart to serve God through this ministry. Together with our Creche volunteers assistants, we hope to provide a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment for your little ones. Please do say Hello to our new Creche Manager and keep her in your prayers. Thank you.

Outreach & Missions
 
Local Outreach Opportunities - Mark Your Calendar
    • We will also be helping to distribute meals in Sham Shui Po this Sat, 7 Nov. Contact Lee-Ann by Fri, 06 Nov. 
    • We also have an opportunity to serve the staff and meet the severely disabled residents of the Home of Loving faithfulness on 28 Nov. Time to be confirmed for morning or afternoon.
    • Look out for the Saturday afternoon in Decemberwhen families will gather to Bake Cookies for YWAM Sons and Daughters
    Volunteers Needed
    Thur, 12 Nov, 11-5PM     to help sort clothing and items for Clothes Sale on 15 Nov. Contact Lee-Ann.

      Small Group and Study

      New Study: Great way to usher in the Advent season with this new 5 week study - The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem. The study format is a 10-15 minute DVD followed by discussion questions. Join Mike and Sheri Witthoft Wednesday nights 7PM - 9PM at Union (Wed, 18 Nov starts). RSVP to Sheri. Light Dinner provided. Don't miss this great opportunity to get connected.

      New Group: Live in DB and looking to get connected? Join Charles and Bronwyn for a new study on the "Caring for the Soul" -Thursday nights. Contact Charles.

      Last Week's Sermon

      Please click on the link below to download

      "Content or Entitled?" by Pastor Greg Anderson
       

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      Union Church, 22A Kennedy Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong
      Tel: +852 2523 7247 | Fax: +852 2524 0473
      Email:    www.unionchurchhk.org