U MATTERS:
Last week in our worship services we heard the impact of one person inviting another person to Alpha. “I asked if she might like to come, and she said yes!” There is power in an invitation. When I think of my own life, it was a person on my ski team who invited me to church. When I think of Jesus, it was his invitation that changed the lives of the disciples,
“Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.” Matthew 4:18-20 The Message
The Billy Graham Association conducted a national survey and found that 82% of the non-churched say they would come to church with a friend or relative if invited. We may not feel comfortable inviting people to church right now, but we could invite them to listen online or invite them to join us for ZOOM Alpha.
According to author Michael Green in his book Evangelism in the Early Church, "Christianity was supremely a lay movement, spread by informal missionaries …the spontaneous outreach of the total Christian community gave immense impetus to the movement from the very outset." Christianity spread because everyone got involved inviting.
2020 has been a challenging year in so many ways -but Christianity offers hope. We don’t have to have all the answers, but we all have the ability to invite.
Blessings, Pastor Michele
P.S. If you are interested in online Alpha it starts tonight. See HERE for details.
THIS WEEK:
We are currently meeting in-person at half our normal capacity - 100 people, we will also be streaming our services live to the 2nd floor of Hotel Indigo (U-Cafe) to ensure that everyone who comes can worship together. We will be offering live services at 8:45AM (with communion), 9:45AM and 11:15AM. We look forward to seeing you at one of our services in-person. If you are unable to come and worship with us in the sanctuary or Hotel Indigo please join us online, at either 9:45AM or 11:15AM, via our website, mobile app or Facebook page. If you are unable to be online at the time of our worship services, you can watch them later in the day, again via our website, app or Facebook page.
Creche & Sunday School Arrangements for Sunday 18 October 2020 and until further notice: the Creche Centre will be open with restricted capacity. For children aged 3 years old above, Veggie Tales Movies will be shown in rooms 2 & 3 with strict hygiene measures and in accordance with the government guidelines. We greatly appreciate your understanding and kind cooperation as we gather and worship God responsibly.
Youth: We are back in business! Youth are invited to join us in-person on Fridays at 6PM and Sundays during the 9:45 and 11:15 services.
Prayer and Discernment: Join us as we continue to pray for our church. Tuesdays, at 7:45AM - 8:30AM on Zoom. Contact ADMIN for the zoom link.
Don't forget that you can still give your offering online via the giving page of our website, or by using the QR code below. You can also send us a cheque, made payable to "Union Church" or "Friends of Hong Kong Charities, Inc" if you are a US taxpayer. Please send them to: 18F, Sunlight Tower, 248 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Upcoming:
Please join us on Sunday, 25th October 2020, as we hold an Induction Ceremony for our Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Michele Bland, during our 9:45AM and 11:15AM services.
Book Group: Do you enjoy reading? The Union Book Group reads a variety of Christian and secular books, and discusses them from a Christian perspective. Our upcoming book is Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love, by Katherine and Jay Wolf, meeting October 27, 7:30 pm. And on November 24 we will meet to discuss The Inner Voice of Love, by Henri Nouwen. Both books are available at the Welcome Table, $100 each. Join us for either or both!
Young Marrieds Lunch - Sunday, November 1. We would love to get together with all our young, married couples for a special (free!) lunch with our Young Adults Director Dan Tupps, his wife Geeta and Pastor Michele. We’ll meet at 12:30pm in the fellowship hall then make our way to the venue. To RSVP or for more information please contact Dan Tupps.
See HERE for more information or to register to get the zoom links for any of these classes. Please join us!
Missions:
In speaking with our partners at Light of the World Church and Preschool in Yangon, Myanmar, the present situation there is rather dire due to COVID-19. Most church members are out of a job and have no income. Churches and schools are closed. Church members need assistance to meet their basic needs. Pastor Vum and his family have been providing food to church members during this time using funds provided by Union Church. Please pray for: strong faith in God and Christ Jesus during this time; safety and health for each family during the pandemic; for places of work, schools, and churches to be able to re-open.
Kingdom Kids:
We invite all of our Kingdom Kids' families to join us in sharing Jesus’ love and goodness with the children in need under the care of St.Barnabas’ Society and Home by organising a Love Pack. A Love Pack consists of a new box of junior size face masks, hand sanitizer, a board game (any kind of board game suitable for 7 to 15 years old), arts and crafts set and box of snacks. You may drop off your Love Pack to Union Church before the end of October.
Your children and their friends are invited to join us for Kingdom Kids' JOSEPH AND HIS DREAMCOAT - Hallelujah Party. Here’s how the party is going to take place: your kids are to invite 3 of their friends over for a playdate and we will provide a GIANT GOODIE BAG filled with games, activities, snacks and sweets for your children to enjoy with their friends at the comfort and safety of your own home. What’s more, we will host and lead your kids through praise and worship, a series of fun games and activities via Zoom. You will not want to miss a live performance of JOSEPH AND HIS DREAMCOAT by Dove Tales and Theatre. For more details and to sign up please click HERE.
ONLINE SUNDAY SCHOOL:8 years old and above students: Be Bold - Why Is The Bible So Hard To Understand?, this Sunday via Zoom, from 10.45 am - 11.45 am.
Youth:
In Person Friday Youth Group - October 16. Youth are invited back to Union Church. We’ll warm up with some different activities and then have a special guest who will be sharing with us!
What: In Person Friday Youth
When: Friday Oct 16, 6PM-9PM. Juniors (11-13) dismissed at 7:30PM
Details: Due to continuing restrictions, we will not be serving dinner. Youth will also be asked to sign a health declaration and have their temperature checked.
In Person Sunday Youth – Sunday October 18
We will also be having In Person Sunday Youth this week at both 9:45 and 11:15 services. Youth are invited to join us at 29/F Indigo Hotel as we read scripture, discuss the sermon and pray together.
Small Groups:
Meeting as a small group in this time is challenging, but the support from each other is more important than ever. There ARE online options - please reach out if you need help figuring this out! If you aren't currently in a group, we encourage you to try it out. There are groups for women, men, couples, day-time, night-time, etc. Interested? Contact Monte Peterson.
Missions:
Thank you to everyone who so generously donated to last week's 10.10.10 special offering for Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor. We raised over $48000. If you missed last week, it is not too late! Please send your donation to the Church, marking it HKCNP. Thank you.
In speaking with our partners at Light of the World Church and Preschool in Yangon, Myanmar, the present situation there is rather dire due to COVID-19. Most church members are out of a job and have no income. Churches and schools are closed. Church members need assistance to meet their basic needs. Pastor Vum and his family have been providing food to church members during this time using funds provided by Union Church. Please pray for: strong faith in God and Christ Jesus during this time; safety and health for each family during the pandemic; for places of work, schools, and churches to be able to re-open.
Connecting:
The Marriage Course: please contact Joanna Yau for more details.
Pastoral Care Support, if you are looking for some support and prayer please let our staff know. Contact Ministry leaders directly or admin at: or call 6225 5042.
A Stephen Minister can help. Stephen Ministers are members of our congregation who listen, care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support to people going through a crisis or a difficult time. Please contact Pastor Michele if we can help ( )
Fertility & Pregnancy/Infant Loss Support Group - Struggling and could use some fellowship, friendship and support? Contact Sonia Lee.
Family in Need (FIN):
If you would like to help support our family in need ministry, which helps people monthly with basic needs, please mark your envelope "FIN".
"More Than Conquerors: Under Pressure"" Pastor Michele