U Matters

This week, there have been many conversations about quarantine and self-isolation. The concept of quarantine first began in the 14th century in Venice, Italy in an attempt to protect coastal cities from epidemics. Ships arriving from infected ports were required to sit anchored for 40 days before landing on shore. Forty is also a significant number in the Bible - 40 days and nights Noah battled the floods, 40 years the Hebrews were in the wilderness, 40 days Moses fasted before receiving the Ten Commandments. Lent is also a time marked by 40. It is the 40 days leading up to Easter. It is the 40 days when we consider the sufferings of Jesus and His temptation in the wilderness.

Lent is a time whereby food and festivities are dramatically scaled back. Lent is a time that we typically slow down, reflect and consider the plight of our human condition. Lent is when we focus on repentance and contemplate on our need for a Saviour. Lent is when we consider what the Lord did for us on the cross.

For some, it may feel like we have been in Lent for longer than 40 days and it may feel like Lent has been imposed on us. As markets crash, as people worry about their jobs and their future, as our world is changing before our eyes, may we ‘be still and know that He is God.” Psalm 46:10. May this season be a new season - a spiritual season - a season of renewal.

I am thankful for the hope that we have in the cross. May we take comfort and find courage in the prayer of St. Patrick,

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.

Blessings, Pastor Michele

 

THIS WEEK

If you are unable to join us on Sundays in person, please go to our websitemobile app or Facebook page and watch the live stream of our services at 8:45AM. 9:45AM or 11:15AM.  Don't forget that you can also give your offering online via the giving page of our website, or by using the QR code:

Online Giving

ONE 2020: Churches in Hong Kong are running a Bible listening campaign until April 12th, 2020. Please download the mobile application (“One Hearing the Word”) and listen to, or read, a passage of Scripture, followed by a Devotion, a short Prayer and, finally, one portion of the Gospel Film, daily in 6 languages (English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Indonesian and Korean). http://www.onehtw.com/ , download the App or scan the QR code: 

Join us for Online Prayer on Wednesday nights from 8-9pm. Together we join in adoration, thanksgiving, confession and intercession. There is much to pray for in this time, and it is refreshing to do it together! Use this link to join: https://zoom.us/j/620034161. If you have questions about using zoom, reach out to any staff member for help! 

Latest News

We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely. Please check our website (www.unionchurchhk.org) and your email for latest news. 

As the situation regarding COVID-19 around the world is evolving rapidly, the Department of Health has strengthened their measures for inbound travellers, imposing new quarantine orders on all people arriving in Hong Kong. 

We ask for your support and respect to ensure the Church maintains a safe environment for everyone. As such, with immediate effect we ask that if you, your family or anyone you have been in contact with have recently returned to Hong Kong please DO NOT come to Church for 14 days following your return to Hong Kong. Furthermore, please do not bring any guests who have recently returned to Hong Kong to the Church for 14 days after their return to Hong Kong.

We will also be requiring anyone coming to Church on Sundays to complete and sign a self-declaration form confirming their health and travel history during the past 14 days. To help avoid delays entering the Church, please download the form here, complete it and bring it with you.

Please note that the management of Sunlight Tower will be checking everyone's temperature upon entering the building. Anyone with a fever will be asked not to enter and advised to seek medical help. Everyone will also be requested to immediately wash their hands thoroughly once inside the church on the 18th floor. Please do come worship with us and try to arrive well in advance of the service start time to accommodate this check. 

Thank you for your understanding and help in keeping our Church family safe.

Opportunities

This year during Lent, we invite you to join in several church-wide disciplines as we together prepare our hearts for Holy Week and Easter. We will be reading and preaching through the book of Ephesians as a church.

+If you like to read, pick up a bookmark with a reading schedule (see above), as well as prayer and action suggestions. 

+Watch introductory videos to the book of Matthew and Ephesians (from the Bible Project). This series (on Right Now Media) about Ephesians is great for families (from the co-creator of Veggie Tales!)  QR code to join Right Now Media:

 

The Marriage Course is being offered again on Tuesdays, from 21 April to 2 June 2020 (7 weeks).  Whether you are newly married or have been married for years, this course offers a lifetime of practical ideas and tools to help keep your relationship strong.  The course is designed for couples who want to invest in their relationship and to continue to strengthen their marriage or who are looking to address specific challenges.  The course is based on Christian principles but is designed for ALL couples with or without a church background.  There is NO group sharing with other couples in the course; each couple is seated in their own table of 2 so they can go through the materials, chat and enjoy a meal together between themselves privately. 

We are excited to announce that the new course videos are now available!  It will be the first time we will be using this new brand-new re-imagined series with new teaching content, creative short films, global stories, sofa couples, and expert insights.

Time: 7:00PM – 9:30PM. Cost $1,900/couple including course materials, meals and drinks during each session. For registration, please click here or contact Joanna Yau.

HK Church Network for the Poor is coordinating with their partners to source face masks and distribute them to underprivileged families and groups in Tai wai, Central, Kwun Tong, Yau Ma Tei, Tai Kok Tsui, Fanling, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tsuen Wan, Hung Hom. So far, they have received requests for 23,000+ face masks from most deprived districts in HK, and have started to distribute collections to partners. They still need many more. Thanks to support from churches and individual donors, they are sharing more than supplies but also love and hope in Christ. To donate please bring your masks to Union Church. Thank you.

Union Book Group: Extra time on your hands? Join the book group! We'll meet Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 to discuss The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. On Tuesday, May 26, we'll discuss Love Does by Bob Goff.  Books available at the Welcome Table. Join us for either or both! 

Seniors Fellowship Group. We would like to start a fellowship group for the older members of our congregation for a time of caring and sharing. If you would like more information contact Isabel Morrison at thank you.

Hospitality volunteers needed! We are looking for volunteers to befriend our LTS students during their time in Hong Kong. If you are willing to host a student for lunch after church, or invite a student for a hike, sightseeing, etc., please contact Yan Yu ( ) or speak to someone at the Welcome Table.

If you are in need of some Pastoral Care Support, we encourage you to contact admin at:   or call 2523 7247 and they will be more than happy to help you get the support that you need.

Join the Union Team:
We are looking for an Assistant Youth Director and a Crèche Coordinator. Please contact stating which role you are interested in. We will contact you with more information about the role.

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

Prayer at Union

All are welcome to join us for weekly prayer. Tuesday Morning Prayer - 7:30 AM

Youth

Friday Youth Group – Friday March 20

We will have Youth Group this Friday, Small Groups will be meeting to continue a study and discussion of Luke, utilising resources from the Bible Project series.

What: Scripture and Small Groups

Where: Union Church, Sunlight Tower, Wan Chai

When: Meet at 6PM, dismissal at 8PM, Senior hangout till 9PM

NO Sunday Youth Group – Sunday March 22. We will not be having Sunday Youth until otherwise noted.

Mongolia Mission Trip – April 7-12

In partnership with Flourishing Futures, Union Youth will be travelling to Ulaan Bataar in Mongolia, where we will be assisting in their numerous ministries to vulnerable families and children in the city’s Ger district, as well as learning how to more effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Open to all members of the Union Church Congregation. Unaccompanied Youth must be ages 16+

Sign ups are now open and we need to put our team together as soon as possible! Please sign up HERE

 Confirmation 2020

Confirmation is a chance for youth to confirm their faith in Jesus Christ with the support of the Congregation. This year’s course will be postponed for now. We will update you as soon as possible.

 All youth age 12+ are invited, and if interested please contact us at

Kingdom Kids

Sunday School WEEKLY CHALLENGES: Dear Parents, please click HERE for the link to our KINGDOM KIDS WEEKLY CHALLENGES. Prizes are available for the first 5 families who sends in video recording of the challenges completed to  . We look forward to receiving videos from you. 

Sunday School 2019/2020 Registration
All children enrolling in our Sunday School and Creche Center MUST BE REGISTERED by filling in and signing the Registration Form HERE. For more information, please visit Union Church's website or contact us at CHILDREN or 21010414.

Missions

In keeping with the history of our church and the Great Commission, Mt. 28:18-20, we are excited about missions.

We are excited about the many ministries we support annually, both locally and internationally, and we hope you take advantage of opportunities to get involved. Each week, there will be a missions committee member at the welcome table; please ask them how you can participate or if you have questions. Additionally, please tune in to the video in the foyer to learn more.

We hope you welcome the many Lutheran Theological Students from Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand who are attending Union.

Sons & Daughters
Sons & Daughters share God's love with men and women in the red-light districts of Hong Kong. They have asked for our assistance with providing practical items, such as food, toiletries, and household items, for use in their drop-in centre and family home. If you are willing to donate items, please see the list of items needed at the Welcome Table.

To get involved with these and other ministries, please talk to any member of the missions committee: Nick Appel (Chairman), Kathy Foley (Secretary), Dennis Hopton, John Jamison, Melody Landes, Jeff Cheung, KK Ip, Yan Yu (Deacon), Michael Birley (COM). Additionally, David Ashton-Howorth and Pastor Michele attend meetings.

Filipino Ministry

1:00PM - 1:50PM   Congregational Prayer
2:00PM - 2:50PM   Bible Study Groups
3:00PM - 4:00PM   Worship Service
Every 1st Sunday of the Month from 9:00AM to 12:00PM Outreach & Evangelism.

Stephen's Ministry

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 (

Ladies

Fertility & Pregnancy/Infant Loss Support Group - Struggling and could use some fellowship, friendship and support? Contact Sonia Lee.

Baptism and Membership

If you have been attending Union Church for a while and have never gone through the official process to become a member, now is your chance! Please collect a green form and make it official!
If you have never been baptised and are interested, please see Pastor Michele.

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".

Last Week's Sermon

"Ephesians 3: The Power of Love" Monte Peterson.

HK Taxpayers

For HK Taxpayers wishing to make tax-deductible donations for the tax year of April 2019 to March 2020, please ensure that cheques are made payable to “Union Church” and are dated before 31 March 2020.

Please send your cheques to our Church Accounts Department latest by 31 March 2020, otherwise your donation will not be recognised in the 2019/2020 tax year. Thank you for your continuous support to Union Church.

Protest/Weather Procedures

In the light of the protests and their impact on Hong Kong, we need to ensure the safety of our congregation and staff. We will always try to hold our services as normal, but we will implement the following procedures for our Sunday services when needed:

•  All services will proceed as normal as long as there is no protest planned for the area directly around Sunlight Tower.

•  In case of spontaneous events that might impact our congregation coming to Church, then our staff will make a decision on whether to suspend services. An email will be sent to all of our members to inform them of which services will be suspended.

We will try wherever possible to give as much notice as possible should we feel the need to suspend any service. Please make sure that you check your email before setting off for Church. You can help us by ensuring that we have your most up to date contact information. If you think your information may be incorrect, please contact

At this time, we would also like to remind you of our Typhoon/Severe Weather policy:

All Church activities remain unchanged when tropical cyclone warning signal number 1 or 3 is hoisted. They will also be unaffected by the amber or red rainstorm warning signals.

When the Hong Kong Observatory issues a ‘Pre No.8 Typhoon Warning Signal’ on a Sunday, we will complete any service taking place and ask people to leave the Church and make their way home. Services planned for after this will be suspended. When the black rainstorm warning signal or tropical cyclone warning signal number 8 or above is hoisted on a Sunday before 07:30AM, all Church activities (Worship services, Classes, Youth and Children’s programs etc.) scheduled at 9:45AM or before will be cancelled. If the signal is subsequently lowered 2 hours before the 11:15AM service, the 11:15AM service will be held as scheduled. If the signal is lowered after 1PM, the Church will remain closed for the rest of the day.