U Matters

According to Christianity Today, December 9, 2019, the Apostle Paul's advice found in Philippians 4:6 was the most shared, highlighted, and bookmarked verse of the year: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done." Four weeks into the new year, it would appear that this verse is also helpful for us today.

We live in uncertain times, and such uncertainty can cause anxiety, worry, and fear. Many of us are following the news and are concerned for those living in Wuhan and those who have been affected by the coronavirus. Our worry can so easily turn into racing thoughts of 'what if', which can cause the anxiety and worry to escalate. It is during these times of uncertainty that we need to remember where our help comes from (Psalm 121:1). It is during these times that we may need help from Christian tools like, meditation, mindfulness, prayer partners, scripture memory, and Stephen's Ministers. Sometimes we may even need professionals help. If you are struggling, we hope that you will reach out to get the help that you need. The Psalmist writes, "Keep me safe, O God, I've run for dear life to you." Psalm 16:1 - The Message.

In the words of the Psalmist (121:8), may the Lord keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore,

Pastor Michele

Opportunities

Midweek Bible Study, Looking to study the Bible with others during your lunch break? Yan Yu leads a Bible study group on Tuesdays, from 12:30-2:00. They are starting Galatians on Feb 11, so it's a great time to join! Bring your own lunch, Union youth room. 

Evangelism Workshop, February 16, Scripture says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15).
Whether you joined us the first time around or not, please come for another opportunity to practise sharing our faith in everyday conversations, and discuss as a group any difficulties we have come across. Our prayer is that our Union Church congregation will indeed be prepared to witness our faith to others and will do so "with gentleness and respect". 12:30PM - 2:00PM. Light lunch provided. 

Are you Parents with a new baby? Looking for fellowship with other parents also juggling the demands of work, marriage and parenthood? Let's gather on Sunday, February 16 after the 11:15 service for lunch, playtime, and mutual support. Contact Monte Peterson if interested in joining. 

Lunchtime Alpha will return in February - Wednesday, February 19, from 1PM-2:15PM. Please pray about who you could invite, or better yet, bring along to this opportunity to learn about Christianity in a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere. Pray that God works through this opportunity to bring Christ's light into Wan Chai! 

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. We will have a kick off morning on Thursday, 20 February. 10:30AM till noon. If you would like more information contact Isabel Morrison at thank you.

Love to read and discuss books? Join the Union Book Group! Our next book is the The Wife's Tale, by Aida Edemariam. This biography is the true story of her grandmother's remarkable and ordinary life in Ethiopia. Books are available at the Welcome Table ($100), and also available on Kindle. We will meet to discuss the book on Tuesday, March 3, at 7:30PM. Join us!

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 our administration team at  or tel 25237247 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

A new year is a great time to make a new commitment to fellowship and growth with other Christians! 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 to start the new year off right!

Upcoming Events

The 5th Annual Ladies Retreat will be held in Penang on Friday February 28th to Monday March 2nd. There are early and late flights available to accommodate individual preferences. Hope you can join us. Please sign up at the welcome table and complete your formal registration by completing your details online using the QR code or the link - https://forms.gle/5Z9vdgVmDsMQUTiX9. Deadline for sign up and payment tomorrow!

ReCharge

ReCharge is our chance to eat, worship and study together on Wednesday nights. Come get "recharged" for the rest of the week. Resumes 5th Feb. Please check our website for latest news.

7:00PM dinner, 7:45PM classes begin.

Discipleship Explored: This journey through Paul’s letter to the Philippians is ideal for new believers, those recommitting to their relationship with God, or anyone who seeks to deepen their discipleship.

Peacemaking: Resolving Everyday Conflicts - we all encounter conflict - whether it be with a coworker, family member, friend, or stranger. Resolving Everyday Conflict is a practical, biblical, and concise guide to peacemaking in everyday life. Separate groups for adults and youth. 

Young Adults are continuing their study of Jonah, The Prodigal Prophet.

Prayer at Union

All are welcome to join us for weekly prayer.
Tuesday Morning Prayer - 7:30 AM
Wednesday Prayer and Discernment for Union Church - 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM

Discernment & Prayer Group:
Thank you for joining us in prayer and discernment for Union Church, both individually and corporately. Now that several weeks have passed and as previously mentioned, we would welcome the opportunity to hear what the Union Church community is discerning. In the coming weeks there will be opportunities to share as we would like to hear from you. If you would like to send any comments, please look for a box at the Welcome Table. Additionally, the Deacons will continue to meet with small groups and other pockets of the congregation. If you are not in a small group and would like to meet up with any of our Deacons, please look for opportunities to do so next week and in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us.

Youth

Friday Nerf Battle – Friday January 31

This Friday we will be coming together for a battle with Nerf guns. We will begin at 6PM, and end at 9PM with a break in the middle for Dinner.

What: Nerf Battle

Where: Union Church @ Sunlight

When: Friday, January 24. Meet at Union Church @ 6PM. Dinner at 7:30PM. Dismiss at 9PM

NO Sunday Youth Group – Sunday Feb 2

We will not be having Sunday Youth until February 16, or until otherwise noted.

Mongolia Mission Trip – April 7-12

In partnership with Flourishing Futures, Union Youth will be traveling 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 be more effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Open to all members of the Union Church Congregation. Unaccompanied Youth must be aged 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 over 5 months starting in February.

All youth age 12+ are invited. If interested, please contact

Kingdom Kids

Sunday School Arrangement

In the wake of the a typical Coronavirus having now been registered in Hong Kong and the wider Asia region and in supporting HK government measures to prevent further infection, Kingdom Kids regular Sunday School program will be suspended and will resume on Sunday, February 16 or until further notice. For the meantime, we will provide Veggie Tales movies for children who attend church during this period of time with strict hygiene procedures in placed. We truly appreciate your kind understanding and cooperation as we do our part in helping protect the health and safety of everyone attending our Sunday School program and church services.

Influenza Season Precautionary Measure

As we are entering the influenza season, we are enforcing strict hygiene procedures such as temperature check and the application of hand disinfectant spray before entering the classrooms. Children, and Sunday School teachers/staff on duty, will be required to wear face masks and face masks will be made available in each classrooms. Our Creche centre and all Sunday School rooms are equipped with disinfectant spray machines which are safe and approved for use for babies and toddlers. If your child is running a temperature above 37.2 or is showing symptoms of cold and flu, we would appreciate it if you could keep your child at home until he or she is well. Thank you very much for your kind understanding and cooperation in keeping all of our children save and healthy.

In addition, to keep the Crèche Center clean and safe for babies to use, we would appreciate if parents could leave baby strollers at the designated stroller parking area which can be found at the church main entrance door.

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

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.