Acts@22A

 
 

"Making mature followers in all nations for Jesus Christ"

 

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U Matters

How many emails have you received today? I read this week that there are almost 4 billion registered email accounts – which is not bad for a planet with 7 billion inhabitants. Approximately 114.8 billion emails are sent every day. In the time it takes you to read this sentence, 20 million emails are arriving in various inboxes. Wow! We at Union are glad to contribute to this craze by sending you Acts@22A by email.  

Email was invented by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. Tomlinson was a computer programmer working with ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet. In 1971 there were only 15 computers that had been linked to each other. Ray thought it might be useful one day to send messages between computers. Since he invented email, he got to chose the @ as the iconic symbol.

Only about 14% of the email we receive is important information from real people. The rest is spam.  

There is a lot of spam in my life and it hides the really important information I need to hear. But today I filter all the spiritual spam away and focus on some key and radically important words from Jesus: "But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well." (Matt 6:33) We can trust our loving Father to take care of us as we follow his Son. (Thanks to my friend Glen Macdonald for the email facts.)

Pastor Greg

Guest Speaker - Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey, the author, will be speaking at Union Church next week.
Wed, 18 Nov 8:00PM "Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?" 
Thu, 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

Stewardship

When I was younger my biggest struggle with tithing was the worry of not having enough for my life. I wanted to travel and shop and go out with friends; if I tithed, would I still be able to do that on my salary in New York City?  I rationalized that I was a church member with restricted finances when compared to others sitting beside me in the pews. I gave…but almost never cheerfully.

Then I heard my pastor issue a challenge to us, if we gave cheerfully and obediently, could God open up the heavens for us - providing for our every need? At first it seemed a self-serving act, but I took up the challenge, and since then I have witnessed God act in God-sized ways. My reluctance was transformed into joyful giving; unquestioned generosity of not only finances but also of my time and talents.

God showed up in big ways in my life as I made the decision to give to Him and to the ministry of His Kingdom through my church. He took my ignoble attitude, surrendered to his Hands and moulded me into an article that could be used for His noble purposes. This was not by my effort, as I came full of reluctance, maybe even a touch of indignation. However, the Holy Spirit worked to transform that first hesitant step into leaps and bounds of joyful participation in Kingdom work. I learnt, and continue to learn daily, that saying “Yes!” to our Heavenly Father yields a better return than any fund, account, or investment I’ve ever taken part in throughout all of my life! Saying yes, in joyful obedience, allows God to act in our lives in God sized ways – which means exceedingly above and beyond all we could ever think, dream, wish or imagine!  That, by any standard, is a good investment with windfall returns.

And so...I challenge all of the reluctant “tithers” in my Union Church Family – if you participate in the Kingdom Work of God at Union - can God open up the heavens for you too!? 

Terri Appel

Opportunities at Union

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. No prior acting and singing skills are required and we encourage all children to join us in sharing this 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 services. 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. 

Thanksgiving Feast Join us on Sunday 22 Nov at 12:00 noon for a feast. Turkey and all the fixin’s for you and your family. If you could bring a dish, cook a turkey or help in the kitchen it would be appreciated. Desserts, salads, vegetable dishes welcomed. Sign up in the foyer on Sunday or see Pastor Michele.


TURKEY Cookers needed: Have an oven? Hosptiality team needs you. The turkey will be provided see Pastor Michele.

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 and pay at Table on the Green by 30 Nov to guarantee the cheaper all inclusive cost of HK$4500. 

Oasis

Wed, 18 Nov, 8:00PM

Philip Yancey, the author, will be speaking on “Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?”

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 join us on for the Banquet? This year we are excited to announce that we have online bidding for our silent auction OPEN NOW! We have 40 items from designer purses, watches, fine wine and more! Please note that the bidding is in USD not HKD. Check our two auction sites out at:
www.32auctions.com/Unionyouthbanquet
www.32auctions.com/Unionyouthbanquetpart2

The top bid on the online auction is not guaranteed as the winning bid but will be placed as the starting bid for our live silent auction. If your bid is the top bid at the end of the evening, we will contact you as the winner! Online auction ends 26 Nov at 12:00PM.

Kingdom Kids

Book Fairs This Sun, 15 Nov, 9:30AM to 12:30PM Last chance to get you or your family that Children's Bibles, Devotionals and Prayers books, Veggie Tales DVDs, Parenting books, Women, and Men’s Devotional, Philip Yancey’s books and lots more. Come and visit us at The GREEN (in front of lower annex) and we appreciate your kind understanding in that we only accept CASH for this book fair.

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. No prior acting and singing skills needed to join the Christmas Musical and all children are welcome to join us in sharing the great news of Jesus’ birth for all to hear. 

Outreach & Missions
Book Fairs This Sun, 15 Nov, 9:30AM to 12:30PM Last chance to get you or your family that Children's Bibles, Devotionals and Prayers books, Veggie Tales DVDs, Parenting books, Women, and Men’s Devotional, Philip Yancey’s books and lots more. Come and visit us at The GREEN (in front of lower annex) and we appreciate your kind understanding in that we only accept CASH for this book fair.
 
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. No prior acting and singing skills needed to join the Christmas Musical and all children are welcome to join us in sharing the great news of Jesus’ birth for all to hear. 

    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, 11 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

    "The Ultimate Risk Free Investment" 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