U Matters
Glimpses of God. You don’t always see them or recognise them but this week they were hard to miss. On Tuesday, I had attempted to purchase some lunch downstairs and when paying I was informed, they could not accept large bills. Finding my octopus, I made the transaction and left, a while later I went looking for my money. I had that feeling. Yes, my money was gone. I prayed and returned to the shop in hope. The cashier handed me my money, stating that a customer had passed it to her. In disbelief she said, “You are lucky.” Yes, I was!
Today, I had another glimpse. When I left home it was not raining, however, by the time I arrived at my destination it was a down pour. As I sat in the car, hoping for a long red light, I sighed, “I don’t have an umbrella.” At that, the taxi driver reached back and handed me his umbrella (with the cover) and said, “keep it.” Amazing! What a blessed week - opportunities to see glimpses of God working through people.
In a city, riddled with fear, anxiety and uncertainty, God is at work. God has not forgotten nor abandoned us, and we, fellow journeyers through life, have not forgotten how to care for one another other.
Currently there are some urgent needs with two of our ministry partners, Hong Kong Network for the Poor http://www.hkcnp.org.hk/news/maskdonation2020/ and International China Concern https://chinaconcern.org/. If you can help in any way, I know it would be appreciated.
May we continue to reach out and care for one another. May we all see glimpses of God’s mercy and grace and be used by Him, and for His glory.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Michele
IMPORTANT NEWS
Please note that from this Sunday, 16th February 2020, we will be asking everyone to have their temperature checked before entering Union Church. Anyone with a temperature above normal (37.2 C) 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. Please do come worship with us and try to arrive well in advance of the service start time to accommodate this check.
If you have travelled to mainland China in the last 14 days, please do not come to the Church. Following Government advice, we recommend that you remain at home during the two-week period. Join our worship by streaming via our website or our mobile app.
Thank you for your understanding. There are multiple ways to remain connected with the Union community while many of us are staying and working at home more. Want to know more? Need urgent prayer during these challenging times? Contact: the office:
Latest News
The following events are postponed until further notice. Please check the website (www.unionchurchhk.org) for latest details.
There will be NO U-Cafe until the 8th of March.
Recharge, our Wednesday night meeting for dinner, worship and study, will be cancelled for the the whole of February. However, we will still have an opportunity to get "ReCharged" by gathering in prayer online using Zoom. All are welcome! To join, use this link at 8:00pm: https://zoom.us/j/620034161
Midweek Bible Study, Tuesday lunch time, from 12:30-2:00, led by Yan Yu.
Evangelism Workshop, February 16, led by Yan Yu.
Group for Parents of babies, February 16, contact Monte Peterson
Lunchtime Alpha is postponed until further notice. Contact Monte Peterson if you are interested, and we will let you know once it will begin.
Parents in Prayer we encourage all our parents to continue to lift up all of our children in prayers daily and may God’s protection, peace, love and joy be with us all during this time of uncertainty, instability and fear. Deacons and ministry staff are still available for prayer support after church service, please enquire at the Welcome Table.
Children’s Sunday School Arrangements: Kingdom Kids' regular Sunday School program is suspended and will tentatively resume on Sunday, 1 March. For the meantime, we will provide Veggie Tales movies for children who attend church with strict hygiene procedures in place. 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.
Senior Sunday School Outing planned for Sunday, 16 February (children aged 10 to 11 years old) will be postponed to a later date. Parents will be informed via email when the new date becomes available.
Men's Fellowship Dinner planned for Saturday, 29 February will be postponed to a later date.
Opportunities
Do you have a little more time on your hands with other events cancelled? 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!
ONE 2020 Churches in Hong Kong will be running a Bible listening campaign from February 26th to 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:
HK Church Network for the Poor is coordinating with their partners to source face masks and distribute them to underprivileged families and groups in Taiwai, 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.
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.
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
Wednesday Prayer and Discernment for Union Church - 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM
Youth
Friday Youth Group – Friday February 14
We will have Youth Group this Friday, and we will have a trivia night! Youth are invited to join us at Union Church where we will have several rounds of trivia including subjects like Bible, Food, Current Events and more.
What: Fellowship/Quiz Night
Where: Union Church at Sunlight Tower
When: 6-8PM (Dinner at 8)
NO Sunday Youth Group – Sunday Feb 16
We will not be having Sunday Youth until March 1st, 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 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 but will hopefully begin in March.
Kingdom Kids
Influenza Season Precautionary Measure
As we are entering the influenza season, we are enforcing strict hygiene procedures such as temperature checks 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 safe 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".
"Ruth 1: Running on Empty" Hunter Purvis
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.