U Matters
We have been journeying through Biblical Peacemaking through our sermon series, small groups and ReCharge. The 4G’s is an effective way to process conflict. First, consider how does conflict “Glorify God.” Second, consider taking responsibility, a searching moral inventory, for your part of the conflict – “Get the log out of your own eye.” Come this Sunday to discover the third G.
The Bible has plenty to say about how best to handle conflict and it would appear that there is some maintenance required when attempting to keep unity. Ephesians 4:3-6 states,
“making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Maintaining unity is important in all our relationships and it requires effort. We are one with Christ and because of Christ we are one with each other. Join churches around the city this week as we celebrate our one-ness in Christ at the annual Church Unity Service. This year the service will be held at Kowloon Union Church, 4 Jordan Road Kowloon, on Tuesday Jan 21st at 7:30PM with Rev Mark Rogers as preacher.
I am thankful for the 60 men who made every effort to meet, unified by Christ, this past week at the Men’s dinner.
To God be the glory,
Pastor Michele
Family News
We are very pleased to share that as of January 2020, Monte Peterson began a full-time role at Union as a pastoral intern. This is an important part of her MDiv through Luther Seminary, as well as her candidacy for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). You will occasionally see her husband, Matt, singing with the choir or worship team, and their children, Finn, 11, and Willa, 9, are active in the youth and children's ministries.
This Week
As part of supporting Sons and Daughters we will be holding regular prayer meetings and lunches at the Church throughout the year. The first of these will take place on Sunday the 19th of January following the 11:15AM service. Please join us as we learn more about their work and how we can help them. A light lunch will be provided, please sign up at the Welcome desk so that we know how many people to cater for.
Parents in Prayer, Sunday 19 January 2020, 12:30PM to 1:00PM, in Rooms 2 & 3.
We would like to invite all Union Church parents to join us for an opportunity to pray for our children immediately after the 11:15AM service. Please join us as we lift up our children (adult children too) and families in prayer. All are welcome.
The 175 Anniversary Service will be aired on RTHK-Radio 4, FM97.6 on Sunday 19 Jan at 11:05am. Listen live https://www.rthk.hk/radio/radio4?lang=en or
later https://www.rthk.hk/radio/radio4/programme/churchservice?lang=en
We hope that you will join with Kowloon Union Church for a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, English service.
Date: 21 January 2020 (Tues)
Time: 7:30PM
Venue: Kowloon Union Church, 4 Jordan Road, Kowloon
Theme: "They Showed Us Unusual Kindness" (Acts 28:2)
Preacher: Rev Mark Rogers, St John's Cathedral
Recharge
ReCharge is our chance to eat, worship and study together on Wednesday nights. Come get "recharged" for the rest of the week!
7:00PM dinner, 7:45PM classes begin.
Discipleship Explored: Discipleship Explored helps followers of Jesus go beyond the actions - attending church, praying, reading the Bible - and focuses on the heartbeat of discipleship: the love of Christ. 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 complete stranger. Resolving Everyday Conflict is a practical, biblical, and concise guide to peacemaking in everyday life. This biblical guidance will take you beyond simply ending conflicts and into true, life-changing reconciliation. Separate groups for adults, youth and young adults.
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 is 31 January 2020.
Book Group
Opportunities
Love is in the air! Join an ICM vision trip to Bohol/Philippines 14-16 Feb 2020
14 Feb is not only reserved for Valentines but also to show love and care to the ultra poor. International Care Ministries invites you to see what impact their Transform Program, Family Academy, and Thrive (Pastors gathering) have on the population on Bohol Island. The program will also include visits to Christian & Missionary alliance (CAMACOP) church planters. If you wish to stay behind after the program you may visit the Chocolate Hills or plan a beach holiday on nearby Panglao Island.
For sign-up and more information, please contact Marga Wulfgram at Phone: 61717334 or Dennis Hopton at Phone 98318959.
Registration Deadline: 19 January 2020
Approximate cost: HK4,000
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.
Looking Ahead
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.
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 practice 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.
Lunchtime Alpha
Lunchtime Alpha will return in February - Wednesday, February 19. Please start to 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!
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 Youth Group – EMULATE 2020 @ IECC
Exciting news! This Friday, Union Youth will be heading to the EMULATE Conference over at Island ECC in North Point.
What: Conference for Christian Youth in HK
Where: Island Evangelical Community Church, 633 King's Road, North Point.
When: Friday, January 17. Meet at Union Church @ 6PM. Travel to Island ECC, dismiss from there @ 9:30PM
The team at IECC have lined up an impressive array of speakers, organised practical breakouts with real takeaways, not to mention the fun games, activities and giveaways. Youth can sign up HERE
Please note that this event will be taking place instead of our regular Friday Youth Group. Please contact Hunter if you have any questions!
Sunday Youth Group – Sunday January 18
Youth can attend at either 9:45 or 11:15 in Indigo Hotel 29/F
Juniors (11-13) Will be following the Be Bold curriculum, dealing with big questions around their faith.
Seniors (14-18) will be starting a new series about how to be a Christian in our world
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 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 aged 12+ are invited, and if interested please contact us at
Kingdom Kids
Influenza Season Precautionary Measures
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. 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 ARRANGEMENTS for CHINESE NEW YEAR (CNY)
Sunday, 26 January 2020: NO SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS DUE TO CNY HOLIDAY - Children are invited to join us for a children’s movie in rooms 2 & 3.
Sunday, 2 February 2020, 9:45AM & 11:15AM: Children’s Sunday School Resumes.
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), Catriona Woodrow (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".
"The 4G's of Peacemaking: Get The Log Out of Your Eye" - Monte Peterson
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.