This past weekend many of the Deacons, Committee of Management (COM) and staff met for a half day retreat with an outside speaker. It was good to be together, we studied the book of Ephesians highlighting the Marks of a Healthy Church. The speaker had prepared to speak at length on the book "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer but as our deacons and staff had recently studied it, he used it as a reference. As we engaged with the chapters, I wondered if this might be a good book for us to reflect on as we journey together. Interestingly, our Sunday speaker also suggested the book "Life Together". So, with this in mind, we have attached a link for the book. I am thankful that because of Christ we are united, He is our common bond, may He help us as we grow together.

www.faithsandiego.org/s/Life-Together_Eng.pdf

Today, 39 ladies left for Chiang Mai for our 4th annual Ladies Retreat. Please pray for us as we travel, learn and renew. This weekend, is radio broadcast Sunday and we will continue with our sermon series Good and Beautiful God with Anto Ficatier preaching.

Please see the notices around the Church concerning the Family Meeting on the 27th Jan which also includes details of the agenda.


May God bless and encourage you,
Pastor Michele

Church Family Meeting

Broadcast Sunday 
This Sunday is broadcast Sunday. What a privilege to reach out by radio with the good news. There are 600 English religious broadcasting programmes every year in Hong Kong. Pastor Michele, Anto, Monte and Hunter are regular contributors to the radio ministry on RTHK. Tune in to Minutes that Matter, Reflections, Thought for the Week and weekly Church Service. More information is available on the Welcome Table. 

Husbands in Prayer - this Sunday, 20 January (12:30PM - 1:00PM in the Sanctuary)
Join and other men of Union Church for a “Husband in Prayer” session. We will pray for our wives after the 11:15AM service. It’s the Ladies’ Retreat this weekend, so it’s perfect timing to pray for our wives! Make sure to mark down the date in your calendar and spread the word around you. All men are welcome for this time of prayer.

ReCharge is a weekly night at Union Church where we fellowship, worship, and study. 

Join us on Wednesdays:
7:00PM - dinner (suggested donation towards the cost of food: $100)
7:30PM - worship
7:45PM-9:00PM - classes

Prayer: Connecting to the Father’s Heart
Sometimes we all get into a rut and need encouragement in recovering "the love you had at first" (Revelation 2:4). Join us as we start off the new year with a series on prayer. 

23 Jan: Catriona Woodrow, Union Church member, speaking on Jewish Prayer
30 Jan: Juliana Rotmeyer, Union Church member: Let gO + Let GOd through prayer colouring. 

Coming in February: The Father's Heart for Justice
13 Feb: Environmental Justice: It's Just Creation with our own Matt Peterson, Head of Secondary English at Chinese International School and advisor to DITO, CIS's student environmental group 
20 Feb: Justice for Women with Brittney Tsang from Sons and Daughters
27 Feb: Justice for Refugees with Dr. Isabella Ng, co-founder of Hong Kong Society for Asylum-Seekers and Refugees

The Good and Beautiful God
In this study we will put our ideas about God to the test and see if they match up with what Jesus himself reveals about God, and engage in spiritual practices that can help us grow. Books available at the Welcome Table. Weekly reading is encouraged to get the most out of this study, and it's not too late to join!

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 18-25 January
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between 18 January and 25 January. Christians around the world are invited to pray for the unity of all Christians, to reflect on scripture together, to participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services, and to share fellowship. The following services are organized for this event:

- Ecumenical Prayer Evening, Saturday 19 January, starting at 8:00pm, in St. Teresa's Church, with Rev. Dr. Lam Sung Che as the speaker. 
- English Service for Unity, Tuesday 22 January, starting at 7:30pm, in Rosary Church, with Pastor Tony Read as the speaker. 
- The Joint Ecumenical Communion Service, Thursday 24 January, starting at 9:30am, in St. John's Cathedral, with Rev. Dr. Chu Wing Sang Calvin as the speaker. 

For more information please refer to the poster on the Church notice board or visit this (http://www.hkcc.org.hk/acms/content.asp?site=hkccnew&op=showbyid&id=70625). 

 

"One" Hong Kong 2019 Hearing the Word Campaign
We are excited that churches in Hong Kong will be acting in unity to run a Bible listening campaign from 6 March to 21 April, 2019. During this time, anyone can download a phone app called “One Hearing the Word” and listen to or read one scripture, one testimony, one devotion and one prayer in English, Cantonese or Mandarin. We invite you to participate in the Campaign. For details and registration with the Campaign, please visit: http://go.onehongkong2019.asia/

 

2019 Family Retreat:
Save the Date: 29th - 30th March 2019. Union Church is inviting everyone to join us at the Methodist Retreat Centre on Lantau for a Family Retreat. There will be lots of fun, worship and connecting activities. More details will follow, but if you are interested please contact or complete the form at the Welcome table. Please note that places are limited, so they will be allocated on a "first come, first served" basis.

Adult Education

Young Adults

Union Church is always looking for people to serve. If you would like to be an usher, greeter or bible reader, please see Pastor Michele.
 

New to Union? Been here awhile but haven't connected yet? Small groups are where we dig into the nitty-gritty of following Jesus, and connect with each other. Studying the Bible, reading topical books, praying, laughing and eating together - it's good! We know there are a lot of you wanting to connect or looking for the right group, and we will be laun ching new groups in 2019! What a great way to start off the new year! If you are looking to join a group, or have felt God nudging you into leadership, please contact Monte Peterson. 
 

 

 

 

We have been praying for Gavin Shui as he battles cancer. Please check out this link on how you can register as a donor for Gavin and others who need a bone marrow transplant.