U MATTERS:
“There are two things we cannot do alone,” said Paul Tournier: “one is to be married and the other is to be a Christian.” We are created for community. We are created for relationship and we gather strength from our friends and from our community. Ecclesiastes says:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
These have been challenging times and I know many are itching to get together and worship as one body. Although we still do not know when this will occur, we hope that you have found connectively and community in creative ways. I am grateful that many have been connected through Zoom -small groups are continuing to meet, people are regularly meeting to pray, children are experiencing VBS, the youth, young adults and adults are learning and growing together, and new studies are being created. Over and over again we are reminded that the church is not a building, but it is the people of God. We hope that you are finding connection, at Union, in your neighbourhood, or at work. If you need help to connect, we want to hear from you. We hope to see you again this Sunday for our virtual coffee time and online Sunday morning worship services -we are More than Conquerors…
’you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.’ 1 John 4:4
Blessings on your week, Pastor Michele
FAMILY MATTERS:
Building Union For the Future (BUFF) Outreach to Workers at 22A: We are reaching out to the site workers at 22A Kennedy Road periodically to show our appreciation for their hard work. The next opportunity will be to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by purchasing mooncakes to deliver to them. We invite you to join us in this ongoing initiative by donating funds to the church office and designating them for “BUFF hospitality”. The BUFF team also encourages you to walk by 22A Kennedy Road to pray for the safety of all workers and site activities. Please contact the Church Office for more details.
THIS WEEK:
Coffee Hour: Miss running into friends and connecting over a cup of coffee on Sunday mornings? Join us for "Coffee Hour," from 10:45AM to 11:15AM. You'll have to brew your own coffee, but we'll all bring the conversation! Sign up HERE for the zoom link.
Youth: During the month of September, we are kicking off with our Friday Zoom Gatherings, starting a new Wednesday Study called “Sticky Faith’ and continuing our regular Sunday meetings after the service! Contact Hunter at for more info.
Prayer and Discernment: Join us as we continue to pray for our church. Tuesdays, starting Tuesday 8 September at 7:45AM - 8:30AM on Zoom. Contact ADMIN for the zoom link.
Please join us this Sunday, ONLINE ONLY, at 9:45AM for our traditional service and 11:15AM for our contemporary service. Please join us via our website, mobile app or Facebook page. If you are unable to be online at the time of our worship services, you can watch them later in the day, again via our website, app or Facebook page. Don't forget that you can still give your offering online via the giving page of our website, or by using the QR code below. You can also send us a cheque, made payable to "Union Church" or "Friends of Hong Kong Charities, Inc" if you are a US taxpayer. Please send them to: 18F, Sunlight Tower, 248 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Time and Talent:
Looking to share your time and talent at Union Church as part of your stewardship? We need a CRM expert or systems developer to join a multi-disciplinary task force to evaluate our church’s management system needs and next steps. We’re a fun group! Learn more by reaching out HERE
Upcoming:
Book Group: Please join us as we start off our new season of reading and discussing a variety of books! Our first book is Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey, by Sharon Garlough Brown, and we will meet at 7:30 on September 22. Sensible Shoes is a fictional account of four women, embarking on a journey towards a deeper life with God. Due to delays in the mail, we are reading e-versions, available here and here. Contact Monte Peterson with any questions.
Halftime Summit: Have you been asking yourself: What would give my life more meaning? Can I still pursue significance even though I have not accumulated enough? What is God’s plan for this season of my life? Then join us on October the 23rd and 24th. Please click HERE for more information.
See HERE for more information or to register to get the zoom links for any of these classes. Please join us!
Missions:
International China Concern (ICC) was founded in 1993 by David Gotts after seeing firsthand the suffering of Chinese children with disabilities who had been abandoned and left without hope in desperate conditions.In the beginning, ICC sent short-term teams into China to provide care in government welfare centres. Pour out your love 傾福行動 - https://fundrazr.com/pouroutyourlove: We invite you to share the blessings and contribute one-tenth of your $10,000 government subsidy for the ICC children.
Kingdom Kids:
We are excited to inform you that this year's Children’s Christmas Musical will take place on Sunday, 13 December 2020. We will have our ONLINE audition on Saturday, 3 October with the exact time to be announced shortly. Please save the date and we look forward to seeing your children for this online audition.
Sunday School 2020/2021 Registration IS NOW OPEN: All children enrolling in our Sunday School and Creche Centre MUST BE REGISTERED by filling in and signing the Registration Form HERE. For safety reasons, only children officially registered in our Sunday School program will receive the Zoom link to our Online Bible Study. For more information, please visit Union Church's website or contact us at or 21010414.
In-Person Creche and Sunday School are SUSPENDED until further notice. In order to safeguard the health and safety of all of our families and staff and to help curb the spread of the Covid-19, we have SUSPENDED all of our Children’s Ministry In-Person Program until further notice. We encourage the children to join our Online Sunday School Lessons. Thank you for your patience and kind understanding, we look forward to sending you all an update once we are able to meet in person again.
Youth:
Friday Youth Group - September 18
After taking a break from Friday Zoom Calls for a while, we are excited to get back into the swing of things! Youth are invited to join the Zoom meeting at 6PM on Friday, and we will have a special guest who will be sharing with us!
What: Friday Youth
When: Friday Sept 18, 6PM-8PM
Details: Zoom Link will be provided.
Wednesday “Sticky Faith” Study - September 23: During the month of September we are jumping into a series called “Sticky Faith” - we’ll be working through the Bible, learning important ways to manage stress and anxiety and more.
What: Sticky Faith Wednesday Study
When: Every Wednesday, 6:30-8PM
Details: Zoom Link HERE.
Sunday Discussion – September 20. Youth are invited to join a small group discussion on the Sunday sermon at 12:30 on Sunday. Zoom link is available HERE
Parents Info Session - Friday September 25. We will still be hosting an information session for parents of Youth next Friday at 5PM. During this time, parents will have a chance to ask questions, get to know Hunter and learn more about Youth Ministry at Union! If you are interested in joining, please contact Hunter.
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.
Connecting:
The Marriage Course: please contact Joanna Yau for more details.
Pastoral Care Support, if you are looking for some support and prayer please let our staff know. Contact Ministry leaders directly or admin at: or call 6225 5042.
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 ( )
Fertility & Pregnancy/Infant Loss Support Group - Struggling and could use some fellowship, friendship and support? Contact Sonia Lee.
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".
"More Than Conquerors: Overcoming Obstacles" Dan Tupps