U MATTERS

This past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Just when we may have thought things were looking more positive for COVID in Hong Kong, a new cluster quickly formed and many of us learned of family and friends being tested, sent to quarantine facilities, and contracting COVID.

It is easy to allow our mood to be affected by our surroundings. The ups and downs of COVID numbers, the ups and downs of the stock market, the up’s and downs of school in person or online, the ups and downs of life.

I am reminded what the Apostle Paul said when he was facing uncertainty and challenges. From prison he wrote;

“…for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.” Philippians 4:11-12

The root of the word contentment comes from the Latin word “contentus,” which means “held together” or “intact, whole.” Originally, the word was used to describe containers -like buckets and later the term was reflected onto people. Unlike happiness, which is based on eternal surroundings, contentment comes from within.

Being content in prison would not have been easy and being content in the middle of a pandemic is not easy either. But through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul found a sense of wholeness despite his situation and circumstances. As we continue to face the storms of life, my prayer for us is that through the power of the HS we will not be overwhelmed but we will all find the secret in which the Apostle Paul speaks.

Blessings, Pastor Michele

FAMILY NEWS

The Celebration of Life for Charles Schmitt will be held tomorrow, Friday the 19th of March at 11.30am. It is ONLINE ONLY. If you would like to watch the service, please go to our website and click on WATCH LIVESTREAM below his picture.

Grace of Giving Campaign: 

We are worshipping online this week, Sunday at 9:45am (Traditional service) and 11:15am (Contemporary service). Find us on our website, Facebook page, Union Church app or YouTube. 

Union ReUnion! In light of the sudden passing of Charles Schmitt, the Grace of Giving Committee have decided to postpone Union ReUnion until Saturday the 17th of April. We hope that you understand this decision and that you will be able to join us in April. We have a very exciting evening planned. If you would like more information, or to host a group of friends, please contact  .

Giving by Hong Kong taxpayers: If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to Union Church that is recognised in the 2020/2021 Hong Kong tax year, kindly date and send your cheque made payable to “Union Church” to our Accounts department no later than 31 March 2021. Please see the website for details on giving. Thank you!

Sunlight Tower’s name has changed: With effect from Monday, 8 March, our building name changed to Dah Sing Financial Centre. Please update your records.  

Annual General Meeting (AGM): As soon as we can start meeting in person, we will announce a date for our AGM. Thank you for your patience!  

LENT

Lent is drawing to a close, but Holy Week gives us an opportunity each year to understand Jesus' death and resurrection more deeply. Join us as we walk through Jesus' last week together. 
Palm Sunday, March 28, normal service times, online.
The Passion in Mark, 31 March, 8:00pm presented by Professor Matthew Skinner, New Testament Professor at Luther Seminary. All are welcome to join this talk.
Good Friday, 3 pm, online
Saturday, April 3, 7pm, Watch Party. Join us as we watch the film version of the Gospel of Mark. 
Sunday, April 4, Easter! We celebrate the resurrection together at 9:45am and 11:15am, online. 

Study Mark with Monte: Wednesday 24 March at 8:00pm. Register to receive the Zoom link.

Young Adults Study of Mark: Wednesdays throughout March at 8:00pm. Contact Dan Tupps for more details or register here.

Cherish, by Gary Thomas, is available for purchase at Union for $100. We were blessed to have Gary share with us on March 17 about the necessity of not just loving our spouses, but cherishing them.  If you want to hear more, or if you weren't able to join the talk, contact Monte Peterson to arrange a pick-up of the book. 

Register for any or all of the Mark events here to receive the Zoom link.

Our final Wisdom on Wednesdays, is on a Thursday - 8:00pm on 25 March via Zoom. heARTwork: A drawing experience with Crystal Lo. Please register early to receive the zoom link, as well as a .pdf file with drawing references and a list of the materials needed. 

ONE2021 Hearing the Word campaign: Our Lenten season embraces the ONE campaign that runs from 17 February to 4 April. Unite with believers daily to read and enjoy ONE scripture, devotions, prayer and the Gospel Film. Learn more at http://www.onehtw.com. 

24-7 Prayer Hong Kong - virtual prayer room: Prayer has changed Union Church and it continues to change us. The 24-7 virtual prayer room is a great way to commit to your prayer time on a daily or weekly basis. Join us as we pray for our city, leaders, churches and more. It’s easy to sign up, and you will get a reminder for your approaching prayer time: https://www.24-7prayer.com/signup/705233.

SAVE THE DATE

Film and Theology: On Tuesday, April 13, 8 pm, Chris McKenzie will lead us in discussing our next film, Risen. Risen tells the story of a Roman soldier's search for Jesus' body after the resurrection. Watch the film on your own, but join us for the conversation! Register with monte.peterson@unionchurchhk.org.

Parenting Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Supporting our Children and Teens: On 14 April, we will welcome Anisha Abraham, MD, MPH who is a board certified paediatrician and adolescent health specialist with 25 years of global experience. Anisha is currently on faculty at Children's National Hospital in Washington DC. Previously, she lived in Hong Kong and worked at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Details of this talk to follow. Registration is open.

KINGDOM KIDS

Online Sunday School, Sunday 21 March: Children ages 3 to 10 years old are invited to join us for our online Sunday School. 

- 3-7 year old students: Good News for Outsiders - Jacob Talks With A Samaritan Woman (John 4:1-26), via Zoom, from 10:45am - 11:30am 

- 8-10 year old students: Be Bold - Is It Ever Okay To Lie?  (Joshua 2:4-6, 12-14; Acts 5:1-11, Ephesians 4:15; Proverbs 12:19; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 3:9), via Zoom, from 10:45am - 11:45am

- Kingdom Kids Sunday edition is available at the end of the 9:45am and 11:15am worship services on the Union Church website or Facebook page. 

The link to the Zoom classes will be emailed to families with children registered in our Sunday School programme for the year 2020-2021.

YOUTH

Friday Youth Group – 19 March: Please join us for Friday Youth - We'll start at 6:00PM with a warm up activity and fellowship followed by a short lesson and see how we can apply it to our every day! Zoom Link Here

Sunday Youth - 21 March - Youth are welcome to join us on Zoom at 11:15am where we'll get to spend time reading and discussing scripture. Seniors will be looking at what the Bible teaches us about Christian leadership, and Juniors are working through a series based around asking hard questions! Zoom Link Here

Wednesday Youth - 24 March - We’re switching things up for this Season of Lent! We’ll be joining with Christians all over Hong Kong and around the world as we study the life and teachings of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark. Join us on Wednesday, 6:30pm - 8:00pm. Zoom Link Here

Upcoming: HELP Series with St Johns Cathedral: We are excited to join hands with our friends at St Johns in an experiential six-part learning programme called “FirstHand”, which aims to help students broaden their channels of empathy by creatively immersing them into the lives and experiences of Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers. Our first session will be online via Zoom, 6PM Friday March 26.

MISSIONS

Sons & Daughters (S&D) helps those caught in sexual exploitation to reclaim a life of love, family, and freedom. They have asked for Union's support because a particular need has emerged for supermarket vouchers. They have some single mums who are struggling to make ends meet. These women have been faithfully attending Alpha and skills classes at S&D's drop-in centre. S&D wants to celebrate and rally with these woman as they take steps to leave the commercial sex industry. Please consider donating a supermarket voucher (increments of $50 and $100 preferred) and send them directly to S&D or drop them at the church office.
Pastor Installation in GenSan, Philippines: We celebrate with the congregation in Bawing, General Santos, Philippines as they install their new senior pastor, Benjie Saligan, on Palm Sunday, March 28!
Pastor Benjie was sponsored by the Union Church Filipino Fellowship in his studies at the Shekinah Alliance Bible College in General Santos and graduated with high honours.  He was privileged to serve under the tutelage of CAMACOP Bishop Reniel Nebab for a couple years and has now taken up the senior pastor role at the Bawing Church where over 80 UC members have visited and helped support in scholarships and other various ministry programs since 2006.
It is exciting to see how Union Church's involvement in Mindanao has gone full circle and is having such a vast and incredible impact on this rural community in bringing it to Christ!
Prayers for Myanmar: We continue to pray for Myanmar following the military coup. Pastor Vum of Light of the World Church was thankful they were able to gather for a small worship service last Sunday to encourage members and pray for their country. The news continues to be tragic, as more protesters have been killed, wounded, and captured. Pastor Vum asks us to pray for grieving families, wounded and captured people, and for the safety of all people, including his family and congregation.

ICM would like to invite you to their Easter event: Hope is Alive on the 1st of April. See below for details:

Our Missions partner, 4.2.20 Foundation has the vision see the full Word of God available to everyone in their own language, to fill the Old Testament (OT) gap, where 6500+ languages out of the world’s 7350+ languages still need the translation of the OT.  Please pray for wisdom, guidance and provision for a partnership with a local translation agency in Indonesia which intends to send people to Jerusalem and for distance learning programmes which should start in May to July. During COVID-19, distance learning programmes have expanded, and the programme for Indonesia will be extended to India. Please pray for God's wisdom and guidance for the local teaching team (also see details in the 25 February issue of Acts@22A).  

Small Groups

Meeting as a small group at 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 in the new year. There are groups for women, men, couples, day-time, night-time, etc. Interested? Contact Monte Peterson. 

Pastoral Care and Prayer

Need prayer? Reach out to us confidentially at  .

Stephen Ministry

We provide high-quality, confidential care to people who are hurting through our Stephen Ministry programme. Five of our Stephen Ministers have started online training to become Stephen Leaders. They will be able to train and supervise Stephen Ministers, thereby expanding pastoral care at our church. Contact Pastor Michele if you would like to know more about the programme or meet with a Stephen Minister. 

Fertility and Pregnancy loss

Fertility & Pregnancy/Infant Loss Support Group - Struggling and could use some fellowship, friendship and support? Please contact Tess Lyons. 

Last week's sermon

“See!” Dan Tupps 

Social Media

Please follow Union Church Hong Kong on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube and share with your friends and family. We can use social media for positive outreach to the community. Interested in volunteering as part of our social media team? Contact  !