This Sunday we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  The Reformers stressed five critical ideas:
Grace Alone
Faith Alone
Christ Alone
God's Glory Alone
Scripture Alone

Tradition and other things crowded out these essentials.  In our modern crowded lives we are tempted to make the same mistakes that hurt the medieval Church.
Read that list of five again.  How can we continue the Reformation of our lives as well as our church?

Another hallmark of the Reformation was the Priesthood of All Believers.  Lay people could be deacons.  This Sunday  at 9:45 we celebrate the ordination of Roy Huang as a Deacon.  Roy has served Union wisely and well, most recently as the Chairman of the COM.

Gratefully
Pastor Greg

This Sunday we ordain and install a new deacon, Roy Huang. Roy has served Union in variety of capacities in the past, most recent the Chairman of CoM. Please keep our Deacons in your prayers as they practice servant leadership.

Roy was born and brought up in San Francisco, attending church in the Methodist tradition from a young age. Tracing back to his maternal grandfather who was a Methodist minister in northern China at the turn of the 20th century, he has always had an abiding sense of God at work in his life. His personal faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour was a decision he took as an undergraduate student at Berkeley. He met his wife Virginia at law school and they have two children, David and Stephanie. The family arrived in Hong Kong in 1994 and joined Union Church after some “church shopping”. He has served on the youth leadership team and as a couple they have been active in a number of small groups. Roy is currently Alternate CEO, Head of International Banking and General Counsel for China CITIC Bank International. He also serves as Chairman of Viva Network (Hong Kong) Limited, an international charity committed to united action in helping children at risk.

This Sunday, we have a special guest preacher at 8:45AM service, Rev. Esther Tung. Rev. Esther has been leading the prison ministry in Hong Kong. She will share more about her ministry at the Minute for Mission at both the 9:45AM and 11:00AM services.

This Sunday Union Church will be visited by Erik Burklin, President of China Partner. Since the 1980's, China partner has been working with Chinese seminaries to train and equip the country's future pastors. If you'd like to learn more about China Partner and seminaries in Mainland China, please join Pastor Michelle and other members at lunch with Erik following the 11:15AM service.