U MATTERS
The month of September has been a month where we as a congregation have focused on prayer. Our sermon series “Moving the Needle” reminded us that when we pray, we need to let go of the bar and trust God - much like a trapeze artist does. We were encouraged to "always pray and never give up" with the same persistence as the WD-40 team. And we were reminded that sometimes prayer is messy, and we need to pray through hardships and wrestle in prayer.
Additionally, we also provided opportunities for prayer. Our leaders prepared daily prayer devotionals for us to specifically pray for the needs of our church and some gathered to pray at 22A Kennedy Road. We are living in exciting times and have much to pray for and about!
Richard Foster author of Celebration of Discipline said, “We are working with God to determine the future!...We can change the world by prayer.” Jesus said, “…The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” Matthew 17:20 The Message
Prayer can be challenging. In fact, "…everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) but let’s continue to "pray without ceasing." Let’s pray in faith for our church, our city and our world and discover how many prayers are answered.
Blessings, Pastor Michele
WORSHIP SERVICES AND REGISTRATION
This Sunday, 3 October, is Communion Sunday. Let's prepare our hearts as we approach the Lord's table as a community, remembering both the sacrifice and promise from God. If you are worshipping online, you may wish to prepare the elements in advance of the service. We hope you join us as we begin a new sermon series on Living Faith - the book of James.
Please remember to register for our Sunday services on Mondays from 10:00am. We are adhering to the capacity restrictions and need your help! If you are 15 minutes late for the service, your space may be given to others. If your plans change, please email us at at your earliest convenience.
Union Church offers three in-person services: 8:45am (Family Communion), 9:45am (Traditional Worship) and 11:15am (Contemporary Worship). The latter two services are available via livestream on our church website, Facebook page, church app and YouTube. Be part of our growing online congregation!
THE GRACE OF GIVING
Thank you! We are so grateful to God and to everyone who has prayed and participated during this Grace of Giving season. It has been an amazing time in the life of our church. The gap to reaching our financial target is still narrowing and now stands at HK$1.98M. We are trusting that God is with us in bridging this remaining gap and we continue to ask for your prayers.
OUTREACH AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL
BLESS THE CITY, Saturday morning, 16 October: This event is for the entire church! It is our time to go out to serve, pray and love Lord's creation. Choose one of seven (7) outreach projects with our ministry partners and "Friends of Union Church" that best suits you or your family and friends - Kun Sun Prison Ministry Flag Day, Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor, Chung King Ministry, Sons & Daughters, St Barnabas' Society and Home, Art in the Park, and China Coast Community. Learn more, register and GO!
PRAYING FOR UNION
A wonderful month of prayer: Today concludes our month focused on prayer. We have prayed through our devotional On the Move - Praying God's Way to 22A, met through Zoom prayer meetings, held 24-Hour Prayer, gathered on-site prayer at 22A, and prayed with our small groups. Let's conclude with the Day 30 devotion from Pastor Michele who selected Matthew 25:35-37 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Pastor Michele asks that we pray so that we may live our lives with a missional mindset. Please read the entire devotion on Union's Facebook or Instagram accounts.
HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK
Kindness Walk: This Sunday 3 October we will meet in Fellowship Hall at 12:30pm to go out together on a Kindness Walk in Wan Chai, led by Cecilia Lee and Eunice Seng and families. Come along and share love, smiles and treats with our neighbours. No need to sign up in advance.
UC Men - Wings & Fries with the Guys: We'd love to have all our men join us at Fini's in Wan Chai on Wednesday, 6 October any time from 5:00pm - 7:00pm for unlimited wings, fries, drinks and fellowship. Cost is $100. For more details contact .
Coffee and Conversation: Our older congregation will again be connecting and enjoying fellowship with one another on Thursday, 7 October, 10:30am - noon at the same venue. To learn more and get the address, please contact .
Cheer up the China Coast Community residents! Please drop off your donations of new, unopened jars of jam and marmalade and packages of plain biscuits at church by 15 October. We cannot visit CCC due to COVID regulations but their general manager tells us that these treats will brighten the residents' day! Also join the Bless the City activity coordinated by Grace Payne and Lindy Fok. The group will write notecards and scripture for the residents and box up the donations.
Difference Course: It's not too late to join the Difference course which explores what it means to follow Jesus in the face of conflict and see transformation through everyday encounters. Jessica Hexter and Lakshmi Jacota are facilitating the 5 in-person sessions on Wednesdays, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at church. The 2nd session is on 6 October. All are welcome. Register now!
Young Adults Study - "Discipleship Explored": Wednesdays at 7:30pm. This journey through Paul’s letter to the Philippians is ideal for new believers, those recommitting to their relationship with God, or anyone seeking to grow in their faith. For more details contact dan.tupps@
UPCOMING
Next week - Special 10.10.10 Offering for Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor: We look forward to welcoming our "Friend of Union Church", HKCNP, on 10 October. For many years, Union Church has participated in HKCNP's anti-poverty campaign to help eradicate poverty in our city. Please welcome Dr Susanna Ma in Fellowship Hall (and sign up for the HKCNP Bless the City event in Tin Shui Wai!)
Halftime Small Group Study: Our Faith in the Marketplace Ministry is offering a new small group study that explores the Halftime course over 6 weekly sessions, online at lunchtime, starting the week of 18 October. This small group study will help you clarify your core abilities and passions and discover creative ways to channel your talent towards Kingdom-significance. To be responsive to busy schedules, the group will determine the exact dates and times. Registration is open!
Men's Retreat, 5 - 6 November 2021. Men, have you registered for our overnight retreat on South Lantau? It's a great opportunity to get away and discover the power of authentic relationships. Dr. Lance Lee will be joining us as our special guest speaker. Lance is one of the pastors at The Vine Church and he leads the Men's Fellowship of Hong Kong. As a pastor, psychologist, and coach, Lance has a passion for helping empower men to achieve their greatest potential. Register here to reserve your spot!
6th Annual Ladies Retreat - 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD, 12 - 14 November 2021. We invite you to step deeper in your relationship with our creator as all Union women are invited to a two-night at South Lantau. We will stay at the Sydney Leong Holiday Lodge, only a few minutes' walk from Cheung Sha Beach. We will have the entire facility as a private weekend retreat. Spaces are limited so please register now!
KINGDOM KIDS
Hallelujah Party: Saturday, 30 October, 3:00pm - 5:30pm. Kingdom Kids invites families and friends to join us for "The Adventure of Noah," our annual Hallelujah Party which will be held in-person on Saturday, 30 October. There will be lots of games, prizes, crafts, photo booth and live performance by Dove Tales Theatre. Register in the Events section of the church website. Bring your friends along too.
Creche & Sunday School Arrangements: Children ages 0 - 3 years old are welcome to join our Creche Centre and children ages 3 to 10 years old are invited to join us for Sunday School. Families attending in-person services must be successfully registered before Thursday, 12:00pm. Thank you.
In-person Sunday School: 9:45am and 11:15am
Online Sunday School: 11:15am - the Zoom link to the online class will be emailed to families with children registered in our Sunday School programme for the year 2021-2022.
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
Sunday School Registration 2021-2022: Registration for the academic year 2021/2022 is open. Children ages 0-10 years old enrolling in our Creche and Sunday School programme must be registered by completing the form HERE. Registration forms are also available at the Children’s welcome table. For more information, please visit Union Church's website or contact us at CHILDREN or 2101 0414.
Friday Youth – 1 October – There is no Friday Youth this week due to the public holiday.
Sunday Youth – 3 October – This Sunday, Youth are invited to Ps. Michele's home at 11:15am for a lesson and a time of fellowship. Juniors (11-13) are doing a series on the book of Ephesians, while Seniors are studying the Book of Revelation and the challenging messages it faces us with! Any questions - please talk to Hunter.
Wednesday Youth – 6 October - This Wednesday we will continue our "Network" study, a look into what spiritual gifts God has given us and how we can better use them to build His kingdom! We will meet at Union Church Youth Room at 6:00pm and dismiss no later than 8:00pm.
MISSIONS
St Barnabas' Society and Home: Last week we shared with you some of SBSH's prayer requests. Thank you for praying! Here are some additional requests:
- Some of our Kids Learning Club (KLC) children have special education needs. Some have emotional issues, one child has speech problems, and many of them experience attention deficits. May God take care of them and protect them.
- Our new KLC programme and weekdays’ homework tutoring programme will be launched in a few weeks. May the good Lord provide additional resources to support these programmes and give dedicated brothers and sisters and volunteers a burden to teach, tutor, and to show Christ’s love and kindness to these kids.
Prayers for Light of the World Church and Preschool, Yangon, Myanmar: Praise report! The preschool should open tomorrow. Please pray that it progresses safely. Please also pray that they may resume in-person Sunday worship twice a month starting in October.
Meet our Ministry Partners: This is a great way to find opportunities for you to pray, serve and support God's mission and work in Hong Kong and internationally.
Sunday, 10 October - Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor (see above)
Sunday, 14 November - Sons & Daughters and Asian Development Ministries (SALT)
Sunday, 9 January 2022 - Alpha Hong Kong
and more visitors in the new year.
Save the date - Missions Christmas Fair, Sunday, 28 November - so many ministry partners, so many goodies that make for wonderful Christmas presents! Mark your calendar.
Ready to complement Sunday worship services with a small group experience? The support from your friends in a small group is tangible demonstration of God's love for us. If you aren't currently in a small group, this is a wonderful time to try it out. There are groups for women, men, couples, day-time, night-time, etc. Contact for more information and pick up a Small Groups pamphlet from the welcome desk at church.
Families in Need (FIN)
We understand the desire to give money directly to people in need in our congregation - thank you for your compassion and generosity. May we ask that you instead refer these individuals to our Families in Need committee and Pastor Michele? Our FIN ministry helps people with their basic monthly needs. If you can help, we would be grateful. Please mark your envelope "FIN".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. Contact Pastor Michele if you would like to know more about the programme or meet with a Stephen Minister.
Sanctuary Flowers
If you wish to donate flowers to honour a birthday, anniversary, birth or in memory of a loved one, you may sign up on the flower calendar on the notice board or email . Thank you.
Last week's sermon
“Moving the Needle Through Wrestling Prayer" Rev Dr Michele Bland
Social Media
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