U Matters
Recharge on Wednesday night kicked off our November Stewardship focus with Roger Lam, “faced with a real money problem at a very young age when his birthright - the family business, was snatched away from him, …Money became his biggest hang-up and slave driver, and the childhood financial trauma triggered a quest for worldly success academically and then in the field of finance fueled by fear and anger for the better part of two decades until he got a divine wake-up call.” Roger has written two books and enjoys speaking on the topic of faith and finances. He will speak at all our services this Sunday, and will give a lunch talk at 12:30pm entitled A Journey from Slavery to Mastery of Money. Please contact Monte Peterson, if you are interested in joining. We hope to see you.
Speaking of giving, we rejoice in your generosity which enabled us to raise $47,170 for the 10.10.10 offering supporting Hong Kong Network for the Poor and $108,175.30 for our 175 Anniversary offering to support Kun Sun Association (local prison ministry) and Light of the World Church in Myanmar. These ministries are making a difference, thank you for your faithfulness in giving.
"The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver". 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Blessings as we welcome in the month of stewardship,
Pastor Michele
Congratulations! It’s a boy!
We welcome Edward Currie Foster who was born October 30th to the Union Church family. He is the son of Drew and Amanda Foster and the younger brother to Lawrence.
Great news! We rejoice with you.
This Sunday
Stewardship
After working in the banking and finance industry for almost twenty-five years, Roger Lam discovered that Stewardship is his true calling. He is now a full-time, alternative missionary with a God-given vision to unveil the deceitfulness of wealth to Christ followers globally, in hope to cure the root problem of many social ills.
12:30-2:00 pm, Light lunch and talk in the sanctuary. Join us!
Thoughts on Stewardship from Committee of Management Members
Image is from Inspirational Powers http://inspirationalpowers.blogspot.com
When I saw this poster, I was reminded of how we much we need God with us on a daily basis, and that without Him, without His Grace and all the Blessings that he has bestowed upon us in our lives, we live each day of our lives empty and weak. Then I as I reflected, it called to my mind God's boundless generosity in my life as well as the many examples of His generosity throughout the bible:
God gives life to man and woman in Genesis
God gives freedom and salvation in Exodus
God gives food and sustenance in the desert
God gives opportunities to repent in Jonah
and in Jesus, God gives us his ultimate gift. And with this gift, God gives us a new life and new identity in Christ.
So, it is worthwhile for us to consider - when God calls on us to be generous in return, what would our response be?
Proverbs 19:17 (ESV) "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed."
In Christ,
Joanna (COM)
Recharge
Study opportunities include:
- November 6: Celebration of Discipline study will kick off with two weeks on Meditation with Catriona Woodrow.
- Youth: Gospel of John
- Revelation with Chris Fung will return November 13.
Prayer. All are welcome to join us for weekly prayer.
Tuesday Morning Prayer - 7:30am
Wednesday Discernment Prayer - 7:00-8:00pm
Sunday prayer for the city after each of the worship services
Opportunities
Celebration of Discipline
Richard Foster's classic book helps us understand and most importantly, practice, the foundational disciplines of Christian life. We will begin with two weeks on Meditation with Catriona Woodrow. "Christian mediation," Foster says, "very simply, is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word." If you'd like to grow in hearing God's voice and obeying his word, then join us! Books are available if you'd like to read along, but aren't required to participate in the class.
Faith Comes By Hearing
Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) Asia invites you to join us at our lunch on November 9th, 2019 (Saturday) from 12:00 noon to 2:45pm at Union Church. We will bring you exciting updates about the development of our Ministry. We would like to invite you to be part of the Vision 2033 movement for getting God's Word to every person. Please RSVP with Carrine at
or 66847321.
Union Book Group
Our next book is Cara Wall's The Dearly Beloved, which tells the stories of two pastor couples in New York City, ministering through years of social upheaval. We're meeting on Tuesday, November 19, at 7:30. Pick up a book at the Welcome Table!
Right Now Media
We're excited to give your free access to RightNow Media, a wonderful library of video resources for all ages to help you develop and grow as both a disciple of Jesus and disciple-maker.
Link to join:https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Invite/UnionChurch
SAVE THE DATE:
One Worship, 17 November 2019 10.30am at Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School
Christmas Fair
Sunday, 24 November: Join us as we support our ministries.
Semi-Annual Ladies Dinner - 25 November
Join us for an evening of worship, great food, and a talk by Sonia Lee. You won’t want to miss this. Sign up in the foyer and bring a friend.
The 5th Annual Ladies Retreat will be held in Penang on Friday February 28th to Monday March 2nd. There are early and late flights available to accommodate individual preferences. Hope you can join us. Details are forming if interested let us know by signing up at the welcome table.
Prayer and Discernment for Union Church - Wednesday, 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM or 7:45 PM to 9:00 PM.
Thank you for joining us in prayer and discernment for Union Church, both individually and corporately. Now that several weeks have passed and as previously mentioned, we would welcome the opportunity to hear what the Union Church community is discerning. In the coming weeks there will be opportunities to share as we would like to hear from you. If you would like to send any comments, please look for a box at the Welcome Table. Additionally, the Deacons will continue to meet with small groups and other pockets of the congregation. If you are not in a small group and would like to meet up with any of our Deacons, please look for opportunities to do so next week and in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us.
Youth
Friday Youth Group - Friday November 1
Juniors (11-13) and Seniors (14-18) are asked to arrive from 6:00-7:30 PM
Seniors (14-18) are to arrive from 7:00 - 9:00 PM
This week will be having Fellowship Night - a time for Youth to have fun and play some engaging games and activities. A great opportunity to invite friends as well!
Sunday Youth Group - Sunday November 3
Youth can attend at either 9:45 AM or 11:15 AM in Indigo Hotel 29/F
Juniors (11-13) will be following the Be Bold curriculum, dealing with big questions around their faith.
Seniors (14-18) will be following the Bible Project series on Spiritual Beings.
Wednesday Recharge - November 6
We will return with Youth Recharge on November 6 with the Gospel of John Series by Joe Boyd! In his one-man performance of the Gospel of John, Boyd combines theatre, comedy and sermon to explore John in an entirely new way. We will be watching 30 minute segments of the video and then discussing together.
Kingdom Kids
Hallelujah Party: Saturday, 16 November, 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Kingdom Kids invite Union Church families and friends with children aged 1 to 11 years old to join us for our annual family "Hallelujah Party". There will be a live performance by Dove Tales Theatre Co titled Daniel in the Lion's Den and lots of games, prizes, face painting, cotton candy and snacks. Please sign up at CHILDREN MINISTRY or at the Welcome Table - with the number of people coming we would appreciate it if you could bring baked goods and/or savouries to share (NUT Free). DON'T MISS IT and bring your friends along too.
Children's Christmas Musical: Sunday, 8 December, 9:45 AM and 11:15 AM services
We are excited to inform you that this year Children's Christmas Musical will take place on Sunday, 8 December 2018 at both the 9:45 AM and the 11:15 AM services.
Important dates for this year Christmas Musical Rehearsals:
Sunday Rehearsals - 3 Nov, 10 Nov, 17 Nov, 24 Nov, 1 Dec
First Dress Rehearsal - Sunday, 1 Dec, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Second Dress Rehearsal - Saturday, 7 Dec, 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM
More details about our Children's Christmas Musical will be emailed to all the parents with registered kids in our Sunday School. If you have not yet registered your children with us, kindly do so at your earliest convenience.
Sunday School 2019/2020 Registration
In order to help us plan our program well and serve your family better, we would appreciate it if you could kindly register your children HERE. All children enrolling in our Sunday School and Creche Center MUST BE REGISTERED by filling in and signing the Registration Form. For more information, please visit Union Church's website or contact us at or 21010414. Thank you.
Missions
In keeping with the history of our church and the Great Commission Mt. 28:18-20, we are excited about missions.
We are excited about the many ministries we support annually, both locally and internationally, and we hope you take advantage of opportunities to get involved. Each week, there is a missions committee member at the welcome table; please ask them how you can participate or if you have questions. Additionally, please tune in to the video in the foyer to learn more.
We hope you welcome the many Lutheran Theological Students from Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand who are attending Union.
We also hope you join us for lunch on Sunday November 10th to learn about AIM, Agape International Missions, who are working to help girls caught up in the child sex trade in Cambodia.
Sons & Daughters
Sons & Daughters share God's love with men and women in the red-light districts of Hong Kong. They have asked for our assistance with providing practical items, such as food, toiletries, and household items, for use in their drop-in centre and family home. If you are willing to donate items, please see the list of items needed at the Welcome Table.
To get involved with these and other ministries, please talk to any member of the missions committee: Nick Appel (Chairman), Kathy Foley (Secretary), Dennis Hopton, John Jamison, Melody Landes, Jeff Cheung, KK Ip, Yan Yu (Deacon), Catriona Woodrow (Deacon), Michael Birley (COM). Additionally, David Ashton-Howorth and Pastor Michele attend meetings.
Filipino Ministry
Every 1st Sunday of the Month from 9:00AM to 12:00PM Outreach & Evangelism.
Stephen's Ministry
Small Groups
Ladies
Baptism and Membership
Family in Need (FIN)
Last Week's Sermons
"Jonah runs, God pursues" by Pastor Michele
Protest/Weather Procedures
In the light of the recent protests and their impact on Hong Kong, we need to ensure the safety of our congregation and staff. We will always try to hold our services as normal, but we will implement the following procedures for our Sunday services when needed:
• All services will proceed as normal as long as there is no protest planned for the area directly around Sunlight Tower.
• In case of spontaneous events that might impact our congregation coming to Church, then our staff will make a decision on whether to suspend services. An email will be sent to all of our members to inform them of which services will be suspended.
We will try wherever possible to give as much notice as possible should we feel the need to suspend any service. Please make sure that you check your email before setting off for Church. You can help us by ensuring that we have your most up to date contact information. If you think your information may be incorrect, please contact .
At this time, we would also like to remind you of our Typhoon/Severe Weather policy:
All Church activities remain unchanged when tropical cyclone warning signal number 1 or 3 is hoisted. They will also be unaffected by the amber or red rainstorm warning signals.
When the Hong Kong Observatory issues a ‘Pre No.8 Typhoon Warning Signal’ on a Sunday, we will complete any service taking place and ask people to leave the Church and make their way home. Services planned for after this will be suspended
When the black rainstorm warning signal or tropical cyclone warning signal number 8 or above is hoisted on a Sunday before 07:30AM, all Church activities (Worship services, Classes, Youth and Children’s programs etc.) scheduled at 9:45AM or before will be cancelled. If the signal is subsequently lowered 2 hours before the 11:15AM service, the 11:15AM service will be held as scheduled. If the signal is lowered after 1PM, the Church will remain closed for the rest of the day.