Year End Thanksgiving Prayer Meeting
       In our 1997 year-end joint prayer meeting, we focused on what the Lord has done in the various fellowship groups, both in the English and in the Chinese congregations. We were indeed grateful that our Church is now in a position to provide a fellowship group to anyone at any age bracket. We believe it is the more intimate fellowship groups that will enhance spiritual growth of Christians.

Christmas Events
       The Lord blessed the Church family with both new converts and members on December 7th and 21st, respectively. As a family, we shall learn to care and to look out for each other. Once again, we welcome you, our beloved, to the family of God. On Christmas Eve, the Church gathered for pot-luck dinner followed by our celebration service. The dinner was sumptuous and the celebration was truly up-lifting. Besides Pastor Clement's evangelistic message on the real meaning of Christmas, nearly every fellowship group participated in the program. We were blessed with the attendance of many unchurched friends. Pray that they will continue to seek out the reason for the season.

New Church Board Elected
       With the arrival of the new year it also means a new Church Board. This year three Board members were up for re-election: Charles, Sinclair and Stephen. Brothers Sinclair and Stephen wish to relieve themselves from the Board for the coming year. We are grateful that Brother Charles has agreed to be re-elected. In addition, we are pleased that Brothers Tim Law and David Chuah are returning to the Board. Brother Tim, of course, has just returned from Hong Kong after his one-year sabbatical.
       The make-up of the 1998 Church Board is as follow: Eddie Yan (Chair), Alfred Tsang (Co-Chair & English Core Group), David Chuah (Secretary & Membership), Charles Ma (Treasurer), Tim Law & Blossom Mo (Mission), Blossom Mo (Children Ministry), Tim Law (Property) and Lapkin Ip (Chinese Care Group).
       We fully appreciate those brothers and sisters who take on a wide varieties of duties and responsibilities in the Church without assuming any formal titles. The Church operations depend on participation from all of us - in prayer and in action. We shall count on your continued support.

Month of January
       In the first month of the new year, the Board will meet on the 24th to set the 1998 Church calendar and discuss the budget for the Annual Congregation Meeting to be held in February.
       A new Sunday School term had commenced on January 4th. We have seen a healthy increase in the attendance of Sunday School classes in 1997. With the help of the Lord, we hope to maintain our record or, better still, to set a new and even better record. Can we count on your participation?

FEBRUARY 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Board Up-dates
       The new Board held its first meeting on January 24th.We are most pleased to welcome Brothers Jim Soo and Andy Lee to join the Property and Treasurer Payable Departments, respectively. The Church budget for 1998 was reviewed in the meeting and it will be presented for approval in the up-coming Annual Congregational Meeting.
       With the arrival of the new year, the English Core Group has a new make up, consisting of Pastor Greg: chair & UCF; Pastor Calvin: co-chair, YF, Pure Energy, Adult Sunday School & Men's group; Alfred Tsang: Worship & Board representative; Baldwin Toye: family cell groups; Joseph Lam: Billy Graham Crusade liaison; Paul Sowden: Adult Sunday School Assistant; Pearl Tam: Softball advisor and Wayne Mah: secretary.
       As for the Chinese Core Group, the members are: Pastor Clement: Lapkin Ip: co-chair & Board representative; Linda Wong: Sunday School; Daniel Choi: Daniel Fellowship; Wilson Hui: Adult Fellowship; Philip Ma: Caleb Fellowship; Arvin Chung: Worship and Eric Ling: cell groups & new comers.
       The Board is grateful to these brothers and sisters (and their supporting families) for their ministries and unceasing dedication to God's work.

Church Renovations
       Praise God that the Property Department has successfully secured the renovation permit from the City and work will commence starting second week of this month. It is anticipated that it will take approximately 3 to 4 weeks to finish the job. By the end, we will have three "new & improved" offices for the pastors, a general administration office and a meeting/ consultation room. An additional meeting room will be partitioned out of the existing toddler's room. In the basement, the current Sunday School office, Church library, Pastor Clement's office and the Junior Church room will be re-partitioned to create three sizable rooms. Please refer to the renovation Floor Plan on the general bulletin board for details.
       We will no doubt experience certain inconvenience during the next few weeks. Your patience and prayer support are, once again, needed.

Billy Graham Crusade, June 25-28
       We are both excited and thankful for the up- coming Billy Graham Crusade. In as much as we would like to see many people to come to know God through this Crusade, it is really a tri-parti partnership effort - Dr. Billy Graham (& his team) + us + the Holy Spirit- that souls are won into His Kingdom. In this regard, if you have not yet jog down the names of those whom you wish to share the gospel to on the Operation Andrew prayer card, I urge you to do so without further delay.
       In order to promptly pass on the most up-to-date information to the Congregation about the Crusade, the pastors will maintain a bulletin board in the Church. In the meantime, if you have questions about the Crusade, please contact one of our Church representatives: Pastor Greg (overall rep.); Joseph Lam (adult); Pastor Cal (youth); Blossom Mo (children); and Pastor Clement (multi - cultural - Chinese ministry)
       By way of support, the board has set up a target of $1,000 contribution to the Crusade. A special offering will be collected at a later date from those who wish to be part of this ministry.

Coming Up in February
       On the 12th, the Board will gather together for an evening retreat to explore the pastoral and spiritual direction for the church. We covet your prayer. Our first joint prayer meeting will be held on Wednesday, the 18th. And on Sunday, February 22nd, we will conduct our 1998 Annual General Meeting. Please plan to attend.

       Let us thank the Lord for who He is !

MARCH 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

       1998 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the English congregation, not the least because of the upcoming Billy Graham Mission in Ottawa in June. The timing of the event couldn't have been better for our church. Late last year, not only were we finally able to pay off our church mortgage completely, by God's grace, we were also able to find a Chinese pastor, so that all the major elements seem to be in place for the church to embark on a period of growth and expansion. And just as we are getting ready to focus on outreach, along came news that Billy Graham is coming to town to host his evangelistic mission. God's timing is simply perfect.
       But that's not all. Two years ago, the leadership of the English congregation spent a significant amount of time designing a base follow- up and discipleship program to prepare us for spiritual post-natal care should God entrust us with spiritual new-borns. Even though this past year, we have not seen as many new believers in our midst as we would like, the upcoming mission in June may prove to be the opportunity we're looking for to put our newly designed follow-up program to the test. No wonder then, that we look forward excitedly to the upcoming events.
       In order to reap maximum benefit from the opportunities that lies ahead, I believe we as a congregation need to make it our goal to be as involved as possible in any and all evangelistic effort that takes place in the months to come. For that reason, we're already promoted the Operation Andrew program, through which we can get involved by praying daily for our non-Christian friends and by building relationships with them so that we can invite them to evangelistic events. If you would like to get involved in this program but were not present when we kick-started it, please see Pastor Greg to obtain a prayer card so that you can start praying now.
       We are also actively promoting a few up- coming evangelistic events this month, including a men's rally and women's rally planned by the Billy Graham Association. These rallies are suitable for bringing our non-Christian friends. For tickets to the women's event, see Cecile Toye, and for the men's event, see Pastor Greg. There is also a teen's rally coming up in April. See Pastor Cal for detail.
       In late April and May, the Billy Graham Association will host a series of five weekly Christian Life and Witness classes throughout the city. These classes are free and open to all, and I hope as many of us possible will attend. Other ministry opportunities also exist for the actual Mission in June, like ushering, choir involvement, date entry, and so on. I'm convinced that if every member of our English congregation will get involved in some way, God will reward our faith and bring us a fruitful harvest. So don't sit on the sideline. Get involved now and be a part of this glorious opportunity to make a difference for God's Kingdom.

A brief overview of What is going to happen in the Chinese Congregation in the year 1998.
       This year, we plan to have four evangelistic meetings to reach out to the unbelievers. The first one is on March 29, the next one is on May 31, then August 30, and November 29.
       Yes, we need a revival, so we are going to have a revival meeting on August 3 and 4. We invited Dr. Wing Hung Lam as our speaker. All Chinese speaking brothers and sisters from the English congregation are cordially invited to join us.
       During the Sunday School hour in the months from April to June, and from October to December as well, we have brother Lapkin Ip, brother Enoch Mo and brother Wilson Hui to teach the "Discipleship Training " class.
       In the second and third weekends of September, we invited Mr. Chi Nin Chan to host a Chinese speaking evangelistic drama workshop for us, brothers and sisters from other Chinese churches are also invited to join us to take part in these workshop.
       These are some of the highlights of the ministries for the Chinese Congregation. If you have suggestion, please feel free to contact your Chinese Pastor, Clement Cheng. Thanks!

APRIL 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Board Updates
       The originally scheduled Board Retreat on March 26th has been postponed to April 9th in order to accommodate the Billy Graham men's rally. The focus of the Retreat will be on the spiritual direction of our Church, church model and pastoral emphasis. As a concerned member of the Church family, your input and prayer support are very much appreciated.

Recent Events
       Many members from the Youth Fellowship attended the annual Teen's Conference in Toronto over the March Break and by all counts, were truly blessed by the experience. They were particularly grateful to Pastor Cal, brother Charles and sister Kitty, for driving them and sister Elaina Cheng, Pastor Clement's daughter, for providing restful accommodation.
       Last Sunday, over 40 neighbourhood children came to our Easter Celebration. At the conclusion of the party, three children wanted to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. Praise the Lord. We thank all the helpers, young and young-at-heart alike, for their love and dedication towards the children.

Baptism and Transfer of Membership
       Today, we will witness and celebrate the baptism of five brothers and sisters and also welcome three transfer members into our Church family. Church growth through conversion has always been one of the foci of the Church's ministries. We are particularly grateful for the special meaning of "spiritual rebirth" during this Easter season. To God be the glory.

Chinese Discipleship Training
       After many months of planning, the Chinese Discipleship Training will finally be kick-started. The conduct of the Training will take different formats. To accommodate those who can come to Church during the regular Sunday School hours, the first Training session will be held at 9:30a.m. commencing this Sunday and continue on for three months. Other sessions outside of the Sunday School hours will be arranged in the near future.

Billy Graham Crusade
       The "Christian Life Witness" classes will start on the third week of April and will run for five weeks. As you may know, this is a series of seminars and workshops to prepare Christians to be more effective counsellors and to provide systematic follow-ups to new believers. The series will be separately taught in English and in Chinese (Pastor Clement is one of the Chinese instructors). This is considered to be one of the most valuable components of the whole Crusade. Please plan to attend.

Month of April
       Among the many meetings in April (refer to our Church Calendar), I wish to highlight the Joint Prayer Meeting to be held on Wednesday, the 15th. Please circle the date on your calendar and let us come and pray to our Mighty King - en masse. Amen.

MAY 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Celebration
       May is a month of celebration. Not only are we celebrating the graduation of our high school and university graduates, we are also celebrating the 9th Anniversary of our church. We thank God for His grace and blessing. Just for your information, the Church Board has formed a 10th Anniversary planning committee, chaired by Brother Alfred Tsang. Stay tuned.

Discipleship Training in Chinese Congregation
       For the past Year, the Chinese Core Group has been sharing and discussing about the growth of the Chinese congregation. The consensus was to go back to the basic: get our brothers and sisters equipped to be mature Christians and to be able to nurture new believers. With that in mind, we have adopted the same basic Christian Living materials that were used by the English congregation for the first step of our Discipleship Training materials. We also made use of the Sunday School time to offer the DT course to our university students, adults and seniors. The classes are well attended by over 50 students. Thank God for a strong participation. It's an indication that our brothers and sisters are eager to learn and to prepare themselves for His good work. Here are the sharing from the two classes.

Senior Christian Living Class:
       It is a joy and privilege to teach this Sunday School class. I accepted the invitation to teach this class not because I felt qualified, but because I need to learn and improve in many of the aspects of Christian living covered by the course. I can also learn from the seniors in my class, since all of them have had more experience in life than I. In light of the age of my students, I do not insist that they memorize all Bible verses and the order of the books of the Bible. However, I use games to help them know the books of the Bible and the nature of each one (such as the four Gospels and the Epistles of Paul). I very much appreciate sister Doka Chang who kindly and diligently helps my class by preparing key Bible verse in the form of bookmarks with large print. I have to adjust the pace of teaching and allow some time for questions and discussion to make sure that the material is understood. One challenge that I face is to present key doctrines and facts in terms that the seniors can understand and relate to. For example, I cited the human foetus to explain theconcept of spiritual death as separation from God (who is both life and the source of life). The foetus would die in the womb of the mother (the source of physical life) if the cord was severed or the placenta was detached before birth.
       Here is a summary of the comments of the seniors in my class (during the fourth lesson since the start of the course):
       By learning the names and the order of the books in the Bible, it becomes easier to look up a passage in the Bible during sermons or Bible study. We now know the Bible better by learning the nature of each book (such as the five Books of Moses and the four Gospels). The books of the Bible were written by many authors who lived in different times and came from different background. Yet the main themes and message of those books are the same. This feature attests to the fact that the Bible is the Word of God. In the class we also learn and review the key elements of the Gospel as a way to reinforce the foundation of our faith. We appreciate our teacher who explains important Biblical concepts and doctrines in terms that we can understand.

Adults/Students Christian Living Class:
       We are overwhelmed by the turn out of this class. The attendance of the past 4 weeks was consistent, between 31 and 33 people. The class objectives were to learn about the basic Christian living, develop a good habit in daily Christian living, and encourage/support each other to practice what we learn. We formed teams of two people each, so that they can encourage and pray for each other; as well as reminding each other to do their homework during the week. What a good opportunity to fellowship and to care for each other
       We have a good start. Most of the students are excited in memorizing the Bible contents and Bible verses, as well as phoning and sharing with each other. Well, we got a nice "STICKER" for doing each of the task. What an encouragement! It's really cool! It's not a coincidence that the DT classes coincide with the Billy Graham Mission. We are preparing ourselves to share our faith and to nurture new comers before and after the Billy Graham Mission. It's a good start and please pray for all of us, including yourself.

JUNE 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Church Board update
       The Board held a retreat and business meeting on May 24th. Among other things, I would like to share with you three items from our discussions:

       (1) 10th Anniversary Church-wide Retreat & Reunion - We look forward to celebrating the Church's 10th Anniversary next year. As part of the celebration, we will organize a Church-wide Retreat & Reunion. Since we anticipate a significant turn-out, including many brothers and sisters from out-of- town, we have already booked our site at the Trent University at Peterbrough from July 1-4, 1999 for this function. Please circle your calendar.

       (2) Uniform Church Library - In view of the many individual libraries that the Church now has, the three pastors recommended that they be consolidated into one uniform Church Library. Sister Diane Fong has kindly agreed to head up this task.

       (3) Church Finance - The Lord has been gracious in providing for all the needs of the Church. In fact, our tithe and offering have increased six percent during the first five months of this year compared to the same period last year. We thank the Lord for your faithful giving. However, our expense pattern this year is different from our previous years. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, in previous years, a significant amount of donation came in at the end of the year as a result of our mortgage pre-payment drive from October to December. This was wonderful because we were only required to effect pre-payment towards the end of the year. However, with the full complement of pastoral staff, our expenses must now be evenly spread out. In other words, we have a higher amount of "payable" every month, even though our total budget remains essentially the same as last year. Secondly, we have a relatively large cash expenditure at the start of this year due to Church renovation. While this expense was budgeted for 1998, the mere fact that money needed to be paid at the early part of the year resulted in substantial depletion to the Church's cash flow. Accordingly, we ask you to remember the Church finance in your prayer. We trust that the Lord will continue to do GREAT THING among our mist.

Billy Graham Mission
       Our Church has already benefited from the yet-to-occur Billy Graham Mission. We have a few brothers and sisters accepted the Lord in the last few weeks as a result of witnesses and testimonies shared by others who have attended the Billy Graham Christian Life & Witness classes, and also from last week's Chinese evangelistic Sunday worship. Isn't HE wonderful?! Praise the Lord. The older children are now excited about either going to hear "Psalty the Song Book", or to be part of the 2,000-member choir with Psalty. Many of our teens took part in the Christian Life & witness classes and experienced the explosive power of the gospel. Our adults also attended the classes and many have signed up as councillors. I will be one of the two Cantonese interpreters during the Mission. We thank the Lord for faithful servants such as Dr. Graham and his team. Let us bring our friends to the Mission and pray for God's intervention in their lives. Let us also pray for our own revival.

Coming up in June
       One of our missionaries, Sister Peggy Yuan, will be with us throughout the weekend of the 12th. On the 17th, we will have our third Joint Prayer Meeting. During the week of the 29th, which is immediately after the Billy Graham Mission, our Church will have the Vacation Bible School. So, let us serve the Lord together with a joyful heart.

Youth Ministry
       (1) Pure Energy - If you want high energy and excitement levels, just stop in on one of our Pure Energy meetings! Our grade 7 and 8's have had a great year doing crazy things and they even turn a Bible Study into an adventure. We have been learning about truth from the Josh McDowell video series "Truth Matters" and every other week we have activities such as scavenger hunts, bowling and go-karting.

       (2) YF - The YF is currently undergoing some changes as we seek new ways to learn, grow and serve. Many of the changes come from the youth themselves. We are introducing a youth worship time (Quest), small group Bible studies (Rock Groups) and a more family based ministry system. Many exciting changes you won't want to miss!
       Recently many of our youth were able to attend the Billy Graham Christian Life and Witness Classes in preparation for the Crusade. Several youth have confirmed their own faith and have made themselves available as counsellors. As well several youth will be baptized soon. Praise the Lord!!!

       (3) University Fellowship - The newly- created, yet-to-be-named, UF kicked off with a BBQ at the home of Baldwin Toye. This fellowship will be for our students in college and university as well as out-of- town Co-op workers/students. An exciting summer has been planned and we look forward to where the Lord leads for the future!

Summer Outreach
       Most of the summer outreach activities this year was focused on the Billy Graham Crusade. We trust the Lord will do great things through the Crusade and we will see many of our friends accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. In addition to the Crusade the annual summer softball league is in "full swing". This year our church is "fielding" two teams. We are also planning an outreach social for August 14. Please pray for these events as well as those involved, that God will bless our efforts and His name will be spread and glorified.

AUGUST 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Vocational Bible School
       This year's VBS was a resounding success. Thanks to the Lord and Sister Anna and her team of co- workers. The following is a sharing from Sister Anna Chu, the Co-ordinator of this year's VBS.

The Cloud of the Lord Over the VBS

Weather changes, but God's love never. He answers our prayers, keeps us safe outdoors.

Nature speaks God's glory: trees are pleasing to the eye, Canada geese and strawberry harvests spell out God's providence and creativity.

The Jewish rabbi's staunch faith in the Holy Word reminds us of the God of Abraham, the faithful covenant keeper.

The partnership of 50 brothers and sisters of the church tells us the bond in Christ's body and the love for the children in our midst.

The children's openness to the Holy Spirit, the youth's submission to the Lord, and the adults' commitment to God our father, let God's Glory Shine!

Church Activities
       On July 4th, the English Congregation organized an open house for guests and friends. It was wonderful to see close to twenty new faces in our mist. The special Praise & Music enabled the participants to feel the presence of the Lord. However, Saturday morning, July 18th unfolded a very different story - the story of how dedicated volunteers came together to help clean up the Church. The paints, the junks, the laughter...filled the hallway of CCCO. Thank you, Brother Jim, for having orchestrated this meaningful event. Then it was the Daniel Fellowship, which presented a Songs & Praise Night on the 24th. Many brothers and sisters from student fellowships in other churches also attended the up-lifting evening. On last Sunday, we had our Church's annual picnic. We thank the Lord for the beautiful sunshine and the outdoor fresh air. Above all, we enjoyed the sweet fellowship amongst brothers and sisters and our friends. Last, but not the least, we were blessed with Rev. Wally Yew's visit from the 27 th - 29th. Rev. Yew conducted workshops on marital relationship, for the husbands alone and for couples together. In addition, he shared his wisdom with us on "Bi-cultural Chinese churches in North America". May God continue to bless Rev. Yew's ministry at the Chinese Christian Missoin.

Up-dates from the Board
       In our July 21st meeting, in view Pastor Clement's resignation, the Board passed a motion to recommend the calling of a senior pastor to meet our anticipated pastoral needs. A Special Congregational Meeting has been set for August 30th to discuss this recommendation and related matters, such as nomination and election of representatives to the Pastoral Search Committee. The Board discussed the possibility of an earlier date for the Meeting. However, due to the two Short-Term Mission trips, a number of brothers and sisters, including Pastor Greg, will not be here. We also ruled out August 23rd because Pastor Clement and some others will be away. In the interim, let us unite our spirits together in prayer for wisdom and for God's guidance.

The month of August
       Let us commit our two Short-Term Mission groups into our Heavenly Father's safekeeping hands and pray that they will experience the abundance of God's provision - spiritually, mentally and physically. The Scandinavian Mission team left us on July 29th and is due back on August 19th, whereas the Mission Across the Miles team will visit the Windsor area between August 17th -21st. There will be a Chinese Retreat scheduled for the weekend of 14th-16th.. In the morning of the 23rd, we will have our Special Sunday morning Joint Prayer Meeting. Please mark these dates in your calendar.

SEPTEMBER 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

English Congregation Outreach Ministries
       The English Congregation has been actively involved in the Billy Graham Mission this past June, and that, together with our own church outreach events, has resulted in the addition of five new believers in the English Congregation. Even though that number is not as high as we had expected, we are nonetheless encouraged by the fact that in our first English Congregation Open House on July 4, as many as twenty non-Christians showed up, the majority of whom were actually coming to church for the very first time. That tells us that there are still many non-Christians out there within our reach who are open to spiritual things, and that fact alone should give us further motivation to keep reaching out to those around us with the Gospel.

University and Career Fellowships
       Since the beginning of Summer, we have decided to split the former University and Career Fellowship (UCF) into two separate groups: a University Group, and a Career Group. The university group has chosen the name "FoCUS" for itself, which stands for "Fellowship of College and University Students," while the career group has chosen to call itself "Koinonia," which is the Greek word for "Fellowship." Both group need our prayers. FoCUS is facing the challenge of having its number significantly reduced as many of its members leave town to return to school after the Summer. Koinonia is doing slightly better, and hopes to attract many more young career singles and couples to join the group.

Family Ministries
       With the end of Summer, the two family cell-groups will begin meeting again soon. The two cell-groups have decided to use the Billy Graham Association's Thirty Discipleship Exercises Towards Christian Maturity as their Bible study material, and are looking forward to inviting a few more couples to join them, including those who just accepted the Lord, as well as some new comers to the church and some newly-weds. It is our hope that in time, with increased participation, we can further grow the number of cell groups within the English Congregation.

Miscellaneous
       On a more personal note, we welcome back into our midst Alex and Angie Yip. Alex is among those who left Ottawa in the past few years because of job transfer/change. We are thrilled that he and his family have now come home. Maybe others will follow their example? Well, hope springs eternal!

OCTOBER 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Kidz Gig
       The Kidz Gig was held on Saturday, June 27, 1998 at the Corel Center. The 26 children choir members from our church were led by conductor Salina Yan and four other adult monitors. Later on, 25 children from non-Christian homes arrived. The whole building was full of laughter, singing and applause. The most moving time was when hundreds of children came forward to accept Jesus as their "Forever Friend." Nine of our choir members were among them.

Vacation Bible School
       Vacation Bible School was held from June 29 to July 4, 1998 (except July 1) for the whole day. Average attendance was 46, and half of them came from non-Christian homes. The Gospel message was presented through the life of Jesus. Thank the Lord that seven children accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

Watermelon Party and Games Day
       On July 12 and August 22, we had 35 children on each occasion taking part in the watermelon party and games day. These two events were organized to follow upon Kidz Gig and Vacation Bible School, and included a few children that were referred to us by the Billy Graham Mission. About ten children from non-Christian homes continue to attend Sunday School and Pioneer Clubs beginning in September.
       We thank God for His help in the above four programs. We also thank more than fifty brothers and sisters for their time, effort and prayer that make these events possible. We have only one goal: to bring these children to Christ. I believe that the Lord has already accepted our faithful service and worked within the hearts of the children.

Short Term Mission
       Thank the Lord that we had two short term mission teams this year with a total of eleven delegates. One team went to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and the other went to Windsor, Ontario. Both teams had the common goals of evangelism and building up the believers.
       The Swedish team left for Stockholm on July 29 and returned on August 19. Members of this team were; Pastor Greg, Bill Fong, Diana Fong, Ching-Wah King, Chris Tang and Patricia Tse. As a result of their personal evangelism and visitation, three young people committed themselves to Christ. Other believers have indicated a strong desire to be strengthened in God's Word.
       The other term spent one week in Windsor beginning on August 17. The five members were: Stanley Cho, Christine Lam, Iris Lau, Fiona Lee and Patrick Ma. They all experienced God's answer to their prayers.
       On September 12, we had the"Celebration of Short Term Missions." All 11 term members were invited to share things that they had learned during their trips. Those of us who attended the celebration confirmed our commitment to the Gospel ministry.

Missions Conference
       The Missions Conference will be held from Wednesday, October 21 to Sunday, October 25. The theme is "The Harvest is Plentiful." The speaker is Rev. Franklin Lee. The programs will include combined prayer meeting, introduction of missions organizations, Rev. Lee's sermons, and sharing by Solina Chy, one of the missionaries supported by our church on Gospel broadcasting ministry in Cambodia. Rev. Lee has been a church pastor and a missionary. He is now serving the Lord at Gospel Operation International for Chinese Christians (GO International) in the U.S. I hope that you will not miss the chance to listen to and learn from such an experienced missionary.

NOVEMBER 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Bearing for Each Other
       Pain and sufferings and overwhelming trials all seemed so close to many of us recently. A few of our dear brothers and sisters lost their loved ones. Some were suddenly being laid-off. Many were, and still are, going through treatments of cancer or other serious illnesses. In the mist of all these, we, as a church family, all feel the excruciating pain for our fellow brothers and sisters. I, for one, at times feel both humbled and vulnerable - humbled by how insignificant our human planning for our physical health, our employment securities can be; and vulnerable by how Satan can launch unannounced attacks towards God's children. But thanks be to God. For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. It is precisely because of this, that we have been drawn closer to the Lord and to one another. For God's words proclaim: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?". (I Cor. 15:55)
       As we draw our inner strength from the Lord in this trying time, let us once again be reminded of His unfailing love and grace, and to sharpen our focus on Him and to reach out to our non-believer friends so that they too, may have the opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good - blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)

Board Nomination and Election
       This year the Board needs your support and involvement more than ever. As the Church enters into her 10th year, we feel that she has grown and slowly matured. The challenging and defining moments are here and I urge you to seriously consider giving the best years of your life to the Lord: perhaps in the area of teaching, leading a group, assisting a fellowship, participating in visitation, or joining the Church Board. I sincerely invite you to pray for yourself, to pray for your spouse, to pray for your children or your parents that they may feel moved by the Holly Spirit to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. (Romans 12:1)
       In this connection, please set aside the early afternoon of Sunday, November 22nd for the fall congregational meeting and Board election.

Pastoral Search
       The Pastoral Search Committee (Congregation Representatives - Wilson Hui & John Chan; Board Representatives - David Chuah, Blossom Mo & Eddie Yan) and the two pastors, together with the Board are working earnestly to identify the immediate and long term needs of our Church with a view to call the most suitable senior pastoral candidate for our Church. It is anticipated that the hiring advertisements (both formal - by means of newspaper & magazine and informal - through our contacts and words of mouth) will go out later this month. If you have any suggestions in this regard, please feel free to contact anyone of the Pastoral Search Committee members.

       Have a blessed month of November.

DECEMBER 1998 CCCO HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Version

Parting Words
       As urged by Brother Eddie, I am to use this space to write about my parting feeling. Having served this church for almost a quarter of a century, I am overwhelmed with sentiments at this time. However, the available space limits me to the following.

1. A Thankful Heart
       After King Saul was killed in the battlefield, his grandson Mephibosheth started a fugitive life, thinking that King David might get rid of all the offspring of King Saul. When the news of Saul's death reached his nurse, she grabbed him hastily and fell. He then became lame. One day David found Mephibosheth in the desert. Instead of killing him, David offered him all that pertained to Saul. David did this because he had a covenant with Mephibosheth's father, Jonathan.
       Later, David's son rebelled, forcing David to flee Jerusalem. Being lame, Mephibosheth was unable to show his loyalty by following David. While on the run, the manager of Mephibosheth's household, Ziba, slandered Mephibosheth before David, saying Mephibosheth was staying in Jerusalem for an opportunity to regain the throne. David was furious and ordered all that Mephibosheth had should be given to Ziba.
       After the rebellion was over, David returned to Jerusalem, demanding an explanation from Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth explained his own innocence by showing his loyalty to David by not dressing his feet nor trimming his beard since David's departure from Jerusalem. This pacified David who then declared that Mephibosheth and Ziba should share equally all that originally belonged to Saul. In normal situation, one would cry foul for being unfairly treated, but that was not the reaction of Mephibosheth. He replied to David," Give him all of it. I am content just to have you back safely." Mephibosheth had such a thankful heart towards David that he was more concerned with David's well-being than his own prosperity.
       As children of God, what we receive from Him far exceeds what Mephibosheth received from David. Recognizing this, we should be able to take the distress of life and the annoyance, misunderstanding and even slander that might arise in serving our Lord. A thankful heart will carry us to overcome suffering and lead us to joy and peace in our Lord.

2. A Daring Heart
       In ancient China, the prime minister of a state advised people to think thrice before taking action. His contemporary, Confucius, disagreed. Confucius' argument was to think twice would be enough for taking action. If one thinks the third time, he would hesitate and take no action.
       It is imperative that we should be cautious in everything we do. Otherwise we might fall into the same trap as Peter, who before fully mature was a man of action before thinking, often leading him into serious trouble. Being over- cautious, however, will often bring us to nowhere.
       To serve the church, I believe we have to be cautious and yet we need courage and action. If we lack time, ask the Lord to teach us to use time wisely. If we have to wait for a perfect condition before we dare to take action, ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we are scared, ask God to give us courage. We need to be daring for the Lord, like Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Elijah, Paul and many unknown faithful bearers of the Gospel.

3. A Big Heart
       A common tradition of people in Hong Kong is not to be on the losing side. Last year when I was there, there was a chain cake shop rumored to have cash flow problems. Many customers who had purchased coupons for cakes in that shop formed long queues to cash in their coupons. One lady waited five hours just to cash in $15 worth of cakes. A man cashed in 25 dozens of cakes after waiting for the same length of time. When asked by a reporter on what was he going to do with that many cakes, he replied that he would feed them to his dog.
       Exactly opposite to this mentality is the magnanimous spirit of Apostle Paul in serving the church. He had a big heart. He planted and nurtured the church in Corinth. Later, the Corinthians, rebelled against him on the words of false teachers. They criticized, slandered and even humiliated Paul. Yet Paul consistently treated them with a big heart, eventually bringing them back to the Lord.
       One major obstacle preventing us from serving our Lord faithfully is the unwillingness to take the losing side in dealing with our brothers and sisters. Let us have a big heart. That will help us in forgiving one another, and in attaining mutual help, encouragement, and appreciation. Through this we would be able to demonstrate to the world that we are one in the Lord.
       It is my prayer that God will give each one of us a thankful heart, a daring heart and a big heart for His glory and for blessings to fellow mankind.