05-11-2020 Newsletter 牧師家書

Dear Friends at 5C:

It is a unique Mother’s Day celebration. Without flowers and special gifts, our Mother’s Day worship delivered the same message as previous years: our gratitude to our mothers as well as to our God. Praise the Lord for Annie Shi-Mu’s message, which provides a comprehensive overview of biblical female examples for our sisters to imitate. As a good mother and grandmother, she is in a better position than any pastors to give a message like this. During Chinese Sunday school, we allocate the time to share about our mothers.  Like always, there are so many moving stories and we shred tears of gratitude as we reflect how much love our mothers pour into our lives. It is a good practice if we consistently reflect on how much God loves us, certainly it is not less but much more.
In California, the “stay-at-home” mandate issued by the governor is still in place. Many in SLO county become anxious as the state turned down the reopening request by county officials. It is said that SLO county may let its own order expired on May 16, but little will be changed since the state order overrules. It is anticipated that the state may enter into Stage 3 in a matter of weeks. Hopefully, church gathering will be allowed by mid-June. Of course, some protective measures may have to be implemented. Our church may adopt a gradual roll-back approach in order to protect church members, especially seniors in our midst. Once again, Raymond and Bianca will make use of their expertise to draft up a returning guideline. This is an unusual time due to a global crisis, and we pray God’s mercy upon people on earth so that this pandemic may end one way or another. 

Ministry Update:

  1. Virtual prayer meetings at 7:30pm Monday and Thursday.
  2. Pastor Chen’s virtual office hours, 10:00am-12:00pm every Wednesday and Friday.
  3. Chinese Sunday school (Pastor Chen) and English Sunday school (Rachel Ma)
  4. Small group “Love” will meet this Sunday (5/17) through Zoom.
  5. The Board of deacons is working on a plan of returning to the church in case the “stay-at-home” mandate is lifted.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray for Coronavirus outbreak in the US and around the world.
  2. Pray for the physical and spiritual well-being of our church members.
  3. Pray for God’s protection for people who have to work outside the home.
  4. Pray for Bianca’s hand surgery on Friday 5/15.
  5. Pray for Annie Petzholt’s sister who suffers Parkinson’s disease.
  6. Pray for Ed Sherman’s son Lane who undergoes treatment for brain cancer.

Look forward to seeing you virtually on Sunday.
Blessings!
Jinchang

親愛的中岸教會朋友們:

今年的母親節有些獨特。雖然沒有了鮮花和禮物,母親節崇拜傳遞了與前幾年相同的信息:對母親以及對上帝的感恩。感謝裴師母的講道,全面概述了聖經中女性的榜樣,以供姐妹們傚法。作為一位慈愛的母親和祖母,裴師母比任何牧師都能更好地傳達這樣的信息。在中文主日學期間,大家也分享了自己母親的故事。像往常一樣,有許多感人的故事,大家為母親對我們傾注無盡的愛流下了感激之淚。如果我們不斷地思考神對我們的愛,也會發現這愛有過之而無不及。
加州仍在執行居家令。由於州政府拒絕縣級重新開放的請求,SLO 的許多人對此感到不安。據說 SLO 縣政府將不再延期 5 月 16 日到期的居家令,但是由於州政府的法令涵蓋了縣政府的管轄區域,因此幾乎不會有任何實質的改變。預計加州可能會在未來幾週內進入重新開放的第三階段。希望教會可以在六月中旬恢復聚會。當然,屆時我們必須採取一些保護措施。為了保護我們的成員,尤其是其中的年長者,教會可能會採用逐步開放的方法。胡其建弟兄和張西齡姐妹將再次發揮用他們的專長,幫助教會起草回歸指南。由於全球疫情危機,這是一個不尋常的時刻,祈禱上帝憐憫地球上的人們,不管以怎樣的方式,讓這場瘟疫盡快結束吧。

事工更新:

  1. 線上禱告會於週一和週四晚間 7 點半舉行。
  2. 陳牧師的線上辦公時間為每週三和週五的上午 10:00-12:00。
  3. 中文主日學將由陳牧師帶領,英文主日學由馬若曦姐妹带領。
  4. 『仁愛』小組將於本週日(5/17)通過 Zoom 聚會。
  5. 執事會正在起草回歸教會的指南以應對州政府可能取消居家令

禱告事項

  1. 為美國及世界各地的新冠肺炎的爆發
  2. 為我們教會所有成員的身體及屬靈健康
  3. 為那些必須在外工作的人們祈禱上帝的保護
  4. 為張西齡姐妹週五的手傷手術
  5. 為裴師母的姐姐正在遭受帕金森徵的困擾
  6. 為 Ed Sherman 的兒子 Lane 祈禱,他正在接受腦瘤治療

期待周日線上見。

主僕 陳金昌

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