Dear Friends at 5C:
The poor air quality resulting from the wildfires on the West Coast became such a big concern for all of us during the past week. Hopefully, the strong wind in the coming days may blow the smoky air away, so we long to see a blue sky in the central coast area. The clear sky is one of the admirable features in this sunshine state, now it is a luxury even to ask for one day to enjoy. From scientists, politicians to religious leaders, a variety of explanations are offered for the problems we are facing, climate change, forest management, or divine judgment. Which one should we believe? Only one thing is certain, we are far from finding a solution to current problems, which means that we are going to see the worse before seeing the better. As Christians, we don’t lose our heart when hearing all those terrible things because all the signs point to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is near, as a matter of fact, He is never far from his children. This is a comforting message during a time of distress. Thanks to Pastor Ray’s message, once again he reminds us that we are witnessing the greatness of our God through His creation.
The deacon board has already mailed out a letter and ballot to church members last week. You should have received this mail by now. If, by any chance, you still don’t receive the ballot by the end of this week, please feel free to let Pastor know. We will send another mail to you based on the mailing address you provide us. The deadline for submitting your vote is Oct 10th, so please return the ballot before the deadline. This communication is for the purpose of electing new deacons for the next two years. Due to the pandemic, the church will not meet in person for the deacon election. Instead, we will make use of mail-in ballots for the election of this year. If you have any questions about this procedure or election, please feel free to ask Pastor or any deacons. Last but not the least, please pray for the three deacon candidates and the church ministry. Thank you!
Ministry Update:
- Virtual prayer meetings at 7:30pm Monday and Thursday.
- Pastor Chen’s virtual office hours every Friday from 10:00 am-12:00 pm.
- Chinese Sunday school (Pastor Chen) and English Sunday school (Anna Ho).
- Small group “Love” will meet through Zoom at 7:30pm on Sunday 9/20.
- English Sunday school will study the Book of Daniel beginning on Sept 20.
- We will resume the series, “The Stories that Jesus Told”, this Sunday
- The deacon board has already mailed out the notice of deacon election in 2021-2022.
Look forward to seeing you virtually on Sunday.
Blessings!
Jinchang
親愛的中岸教會朋友們:
過去一周,西海岸的山火對空氣質量產生了嚴重的影響,這成為了我們所有人關心的頭等大事。希望本週的強風可以吹走濃煙,渴望在加州中岸地區看到一片藍天。這本來在加州是司空見慣的事,如今卻是一日難求。從科學家到政治人物,再到宗教領袖,人們對於當前所面臨的困境有各種各樣的解釋,從氣候變化、森林管理到上帝審判等等,不一而足。我們應該相信誰呢?只有一件事是肯定的,我們確實離找到解決問題的方案還很遙遠,現在的困境只是那未來之災的預兆而已。作為基督徒,我們在聽到所有這些可怕的事情時並不灰心,因為所有跡像表明主耶穌基督再來的日子已經近了。上帝就在近處,事實上,祂從未遠離祂的兒女們。這是在艱難時刻令人欣慰的好消息。感謝主日裴牧師的講道,他再次提醒我們,通過認識祂的創造,我們見證上帝的偉大。
上週執事會已向教會成員寄出了一封信和選票。您應該已經收到此郵件。如果在本週末您仍未收到選票,請隨時告知牧師。我們將重新根據您提供的地址再寄送一封郵件。提交選票的截止日期是 10 月 10 日,因此請在截止日期之前寄回您的選票。此次通信是為了選舉未來兩年內的執事。由於疫情影響,教會將以郵寄選票方式進行今年的選舉。如果您對此方式或選舉有任何疑問,請隨時詢問牧師或任何執事。最後,也是最重要的,請為三名執事候選人和教會事工祈禱。謝謝!
事工更新:
- 線上禱告會於週一和週四晚間 7 點半舉行。
- 陳牧師辦公時間:每週五上午 10 點-12 點。
- 中文主日學將由陳牧師帶領,英文主日學由周敏儀姐妹带領。
- 『仁愛』小組將於 9 月 20 日晚間 7 點半線上聚會。
- 英文主日學將於 9 月 20 日開始學習《但以理書》
- 本週日我們將繼續學習“耶穌所講的故事”。
- 執事會已寄出今年執事的提名通知和選票。
禱告事項
- 為美國十一月的總統大選
- 為美國及世界各地新冠肺炎的爆發
- 為今年的三名執事候選人:馬若曦(崇拜)、胡其健(外宣)、蔡達文 (書記)
- 為我們教會所有成員的身體及屬靈健康
- 為 2020 屆三名新大學生, Amanda Chen(陳牧師的女兒), Jenny Zhan(譚東英的女兒), Hannah Guan(關力和陳慧珍的女兒)。
- 請為我們當中加州理工大學的學生們: 曹燦霖、陳為、林苹葦、羅智亮、马加恩、周樂、余智鵬和姚嘉林
- 為崔琳二姑父的腎癌手術術後恢复
- 為李碩俊后背的表皮囊肿祈禱,等待進行手術將其取出
- 為待產的崔琳姐妹祈禱
- 為裴師母正在遭受帕金森困擾的姐姐
- 為 Ed Sherman 的兒子 Lane 祈禱,他正在接受腦瘤治療
期待週日線上見
主僕 陳金昌