Dear Friends at 5C:
There is a Chinese saying- misfortune does not come singly. It is so true to describe the current situation on earth. As if the pandemic is not bad enough, racial tension arises to the point of brink in the country. To make the matter worse, the relationship between two powerful countries in the world also gets a hit. The rapidly deteriorating interactions between the US and China certainly cannot be claimed as gospel to world peace. For Chinese immigrants or descendants living in this country, we will have some tough time to deal with all these tensions around us. Thanks to Pastor Dale for his timely message on Sunday, it is so important to remember who God is and what He is doing in this world, especially during this challenging time. Let us not be caught up by the struggles between the United States and China, because our association with earthly countries is temporary. Our citizenship of heaven bears the eternal mark on our lives, and our association with Jesus Christ secures our future in the kingdom of God.
As a part of preparation or precaution, our church migrates our social media from WeChat to LINE. So our communication with church members won’t be cut off easily in case the government shuts down Chinese apps. It is amazing to see how enthusiastic our members embrace this change. In just a few days, we have gathered more than 40 people in a newly formed church group on “LINE”. Praise the Lord that our members share the love of Christ by supporting each other during this troubled time, and I am fortunate to witness such a power in our midst. Please download this app and join the 5C group if you haven’t done so. The following is a simple instruction:
- Download the app “LINE” from Apple Store or Google Play Store
- Sing up an account if you don’t have one
- Log in your account, and search in the upper block for Pastor Chen through his phone number, 714-483-7960
- Add Pastor Chen as your friend and he will invite you to 5C group
- Click the group named as “5C 華人教會” and select “join” to be a part of this group
Ministry Update:
- Virtual prayer meetings at 7:30 pm Monday and Thursday.
- Pastor Chen’s virtual office hours 10:00 am-12:00 pm every Friday.
- Chinese Sunday school (Pastor Chen) and English Sunday school (Anna Ho).
- Small Group “Love” will meet through Zoom at 7:30 pm on Sunday 8/2.
- We will begin a new sermon series this Sunday, “The Stories that Jesus Told”.
- Deacons board is reviewing the Good Samaritan Committee guideline.
Prayer Requests:
- Pray for Coronavirus outbreak in the US and around the world.
- Pray for peace and reconciliation among racial tension in the US.
- Pray for world peace as the US-China relationship is deteriorating recently.
- Pray for the physical and spiritual well-being of our church members.
- Pray for God’s protection for people who have to work outside home.
- Pray for Annie Shi-Mu’s sister who suffers Parkinson’s disease.
- Pray for Ed Sherman’s son Lane who undergoes treatment for brain cancer.
Look forward to seeing you virtually on Sunday.
Blessings!
親愛的中岸教會朋友們：
中國有個成語-祸不单行。這個成語恰如其分地描述了現今世界的狀況。就像是瘟疫還不夠嚴重，種族問題的緊張局勢在美國也處於爆發边缘。更糟的是，世界上兩個大國之間的關係也受到打擊。中美關係的迅速惡化，當然不是世界和平的福音。對於居住在這個國家的華人移民或後代，我們將面對很多困難來應對持續加劇的緊張局勢。感謝戴爾牧師在週日的及時傳講，記住上帝是誰以及祂在這個世界上的作為是非常重要的，特別是在這個充滿挑戰的時期。讓我們不要陷入中美之間的政治鬥爭之中，因為與地上之國家及民族的淵源是暫時的。我們所具備天國公民的身份，那是生命的永恆印記，與耶穌基督的聯結確保了我們在上帝國度中的未來。
以預防可能出現的問題，我們教會的社交平台將從微信遷移至LINE。因此，如果政府切斷中文應用程序，我們與教會成員的溝通也不會輕易中斷。很高興看到我們的成員們欣然接受這一變化。短短幾天內，我們就在LINE上創建了一個40多人的教會群組。讚美主，讓我們的成員在這個動蕩時刻互相支持、分享基督的愛，我很幸運在大家中間見證了這種能力。若您尚未下載此應用軟體，請盡快下載該應用並申請加入5C群組。請見下方操作指南：
- 蘋果商店或谷歌商店下載LINE軟件
- 註冊LINE賬戶
- 登錄您的LINE賬戶，點擊上方搜索框框，尋找手機號714-483-7960
- 添加陳牧師為好友，牧師會將您加入至5C群組
- 點擊“5C 華人教會”群組，然後選擇“加入”
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8月2日晚間7點半通過Zoom聚會
- 本週日我們將會開始新的講道系列-耶穌所講的故事
- 執事會正在審查好撒瑪利亞人委員會的草案。
禱告事項:
1. 為美國及世界各地的新冠肺炎的爆發
2. 為美國種族緊張局勢中的和平與和解。
3. 為中美關係惡化中的世界和平
4. 為我們教會所有成員的身體及屬靈健
5. 為那些必須在外工作的人們祈禱上帝的保護
6. 為裴師母正在遭受帕金森困擾的姐姐
7. 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