praise methodist church

Bishop & Mrs. James Kwang, Rev. & Mrs. Paul Wong with
Bishop Kwang with the CMCNZ Participants of Disciple Red
Facilitators’ training (from 1st to 3rd June) at Auckland Chinese
Methodist Church after completion. From left to right: Mrs. Wang,
Rev. Spencer Wang, Rev. Simon Goh, Pastor Hammond Ho,
Rev. Aaron Sim.
The Executive Board members with General Secretary of the
National Council of Churches of Australia, Mrs. Elizabeth Delaney
on 12th June. (Absent members: D.S. Rev. Milton Nee, Rev.
Gloria Ling).
Bishop & Mrs. Kwang with Rev. Jian Hua Yu, leaders and
members of Hobart Preaching Centre on 7th June.
Bishop and Mrs. Kwang with the Disciple Red Class of Hobart
Preaching Centre taken on 7th June.
Bishop and Mrs. Kwang with the Australia West District Pastors at
the Pastors’ Retreat in Mandurah 22nd June.
Bishop & Mrs. Kwang with the Immanuel Methodist Church
Pastors and Church Talent Night participants on 27th June.
Bishop and Mrs. Kwang with the Kingsway MC Pastors and LCEC
members cutting the 24th Church Anniversary cake at the Sunday Worship Service on 21st June.
the leaders and members of the Sherwood MC Preaching
Point taken on 31st May after the Sunday worship service.
Bishop Exhortation
Dear all Co-workers and Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May the grace and peace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ be with you all. Time really flies! We are coming to the 2nd half of 2015. Before we realize, we will be busy preparing
for our Local Conference, District Conference, and in the last week of November we will be
meeting in Brisbane for the Annual Conference hosted by the Sherwood Methodist Church.
Following are the words of Rev. Dr. Eddie Fox, the Chairman of the World Methodist
Evangelism Council, when he was with us conducting the “Faith Sharing Evangelism Seminar,”
at our Evangelistic meeting here in Melbourne in February last year. “I am very much
encouraged that the CMCA is flying the Methodist flag in Australia.”
As we are directly streamlined from the Methodist Episcopal Church (the predecessor of
United Methodist Church) of America, we will aim to follow their traditions and heritage closely,
and will always endeavour to adhere closely to govern the Church in accordance with the
Methodist Book of Discipline, (Rules of Administration) which, in our case, has been ‘edited’ to
suit the laws of our nation. However, we do need to realize that there are certain church
governance which are distinctively practised in our Methodist tradition that need to be adhered
to. As a young Conference, we have to constantly correct our wrong practices that are not in
accordance with our Methodist Book of Discipline. As such, during our last Annual Conference
session, the representatives of both the ministerial and lay as a Conference, agreed that the
distinctive Methodist governance on the local church level had not been closely adhered to in
accordance with our Methodist Discipline as stated in Clause120, paragraph 2 i.e. in regard to
the composition of membership in the Second Local Conference in a local church, as it should
be the same composition as in the First Local Conference. The Conference therefore resolved to
correct our wrong practice. We will now adhere to our Methodist Church governance following
the practice based on our Methodist Book of Discipline in this regard. The Conference also noted that in our Book of Discipline, Clause 107 states that;
With the concurrence of the district superintendent, a Congregational Meeting may be
authorized by the Local Conference to review the work of the year and to receive the
reports of officers, committees, and organizations of the church. The Congregational
Meeting may also, when such authority has been specifically granted it by the Local
Conference, elect such officers of the local church as would otherwise be elected by the
Local Conference. The district superintendent or his appointee shall be chairman of the
Congregational Meeting. Voting members shall be full members who are 18 years of age
and above. Notice shall be given as in paragraph 120.5.
According to this clause, the Congregational Meeting may be authorized by the Local
Conference upon the concurrence of the District Superintendent only to review and receive
reports, and to elect officers of the local church as would otherwise be elected by the Local
Conference. The Methodist distinctiveness is that the Local Conference is made up of local
church chosen representatives to represent the members of the local church at large.
Hence, many of our local churches starting from this year have decided that the
composition of membership attending for the Second Local Conference will be in accordance
with our Book of Discipline based on Clause 120 paragraph 2. However, some local churches
will conduct a Congregational Meeting as authorized by their Local Conference. It is my hope
and prayer that these local Churches starting from next year will have to hold only a Second
Local Conference as they are the chosen representatives of the Local Church which you have
entrusted to them to administer the Local Church affairs.
It is my desire and prayer that our Conference will continue to make very good progress
in upholding the Methodist heritage, traditions and adhering closely to our Methodist Book of
Discipline. “That we do all things in an orderly and fitting manner” (1 Cor. 14:40) in our Methodist Church context, and may the Chinese Methodist Church In Australia be a blessing to our
nation that brings glory to God.
Servant of the Lord,
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Rev James Kong (Camberwell MC)
AS
the Parent’s Day approaches each year, we are being reminded repeatedly to honour our parents. What
does it mean to honour our parents? In this modern age, the Earth we live on has become a global village
and most of us are living far away from our parents. Thus, we need to reflect on the biblical command of honouring
our parents and how we can practise it in our cultural background and situational context.
We can see the practice of honouring parents expresses itself in every culture and people group. Oriental
Cultures such as the Chinese culture considers honouring one’s parents to be of highest regard. The Talmud states
that parents are to be treated with extreme reverence. In a lot of countries, holidays are set aside for the purpose of
expressing appreciation and showing gratitude to parents.
Honouring our parents should be both in word and action together with an inward attitude of esteem for their
position. The Greek word for honour timao means “to revere, prize, value, or to fix a value upon.” Honouring
parents may not always be simple, pleasurable, or even reasonable. However, denying service or relief to parents is
the same as cursing [speaking evil of] them. God will not honour those who disobey Him (Prov. 20:20; Matt. 15:4).
Honour is giving due respect not only for merit but also for rank. For example, citizens of a country may disagree
with the decisions of its leader, but they should still respect his/her position as the leader of their country.
Similarly, children of all ages should honour their parents, regardless of whether or not their parents “deserve”
honour.
In the Bible, God exhort and command us to honour our father and mother. God values honouring parents
enough to include it in the Ten Commandments (Exo. 20:12) and again in the New Testament: “Children, obey
your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother which is the first commandment with a
promise, so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:1-3). Honouring parents
is the only command in Scripture that promises an abounding, long life on earth as a reward. The same blessing is
echoed in Jer. 35:18-19 as it promises that those who honour their parents are blessed. The family represents the
basic building block of society. The stability of the family defines the community. The principles of honour,
respect, and obedience are first expressed in the home. These principles contribute to a healthy society that fosters
development of the whole person. The Bible gives examples of families that honoured God and were greatly
blessed (Gen. 7:1; 9:8-10; Acts 10:1-3). There is a direct connection and relationship between honouring parents
and honouring God. Parents are God’s representatives, who are given the responsibility of wisely disciplining their
children in His place (Prov. 1:8; 22:6; Eph. 6:4). A father’s care for his child is likened to God’s care for His
children (Deut. 8:5). A mother is to be a wise and loving counsellor to her children (Prov. 31:26-28).
King Solomon, the wisest man, urged children to respect their parents (Prov. 1:8; 13:1; 30:17). Although we
may grow up, be independent and no longer be directly under their authority, we cannot outgrow God’s command
to honour our parents. Even our Lord Jesus, God the Son, submitted Himself to both His earthly parents (Luke
2:51) and His heavenly Father (Matt. 26:39). Honouring parents is a vitally important obligation that Jesus
practiced. Every year, Jesus accompanied His parents to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. After the Feast, Joseph
and Mary left to return home by caravan. After a day’s journey, His parents realized Jesus was missing. It might
seem that Jesus did not honour His parents’ wishes that He remain with the caravan. Yet we know Jesus never
sinned. Even His rebuke towards His mother was gentle and respectful. Jesus clearly made the distinction between
His relationship with His Heavenly Father and His earthly parents. Yet Jesus “went down to Nazareth with them
and was obedient [giving honour] to them”...even though He was committed to being in His Father’s house (Luke
2:43-51). One of Jesus’ last acts upon the cross was done in fulfilment of our Lord’s obligation to honour His
mother. As the oldest son, the care of His mother was His responsibility. Apparently Mary was widowed, therefore,
Jesus released her to the disciple “whom He loved” to be part of his household (John 19:25-27). By following the
role model and example of our Lord Jesus Christ, we should treat our parents the same way we would reverentially
approach our heavenly Father (Heb. 12:9; Mal. 1:6).
We are commanded to honour our parents, but how should we show honour to them? In fact, we should honour
them with both our actions and attitudes (Mark 7:6). Furthermore, we need to honour their unspoken as well as
spoken wishes. Prov. 13:1 states that: “A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to
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Rev James Kong (Camberwell MC)
rebuke”. In Matt. 15:3-9, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the days of the command of God to honour their father
and mother. They were observing and obeying the letter of the law closely, but they had added their own traditions
that essentially overruled it. While they honoured their parents in word, their actions proved and
underlined
their real motive in this matter. Honour is more than just paying our lip service. In fact, the word “honour” here, in
this passage, is a verb and, as such, it demands a right and proper action.
We should seek to honour our parents in much the same way that we strive to bring glory to our God, that is,
in our thoughts, words, and actions. For a young child, obeying parents goes hand in hand with honouring them.
That includes listening, heeding, and submitting to their authority. Both our actions and attitudes should reveal our
real motive for honouring our parents—to bring honour to God. When a child honours an unbelieving parent, the
parent is honoured by a believing and obedient child. The child trusts in the loving purposes of a Sovereign God
(Rom. 8:28). By caring for our elderly parents, we also follow Jesus’ example. Honouring parents requires that we
preserve their dignity as much as possible. Assisting them with household matters, errands, and health issues
should never be considered burdensome, but an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, honouring the One
who comforts us (2 Cor. 1:3-4). After children grow into maturity, the obedience that they learned as children will
serve them well in honouring other authorities such as government, police, and employers. There are those who
have parents who have behaved miserably, abusing or abandoning their families. It seems impossible to extend
respect to someone that is so undeserving. Perhaps that parent is imprisoned. We might think, “If they could have
at least made an effort to do something redeemable, then some measure of decency might warrant a positive
response.” There are numerous roadblocks to honouring parents. While God commands us to honour our parents,
He never expects us to imitate their ungodly behaviour (Eze. 20:18-19). If a parent ever demands a child to act in a
manner contrary to God’s commands, the child must choose to obey God rather than their parent (Acts 5:29). The
rapid increase of divorce often forces children to honour one parent and to disrespect the other. Psychologist
Sigmund Freud provided an excuse for a generation to blame all of their problems on their forbearers. Does this
entitle us to practice bitterness, contempt, and negligence towards our parents?
As we all know very well, honour begets honour. God will not honour those who will not obey His command
to honour their parents. If we desire to please God and be blessed, we should honour our parents. Honouring is not
easy, is not always fun, and certainly is not possible in our own strength. But honour is a certain path to our
purpose in life which is glorifying God. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Col.
3:20).
Distance should not be an obstacle that inhibits us from honouring our parents. These days, communication
through phone calls, messages, emails, WeChat and WhatsApp etc. are so convenient, cheap and efficient to use in
keeping in touch with our parents, regardless of where we are. We should make full use of these tools of
convenience to maintain and cultivate better and fruitful relationship with our parents. Furthermore, we should
always make an effort to visit them as frequently as possible, irrespective of the distance involved. On the other
hand, parents always like to know the well-being of their children and hear from them, regardless of how old they
are. Whenever possible, we should not only treat them well, within our means, but also consider it a blessed
journey to be able to accompany them during their old age just as they accompanied us when we were young. Let
us continue to remember and treasure their legacy, and making sure it passes down to our children.
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District Superintendent’s Message
District South Superintendent Rev Tiong Ting Ling
(City Light MC)
Two months ago, two Australian citizens were executed in Indonesia. In his wrath, Australian Prime
Minster Tony Abbott withdrew Paul Grigson, his Ambassador to Indonesia, protesting at the “cruel
and unnecessary” executions. The Indonesian government, however, proceeded with its decision
despite the efforts of the Australian government. The execution demonstrates the Indonesian
government’s determination to clamp down on its drug crises with an iron fist. It is reported that more
than 30 people die of drug abuse in that country every day. Therefore, Indonesia adopted the death
penalty as an important measure to fight against the drug trade. As a result, the two Australian drug
dealers were eventually put to death.
Yet, it is a consolation to us that one of the dealers became an utterly changed man who
accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. It was reported that they were singing Christian songs
such as Amazing Grace to praise God on their way to the execution yard.
Crimes are to be punished by the law (death penalty). Verdicts as such can also be found in
Moses’ law given by God. Humanitarian concerns about the legitimacy of taking someone’s life aside,
it is clearly stated in the Bible that God will not regard anyone innocent who sins. Those who are guilty
will surely be judged, though God has the grace to forgive. In other words, God is forgiving. Yet, this
does not mean that man can get away from the consequences of their sins.
David, who committed adultery, is a typical example (2 Samuel). Having committed the sin, he
realized that he had actually sinned against the Lord. So, he wrote Psalm 51 as his confession before
the Lord. It became a confession song for Christians of all generations. The Lord forgave David of his
sins of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 12:13). However, David still had to pay the price for his sins,
which was ‘the sword will never depart from your house’ (2 Samuel 12:10) and ‘the son born to you
will die’ (2 Samuel 12:14).
The sins of David reached the place of judgment ahead of him as described in 1 Timothy 5:24.
He had to witness how the sword cut into his house. One of his sons seduced his own sister (2
Samuel 13:1-22), and consequently the brothers turned deadly against each other (2 Samuel 13:2333). That particular crime led to the tragic betrayal of the son (Absalom) against David (the father). As
a result, Absalom was killed by one of his father’s men (2 Samuel 18:14-15), not to mention the death
of the son Bathsheba bore to David seven days after birth. According to the Bible, it was the Lord who
struck the child and caused him to be fatally ill (2 Samuel 12:15-18). Apart from the nameless child,
David also lost Absalom, Amnon and Adonijah who was killed by his brother Solomon after the latter
ascended to the throne (1 Kings 2:21-25).
Christians are to live a holy life as we have received the grace of forgiveness from the Lord.
Paul said, ‘We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Shall we go on
sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!’ (Romans 6:1-2) We must understand that we shall
have to pay the price if we willfully continue to sin after receiving the grace of forgiveness.
The drug dealers should have known that wages were to be paid for what they did. They should
also have known that drug trafficking is punishable by death in Indonesia. Nevertheless, they had still
attempted to smuggle drugs over the Indonesian border. The Lord is righteous and loving. Although
the criminals have been executed, He is willing to forgive those who have repented wholeheartedly.
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MY HOLY LAND TRIP IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MOSES AND JESUS
A TRIP OF LOVE, JOY AND PEACE
Irene Ting (Trinity MC)
I travelled to KL to meet 2 of my brothers and 2 of my sisters and my niece to get ready to
join the Tour group from Kuching Ching Kwong Methodist Church to go to Holy Land.
We were all so excited. It is going to be a memorable trip .At first we thought it has to be cancelled due to the
unrest there and we were concerned and some people also changed their mind. We all prayed about it and
trusted God that all would be fine since we all felt peaceful.
We had great dinners in KL and bought little pillows at Daiso to be used for the trip to Mt Sinai on the camels
and also a torch light each. Then the next day we met the rest of the tour members from Kuching Church led by
Rev Wong Sing Tiong . He was very lively and full of spirit and humor. We all introduced ourselves. I felt very at
home listening to all the conversations and jokes in Foochow and Mandarin.
We boarded the Royal Jordanian airplane. I did not know what to expect. But the Plane was so new and
spacious and up to date. The window dims rather than using shades. It was not fully occupied so I could even
take 2-3 seats. We sat among the Middle Eastern people who are very tall and darker and serious looking. We
respect their culture so we kept quieter too.
We landed in Amman and then transit to Cairo. I was so excited. Finally I got to see the pyramids of Giza and
the Nile River. After we landed, we went straight away to see the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and
Mycerinus. Then we visited the Coptic Cairo to see the Hanging Church, St Sergius Church and Ezra
Synagogue. The tour continued to see the Sphinx of Giza which combines the head of a Pharaoh with a lion's
body. After that we visited the Egyptian Museum which is one of the most prominent in the world with over 50
centuries of Egyptian history including the Magnificent Tutankhamun collection. Dinner was served on the
River Nile Cruise. It was very nice but we were all very tired. Some of the older members fell asleep and
couldn't wait to lie down. Too much excitement for the day !!! We checked into the Oasis Hotel.
The following day we left Cairo by coach to cross the Suez Canal to Sinai and we stayed at St Catherine's
village at Morgenland Hotel. Everyone was so happy thinking we would have a good sleep and then climb Mt
Sinai. I had heard about the painful bum due to riding on the camels so I brought a small pillow which proved
so useful. But alas as soon as we finished dinner, we were advised by the Tour guide to quickly go to nap and
then meet at midnight to start climbing Mt Sinai. Hah, no one told me we would be climbing middle of the
night !!! One of my brothers changed his mind and went to have his beauty sleep. My 3rd sister is strong willed
as always. She encouraged us to go, "Once in a lifetime, don't regret! " She warned. Ok, I decided to go even
though my body said no. My 3rd brother was also very steady and decided to go. My eldest sister and my niece
decided to rest. My brother in law is a bit wary but after Pastor's encouragement, he decided to join us as well.
We all gathered at the bottom of the Mountain and each one of us was lead by a nomad onto a camel and off
we went. It was pitch dark and I couldn't see a thing except the stars and the voices of the guide and the
camels. I held on to the Camel and mine one was a bit small and younger!!! I hope the camel knew where to go
as I couldn't see. It was a long ride but I felt very peaceful and quite enjoyed the ride looking at the stars. By the
time we got to the top it was almost 4 am and my sister still wanted to walk to the spot where Moses received
the 10 Commandments. Me and my brother decided to lie down in the cave and sleep. The toilet was so scary
and smelly!!
When we walked down we saw the beautiful sunrise and when we could see we were glad that we couldn't see
when we were riding up the Mountain as it was quite steep and close to the edge!! It was exhilarating. I made
it. I thanked God in my heart.
The next day we drove to Taba to cross into the Holy Land. Taba was beautiful even though most of Egypt was
like wilderness without grass or trees. I couldn't imagine how people could survive here in the wilderness.
We stopped at Masada, the last stronghold of Jewish resistance to the Romans. Late afternoon we checked
into Leonardo Club at the Dead Sea. I couldn't wait to test and see whether I can float on it or not. So I brought
one magazine to read while floating and I did! It didn't matter how heavy I am. The whole group had such a
good time laughing and joking. A few couldn't swim but they could still float. It was very fun. We thank God
every day.
On the 4th day we drove through the wilderness of Judea to Qumran to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and then we
visited Jericho with its excavations of the oldest city in the world. We viewed the Mt of Temptations before
proceeding to Jerusalem. We continued to the New City to visit the Model of Jerusalem as it was at the time of
Jesus and also visited the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls were kept. The tour guide explained
in detail how they were written. We were very fortunate to have a tour guide who was a passionate Christian
and very knowledgeable. It was supposed to be a Chinese professor but he fell ill and ended up with an
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English speaking one and lucky me, hahaha. Someone in the group had to translate into Chinese for the
benefit of those who didn't understand English. Fortunately I completed the Purple discipleship with Rev Elijah
Chew that The Old Testament was still fresh in my mind and I was able to understand the historical
background of all the places.
When we entered Jerusalem we were very anxious as we were checked very thoroughly even for Ebola. My
eldest sister and I were asked to wait separately for quite long as I was from Australia and my sister from
Singapore. For a moment I was worried that they might not allow us to go in. Everybody was finally relieved
when they saw us coming out. It was very tense.
We then drove to Mt Olives for a wonderful view of Jerusalem . We saw the place of Ascension, Pater Noster
Church, Dominus of Ascension and view the Palm Sunday road. At the foot of the hill we saw the Garden of
Gethsemane with its ancient olive trees and the Church of all Nations. I also saw the spiky plant that was used
on Jesus' head when he was crucified. The church of all Nations was hug. There were so many beautiful
churches in Holy Land and each one was full of history. My eyes just gone so busy.
After that we drove through Kidron Valley to St Peter in Gallicantu built over the High Priest of Caiaphas. We
then continued south to Bethlehem to see the Church of Nativity where below it lied the cave stable of Jesus'
birth . On Mount Zion we visited the tomb of King David. The women could only visit his feet and the men could
visit his Head.
On the 6th day we entered the Old city through the Dung Gate to visit the wailing wall and the Temple area
with the Al-Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The atmosphere was very tense there. We were watched
and not allowed to take photographs. As we prayed before the wailing Wall we had to bow and walk backwards
as far as we could to show respect and humility. I was not used to walking backwards and almost bump into
others and very wobbly. I must look very funny to them. Oh dear. We also visited the Pool of Bethesda where
the angel ruffled the water and St Anne's Church where Mary was born.
The Via Dolorosa journey took a whole day and many people were very emotional as we passed each Station
of the Cross slowly. We felt the suffering and pain that Jesus carried for us. Many people were crying. My heart
was also very heavy.
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The Bazaars was very colorful and had a lot to see but we were asked not to stop but continue towards Jaffa
where Peter raised Dorcas from the dead. Then we continued to Caesarea, capital of the Roman province and
saw the harbour from which St Paul was taken prisoner to Rome. We also visited Mukharaka where Prophet
Elijah defeated the false prophets. I also saw the shop called "Elijah's gift shop ". We bought dates and olives. I
really wanted to look at all the street jewellery, precious stones and spices but did not have enough time.
We stayed at Dan Panorama Hotel. At night we went out by ourselves together with our Pastor and another
brother to protect us ladies to see the Mediterranean Sea. The Red Sea was also very beautiful. I took a lot of
photos.
It was the 7th day. We went to Megiddo overlooking the Valley which was considered the Armageddon of the
Old Testament. It was mentioned in Egyptian writings and was forecast to be the site of Armageddon in the
Book of Revelations. It was recognized in 2005 as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This I wasn't very sure what
it was about. Then we went to Nazareth village which depicted the time of Jesus. We then visited the church of
Annunciation and Mary's well then continue to Cana where the first miracle took place. Some people bought
wine there.
We were supposed to take a boat from Tiberias to Capernaum but we drove there instead. While we were in
Jerusalem it rained even though they say it seldom rains. We visited St Peter's house and then headed
towards Tabgha. We had a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and it was the most beautiful and peaceful place.
Everyone was so full of joy on board the boat and singing. Malaysian flag was raised and Negaraku sung
heartily. The weather was perfect. It was a very memorable time. Lunch was Peter's fish, delicious. The food
has been very good and different. My brother bought me so many glasses of Pomegranate juice which was full
of vitamins. I love the dates and the bread as well. Jerusalem is a blessed city full of nice food compared to
Egypt and Jordan.
Mount Beatitudes was so beautiful and serene that I didn't mind living there. Everyone was trying to take in the
scenery by taking lots of photos. We were reluctant to leave. We then drove across the Jezreel Valley and view
Mt Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration. Later we visited Caesarea Phillipi also known as Banias. It was here
that Peter recognized Jesus as Messiah. It was also the source of the Jordan River. Pastor baptized us all in
Jordan River.
On the 10th day, we visited the Roman Theatre at Beth Shean and we performed a song impromptu on stage
and many people joined in . So much joy overflowing. Before that we also sang a song from Women Fellowship
group with actions in the church that has the perfect acoustic. I was so amazed how our spirits were so joyful
that we broke into songs and praise naturally. Even my brother from KL who was new to all these also felt spiritually alive there.
We crossed the Border into Jordan and on that day there was an emergency drill but our tour guide managed
to get us over before the gate closed and we had to run . We didn't manage to claim our GST. It was very
close. Praise to God. We did our morning devotion on the bus every day. Our Jordan trip was led by a beautiful
Jordanian tour guide who was also very knowledgeable and cheerful. She served us the most fragrant fresh
sesame biscuits I had ever tasted and we wanted to buy some and bring home to share with our families and
friends.
Mt Nebo was where Moses viewed the Promised Land but never able to enter. Moses' staff and Rod were
there. I felt so thankful in my heart because God allowed me to see so many of the places described in the
Bible. In Jordan, I awaited eagerly to visit Petra the Rose City. I couldn't believe I was there as I had checked
on the internet many times before and only dreamed of one day maybe I would get to see it for real. It was an
amazingly beautiful and unique place, walking through the Canyon. The colours were of different shades of red
and pink. No wonder it was called the Rose City. There were a lot of caves like tombs and apparently some
people even lived there. Even though it was a very long walk, I was not tired because I had the company of my
brothers and sisters and the scenery was breath-taking. We took a lot of photos for remembrance. Me and my
sister rode on the horses as well as one of the brothers helped us took some memorable photos. There were a
lot of young children selling silver bangles there too.
After Petra we drove to Amman city , had dinner there and then they sent us to the airport to begin our journey
home . We all left reluctantly as we really didn't mind being looked after every day; the place was full of history
and holy sites and we enjoyed the good food and good fellowship. But every journey had to come to an end.
So we bid each other good byes and brought home this fantastic journey together as a talking point for the rest
of our lives.
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Amie Chew (Camberwell MC)
The love of a mum can be very limited.
A typical Sunday morning for me often begins with waking the older children to get ready, fixing
breakfast, dressing the little ones and making sure we leave the house by 8am, thus leaving very little
room for delay. One particular morning, my princess Laura decided she did not want to change or go to
church, even with the rest of the crew all ready and waiting in the car. Pouting on her bed, she refused to
comply with any instruction. The decision of the moment was, "Am I going to love her or not?" In my
present state of mind, I couldn't wait to consider the best response. Shooting a disapproving look, I pointed a finger and demanded her to get up and get dressed or else. As she broke down in tears, I knew I
had to get out of the room before I completely exploded. I then realised love was the farthest thing from
my mind at that moment.
Motherhood can be very demanding. Your day is often long and hard, whether it be pressures
from your boss, an overwhelming workload, conflict with your workmates, or terrible traffic on the way to
and from work. When you finally reach home, the last thing you want to do is deal with whining children
and a messy house. Plus, there is still the dinner to fix. The meal could turn out to be hot and spicy!
You might ask "What about me? When is someone going to love me and anticipate my needs?
Where can I find the energy to love again and again?" Therefore, it is important to understand that it
does takes energy to love; energy we often don’t have. We cannot give what we don’t have. I could love
Laura at another time but not on that Sunday morning when she behaved like that. I don't have what I
would like to call Sunday Morning Love. Why wasn’t there more love in me? Where could I find the
constant energy to love?
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are." 1 John 3:1
Our Heavenly Father desires to shower His love on us. We have the Source. So the question lies
in whether we choose to receive or reject it. You might ask "Who would reject the love of God?"
However, in the haze and craze of life, we often forget and will tend to draw love from other sources. It is
like carrying a bucket and handing it to our parents, our spouses, our children, our friends, our church,
our careers, and saying "Fill me, fix me, love me. Make me feel good about myself," expecting them to
do something that only God can do.
When we don’t have the love of God in our hearts, we hunger for the attention, affirmation,
approval, admiration and appreciation of others. These things become our food or regular diet that ruins
and destroys true relationships. It leaves us even more empty and frustrated.
So why isn’t there more love in us? It is because our buckets are always full of the "me" factor.
Hence, there will be no room for the love of God. Isn’t that why we find love difficult? We pollute our love
with selfishness and our own agenda.
Because Jesus had the love of God in His heart, His agenda was shaped by His Father. He did not
accept the praise of man. He had the love of God in His heart which was enough for him. He did not
care about fame or power. His whole life was dedicated to the will of His Father. His submission to God's
will freed him from people's opinions; He only cared about the praise from His Father.
Jesus' primary sense of value, worth and identity were wholly wrapped in the Father's declaration
over His life, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17). Jesus' basket
over-flowed with the love of God.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:9
Jesus is telling you, "My love for you continues to exist even if your life is seemingly falling apart. My
love cannot be destroyed, taken, or used up. You can fill your bucket with My love." He wants us to remain in
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His love and receive His love daily and continually like the example of the Vine and branches. God loves
you whether you yourself do or not. Whether you understand it or not, God's love can be present to live
and dwell in you. He calls to you, to save you and offer you an understanding and compassion like no
other in the world.
Love begins by being loved. Being loved gives you the freedom and ability to love. We can only
give from what we have received. Are you willing to receive His love?
The only way to receive the love of God is by Faith
"Don’t try to hold God's hands; let Him hold yours. Let Him do the holding and you do the trusting." H.
William Webb Peploe
Faith is going to Jesus with an empty bucket and saying, ''I have no love. I am willing to be open
and honest with you. I can't do life on my own anymore. I have done it my way. I need help. I am in a
mess without You."
Faith is trusting that we will be safe with the One who gives love. We don’t need to wear spiritual
makeup or masks to hide the ugliness of our human weakness. We are invited to come to Him openly,
dirty and ragged, with all our sins and brokenness.
To love is to depend on Him and believe that He is enough. In love, Jesus looked to us. In faith,
we can look to Jesus - the One who commands us to love offers us the power to love.
On that Sunday morning, my bucket was full of my own agenda and fears. I wanted to be punctual
and not be labelled as an incapable mum who couldn't even manage her children and get to church on
time. I wanted an obedient child; I wanted to be in control of the situation.
But what she needed then was my reassurance and understanding. I had not bothered to consider
that she may have had a late night the evening before. Out of desperation, I called for help in the form of
her father. My husband got out from the car and went to her room. After a few minutes, I saw a little girl
all dressed and teary, holding tightly onto her father's hand. I could see that she felt safe in her father's
love - when he had gently asked her what was wrong, when he offered to help her find an outfit. She
was feeling safe not because she had behaved well or was obedient but because she knew that her
father loved her. She was his princess and she was his beloved.
We are His beloved and we can feel safe with His unconditional love that fills our bucket. Our role
is to choose to receive Jesus' love. When we do, He will make His love a reality in our lives.
Pray this prayer: "Lord, we come to You and surrender our will to You. We want to be open and
honest with You that we need Your love in every moment. Please give us the power to love and
teach us how to love. Without Your help, we will always be hungry and thirsty. In Jesus' name,
Amen"
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MY KID AND I
By Jennifer Lam, Kingsway Methodist Church
Many children learn their values from television, movies, and music instead of from their parents. The Bible
tells us to train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Our kids look
up to us as their parents to set the example.
Children are a blessing from the Lord. They grow up so quickly, so enjoy each moment you have with them.
Take time to just have fun and relish the moments as a family. Children need our presence much more than
they need our presents. We should not become so concerned with raising a good kid that we forget we
already have one. We spend time worrying about our kids’ faith when the greatest influence in their lives is
we sticking to ours.
Be kind with our words. Do we talk to our children the way the world does? Have we caused our children to
give up listening to us because our house rules have overtaken the trust we once knew about Jesus being
the head of our house? Words hurt and words heal. Words encourage and words destroy. Have we allowed
our impatience with words to destroy our children’s joy of wanting to serve the Lord together as a family? We
have to be careful with our words when anger strikes. There is no ‘delete’ button for careless words. Hurts
may be forgiven but hardly forgotten. Words are free but it is how we use them that may cost us.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
(Proverbs 15:1)
Paul offers a strategy to help us live for God day by day - imitating Christ’s compassionate forgiving attitude;
letting love guide our life; and letting the peace of Christ rule in our heart. Always be thankful, keeping God’s
Word in us at all times and living as Jesus Christ’s representatives.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience.”
(Colossians 3:12)
Youth Fellowship Corner
Kingsway Youth MC
Kingsway youth exists so that students, no matter where you're from and what you're studying, can
experience Jesus Christ. No matter how you feel after a week, we're here to relax and unwind with you. We
believe in a God who can do amazing things because of His love for us. Lives changed and hearts made
whole, we aim to bless for we have been blessed!
For 2015, we truly believe that God is at work, guiding us every step of the way. As a family in Christ, we are
connected & guided through the vision to 'Love God, Love Others & Love Yourself'. An understanding of
God's abundant, incomprehensible love for us will allow us to appreciate the person God created each of us
to be, and as a result, be empowered & and excited to share this amazing love with all people fearlessly. As 1
John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us."
If you've based in Perth and reading this article, check us out & decide for yourself!
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Youth Fellowship Corner
Praise Methodist Church Youth
What is youth fellowship? Youth fellowship is the place for youth to gather together, when we are all away
from our hometowns so we can continue to worship and praise our GOD with fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ from around the world. It is also the place where we can get to know one another better.
Although every year, people leave the youth fellowship because they graduate, we can still be glad for the
friendship and fellowship we share through Christ. Finally, it is my turn to leave this year. I am kind of sad and
happy. Happy that I have finally graduated and can proceed to my next stage of life. Sad that I am going to
leave the place full of memories from my 4 years of university life. The greatest thing I learned here is the
foundation of God’s Word through discipleship classes and all the sharing from brothers and sisters of the
PMC church.
In our youth fellowship, most of us are come from Malaysia. Some of us are come from China and Hong
Kong. Some of us are Christian that come from different denominations e.g (Methodist, Basa, Anglican and
etc) but we all have the same goal and purpose - we serve the LORD together and spread the WORD of Him
to everyone that we know. Of course there are also non-Christians in our youth fellowship and that’s why we
have events like Picnic day, Eve’s night, Adam’s night, food fair, combined fellowship and etc. These events
attract non-Christians and give us the opportunity to get to know them, follow them up and share the message of the Gospel.
Figure 1 Adam’s Night Event for 2015
Figure 3 Christmas Celebration
Figure 2 Combined fellowship with Hobart's Methodist Preaching Centre 2015
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Youth Fellowship Corner
Sherwood English Methodist Youth Fellowship
Sherwood EMYF is a group of Christians coming together to learn more about the Bible, to share this fellowship with one another in Christ, and to be an instrument for God to spread His kingdom. The majority of the
EMYF members are currently University students, ranging from 19 years old to 25 years old. We meet up
every Saturday evening, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm.
We are very excited to have “Salt and Light – Witnesses of Christ” as the EMYF theme this year, which is
also the theme for the Brisbane Annual Methodist Youth Convention (AMYC) 2015. For this year, we aim to
learn together as a fellowship, what it means to be witnesses of Christ, as Jesus preaches in Matthew 3:1316. We aim to learn about what it means to live by Grace and not religion, our identity in Christ, and how this
should affect our interactions between fellow Christians and non-Christians.
We have also been blessed to be able to organize other fun activities this year, including Easter Evangelism,
where we went around the neighbourhood delivering Easter Eggs together with a message of the gospel.
Besides that, we have also organized a road trip to Kondalilla Falls, where we did our morning devotion and
sang songs of praise just beside a waterfall. We are also very excited to be organizing this year’s AMYC,
which will be held at QCCC Mount Tamborine at the end of the year!
Over the years, we see that God has truly blessed the Sherwood English Methodist Youth Fellowship in
various ways. Our prayers are that we continue to grow in Christ as a fellowship and to continue to deepen
our understanding and love in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray that God will continue to use us as
instruments to show the world His glory and not ours. We also pray that God continue to use us as “Salt and
Light” of the world to bring more people to Himself!
Sherwood EMYF 2015
Morning Devotion at Kondalilla Falls, Montville
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Easter Evangelism 2015
AUSTRALIA WEST DISTRICT CHURCH NEWS
IMMANUEL METHODIST CHURCH
1. 2/5/2015—Brightwater House Second Visitation
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3. 16/5/2015—Immanuel Methodist Church 19th Anniversary
09/05/2015—Parent’s Sunday
GOSPEL METHODIST CHURCH
1. District Combined Youth Outing: Sat 11 April 9:30pm at
Gospel Methodist Church.
8. Activities for Parent’s Day on Sat 9 May at 6:30pm Gospel
Methodist Church.
2. Street Evangelism: Meet at the State Library of WA
(25 Francis St Perth WA 6000) on Sat 25 April 2:00
pm.
3. Holy Week & Easter Ministry
A) Holy Week Fast & Pray: We encouraged all to
fast & pray at least 3 meals during this period.
B) Maundy Thursday(Love feast & Pray Meeting):
2/4(Thu) 7:30pm at Gospel Methodist Church.
C) Easter Sunday Sunrise Service: 5/4(Sun) 6:00am at
Gospel Methodist Church.
4. “Experiencing God” Courses started on Sunday 26thApril.
5. Baptism/ Membership ceremony held on 26 Apr
and10 May.
9. District Commission Meeting: On 4/6 (Thu) 12:00pm at
Gospel Methodist Church.
10. Tulip Planting : On 6 June 8:45am, at Araluen Botanic
Park.
6. A Mini Sport program was on Mon 27 April
at 3:00pm Gospel Methodist Church.
7. We participated in Pastor Fan’s Evangelism
Meeting and Seminar on 3 May at 7:30pm,
organized by the Chinese Coordination Centre
of World Evangelism at Perth Chinese Christian
Church.
11. Manna Charity: On 17 July from 8:30am-12:30pm at Manna Kitchen, Victoria Park.
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KINGSWAY METHODIST CHURCH
1. Evangelistic and Revival Night. About 70 people attended
the Evangelistic and Revival night conducted by Rev. Joel
Siew at KMC on 10 April 2015.
2. KMC’s Choir participates at ANZAC Day Service.
Members of our English and Chinese choirs participated in
the ANZAC Day Service at Dalkeith, 25 April 2015. The
participation of our choir has become very much a part of
the annual event.
4. Parent Sunday. Our Sunday School children brought their
offering of song during our Mandarin and English Parent
Day services on 10th May. Special love gifts were also
presented to the more senior worshippers in the
congregation.
Sunday School children sing ‘A Gift to You’ during Parent Sunday
Service, 10 May 2015.
KMC’s Choir at the ANZAC Day service in Dalkeith
3. KMC Sports Day. KMC organised a Sports Day at the
Nedlands Primary School on 27 April to build cohesion
amongst worshippers. More than 100 people turned up the
event that pitted teams against one another in friendly
competition.
5. KMC Hosts LAMM’s Hermeneutics Unit in Perth. 34
participants are currently enrolled in the Hermeneutics Unit
conducted at KMC by Rev. Dr Albert Wong. Session 1 of
the unit was conducted on 16th & 17th May, whilst session 2
will be conducted on 25th & 26th July 2015
Rev. Dr Albert Wong teaching the Hermeneutics Class at KMC, 16th May
2015.
KMC Sports Day, 27 April 2015
GRACE METHODIST CHURCH
1. Rev Joel Siew visited and preached in the Mandarin service
on 12 April. He encouraged the congregation to stand firm in
faith with the message “Stop doubting and believe” from
John 20:19-31.
2. Starting from 22 April, GMC has changed the church prayer
meeting time from Saturday 6.30 am to Wednesday night
7.30 to 8.30 pm. Average attendance is 40 people.
3. A food fundraising was held after service on 19 April to raise
funds for District Youth Camp (4-7 July). A total of $2,820
was raised on the day.
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4. Baptism on 24 May: Children baptism: Joash Tan, David Zhi
Wei Chiong, Ava Yinuo Zhu, Joshua Kejin Zhu. Adult
baptism: Hsiu-Chung Sung, Shuling Wu, Junior Wei Jiang
Sng, Ka Kuan Cheong. Please pray for their spiritual growth
and participation in church.
5. The second Gospel Sunday was held on 31 May. Over 270
people attended both worship services. There was lunch
after the English service.
6. English Adult cell group has started to gather monthly on the
first Friday of every month. They meet at different homes.
15 people attended the last two gatherings on 22 May and
19 June.
7. Church Building Updates: After one year of liaising with
Armadale City Council, processing their requirements, a
new design for the building will be drawn by our appointed
architect. We pray that Armadale City Council will grant
GMC the Development Approval with this new design so
that we can go ahead with the next stage of building.
AUSTRALIA SOUTH DISTRICT CHURCH NEWS
PRESTON METHODIST CHURCH
1. 18th April 2015 at 10am - this is the moment that will be
remembered by all of us: it was the Church’s settlement
day. The next two weeks after the settlement day, a team
was formed to execute the plan which was carefully
prepared by the LCEC long before this date. The aim was
to get the main Church hall ready in less than three weeks
time – and it was achieved just in time. On 3rd May 2015,
the first Sunday Service commenced at 10:00 am.
2. Our new address is: 101b Royal Parade Reservoir. Sunday
Service: 10:00am.
3. Church Building: The premises on the settlement day were
rather poor. Our aim was to get the main Church Hall ready
first, and then move in whilst the ongoing renovations
continue. The motivation, proposed by LCEC, was to get
everyone involved in the process and then oversee the
progress week by week. This is really a great lifetime
experience for many of us: building the Lord’s Kingdom
with our hearts and our own hands.
4. Sunday school training and workshop：On 19th April, we
were blessed to have brother 夏长炎 (Daniel Ha, his wife,
brother 林猷树 and his wife come to our church to conduct
the Sunday School training workshop. Not only teachers,
but also many parents participated in the workshop and
training. It really opened our eyes and helped us improve
our teaching.
Preston Methodist Church of CMCA – the front view
5. Welcome: On 31st May, after the necessary trainings, 刘建华
and 王天虹 were formally admitted as the newest member
of the CMCP.
6. Children's Baptism: On 7th June, 黄恩熙 was baptised in
CMCP.
7. Church Building Fundraiser: CMCP participated in the
Church Building Fundraiser Event organised by South Australia District CMCA. We sincerely thank you for the great
love shown by the big CMCA family.
8. Personal evangelism training：This was held on 14th June
after the Sunday Service, hosted by 方友义牧师.
9. Dumpling Festival Service and Gathering：21st June is the
Chinese Dumpling Festival. As usual, we utilised this occasion to invite new friends to the Church. There was a lunch
after the Sunday Service.
10. Discipleship Training (2): CMCP 2015 Discipleship Training
(2) finished in June and the ceremony was held on 21st
June. The graduates are: 汪建国，黄恒恭，赵圆，刘会
苹，陈蓉，赵丽娟.
11. 28th June was the first Youth-led Sunday Service held in
the new Church.
Brother Zhang Ming Feng is putting up the Church
Sign
HOBART PREACHING CENTRE
1. On 25/02 DS Rev. Ling visited us to conduct the1st Local
Conference. Our District Lay Leader also came with him, to
encourage us.
2. On 3-5/04 we held a combined Easter Camp with the
Anglican Church. The speaker Rev. Chen gave us a
nutritional spiritual feast. Let us, in the LORD, continue to
build up each other.
3. Thank God for His grace. On Easter Sunday, Rev. Chen
Ting Zhong was invited to come to preach, celebrating the
Eucharist, and we had a love feast together.
4. On 12/04 two sisters were baptized.
5. On18/04 our Disciple Class started. Let us continue to
build each other up in His Word.
6. On 07/05 we had a Tasmanian Chinese Church Pastor
Fellowship Party. Through the fellowship in the Lord we
encouraged each other and prayed for each other.
7. 10/05 was Filial Piety Sunday. Brothers and sisters over 60
years old received gifts from God’s family.
8. On 14/06, thanks to our Father's leading, we held the
seventh anniversary of PMC with a Thanksgiving service.
Bishop Kwang and his wife Kim, came to congratulate us,
share a sermon and conduct Disciple training. Three adults
and six children were baptised on the day. May our Lord
continue to bless them.
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MONASH METHODIST CHURCH
1. 2015 Church Camp was held at Grantville Lodge on April 36. The theme was “Once Again.” The speaker was Rev Sii
Siang Yin. Over 80 people attended.
4. On 26/4 seven children were baptised; Joanne Huang,
Annabel Tay, Phoebe Ling, Jiayou Yang, Daniel Yii, Isaac
Wong, and Ashton Su. May God bless them always!
5. Our Young Adult group distributed the church
leaflets in Clayton town, inviting people to join
our church activities.
6. On 31/5 one brother was baptized and accepted as church member; Kyle Zeng. May
God strengthen his faith and we welcome him
to join our big family.
2. Thanks to “Butter Dish Eater’s” owner who organized our
Church building fundraising event on 12/4. They donated
the revenue ($1234.77 in total) earnt on that day to MMC.
May God bless them richly!
3. On 26/4 five brothers and sisters were baptized and
accepted as church members; Yiwen Yin, Huanhuan Xia,
Shirley Zhu, Jackie Yang, and Anthony Zhou. May God
strengthen their faith as we welcome them to join our big
family.
7. On 31/5 three children were baptized;
Elisha Su, Faye Wong, and Rhea Vun. May
God bless them always!
CAMBERWELL METHODIST CHURCH
1. Camberwell Methodist Church has started the “Garden of
Joy” children’s playgroup ministry that is held every
Wednesday (10:30am-12:00noon) at church this year. It
aims to provide support for families within the community
and help children to grow in wisdom, physically, spiritually,
and as a group. The first semester ended on 18/6 and the
feedback has been good. The second semester for this
year will start on 15/7/2015 and it is still open for enrolment.
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2. Camberwell Methodist Church held a bilingual Parent’s Day
Gathering on 09/5 and the theme was “Put the Heart where
the Family is”. The speaker was Rev Yu Ngee Houng and
the interpreter was Rev Elijah Chew. Refreshment was
served after the gathering and over 120 people attended.
Glory be to God! During the 4 worship services on Parent’s
Day (10/5), all our elders were honoured with presents to
show our respect.
3. Camberwell Methodist Church celebrated their 29th Thanksgiving Anniversary on 21/6/2015. We believe that the grace
of God will continue to be upon the church in its mission of
Urban Missions, Cultural Missions and Overseas Missions.
WERRIBEE PREACHING CENTRE
1. 6/6/2015 (Saturday) - This year we held our first small group combined gathering. 29 persons attended and completed the Spiritual
Gift survey.
TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH
1. On 5th April (Sunday Service), Sister Yin Xiufang and Brother Li Qiang were baptized. Glory to God!
6. On 31st May, Persian Sister Sedigheh Farzam was
baptized.
7. On 6th June (Saturday), brothers and sisters from Trinity
and Berwick Preaching Point had a wonderful barbecue
outing at Lysterfield Lake Park.
8. On 7th June (Sunday), the family of Brian, Vivian, Zhang Ju
Ying and Jennifer were baptized, and testified the great
power of Lord to repair broken relationships as
demonstrated in this family.
2. On 26th April (Saturday), Adult Fellowship began a training
class on Serving and Personal Evangelism. The class is
held at least once a month and is aimed at establishing a
leadership life.
3. On 7th May (Thursday), Women Fellowship and Adult
Fellowship invited senior citizens for lunch at Hollywood
restaurant. There were 30 people who attended.
10th
4. On
May (Sunday Service), Trinity and Berwick
Preaching Point celebrated Parent’s Day and Mother’s
Day, respectively.
9. On 8th June (Monday), brothers and sisters made every
effort to support a fundraising activity at CMCA Camberwell.
5. On 24th and 31st May, Adult fellowship and Women
fellowship respectively held a charity fundraising for the
South Australia District after Sunday service.
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GOODWOOD METHODIST CHURCH
1. Congratulation: To Lay Leader, Dennie & Sally Ling for
their baby boy born on 8 April. Both mother and baby are
healthy. May God bless this family abundantly.
2. Goodwood Family Day: Held on 18 April. Theme:
Blessings upon Individual Family & God’s Family. Speaker:
Rev Elijah Chew. We enjoyed many programs; messages,
family bonding time and wonderful games. We closed the
day with an enjoyable steamboat meal together as a family
of God.
3. Youth Leadership Training: On 17 April, Rev Elijah Chew
visited us and gave training to Youth Committee. We had a
fruitful training session.
4. Methodist Medical Mission (MMM): Dr Francis Loh led a
medical mission team to Cambodia during 25 April to 9
May. Sister Susie, from Goodwood MC, was one of the
team members. Thank God for the safe trip and fruitful
mission.
5. Parents Day: Held on 10 May. We had a honouring our
Elders session with the youth distributing hand-made
flowers & Sunday School children presenting a special
song. After service, we prepared a special meal treat of
“peace-noodle & eggs” for our elders. We were blessed
with joys as a family of God together.
7. Food Fare: In partnership with South District Food Fare for
raising the building fund of Holy MC & Preston MC, both
GMC & HMC will jointly hold a food fare on 13 June. May
God grant us unity and help us to love Him deeper. May
more of His blessings be upon us.
CITY LIGHT METHODIST CHURCH
1. Chinese Department organised worship enablers training on
28/3.
2. LCEC has come out with a concrete Church Vision and Mission Statement on 11/4.
3. Thank God for our Church Camp this year. 60 brothers and
sisters came together as a family at Adanac Camp.
4. The English congregation accepted a sister to be a member
of the church on Easter Sunday.
5. During the Holy week, we organised Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday and Easter Sunday combined Services to
commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
6. On 9th May, Christian Social Concern Committee raised
funds for Australia Cancer Council by Organising
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea.
7. On 22/04 we attended a talk by WFCMC Christian Social
Concerns in Methodist House.
BOX HILL METHODIST CHURCH
1. Worship Enablers Training: Was held on 12/04 to up-date
the Worship Enablers quality.
3. Annual Leave: From 18/05-18/06 Rev Wen Ping Loi have
Annual Leave.
2. Parents’ Day Sunday: Was held on 10/05, all the elderly
brothers & sisters above the age of 60 were honoured with
gifts to show our respect.
PRAISE METHODIST CHURCH
1. We organized a food fair on 5/4. Thanks God we have
raised the amount we needed.
2. We started a Praise Dance group in the middle of March.
After the Praise Dance group, we have Bible study and
cooking time once a month.
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3. Our LCEC members Brother Chris and Sister Hui Ming got
married on 30/5. We hope they can build up a Christ-like
family.
AUSTRALIA EAST DISTRICT CHURCH NEWS
CARLTON METHODIST CHURCH
1. Adult Fellowship gathering on the 2nd May. There were all
kinds of performances presented by the families including
solo singing performance and instrumental performance,
singing as a family, poetry reading etc. A short sketch was
also prepared to show us difficulties encountered when
sharing the Good News and studying the Bible. Pastors
were invited to give their opinions and advice. It was such a
joyful and informative night to all.
4. Four Seminars given by Dr Robert Solomon, former emeritus
Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore during 29-31
May: (a) The Kingdom of God and Darwinian Jungle; (b) The
Kingdom of God in Theatrical Church; (c) The Kingdom of
God and you; (d) Spiritual Formation in a Postmodern World.
Great fellowship and sharing of ideas was held over the 3
days.
Family Poetry Reading
The short sketch
2. Parents Sunday on the 10th May: English & Chinese
Combined Service was hosted by our Sister’s Fellowship.
Special programs including choir presentation and gift giving
dedicated to the elderly who are 60 years old and above.
Sunday school and REEF (Youth Fellowship) showed their
appreciation to parents in the form of songs, prayers and
video clips. Rev. Samuel Chiu gave us a wonderful sermon
on the day. The elderly had a nice lunch together organised
by the church after the service.
Photo with Dr Solomon and his wife
5. Short-term Mission Trip (3-7 July) to Taiwan: A ceremony
was held on the 14th June to send out 9 brothers and
sisters to the mission field. They will go to the city of Jiayi,
Nantou and Taipei and will be sharing the Gospel message
to the kids and parents coming to the Summer Camp, as
well as the local community.
Our Taiwan Mission Team
Sister Fellowship Choir Presentation
3. Mission Sunday on the 17th May: Rev Daniel Lai, NSW
Regional Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators and longterm missionary in East Africa, was invited to our church to
give a sermon on local mission Sunday. Members had this
rare opportunity to learn more about global mission.
9. Sister Fellowship on the 19th June to celebrate Duanwu
Festival ("Dragon Boat Festival"): Delicious Zongzi will be
provided by our sisters. The night will be full of fun programs
including an interesting gospel game prepared by Rev Chiu
to promote fellowship among brothers and sisters.
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SHERWOOD METHODIST CHURCH
1. It has been almost 4 months since we launched our
Preaching Point. The average Sunday service attendance
is 50. Thank God for the smooth running of this ministry.
2. The Senior Fellowship and the Women Fellowship
combined outdoor picnic program was held on 24th April.
There were new friends. It was a joyful event filled with
God’s grace.
3. Our Sunday School invited the Harvest Ministry to hold a
special children’s program on 10th May from which the
children have benefited a lot.
4. This year’s Chinese
Service was held
meaningful program
50 elders received
service, the elders
refreshments.
and English Parent’s Day Combined
on 10th May which included the
of “honouring the elders”. More than
small tokens of respect. After the
were treated to tea & coffee and
5. Our church invited Rev Brett Ryan from “Focus on the
Family Melbourne” to speak about “How to Drug Proof your
Kids” (bilingual session) on 18th April. It is very beneficial to
all parents.
6. Bishop Kwang and Mrs Kwang visited our church on 28 May
to support the ministries and the congregation. Bishop
Kwang preached sermons during the Sunday Services both
at the main church and the preaching point.
EIGHT MILE PLAINS METHODIST CHURCH
1. Worshippers in CMCA, Eight Mile Plains:
Due to God’s blessings, the commitment and love of pastors,
church leaders and members, we have increased in number.
We had a historical Sunday attendance record of 470 on 31st
May 2015:
Mandarin congregation
234
English congregation
143
93 (470 in total)
Children Sunday School
The weekly attendance in May 2015 was: 428, 443, 419,
426, 470.
3. Baptism in CMCA, Eight Mile Plains, Mandarin
Sanctuary:
Three children were baptized on 3rd May and 3 adults were
baptized on 7th June.
2. Mansfield Preaching Point (MPP in Mandarin):
Our average number of worshippers is around 30. We will
run Disciple Red Course in MPP once the host church permits us to use their premises for another night during the
week. There are potentially 9 candidates taking the course.
On 31st May, three children and two adult were baptized.
6. Our Worshippers taking Theological Training:
Please remember our brothers and sisters who are/will be
taking different theological courses in your prayers: An
Feng, Michael Fong, Frances Dong, Kevin Zhang (new
student), David Chiang (new student) and Colin Wong (new
student).
5. Reception of members in CMCA, Eight Mile Plains in
Mandarin Sanctuary:
We received 2 new members on 17th May and 4 members
were transferred into our Church from other Methodist
Churches on 31st May.
BISHOP’S SCHEDULE
 29/06/2015
Meeting with Rev. David Lee from Darwin Chinese Christian Church.
 04/07/2015
Speaking at the Local preachers enrichment day for Australia South District
 05/07/2015
Preaching at City light MC 7th Anniversary Worship Service.
 06 -13/07/2015
Traveling to FuZhou with AC Lay Leader, Bro. Joseph Ting and Principal of LAMM, Rev. Albert Wong.
 14 - 15/07/2015
WFCMC Executive Committee Meeting in Hong Kong.
 16 - 20/07/2015
Taking Annual Leave.
 26/07/2015
Preaching at the Combined Worship Service at City Light MC.
 06 - 09/08/2015
Attending the Stream Theological Symposium in Auckland with Principal of LAMM, Rev. Albert Wong
organized by the Wesleyan Methodist Church, NZ.
20
 10/08/2015
LAMM Board meeting.
 16/08/2015
Preaching at Eight Mile Plains MC 22nd Church Anniversary.
 26/08/2015
Meeting with the district Superintendents.
 27/08/2015
Chairing the Chairman of Program Boards & District Superintendents meeting.
 28/08/2015
Board on the Ministry meeting.
 29/08/2015
Executive Board meeting.
 30/08/2015
Dedication of Preston MC Church Building.
 06/09/2015
Preaching at City Light MC and conducting 2nd Local Conference and Congregational Meeting.
THANKSGIVING & PRAYER ITEMS
THANKSGIVING
Thank God for:
 For all the safe travel of Bishop & Kim and all the Pastors &
Leaders in carrying out their various ministries.
 For the Methodist Medical Mission Team’s safe return from
the Medical Mission in Cambodia on 10th May.
 For the smooth meetings of Board on the Ministry, Board of
Finance and Executive meeting on 11th and 12th June.
 For leading Knox Preaching Point for the past 3 years as
they celebrate their 3rd Anniversary on 10th May.
 For leading Hobart Preaching Centre for the past 7 years
as they celebrate their
7th
Anniversary on
13th
June.
 For the local churches and individual members involving in
Christian Social Concerns who give generously towards the
Vanuatu and Nepal disaster reliefs fund.
 The Lord to provide the monthly expenses of Board of
Missions for mission work around Australia and overseas.
Pray that His people will continue to support and give $1 a
day to the Mission fund.
Local Churches – Pray for:
 The Disciple Facilitators’ to have continued enthusiasm and
passion for the Disciple ministry.
 The remaining building fund required for the Holy Methodist
Church, Gospel Methodist Church, and Preston Methodist
Church.
CMCA Pastors and their families – Pray for:
 The physical, mental and spiritual well-being of all the
pastors. Pray for God to use his servants to minister to His
people and to further God’s Kingdom.
SUPPLICATION
CMCA – Pray for:
 All the CMCA Local Churches / Preaching Centers to focus
on the importance of prayers, to catch on the vision of
Disciple making and the need to be involved in Missions,
and to form Covenant Disciple Groups.
 The Lord to call young people to take up LAMM Courses to
equip themselves to be local preachers, or to be fulltime
workers in God’s Kingdom.
 God to provide the remaining fund needed for the
Methodist House Project.
 God to provide good tenants for the remaining rooms in the
Methodist House.
 God to open the way for us to start Church planting in
 Bishop Kwang & Kim for good health, and sufficient grace
and strength for safe travel and to cope with the many
ministries engagement.
 Our 3 District Superintendents, Rev. Milton Nee, Rev.
Tiong Ting Ling and Rev. Alexis Lui for grace, wisdom and
strength to co-ordinate the ministries in each district.
 Rev. King Ming Wu, Ching Yi Kwang, Rev. Mei Hua Chan
and Pastor Xiao Min Cai &his wife, Vanessa, who are serving in our Mission Stations in PNG and all the brothers and
sisters in PNG. Please pray for protection and good health.
 Rev. Peck Kui Kwang and for Rev .Elijah for God’s healing.
 Mrs. Laura Su and Mrs. Pang for God’s healing.
Darwin.
澳洲基督教华人卫理公会文字事业部
Chinese Methodist Church in Australia Board of Christian Literature
2015年06月出版
文字事业部编辑委员会 Publishing Team
督印人Adviser | 官佰全会督 Bishop James Kwang
总编辑 Chief Editor | 雷雯冰牧师 Rev. Wen Ping Loi
执行编辑 Executive Editor | 于建华牧师 Rev. Jian Hua Yu
电邮 Email | [email protected]
设计 Design | 林语芩Ling Yeu Chyn/张永欣 Amy Tiong
发行 Publisher
地址 Address
联络 Contact
电邮 Email
编辑委员 Board Members |
康祥文牧师 Rev. James Kong
方友义牧师 Rev. Yu Ngee Houng
夏雷弟兄 Frank Xia
澳洲基督教华人卫理公会 Chinese Methodist Church in Australia
1219, Dandenong Road, East Malvern 3145, VIC, Australia
电话/传真 telephone/facsimile : (+613) 99 947 250
[email protected]
21
澳洲基督教华人卫理公会通讯录
Contact List for Chinese Methodist Church in Australia
会督 Bishop
官佰全牧师 Rev. Dr James Kwang
Mobile: 0414 073 737
Email: [email protected]
卫理办公室 CMCA Office
1219 Dandenong Road, East Malvern 3145, VIC
Australia. Tel/Fax: (03) 9994 7250
Email: [email protected]
年会会友领袖 CMCA Lay Leader
陈守仁 Joseph Ting 0413 866 887
年会文书 CMCA Secretary
林国地Thomas Ling 0403 250 373
澳东教区 AUSTRALIA EAST DISTRICT
教区长:雷少康牧师 Rev Alexis Lui 0402 419 361
布里斯本 Brisbane, Queensland (QLD)
福恩堂 Eight Mile Plains Methodist Church
5 Levington Rd., Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113
Tel: (07) 3841 4483
雷少康牧师 Rev. Alexis Lui - 0402 419 361
Email: [email protected]
郑日强牧师 Rev David Tay - 0422 091 598
张功荣牧师 Rev Kong Eing Tiong - 0432 949 122
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
9:00am （华语 Mandarin / 英语 English）
主恩堂 Sherwood Methodist Church
405 Oxley Rd., Sherwood QLD 4075
Tel/Fax: (07) 3278 6899
王连进牧师 Rev. Paul Wong 0413 993 292
Ps Sean Kong 0431 346 138
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
9:00am （华语 Mandarin / 英语 English）
坎培拉 Canberra, (ACT)
坎培拉佈道所 Canberra ACT Preaching Ctr.
Corner Launceston St. & Melrose Dr., Lyons ACT 2606
Tel: (02) 6247 6249
周丽芳本处传道Supply Ps. Zhou Li Fang (0402 387 614)
P.O. Box 201, Dickson
Email:[email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:1:30pm （华语 Mandarin）
悉尼 Sydney, New South Wales (NSW)
救恩堂 Carlton Methodist Church
17 Planthurst Rd., Carlton, NSW 2218
Tel: (02)9546 2632)
丘品尧牧师Rev Samuel Pin Yao Chiu 0450 003 447
李金龙传道Ps Kam Loon Lee 0430 369 382
张济富传道Ps David Tiong 0433 749 238
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
10:30am （华语 Mandarin / 英文 English）
Parramatta Preaching Point
46 Sorrell St., Parramatta, NSW 2150
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 3:00pm （华语 Mandarin）
澳南教区 AUSTRALIA SOUTH DISTRICT
教区长：林忠傧牧师 Rev Ling Tiong Ting 0405 651 123
阿得雷德 Adelaide, South Australia (SA)
思恩堂 Goodwood Methodist Church
158-160 Goodwood Rd., Goodwood, SA 5034
Tel/Fax: (08) 7123 3723
林文光牧师Rev Gloria Ling 0420 227 956
Email: [email protected]
叶吉福传道Ps Kiat Hock Yap 0410 191 491
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
10:30am (英文 English / 华语 Mandarin)
圣恩堂 Holy Methodist Church
7 Churchill Road, Ovingham 5082
吴玲玲传道 Ps Ivy Ngu 0430 052 288
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service : 9:30am （华语 Mandarin）
墨尔本 Melbourne. Victoria (VIC)
谢恩堂 Camberwell Methodist Church
58 Cooloongatta Rd., Camberwell, VIC 3124
Tel/Fax: (03) 9889 0702
陆同佑牧师 Rev Alvin Liik 0426 817 818
Email: [email protected]
周家熹牧师 Rev Elijah Chew 0421 468 655
Email: [email protected]
方友义牧师 Rev Yu Ngee Houng 0430 576 633
Email:[email protected]
康祥文牧师 Rev James Kong - 0413 953 238
Email: [email protected]
钟美琼传道 Ps Christina Bee Kheng Cheong
0421 993 927 Email: [email protected]
驻任会督：官佰全会督
Resident Bishop: Bishop James Kwang - 0414 073 737
附属：雷雯冰牧师（退休） Rev Wen Ping Loi
0412 182 088 Email :[email protected]
附属：颜明智牧师（退休） Rev Meng Tee Gan
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
9:00am （华语 Mandarin）11:00am （英文 English）
Werribee Preaching Point
200 Tarneit Road, Werribee, VIC
2:30pm （华语 Mandarin）
KNOX Preaching Point
1393 High Street Road, Wantirna South VIC
2:30pm （华语 Mandarin）
沐恩堂 City Light Methodist Church
717 Flinders St., Docklands, VIC 3008
林忠傧牧师 Rev Ling Tiong Ting 0405 651 123
Email: [email protected]
鄢礼银牧师 Rev Peter Yong - 0429 030 390
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
11am （英文 English）5pm （华语 Mandarin）
思源堂 Monash Methodist Church
118-122 Wellington Rd., Clayton, VIC
黄永森牧师 Rev Dr Albert Wong 0433 015 363
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 4:30pm （华语 Mandarin）
怀恩堂 Preston Methodist Church
101b Royal Pde, Reservoir, VIC 3073.
Mail Address: 2/95 Seven Street Box Hill, VIC 3129
Tel: 0451 986 281
夏长华牧师 Rev Dr James Ha Tel: 0451 986 281
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 10am （华语 Mandarin）
三一堂 Trinity Methodist Church
157 Kidds Road, Doveton, VIC 3177
Tel: (03) 9794 7525
洪南明牧师 Rev. Scott Ang - 0423 519 531
刘晋福牧师 Rev Michael Lau 0413 233 222
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
9:00am （华语 Mandarin）/ 11:00am （英文 English）
Berwick Preaching Point
21A,Bemersyde Drive, Berwick, Vic 3806
崇拜时间 2pm（华语 Mandarin/英语 English)
循道堂 Box Hill Methodist Church
6 Oxford Street, Box Hill, VIC 3128 (Uniting Church Premise)
雷雯冰牧师 Rev Wen Ping Loi 0412 182 088
崇拜时间 10am
塔斯马尼亚 Tasmania (TAS)
荷伯特佈道所 Hobart Preaching Centre
239 Sandy Bay Rd., Sandy Bay, TAS 7005
Mail Address: 32, Pine Ave., Kingston, TAS 7050
于建华牧师 Rev Yu Jian Hua 崇拜时间 - 0417 479 734
Email: [email protected]
Sunday Service:2:00pm （华语 Mandarin）
颂恩堂 Praise Methodist Church
100 Invermay Rd., Invermay, TAS 7248
Mail Address: P.O.Box 357, Mowbray, Launceston 7248
Tel: (03) 6326 4303 (T)
官清忠牧师 Rev Ching Jong Kwang 0433 533 907
Email:[email protected]
附属：官佰威牧师(退休） Rev Peck Kui Kwang
Email: [email protected] 0413 861 508Mandarin)
澳西教区 AUSTRALIA WEST DISTRICT
教区长：林宝强牧师 Rev Milton Nee
0457 068 108
柏斯 Perth, West Australia (WA)
感恩堂 Grace Methodist Church
226 Anstey Rd., Forrestdale, WA 6112
林宝强牧师 Rev Milton Nee - 0457 068 108
Email: [email protected]
林良敏传道 Ps Shirley Ling - 0434 225 199
阮伟德传道 Ps Dexter Nguyen
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
9:00am / 11:00am （英语 English）
Monday Service 7:30pm （华语 Mandarin）
神恩堂 Immanuel Methodist Church
33 Cloister Ave., Manning, WA 6152
Tel: (08) 9450 7700
彭能顺牧师 Rev. Neng Soon Pang - 0450 065 775
蔡佳熹传道 Ps Charles Choy - 0452 522 523
刘孙宏传道 Ps Alan Lau 0448 259 566
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
8.30am/7pm （中文 Mandarin）11:00am (英语English)
信望堂 Hope Methodist Church
28-32 Nicol Rd, Parkwood 6147, WA.
Mail address:10,Helsall Court, Willetton 6155,WA
苏本仁牧师 Rev. Allen Su - 0424 685 582
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 4:00pm （英文 English）
蒙恩堂 Kingsway Methodist Church
38-40 Kingsway, Nedlands, WA 6009
Tel: (08) 9389 9248
蓝秉贤牧师 Rev P.H. Lam - 0422 199 980
黄敬平牧师 Rev Wong King Ping 0405 088 979
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
9:00am （华语 Mandarin）/ 11:15am （英文 English）
宣恩堂 Gospel Methodist Church
Venue: 62 Royal St. Kenwick, WA 6107
Mail Address:2 Oberthur Crescent, Bull Creek,
WA6149.
Tel: (08) 6161 6247, (08) 6261 2052
丁华镇牧师 Rev. Dr Hwa jin Jung Mobile: 0402 141 544
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service:
8:45am （华语 Mandarin/English英语）
Morley 佈道所 Morley Preaching Centre
3, Chertley street, Morley, WA 6062
周政强牧师 Rev Dr Albert Chiew（0420 844 278）
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 2:30pm
巴布新几内亚 Papua New Guinea
天恩堂 Methodist Church in PNG
Lot 29-33, Section 171, Malolo Estate, 8 Miles Port Moresby, NCD, Papua New Guinea
Mail Address: P.O.Box 374, Waigani NCD, Papua New
Guinea
吴庆明牧师 Rev. Ngu King Ming - (075) 7000-8798
Email: [email protected]
陈美花牧师R Rev Chen Mei Hua
蔡晓明传道 Ps Xiao Ming Cai
Email: [email protected]
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 9:30am （华语 Mandarin）
Vanimo Preaching Centre
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 7:30pm
Kimbe Preaching Centre
崇拜时间 Sunday Service: 7:30pm
所罗门岛屿佈道所 Solomon Islands Preaching Centre
Sunvalley Cross Rd., Lungga, Honiara, Solomon Islands
杨小琳传道(677)7405054
Elite Enterprise Ltd., PO Box 1388, Solomon Islands
崇拜时间 Service: 2:00pm （华语 Mandarin）
本会在神学院服事的牧者
Ministers serving in other Organizations
陈周荣牧师 Rev. Dr. Michael Tan - 0414 639 859
陈廷忠牧师 Rev. Dr. Justin Tan - (03) 98 817 800
廖玉强牧师 Rev. Dr. Yuk Chong Liong - (03) 9881 7800