CAN Newsletter Summer 2014

8/12/2019 CAN Newsletter Summer 2014

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SUMMER 2014 8 South Bay Close REPULSE BAY, HONG KONG

AND OFF THEY GO...Those leaving Hong Kong (or who have already left) are:

! Bair Family

! Michelle & Sandro Cagnin

! Ben Gavlik (graduate)

! William Johnson

! Bruce & Wendy Kelsh

! Pat Klekamp

! Hannah Kroonblawd

! Tami & Anna Sanders

!

Christa Schmidt

! Debbie Schwartz

! Mary Charles Stowe (graduate)

! Steve, Chanin, Ian, Mackenzie Sucher

We give thanks to the Lord for the precious time we spent together at CAN, and for the gifts you have shared with

us. We pray that you will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and

carry on the work of God wherever you go. We will still remember your value to the parish as we think of you as

Members Abroad. We also plan to keep you informed about whats happening in Hong Kong particularly in the

way of mission and ministry. We hope at the very least that you will keep us regularly in your thoughts and

prayers, as we will you.

Snapshots from Sending Sunday


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Offering Figures

GENERAL OFFERING DESIGNATED OFFERING

May 11 $36,146 -

May 18 $33,746 -

May 25 $79,914 $3,900

Jun 1 $82,318 $8,600

Jun 8 $54,580 $7,300

Worship Attendance Figures

9 AM 11 AM TOTAL

May 11 41 107 148

May 18 40 104 144

May 25 46 103 149

Jun 1 37 115 152

Jun 8 9:30 AM - 129

June 8 - August 10

9:30am

Summer Bus Schedule

8:15 AMTai Wai MTR station

8:20 AMFestival Walk (Taxi Stand),

Kowloon Tong

8:25 AM12 Wiltshire Rd, KowloonTong (LCMS Building)

8:40 AMHappy Valley

8:55 AMArrive at CAN

Now there were in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under

heaven. (Acts 2:5)

On the day of Pentecost, people gathered from all around the world to

worship God at the temple. In his wisdom, God had gathered them just

at the moment of sending the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus. Bythe words of the disciples, God also poured out the Holy Spirit upon the

people from every nation. The Gospel of Christ was then carried

around the world to gather people into his church.

Church of All Nations in Repulse Bay is here because Christ has sent us his Spirit in this place. We gather from

many nations to hear his word, receive his body and blood, and to live out our baptismal callings in service to

others. What a blessing it is to worship in the knowledge that the message of Jesus Christ has gone out around the

world and has gathered us into a community!

As we say goodbye to a number of people from our community here, it is with great joy that we know we remainconnected in the Gospel. Just as the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost on people of every nation who carried

it home with them, we are aware that the Holy Spirit is carried out by those who we send to new homes andadventures this summer.

That early church grew in many and various ways around the world. The message of Christ is unique in that it isspoken fully in any language. The Church of Christ is unique in that it remains one in him even as it is uniquely

local wherever it is found.

For those who are traveling away from Hong Kong, the coming months are filled with expectations and

adjustments. For those of us who remain in Hong Kong at Church of All Nations, the coming months are filled with

expectation as we gain a new pastor, a new church secretary, and reach into the lives of new people. All of us are

held within the same Gospel of Jesus Christ and filled with the same Holy Spirit to speak his word of blessing to each

other.

Peter said to the whole assembly gathered from every nation: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the

name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise

is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. (Acts

2:38-39)


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Joined Together in Christ

Credit: photobucket

by CAN Stewardship Board

As Summer approaches and our congregation

fans out around the globe, we remember:

! God's far-reaching lovefor us shown throughHis son Jesus;

! wherever we are, we aresentin that love;

! we are sent withblessingsandgifts

from God,by which others can

encounter God's love.

We are joined together as a church to nurture

each other in God's love and share it with others.

What can you do to show Christ

to others? How are you joined

together in God's love?

Our church continues its ministries over the

summer to share God's love and care in Hong

Kong and abroad. If you will be traveling, please

consider how you can support our ministries

while you are away. Offering envelopes are

available in the church entry, and CAN can

receive post-dated cheques.

If you are staying in Hong Kong, please extend

your hand in fellowship and active ministry. The

other side of this sheet outlines just a few ways to

get involved. Your participation is especially

important as we all pitch in to prepare for our

new pastor, build on existing ministries, and

explore fresh opportunities.

Wherever you are sent, please join with us asGod continues to bless CAN with minds to

understand needs, hearts to care, and hands to

give.

In God's love,

CAN Stewardship Board

Vincent Li, Thom Garetson, Paul Strecker

"...you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but...members of His household, built on the

foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In

him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His

Spirit."

Ephesians 2:19-22 (New International Version)


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Can You Share Your Talents and Time?

Sharing Your Financial Gifts in MinistryCAN is blessed with extraordinary opportunities for ministry, and needs your continued gifts of time, talent and

financial support to realize them.

This year our congregation planned ministries and programs based on financial gifts of HK$2.752 million (weeklyaverage of HK$52,920). We are taking on as full-time contract staff Megan Birney, our Family Life Director, who

continues to grow our ministry to children, youth and families. We support and participate in service ministries in

Hong Kong, Macau, China and the Philippines.

As of 1 June, general gifts for this fiscal year totaled about HK$466,000-- or HK$11,000 below our target of HK

$477,000. Designated Gifts for special projects totalled about HK$14,500.

CAN's ministry is funded solely by current congregational giving. It does not receive funding from HKIS or any

external sources. Thanks to all for your gifts from the heart!

32%

25%15%

28% Education and FellowshipWorship and Music Ministries

Social Ministries

Operations, Supplies and Staff

Here are just a few current opportunities to share in the life of our church. Check the yellow weekly service

bulletin for more!


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Childrens Ministry / Youth Ministry

Congratulations

and Gods Blessings

to Our Confirmands

Meredith Wang

Morgan Zee

Maddy Zee

VBS 2014

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a fun way to connect with

friends new and old, learn new songs, engage in creative

experiments and explore Gods love through exciting Bible

stories. Children ages 3 years old through the Fifth Grade

will gather on the HKIS UP Campus to experience

fellowship, crafts, songs, Bible stories and fun games.

Weird Animals:Where Jesus' Love is One of a Kind!

Dates:August 11-15

Time:9a-12p

Location:HKIS Repulse Bay Campus

Registration Cost:$250HKD/child

Cash or checks can put dropped at the CAN office on the 4/

F of UP or put into the offering plate on Sundays labeled

"VBS" along with the child's name.#Checks can be madepayable to "Church of All Nations" with "VBS" along with

the child's name in the memo.

Register online at:#https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CAN
https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CANhttps://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CANhttps://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CANhttps://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CANhttps://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CANhttps://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CANhttps://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CAN


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Crossroads 2014

Thank you to the 16 Church of All Nation's members and to the 6 LTS

Seminarians forvolunteering for a day of service on May 17th. It was greatworking together the entire day at Crossroads for the benefit of others.

We have been on a number of Crossroads service trips in the past and theynormally involved a lot of packing,lifting and moving materials around to load acontainerfor shipment to needy people around the world. On Saturday, May17, our group was split into several teams:

! One team worked on sorting/packing clothing into boxes and then spent

the afternoon working in the Crossroads office.

! A second groupworked on maintenance, with a site that covers 600,000square feet of area and several buildings theres is a lot of maintenance needed.

! A third group participated in recycling. There were many bins of cans,

cardboard, plastic bottlesas well as plastic wrap and plastic bags. Thisgroup completed the task of compressing all the plastic wrap and

plastic bags into bundles to be sold to recycling companies.

! A fourth group worked in the kitchen to feed 120 of the volunteers that

day.

! The professionals loaded the container withbuilding materials for thePhilippines. A donation from CAN went to pay for part of the shipping.

It was a great experience and we learned a lot about the plight of millions of

people around the world. Crossroadsis looking beyond their ability toprovide material assistance to people in need and looking to build on all of

our social consciousness and enlist us in the work of bringing justice to

people around the world, as well as working on alleviating poverty.We accomplished many tasks together at Crossroads. A formidable team

from Church of All Nations and the Lutheran Theological Seminary!

With appreciation,

Beth HallContinued on next page...


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Dear Beth,

How thankful we are for Church of All Nations! Not only have you given of your time to help in the warehouse, but

you have also donated funds. We are doubly grateful to you, then, and cannot begin to express the impact that

donations such as yours can have.

Please find your receipt enclosed.

You are already familiar with the work but we though you might be interested in the story of Katya - one who has

been touched through the generosity of people like you. The events of her life should probably have been a death

sentence. She lost her mother when alcohol led her to abandon her child. She lost her older brother when he was

killed in a car crash. She lost all her career, and lived, alone, in a filthy small village house.

What she could have lost have been one step further. She could have lost her freedom, had she not been found by

people who refused to let that happen. Girls like Katya are easy pickings for human traffickers who do good

business in Moldova. Official statistics estimate there are 25,000 Moldovan victims of human trafficking, and 40%

of them are children. Girls like Katya simply disappear, without a trace, and no one comes looking for them. They

are tragically at risk.

A local schoolteacher, Eva, however, made sure Katyas life went in another direction. She found the young girl,

infested with lice, living in squalor. Eva and her husband took Katya into their home as a foster daughter.

Today, Katya is a bright, well-dressed, articulate teenager, loving life with her foster parents. Her new family,

though, struggles to make ends meet in a place that has been classified as Europes poorest nation. In this area,

many families battle poverty at a depth which may make them wonder about giving up their children to state-run

institutions.

Crossroads was delighted to send a shipment to this part of the world to help foster families like Katyas. We

shipped household goods, stationery, toys and a large quantity of educational items for use in the families and

support centres, partnering with those on the ground who can give them the care, support and respite they need

to keep their children within the family home.

Our hearts grieve when we hear some of the stories of those we serve. So many in this word face situations that

can only be described as desperate. What a joy it is, then, to be able to touch their lives and, in a small way, make

this world a better place for them and for their families.

With our thanks for your kindness, once again,

Crossroads Foundation

Malcolm & Sally Begbie

A reflection on meeting Amalat Crossroads

by Shawn Krause

Our team of 5 entered the kitchen to

help prepare lunch for 120

Crossroads volunteers. Work was wellunderway and we pitched in where we

saw need and when we were given a

task. Unsure what to do at times, I

relied on one of the other workers to

give me guidance. She was tall, confident and had a

beautiful smile. She wore a #purple and leopard printsari, covered her hair in a purple scarf and each time I

finished a job or was unsure what the next step was, she

appeared and provided it #kindly and in excellent

English. Had I guessed her age, I'd have said 28 years

old. My greatest privilege that day at Crossroads was to

meet her and talk with her when the lunch preparations

were finished. She is Amal, an 18 year old refugee from

Somalia. She has only been in Hong Kong for 3 months.

She arrived alone after her parents and family were

killed in Somalia's clan war. Her confidence and shine

belong to that of a college student embarking on a

promising future. Instead, she is supported in Hong Kongby the UNHCR. Though provided for, she is unable to

work or attend school. She volunteers at Crossroads 5

days a week. When asked what country she might hope

will give her citizenship, she replied "I don't want to go

anywhere else, I only want to go back to my country."

Amal is Muslim and is grateful to Crossroads for

providing her and her friends with a room where they

can say their prayers and rest during their volunteer

days.

Thank you from Crossroads


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CAN Newsletter Summer 2014

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