23 September 2018 Speaker Rev Oh Boon Leong

Transcription

1 23 September 2018 Speaker Rev Oh Boon Leong For internal circulation only 1

2 Dear members and friends, UPDATE: ORDINATION EXAM In my last editorial, I mentioned that an Ordination Council consisting of seven Pastors and Elders would soon examine Elder Kelvin Teo to ascertain his readiness for the step of ordination. The oral examination took place recently on 1 September, and I am delighted to announce that the Council s decision, after examining Elder Kelvin Teo, is to unanimously endorse him for ordination. Below are some of the endorsements given by council members: Elder Kelvin strikes me as having a good (Christian) heritage. He carries himself well and is a good man. I endorse him for ordination. Elder Lee Lian Song, Hebron B-P Church. He reads and prepares well for this exam. He knows what he is getting into (as an Elder). I believe he will make a good member of your BOE. He has good level of maturity. Elder Peter Seah, Mt. Hermon B-P Church. Looking at what he has written, it is not easy to find an Elder like him. I see in him a mature and humble person. He will make a good Elder. I will strongly encourage him to continue with BGST training. I endorse him. Rev Dr Quek Swee Hwa, Emmanuel B-P Church. I am very impressed with his answers. He is clear in his calling, has commitment, and is competent. He is also realistic about his own capacity. He knows how much he can take and not to take. He has an attitude of dependency (on God) too. I endorse him. Asst. Pastor Lee Kok Wah, The Bible Church. We are also glad to serve notice that Elder Kelvin s Ordination Service will be held on Reformation Sunday, 28 October 2018, at our 9am service. We welcome all to witness yet another milestone for our church. Kelvin will join Elders Bruce Lockhart and Yeo Siew Yam to support our Senior Pastor Oh Boon Leong in providing godly leadership for Carmel for the next 15 years or so. 7th PRESBYTERY MEETING, BPCIS The 7th Presbytery Meeting of Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore (BPCIS) was hosted by Zion-Bishan on 8 September It was attended by 43 Pastors, Elders, and ministry staff from ten B-P churches. For those who are unaware, this is our once-a-year meeting for the Presbyters of BPCIS. Our General-Secretary, Rev Dr David Wong, recounted some of the major Presbytery events that had happened since our last Presbytery meeting: Combined BPCIS Maundy Thursday Service hosted by Mt. Carmel, 29 March 2018, featuring a combined mega-choir, with Rev Chris Chia as guest speaker; Combined BPCIS-SCCC Easter Sunrise Service at MacRitchie Reservoir, 1 April 2018, with Rev Yap Wai Keong as speaker, and special collection for HealthServe; 5th BPCIS Pastors & Leaders Retreat at Hotel JEN Johor Bahru, 9 10 July 2018, with 52 participants from 11 churches, including Mandarin speaking churches; Other joint-events that were organized 2

3 by BPCIS to promote sharing resources are as follows: Consultation of office administrators, 28 March 2018, attended by 6 churches; Consultation of kindergarten principals, 27 July 2018, attended by 9 B-P Kindergartens and 1 B-P Childcare centre; Special talk on The Future of Pre-School Education in Singapore, with Special Reference to Church Kindergartens, by Mrs Patricia Koh, at our 7th Presbytery Meeting, 8 September Personally, I am thankful that BPCIS has come a long way since our inauguration in The fact that our seven member-churches are now contributing an annual budget for the Presbytery, plus the fact that we now have a General Secretary, testifies to the strides we have taken over the years. We will continue with the tasks of developing leaders, building relationships, and sharing resources among our churches. We also continue to persuade more churches to join our Presbytery. Please pray for the process of legal registration which is on-going. It is almost a year ago that we started the process of legal registration, and we are still waiting for confirmation from ROS. We also invite you to join us for a series of Reformation Lectures by Dr Mark Dalbey, President of Covenant Seminary, who will speak on the theme of A Reformation Understanding of the Sabbath. More details will be released very soon. also took the opportunity to highlight an upcoming book titled Heritage and Legacy of the Bible-Presbyterian Church. It is a book that is almost a year in the making, with 25 contributors and 526 pages. Dr Chua Choon Lan has been the driving force behind the production of this book, which seeks to present an objective account of our B-P heritage and history as it is, from the eyes of a broad number of people with their unique perspectives. The twelve chapters of the book are as follows: 1. The Reformed Faith & Theology 2. Presbyterian Heritage & Distinctives 3. Birth of BP Church in Singapore 4. Voice of Silent Generation 5. Growth of BP Church in Singapore 6. Non-English BP Churches 7. Church Buildings in Singapore 8. Cultivating Partnerships in Missions 9. Community Outreach 10. Controversies & Issues in BP Church 11. The VPP Controversy 12. Re-Forming the Presbytery The book will be officially launched on 29 September, after which it will be available for purchase at the special price of SGD 25 per copy. We are only printing 1,000 copies, of which some 600 copies have already been pre-ordered by our member churches. The book should be made available for sale in Carmel on the first Sunday of October, so look out for it! SPECIAL BOOK PROJECT At the recent Presbytery meeting, we Ps Daniel Chua 3

4 SEMS: 1. Pray for the upcoming Lantern Festival Celebration on Sept 23, that we will have good time of fellowship whilst making dumplings. Please also pray that our speaker, Zheng Jin Biao (SBC intern), and the skit team will be able to effectively convey the Gospel message, and that seekers will be moved to accept Christ as their Lord. 2. Pray for the safety of the Christians in CAN, who continue to worship God despite facing threats of imprisonment should they continue to do so. Many churches have also been forced to close, including that of a brother who has recently graduated from Bible College. May they continue to persevere in faith. Overseas Missions Ministry 1. On Ps Yew On s request: Pray for himself and Chern Chern as they continue to hold various leadership roles within OMF and in their ministries. Pray for guidance for their future ministry, as they are prayerfully considering relocating from Phnom Penh to another part of Cambodia. Pray also for the church in Jesus Village where they have been ministering, that the local leaders will have the wisdom and unity to walk right with God and to remain committed to lead. 2. Ps Sokkha, who serves at Mt Carmel Church in Andaut, requests prayer for the emotional health of all the pastors and believers in the Baray district. Pray that the villagers in the BakSnar commune will open their hearts through the living Word of God, and for God s Spirit to draw them into His kingdom. May God protect the faith of the believers as they continue to depend on His grace in all circumstances and situations that they face. Pray also for the healing of Ps Sokkha s back pain and for spiritual strength for her husband, Khim. 3. A team of 3 Carmelites (Ps Peter, Dn Kim Peng, and Pin Koon) are visiting Mt Carmel Novaliches (21 23 Sept) for the church s 15th Anniversary Celebration as well as the Ceremony for Validation of Ps Fitz's Ordination. There will also be a Board of Trustees Meeting on Friday upon their arrival. Pray for wisdom and discernment of God's will over some matters in BOT. Pray for empowerment for the ministry, and for journey mercies. 4. Pray for our upcoming OMM Committee Meeting on 26 Sept Pray for wisdom as discuss about Budget 2019 and on our various overseas ministries. Children s Ministry Uphold our P6 students in prayers (KidSparks and Sun School) as they prepare to take the PSLE (Written) on Sept and 1 3 Oct. Pray for diligence of hearts and minds, as well as wisdom, strength, peace, and confidence from the Lord. Alpha and Octopus Continue to pray for these important outreach ministries and for the Carmelites serving in them. Come, join our prayer warriors in Room #03-06 on Wednesday, 7.45pm! Next Wednesday (26 September) Chairperson: Eld Ho Peng Kee 4

5 ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPDATES Registration for the 2018 Christmas Baptism, Transfer of Membership & Reaffirmation of Faith is now open. The first interview will be held on 30 Sept and catechism classes will commence on 7 Oct. Candidates who have worshipped with us regularly for at least six months may register with Angie at the church office (angie@carmel.sg; ). The closing date for registration is 24 Sept The Evangelism & Follow-Up (EFU) Ministry is organising the eight-lesson New Life In Christ (NLIC) Class, which will commence on Sunday, 7 Oct We cordially invite all newcomers, friends, seekers and new believers who wish to know more about the Christian faith to join this Class. Time : 1.15 pm to 2.15 pm Venue : CBC Classroom, #04-09, Level 4 07 Oct (Sun) - Who is Jesus Christ? 04 Nov (Sun) - Lordship of Christ 14 Oct (Sun) - Salvation 11 Nov (Sun) - Victorious Christian Life 21 Oct (Sun) - Quiet Time 18 Nov (Sun) - Good Works 28 Oct (Sun) - Guidance 25 Nov (Sun) - Witnessing To register for the Class, kindly contact Lai San / Church Office at or l aisan@carmel.sg After five years of service, Ps Asst Margaret Ong will be leaving Carmel to return to her home in the Philippines. Her last day with us is 24 Oct. We thank God for her faithful and dedicated service in the Children's Ministry, overseeing Kidsparks and the Sunday School. Under her charge, Vacation Bible School saw one of the highest enrolment in recent years. She is thankful to the church for the opportunity to serve and for all the support and encouragement she has received. We wish her God's blessings in her future endeavours. Date Speakers Topic Text 30 Sept Mr Alan Wong Partnership between Home and Church Psalm 34:9-10; Matthew 19:14 2 Timothy 2:15 7 Oct Rev Daniel Chua Abraham and Faith Romans 4: Oct Rev Oh Boon Leong The Greatest Love of All Romans 5: Oct Eld Bruce Lockhart A New Race Romans 5:

6 NEXT SUNDAY 30 September 2018 MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 1ST SERVICE MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 2ND SERVICE Ushers Suyen & friends Tsame CG Refreshment Worship Leaders Congregational Prayer Musicians Beng Guan/Jimmy/June Dn Ben Koh Ps Assoc. Ang Lee Luang Week 5a Band Welcome Corner Tan Choon Kiat/John Chua Dn Jonathan Lum/Sunny Yap Scripture Readers Cynthia Wee Constance Low AVA Crew Timothy Chiam/Fiona Chee Daryl Tan/Loh Kum Hoe Librarians Baet Yeok Lin/Baet Kwee Chin Please make all cheques, including those for the Development Fund, payable to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd (payee name must be stated on the cheque). Please note that NO receipts will be issued for cheques received by the Church below $5,000 except upon request. All offerings and pledges to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd are not tax-deductible. 6

7 Romans 3:21-31 How to be right with God? I. We're condemned apart from the Cross of Christ II. We're justified by the Cross of Christ 3 truths concerning the righteousness of God: I. The demands of the righteousness of God II. The provision of the righteousness of God III. The availability of the righteousness of God Discussion Questions Why do we need God s righteousness? And if righteousness does not come from the Law, how can we obtain His righteousness? If salvation comes apart from the Law, what would you say to a person who thinks he/she has faith but doesn t need to do good works? How does the knowledge of Christ s sacrifice change you? 7

8 Welcome! A warm welcome to all newcomers and visitors with us today. We hope that you will have a meaningful time of worship this morning. Do join us for tea at the fellowship hall after the service. Worship Leader Chew Leong Ho Speaker Rev Oh Boon Leong Prayer Eld Ho Peng Kee Scripture Readers Joyce Go Tan Gek Kee Ushers Clementi Woods CG Grace CG Refreshment Ayer Rajah CG AVA Timothy Chiam Fiona Chee Daryl Tan Loh Kum Hoe Thanksgiving Flowers Keng Taan & Vivienne Weng Cheong & Janet Cyndi & Sheena You Are So Faithful Gloria Patri Matthew 9:9-13, Hosea 6:1-6 His Mercy Is More Lord I Need You Give Me Jesus My Hope Is Built Doxology Romans 3:21-31 For a digital copy of this bulletin: How Can I Be Right With God? The Power of The Cross wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ Weekly pdf For recordings of past sermons, visit Three-Fold Amen Worshippers are invited to come forward to the front pew for personal prayer with our elders/pastors. 8