Grace Bible-Presbyterian Church

Transcription

1 Volume 42 Issue No August 2017 Grace Bible-Presbyterian Church Our Mission: Passion for Christ, Heart for the Lost (Phil. 1 : 21; Matt. 28 : 18 20) ORDER OF WORSHIP Pre-Worship Hymns 303 Sis Cheryl Chiu & Sis Mildred Chan Prelude Silent Meditation Call to Worship Opening Hymn 130 The Love of God *Gloria Patri Hymn 303 Wings as Eagles Responsive Reading Proverbs 14:1-17 Offerings ** Doxology Scripture Reading Haggai 1:1-15 Hymn 295 Wonderful Words of Life Pastoral Prayer Dn James Chen Message CONSIDER YOUR WAYS BRO WANG WUN LONG Closing Hymn 172 He Will Be Exalted Benediction Threefold Amen Welcome & Announcements 5 Jalan Haji Salam, Singapore URL: Tel: Fax: admin@gracebpc.org.sg Grace to you and Peace from God * Gloria Patri ** Doxology Glory be to the Father and to the Son Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; and to the Holy Ghost, As it was in the Praise Him, all creatures here below; beginning, is now and ever shall be, Praise Him above, ye heav nly host; world without end. Amen, Amen Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

2 SEVEN COMMON REASONS CHURCHES HAVE A DRAMATIC DECLINE IN ATTENDANCE By Thom S. Rainer Growing Healthy Churches. Together. Where did everyone go? A business executive asked that question when she returned to her church after some extended international travels. In the four weeks she was out, the attendance at the church had declined from nearly 600 to under 400. The attendance had plummeted in that short time by 35 percent! To be clear, such rapid declines are aberrations. Most declining churches go through incremental, not dramatic, reductions. We consider a church to be in dramatic decline when the average worship attendance drops by 20 percent or more in three months or less. What causes such unusual declines? Here are seven common reasons: 1. A scandal in the church. The two most common are sexual and financial scandals. Either of those can cause immediate erosion of trust and send members out the door. 2. Sudden departure of a pastor or staff person. I am familiar with a church where the average attendance dropped from 1,250 to 850 in just a few weeks when a malevolent power group in the church forced the pastor out. The congregation never heard a reasonable reason for the departure because there was none. The church has not recovered. 3. Closure or decline of a major employer. Some communities are highly dependent on one or a few employers. When any one of those employers close, people who are members

3 of churches in the community will often depart rather quickly. I saw this reality transpire many times during the great recession and when several military bases closed. 4. The church changes its position on a major biblical/moral issue. When a church makes a major doctrinal shift, many members often exit quickly. That exit is often exacerbated if the doctrinal change is related to a moral issue. 5. A power group continues to wreak havoc in a church. The story is not uncommon. The same power group opposes any change again and again. Pastoral tenure declines due to the leaders frustration with this group. At some point a large group in the church declares, enough, and departs en masse. 6. Another church moves close by. The new church or newly located church offers ministries and programs the affected church does not have. Often these ministries are particularly appealing to families who still have children at home. Those families move to the new church to try to keep their children interested and excited about church life. 7. A highly contentious business meeting. These churches have typically experienced conflict for some time. The conflict comes to a boiling point in a business meeting. Large numbers leave due to anger, weariness, or both. Admittedly, this level of decline is not common, but I am seeing it more frequently. It is my prayer that these seven reasons can also serve as seven warning signs. It is incredibly difficult for any church to recover fully from such a massive exodus.

4 Prayer Page Men Ought Always To Pray and Not To Faint (Luke 18: 1) Praise and Prayer Items in Brief Pulpit Ministry 20 Aug Pray for the Lord s anointing on the Lord s messenger - Bro Lim Chien Chong. Chairman: Dn Daniel Tan. Pray for our instrumentalists: Sis Joanna Hor and Sis Mildred Chan. Pray for the Lord s blessings upon the pulpit ministry. Usher Ministry 20 Aug Pray for Bro Allan Lim, Dr Tan Teck Shi and Sis Evonne Tee. Pray for their safety in the Lord s work. Thank God for their service to the Lord each Sunday Singapore: Our nation just celebrated the 52th anniversary on 9 Aug. This is only possible by the grace of God. Thank God for keeping Singapore safe from terrorist attacks. Pray for the Government that they will have wisdom to lead the nation. Pray for our Armed Forces as the nation commemorates 50 years of National Service. Pray for the army to have wisdom in dealing with terrorist threats. Pray for the election of a new President for our nation in September. Session meeting on 20 Aug. Pray for the Lord s leading in this meeting. Pray for unity of hearts in making decisions. Pastoral Succession in Grace church: Pray for the pastoral search committee as they work on it. Pray for wisdom. Pray for God to raise up someone from within our church or from without for this task. The haze: We do not take this matter for granted that the haze will not return as we are now enjoying clear sky and good air. Pray for the Indonesian Government to handle some fires in parts of the country. The missile crisis of North Korea and the USA: Pray for God s grace and mercy that there will not be a nuclear war between these two nations. New van for the Mandarin Service: Pray for safety for all who travel in this van, especially the old folks. Mid-Autumn outreach in Sept. Pray for the planning of this event and for your non- Christian loved ones and friends to attend.

5 MAJULAH SINGAPURA (ONWARD SINGAPORE) On our nation s 52nd birthday (Aug 9, 2017), we give thanks to the Lord for His blessings upon this little Red Dot. We survived the years after being booted out of Malaysia in 1965 by the grace of God. Thank God for giving us good leaders to lead the nation. I am reminded of God s word in Ps. 75:7 But God is the judge; he putteth down one, and setteth up another. In another verse in Daniel 2:21, the prophet said, And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding. Thank God for putting up a great leadership team in post-independence Singapore. They were people with much wisdom leading our nation into what it is today. This is the Lord s doing. I am reminded of the Song Count on me Singapore, count on me to give my best and more. We can do our best for our nation which we ought to, but if the Lord does not bless that effort we will labour in vain. Singapore is a small nation and so vulnerable in many ways. We must pray for God s protection upon us. In these days of trouble from extremist religious groups, all the more there is a need to be watchful. We need to pray for the government that they will have much wisdom to deal with such matters. A terrorist attack on our nation can be chaotic. Pray that the government will be able to pre-empt such attacks and deal with it quickly. All riches and blessings which we enjoy today comes from the Lord. On this matter, let us not put God aside. 1 Chron 29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Pastor

6 Hello Jackie, I just wanted to let you know that my father (Bill Harding) is going on Hospice tomorrow. He has not been doing well in the last 6 weeks and he is now at Souderton Mennonite Nursing Home. I wanted to let you know and if you can please pass the word around. Thank you, Sharon (Harding) Radcliff 30 July 2017 ************************* The above is a letter to Sis Jacqueline Goh (Shalom BPC) from the daughter of Prof William Harding. Most of us in Grace church would remember the Hardings who have been our church camp speaker for a few years. Pray for him and his wife, Betty. Jacqueline said that she had been in contact with Sharon and had communicated with her over the phone. Prof Harding s health is deteriorating. Although he can t talk he can still recognise visitors. Doctors say there is not much they can do for him. The young people with Prof Harding in a 2012 church camp

7 Devotion For Kids How did a fire alarm improve baking bread? Matthew 7:9-11 If it wasn t for an unexpected fire alarm one day in 1949, you most likely wouldn t be able to enjoy fresh-baked rolls with your meals at home very often. Almost everyone appreciates the taste and smell of this type of bread, but very few people have the extra hours needed to mix, knead, and let the dough rise. That was Joe Gregory's problem. He had spent many hours experimenting, trying to figure out how to shorten the time needed to bake rolls. He was having no success. Joe, a volunteer fireman in Florida, was baking another batch of rolls when the fire siren screeched. Joe quickly pulled the rolls out of the oven, dumped them on the counter, and raced to the fire. When he returned, he inspected the white, cold, plastery dough he had left behind. Rather than throwing it away, Joe decided to reheat the oven and finish baking his bread. To his surprise, the rolls turned out perfectly. After experimenting a little more to determine the exact times and temperatures, Joe spread the word about how bakers could do all the beginning work of making bread, and then leave the last, best part for their customers to finish. So what? We often wonder if God will answer our prayers. Sometimes we re suspicious of someone who promises to love us no matter what, because it s so hard for us to love that way. Jesus understands our doubts and impatience. He is also, by the way, aware of our fondness for bread. That s why he gives us reassurance in this way: You parents - if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gift to those who ask him. Matthew 7:9-11. God holds the prefect recipe for our lives, and his timing is never wrong. He hears our prayers more quickly and answers them more abundantly than a whole ovenful of quickbake rolls. ~ Nancy S. Hill

8 CHURCH ACTIVITIES WED Prayer Meeting 8.00 p.m. SAT Adult Fellowship 5.30 p.m. (Last Saturday of every month) SUN Worship Service 9.30 a.m. Junior Worship 9.30 a.m. Bible Class a.m. Last Week s Collections Offerings $ 3, Tithes $ 4, Batam Mission $ Building Fund $ 1, APPOINTMENTS Prayer Meeting Wednesday No PM on 9 Aug. Eld Victor Goh takes devotion on 16 Aug. Worship Service Next Sunday: Speaker: Bro Lim Chien Chong Chairman: Dn Daniel Tan Pianist: Sis Joanna Hor Organist: Sis Mildred Chan Ushers This Week: Dn Daniel Tan/Sis Tan Chew Gim Bro Richard Tan/Sis Naomi Neoh Next Week: Bro Allan Lim/Sis Evonne Tee Dr Tan Teck Shi P A This Week : Sis Evonne Tee Next Week: Sis Janice Lee/Sis Carol Lee Junior Worship (7-10 years old) This Week: Bro Lim Chien Chong Next Week: Dn James Chen Pre-Primary Worship (3-6 years old) This Week: Sis Lim Sue San Next Week: Sis Lim Sue San Flowers and Refreshment This Week: The Hor Family Next Week: Sis Chan Lai Ngoh Refreshment Duty This Week: Dn Jeremy Hor/Bro Lee Min Sen Next Week: M/M Jonathan Kiew & Hannah NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Kindly turn off your mobile phones or put them on silent mode! The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him. A warm welcome to Bro Wang Wun Long to our pulpit this morning. He is from Paya Lebar Presbyterian Church and has a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from the Singapore Bible College. Session Meeting is schedule for Sun 20 Aug 1.30 pm in church. Vacation Bible School from 13 to 15 Dec 17. Our deepest condolences to Sis Katherine & Irene Kho whose mother, the late Mdm Nancy Khoo went to be with the Lord on Sun 6 Aug Pastor conducted the funeral on Tue 8 Aug. A note of thanks from Katherine and Irene: Dear Gracians, Thank you for extending prayer, support, encouragement, gift to both of us, Katherine & Irene, through your attendance for vigil service and funeral service of our beloved mother, Mdm Nancy Khoo. We thank God for our mum s salvation, His perfect will, way, timing in blessing our mum with a very clean, quick, peaceful exit without suffering & pain and bringing our mum to her eternal rest with Him in heaven. Glory, praises, thanksgiving to God! We would like to thank Grace BPC for a condolence card and gift. Pastor: Rev. Tan Eng Boo : (Hp) revteb@rocketmail.com Elder: Seah Soon Huat : (Hp) shseah1418@gmail.com Elder: Victor Goh : (Hp) victorgohys@gmail.com