20220116 English Bulletin

WELCOME TO CAMBERWELL METHODIST CHURCH We are a faith community that is growing in our love for Jesus, who died for our sins, and is raised from the death. We are called to follow Jesus, and to make disciple of all nations. If you would like to know more about God, Jesus, or our church or the bible, please use [email protected] / Minister-in-Charge Rev. James Kong 0413 953 238 / Assistant Pastor (English) Ps. Allan Quah 0402 675 219 to Get in Touch. 58 Cooloongatta Road, Camberwell, VIC 3124 • Tel: (03) 9889 0702 • www.cmca-camberwell.org.au

ORDER OF WORSHIP 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (2021-01-16) Silent Prayer <Be Still in the Presence of the Lord> Call to Worship Adoration & Praise Psalm 50:1-15 Prayer Responsive Reading 400 <I Have Decided to Follow Jesus> The Lord’s Prayer English Youth Fellowship (Spark) Welcome/Notices 2 Peter 1:1-15 Offering Intercessory Prayer The Sure Christian Life Installation Scripture Reading Proclamation of the Word Chorus of Response Benediction Ministry Roster 16/1/2022 Preacher LP Chris Ting Worship Leader Jimmy Kong Song Leader Diana Kong Backup Steven Yek Pianist Jason Ting Keyboardist Dennis Yong Accompaniment Steven & Jonathan Lee Cajon Jonathan Liew Bible Reader Jaden Wong Multimedia Jocelyn Wong Live Stream/PA Bryan Law & Andrew Zhang Ushers Cassandra & Josiah Tan Floral - HC Prep - Preacher LP Lina Lim Ministry Roster 23/1/2022 Song Leader Jenny Chiu Worship Leader Michael Fung Pianist Ing Soo Tiong Backup Sue Loo Accompaniment Cheng Loon Leong Keyboardist - Bible Reader En Sing Lim Cajon Bryan Law Live Stream/PA Jonathan Liew & Jin Loong Wong Multimedia Wesley Chew Floral - Ushers Elaine & Joanne Wong HC Prep - 2

“God looks for those whose hearts are prepared to be intercessors before Him ...Intercessors can be the only ones standing between an individual or a nation and God’s wrath.” Henry Blackaby Weekly Praying for the Church 1. Pray for coming back to church to 3. Pray for Annual Conference continue worship to be faithful in leading all churches in Australia, that we may work together to 2.1 Pray for ongoing streaming work to bring the gospel to the those who are be effective, and glorifying God; lost, and discipled to be fisher of men and women. 2.2 Pray for wisdom to discern how to allow congregation to come back to 4.1 P ray for Jimmy Kong (therapy worship with limited seat capacity due treatment), Ken Hii, Clarence Yek, to social distancing; Uncle Hii, Aunty Su King Ting, Mdm. Lu (Mrs. Kong’s mum), Christina (Boon 2.3 Pray for the small groups, and Koh’s sister, Canada), Flora (Singapore) fellowships continue to connect with and Ben (USA). Thank you all for each other, and reach out to other; upholding them in prayer. 2.4 Pray for God’s break through in 4.2 P ray for our brothers and sisters who all that church is doing so that we contracted Covid and those in close may experience renewal in the life of contact. Let us continue to uphold community and ministry. them in prayer as well as showing our care and support to them. 2. Pray for LCEC 2022 and English Ministry Committee that they may work together to reach out to families, our young people, and our community. 3

“God looks for those whose hearts are prepared to be intercessors before Him ...Intercessors can be the only ones standing between an individual or a nation and God’s wrath.” Henry Blackaby Weekly Praying for the Church 5. P ray for our church family continue to 6. P ray for spiritual awakening experience living God in each of these household at Camberwell Methodist 1.1 Your plead with the Lord to be Church. We pray for deeper relationship merciful to us and graciously draw us among the family members, deeper back to Himself and His ways. Ask Him to relationship between husband and show us unfailing love and grant us His wife, and deeper relationship between salvation that we may rejoice in Him. parents and children. I cannot stress more than saying this is the time, God 1.2 Restore us again, O God our is at work through and in our families. Saviour...Will you not revive us again, Let us not look else where but instead that your people may rejoice in you? look within our daily relationship and Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and our family. God is right there with us. grant us your salvation (Psalm 85:4,6-7); Seek Him first and His kingdom, all these things shall be added to you. 1.3 Thank God that He is willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Cry out to Him for an outpouring and mighty working of the Holy Spirit in our day. 1.4 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. (Luke 11:13) 4

All that’s going on around Camberwell Methodist Church COMMUNITY WATCH Welcome Prayer Meeting Thursday (20/1) 7:30PM We welcome everyone who join our worship Prayer Meeting to be led by LP Lina Lim through service. May the peace of God be with you! If you Zoom. Let us come to count our blessings and are a new friend to the church, please introduce give thanks. Let us continue to serve one another yourself. through prayer. Restrictions Pastoral Needs UPDATED PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTIONS TO KEEP If you have any pastoral needs, please do not VICTORIANS SAFE hesitate to seek Rev. James Kong (0413 953 238), Face masks will be required in all indoor settings, Ps. Allan Quah (0402 675 219) or local preachers: except private homes, for persons aged eight and Lina Lim, Chris Ting, or Joo Soo Lim. If you need the older will have to wear masks in all indoor settings pastor to pray for you, do approach Rev. James - except private homes - and at all large outdoor Kong or Ps. Allan Quah after the service. events, from 11.59pm on Thursday 23/12/2021. Gentle Reminder: The church strongly recommends Family Devotion all church attendees to check in with QR Code as a loving gesture to enable us to keep track in the We encourage families to start a regular family event of an outbreak. Furthermore, facemask will devotion each week. It is our main thing for our need to be worn indoor together with frequent church because we will grow stronger, closer, and washing of hands. more love for God and one another. Let us not As the Omicron variant is contagious and transmit waste this time of being together…. explore every fast, if you have any symptom, please go for opportunity to play, to read, to do something testing and isolate until the test result returns together, to pray and to sing together. negative. Personal Testimony We encourage you to write your personal testimony and send it to [email protected]. 5

All that’s going on around Camberwell Methodist Church COMMUNITY WATCH Use of church venue for followship The Methodist Church in Malaysia-Relief Fund Please book through picktime.com to avoid clash of use. Please make sure all lights, air-conditioners, Board of Christian Social Concern of CMCA wish and other equipment are switched off, also to collect target of $10,000 to support current flood making sure all doors are locked before leaving. disaster relief happening in Malaysia. Please give generously and all collected fund will be given to Family Discipleship Survey Form Methodist Church in Malaysia for their distribution in those affected areas. If you give in envelope or We invite brothers and sisters to fill in the survey online, please put a reference MCM-RF. The local form to help the church in planning the family church will contribute your amount into CMC. May discipleship ministry. Camberwell MC Online Group the Lord be pleased with your offering and bless (On Facebook) you. (Refer attachment on Page 9-10) Daily Bible Reading Encourage our members to read the Bible,”Bible in One Year” take you through the whole Bible in 365 days. Every day, a different theme is explored through a selection of scriptures taken from the book of Psalms or Proverbs, as well as the New Testament and the Old Testament. There are 3 editions to choose from (Classic, Youth, Express). (Please refer page 10) Offering detail Thank you once again for brothers and sisters who faithfully support the ministry of the church through finance, prayers, and participation. May God bless you. Here is the bank detail for your reference: Account name: Chinese Methodist Church in Australia Camberwell; BANK: ANZ; BSB: 013 225; Account Number: 4939 79025. We have prepared an Offering Box in the Lobby for envelope offering. Offering: $15,600.00 (2/1-7/1/2022) Description Abbreviations Bank reference Tithing TITHE C9/E11 C9 TITHE Paul WONG General GEN C9/E11 C9 GEN Paul WONG Thanksgiving TKS C9/E11 C9 TKS Paul WONG Mission MIS C9/E11 C9 MIS Paul WONG Theological student THE C9/E11 C9 THE Paul WONG Special SPE C9/E11 C9 SPE Paul WONG Others OTH C9/E11 C9 OTH Paul WONG Building fund C9/E11 C9 Camberwell mc Paul WONG, E11 Mercy mc Paul WONG….. 6

Devotion Week 3: 16th January 2022 Theme: His steadfast love endures forever Psalm 100 ESV A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his;[a] we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100 is an extended command to worship the Lord, giving specific instructions to follow. The first three commands in 100:1–2 are directly related to cultivating a spirit of joy. The next four call for our response to the Lord's identity and character. Know that the LORD Himself is God (100:3). The Hebrew word rendered \"know\" is yada. When used in reference to a person, it denotes a personal, experiential knowledge, not mere recognition. Our knowledge of God should be personal and experiential, not merely theological. The word \"LORD\" translates God's personal name, represented in Hebrew by the four consonants YHWH, and considered too holy to pronounce audibly. You may recall it's based on the verb \"to be,\" identifying Him as the deity who actually exists. \"Himself\" serves to single out YHWH as the subject of the verb, emphasizing that no other name qualifies for this distinction. The sentence might just as well be rendered, \"Know that YHWH, He is God\" or \"He alone is God.” The English word \"God\" at the end of the verse translates the Hebrew term elohim, which emphasizes the grandeur of God, much like calling a king \"His Royal Highness.\" So, when you put the entire command together, it could be paraphrased, \"Know by personal experience that YHWH alone is the sovereign God of all.\" 7a

I see two implications of practical importance here. First, God is sovereign over each of us, individually. He's not merely the ruler of the universe, having dominion over galaxies and able to command the forces of nature. He's my sovereign. He's your king. He's the boss; we answer to Him. When we surrender to that fact, life becomes much easier to understand and joy takes the place of frustration. Second, our knowledge of God as our sovereign Lord must be gained through personal experience. That implies a personal relationship in which He leads and we follow. And through that ongoing interchange, the decision to trust Him becomes a settled, unshakable confidence. Confident people are joyful people. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise (100:4).What was in the psalmist's mind? To what do the \"gates\" and \"courts\" refer? There are two possibilities. First, it could refer to the stronghold of a ruler, where he holds court, deciding cases and granting favours. If so, the invitation is to enter the great hall with praises and thanksgiving rather than seeking something from the Ruler. The second possibility is a reference to the temple, the place where the people of God approached the Lord. The temple had gates and courts, both of which gave access to the presence of God. Because Jesus Christ satisfied all the requirements of the temple rituals, we no longer go to a specific place to meet God. Today, we worship \"in spirit and truth\" (John 4:23). So, how do we enter His gates and His courts? What is our access to His presence today? The answer is prayer. Hebrews 4:16 invites us to \"draw near\" to God's throne. Through prayer we come into the very presence of God. This psalm tells us to approach the Lord with thanksgiving and praise. Sometimes it's good to save our petitions and requests for another time and seek an audience for the sole purpose of praise. Reflection: Do you know that the LORD Himself is God? Do you live each day with thanksgiving and praise? Prayer From Living the Psalms by Charles R. Swindoll, copyright © 2012. . 7b

20th December, 2021 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our Methodist Crisis Relief and Development (MCRD) volunteers are already at ground- level rendering help where possible at places affected by the recent flood that has brought much damage in a number of States. To volunteer help in your localities affected by flood, please contact the following MCRD Coordinators:- Penang: Samuel Lee +60 16-424 1213 Kinta District: Goh Min Sum +60 12-517 3196 Manjung District: Peter Ling +60 17-548 3860 Lim Chee Wee +60 12-558 9753 Kepong: Andrew Lai +60 12-366 7712 Koh Hwei Yee +60 16-600 5205 Ampang: Samuel Chiam +60 11-2015 4556 Klang: Samuel Siah +60 12-297 7797 Melaka: Lye Ching Yen +60 16-227 8048 Segamat: Yeo Bee Hui+60 12-757 2998 Kuantan: Ngien Su Kong +60 19-824 3072 Raub/Benta: Guok Shu Yau +60 16-934 4135 General: Michael Chang +6011-2906 5092 Helen Ngu +6011-2906 5091 Leonidas Woo +60 19-290 6194 To donate money to bring relief to the families and individuals affected, you can either support through your local church or send the funds to the following account. AREA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE METHODIST CHURCH IN MALAYSIA UOB Bank Berhad Account number: 1293032896 After depositing the funds, please send us your bank-in slips and let us know via [email protected] your contact details for us to acknowledge your contributions with official receipts. Let us be praying for all the people and places that have been affected by the flood. We pray for the water to recede, roads and homes to be cleaned up speedily, water and electricity supply to be returned to normalcy. Pray also for all victims at the evacuation centres to be 8

taken care of with sufficient food, mattresses, blankets, medicines, and toiletries. Let us not forget to pray for the safety of those who are mobilised to help the affected areas. Pray everyone will be protected from the Covid-19 viruses too. Pray also for flood mitigation efforts to be undertaken by authorities regularly. The wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Blessings, Bishop Dr. T. Jeyakumar 9

Bible in One Year 2022 https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/ Bible in One Year with Nicky Gumbel – Classic Edition 365 Days Overwhelmed at the thought of reading the Bible? Spend time each day hearing from Nicky and Pippa Gumbel as they take you through the whole Bible in 365 days. Every day, a different theme is explored through a selection of scriptures taken from the book of Psalms or Proverbs, as well as the New Testament and the Old Testament. Nicky and Pippa provide commentary on these excerpts to provide insight and practical application. https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/classic/ https://www.bible.com/zh-CN/reading-plans/29244-bioy-2022-en Bible in One Year 2022 Express Edition 365 Days In a hurry? Take less than 15 minutes each day to cover key passages throughout the whole Bible. Every day, a different theme is explored through a selection of scriptures taken from the Old and New Testaments, as well as the book of Psalms or Proverbs. Nicky and Pippa Gumbel’s commentary on these excerpts are full of insight, wisdom, and practical application and will give you an in-depth overview of the entirety of the Bible across the year. https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/express/ https://www.bible.com/zh-CN/reading-plans/29365-bioy-2022-express Bible in One Year 2022 Youth Edition https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/youth/ QR Code 10