2001 has arrived. Some say this is the real millennium, but the big party was held last year. It doesn't matter which year starts the third millennium; each day and each year is the same to the Lord. As long as e live each day tot he fullest, we will have many fruitful years to look back upon.
The New Year is a new start; it brings a sense of new beginning even though we might still do the same old things. Nevertheless, it is good to have a sense of closure about yesteryear. We are all too familiar with New Year resolutions, desires to do well, and showing good will to all. While we may not accomplish all that we set out to do at the beginning of the year, it is always good to have goals and to plan for opportunities to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone.
Last year, some of our church people worked behind the scenes to make the church operate smoothly. For example the finance and counting committee labors every Sunday to count the offer, and make recordings and deposits after each church worship service. These unsung heroes and heroines are Philip Leong, Andy Poon, York Lee, Sylvia Fong, Letty Lee, Jennie Fong, Dan Lee, and Stephanie Jeong. We appreciate their service to God and to our church. May the good Lord reward them accordingly.
Christmas Sunday landed on December 24, Christmas Eve. Instead of caroling in the East Bay, we decided to try something new - Christmas caroling at the Portsmouth Square Park. About 50 folks from both the English and Chinese congregations and many others from the Square sang together. We had a chance to briefly tell the Christmas story, shared the gospel and passed out small gifts. We would like to thank Mary Cheng for organizing the event and Linda Chin for musical direction. Special thanks to Frank Chan for envisioning this event and for setting up the sound system. Appreciation also goes to Jim Poon for translation, Jennie Poon and May Dere for the gifts, Helen Chan for her design of the program, the Praise Team for leading the music and instrumentation, the youth for helping to set up, and the Women's Society for helping out in the singing in Chinese. This was truly a church-wide effort. Praise God ? it did not rain! And the amplificati9on of the keyboard came just in time as we began the first song with the audience. Truly God is faithful. Both children and adults seem to enjoy the event. |
