order of service - carmel · and finalize the order of service. ask god to bless the worship...
TRANSCRIPT
Worshippers are invited to come forward for personal prayers with elders/pastors in the front pew.
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(FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY)
ORDER OF SERVICE 9.00 am & 11.00 am 18 December 2016
Worship Leader: Ben Koh Speaker: Rev Oh Boon Leong
Prayer: Eld Ho Peng Kee Scripture Readers: Chai Chor Tiang/Kim Kijin
Silent Prayer & Meditation
Prelude
Call to Worship
Opening Songs Holy Holy Holy (God with us)
O come all ye faithful God rest ye merry, gentleman
Opening Prayer “Gloria Patri”
Responsive Scripture Reading Isaiah 11:1-9
Worship in Songs You alone can rescue
Be still my soul (in You I rest) It is well with my soul
Offertory & Thanksgiving Prayer How many kings
“Doxology”
Congregational Prayer & Announcements
Scripture Text Isaiah 9:6-7; Philippians 4:4-7
Message Advent Message: Peace
Closing Song
Before the Throne of God above
Benediction “Three-Fold Amen”
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MOUNT CARMEL WARMLY WELCOMES YOU !
Dear guests, we invite you to join us in the Fellowship Hall for Welcome Tea.
PEACE
Isaiah 9:2-7; Phil 4:4-7
Jesus is the prince who brings peace:
1. By taking care of the root cause of unrest & hostility (Rom 5:12; Eph 2:13-14)
2. By bringing peace into our lives (Matt 11:28; John 14:27)
How does this affect us?
1. Peace within (Phil 4:7)
2. Peace with each other (idea of Shalom)
2 steps towards restoring peace:
1. Faith
2. Prayer
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PRAYER PAGE “Father God, in this Christmas season, may we prepare our hearts not only for the celebration to come, but also for sharing the Good News with friends, family and colleagues should the opportunity arise. Grant us courage and a real willingness to talk about the love that came
down to earth and walked among us. Amen”
Come, join our prayer warriors in Room #03-06 on Wednesday @ 7.45 pm !
THANKSGIVING
1. All glory and thanks to our Almighty God for the Ladies Christmas Outreach Lunch! God blessed us with good weather, diligent set-up team, delicious lunch and overall a good programme. A total of 123 ladies were present. Rejoice with us that eleven of them indicated a desire to accept Jesus or to know more about the faith. Please pray for the follow up of these ladies.
2. Give thanks to God for the safe return of Ps Boon Leong and 26 Carmelites from the Bible land tour together with 20 others from 8 other churches.
3. Rejoice that Ps Goh Ngiam Heng has accepted the offer to be the 2nd Mandarin Pastor. He will commence work on 1 January 2017.
CHURCH CONCERNS
CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES: Pray for SES worship team and the children, youth, young and senior adults from both SES & Sunday Services as they rehearse and finalize the order of service. Ask God to bless the worship services, making them meaningful and worshipful time for all. May God touch and speak into the lives of pre-believing friends present. Pray that God would strengthen the faith and witness of those who will be baptized (8), reaffirmation (3) and transfer (6) this Christmas.
MISSIONS: 1. Titus Lau and team (Ps Peter, Rosy Chew, Yvonne Liew, Catherine Yan and daughter Jocelyn) left for Indonesia (15-22 December). Call upon the Holy Spirit to protect them in their travels and empower them for service. Ps Peter will preach at both SKW and PNK as well as teach Presbyterian Form of Governance in both Churches. The team will also be teaching English and join in the caroling. Pray for the sowing and reaping of seeds and for many to out their faith and trust in Jesus. 2. Ps Jabez together with Ps Marianne and the youths are in the Philippines (17-22 December). Pray to God for His protection on this team of youth from danger and illness as the team had just concluded the youth camp here. The team will run the Youth Camp for Novaliches at the church compound. Mt Carmel Novaliches needs mature young adults to become spiritual leaders and responsible Christians. Pray for them. Pray that through the Christmas celebration, many Filipinos will put their faith and trust in Christ. 3. Ps Sokha informed us that the provincial department has approved the church application. EFC will help to process the application at the Ministry of Cult and Religion. Please pray for the application and Ps Sokka. 4. Ps Thien will be preaching in a local church back home. He asks prayers for good weather since it rains often in the evening. Pray against the disruption of electricity as it often happens when local churches hold special services.
Children Ministry Coworkers’ Thanksgiving 8 Jan: Pray for good response amongst the incumbents and co-workers serving in 2017. Pray for Dr Myrleene Grace Yap as she prepares to speak on the theme of Thanksgiving. Pray for the committee as they plan and finalise details of the meeting, and the lunch-fellowship that preceded it.
PERSONAL CONCERNS 1. Eld Bruce is home in Pennsylvania, USA. His mother has suffered the loss of leg strength. Pray for her well-being and for her home-care situation. 2. Su Yin and Stanley Sim continue to trust God to protect and keep the baby in the womb. Continue to uphold them in prayer. This week has been quite trying for the couple.
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IN THE PITS
It was a joy and a blessing to follow the footsteps of Jesus in the recent Israel-Jordon
trip with 46 other participants. Many have shared that the highlights for them were
the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, a time of meditation in the Garden of
Gethsemane, standing on the banks of River Jordon where Jesus was baptized
by John the Baptist, or the visit to the Temple Mount. For me, the most poignant
moment was the visit to the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (“St Peter at the
crowing of the rooster”), where it stands the traditional site of the house of Caiaphas
the High priest at the time of trial and execution of Jesus (Matt 26:57-75). This
was also the place (or at the courtyard) where Peter denied Jesus three times.
Excavations at this site reveal the remains of a large mansion with large quarters
apparently connected to the Jerusalem priesthood. But what was also disturbing
was the presence of a dungeon underneath the house, where prisoners were
chained. We saw the walls which had holes to fasten the prisoners’ hands and
feet for flogging. Then we came to the pit, and looking up, we saw the hole in the
solid stone roof. It was big enough for a prisoner to be lowered through (or
thrown down). Today, visitors can walk down the narrow steps to this pit.
Our group huddled together in a cold dungeon. It was
probably here, or near this place, where Jesus was held
overnight for questioning before being taken to Pilate for
trial and sentencing.
Standing in the pit of the dungeon, we stood in silence and
imagined the feelings of Jesus. Here He was, in a dark
and cold pit, abandoned by even His closest companions.
Then we read Psalm 88. On that night, in this place, Jesus would have recalled
the very words of the Psalmist:
O LORD, the God who saves me,
day and night I cry out before you.
May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of trouble
And my life draws near the grave.
I am counted among those who go
down to the pit;
I am like a man without strength …
You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
my eyes are dim with grief
But I cry to you for help, O LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
Ps 88:1-4, 8-9, 13-14
It was an emotional moment for many of us as we related those words with
what Jesus went through that night. Our Lord had experienced pain, rejection
and loneliness just as intensely as any human being. He was in the pits. And
above the dungeon in the courtyard, Peter inflicted more pain through his denial.
Our Lord did not just die on the cross, He suffered as well.
What might His suffering mean for us today? We may feel like life is in the pit, as
we go through difficult times – injustices, suffering, loneliness, misunderstanding,
even the betrayal of friends. Yet Jesus can relate to our “dungeon” experiences.
There is sympathy. The book of Hebrews says, “We do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has
been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). Jesus was
not a messiah who rode into Jerusalem on a war horse. He was not a superman
or a Man of Steel who felt no pain. He was something better: He was one of us,
all the way from the manger to the dungeon to the cross. And He will be with us
through it all (Matt 1:23).
Ps Boon Leong
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AA N N O U N C E M E N TSN N O U N C E M E N TS
NEWCOMERS TEA FELLOWSHIP We invite our guests to join us for Welcome Tea every Sunday
in the Fellowship Hall after each Service.
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2017 CHILDREN MINISTRY CO-WORKERS’ THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER MEETING WITH LUNCH-FELLOWSHIP All incumbents (2016) and co-workers who will be serving in 2017 are warmly invited to attend our first gathering next year, details: DATE: 8 JANUARY 2017 (SUNDAY) TIME/VENUE: 12.30 to 1.15 pm @ Faith hall (lunch-fellowship); 1.30 to 3.30 pm @ Hope sanctuary (meeting) ATTENDEES: SATURDAY KIDSPARKS (Reading/Tuition, Bible hours), SUNDAY SCHOOL (9am and 11am), VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (VBS), BIBLE CAMP SPEAKER: Dr Myrleene Grace Yap (Dean, School of Church Music, SBC) PROGRAMME: worship, testimony-sharing, ice-breakers, updates, prayers, etc. For purposes of lunch-catering and logistics-arrangement, pls register your attendance with the following persons and contact numbers/emails, by 25 Dec (Sun): KIDSPARKS (Reading/Tuition hour): Cindy Tan @ [email protected] KIDSPARKS (Bible hour): Melissa Choo @ [email protected] 9AM/11AM PRESCHOOL(SUN): Phoebe Chua @ [email protected] 9AM PRIMARY (SUNDAY): Stephanie Siow @ [email protected] 11AM PRIMARY (SUNDAY): Aileen Khong @ [email protected] VBS and BIBLE CAMP: Sam Cheng Wang @ [email protected]
Introducing the new MWS (Mandarin Worship Service) Pastor, Rev Goh Ngiam Heng (who will start work on 1 Jan 2017) ... I am Rev. Goh Ngiam Heng, born in Singapore. I went to the Far Eastern Bible college for training in 1982 at the age of 22. Upon my graduation in 1986, I became an assistant pastor at the Sion Presbyterian Church in Singapore. In 1988, I went to the States for my theological further education. I had been a lecturer of the Singapore Bible College, as well as a pastor in overseas churches both in the U.S and Australia. My wife, Su Soek Tjin, comes from Medan, Indonesia. Before coming to Singapore, she served as a pulpit interpreter and was a teacher in the Methodist School in Medan.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, After 10 years of serving in Carmel, Gek Lang and I feel the need to move on to the next phase of our lives. We sense the Lord calling us to make preparation for the next season of our lives and ministry. We had pondered hard and prayed for God’s leading. We are really going to miss the Carmel family which we have been a part of for 28 years. Each of you has blessed and ministered to us in significant ways, and we thank God for each one of you. We will be enrolling in a one-year course of study at our alma mater, a Bible College in NZ. My last day as pastor of Carmel will be Wednesday, 8 February, 2017. Please pray for us. We will keep you and Carmel in our prayers. - Ps Kheng Hai & Gek Lang
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● Please make all cheques, including those for the Development Fund, payable to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd (exact 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 is not tax deductible.
AA N N O U N C E M E N TSN N O U N C E M E N TS
NEXT SUNDAY 25 DECEMBER 2016
MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 1ST SERVICE
MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 2ND SERVICE
Ushers Clementi Woods CG West Bay CG
Refreshment Legacy CG
Worship Leader Benedict Leow
Congregational Prayer Rev Peter Teo
Musicians Matthew Siew
Scripture Readers Goh Swee Hong Rina Lai
Welcome Corner Steven Wong/Tan Mun Kiat Dn Jnathan Lum/Sunny Yap
Librarians — Closed —
AVA Crew Timothy Chiam/Fiona Chee Jonathan Lau/Daryl Tan/
Loh Kum Hoe
Carmel Musical 2017 Thanks for all who have come forward to get involved! Response has been very encouraging. For those of you who have yet to come forward, we would be very keen to get volunteers in several of the production and marketing areas particularly Stage Crew, Set Design and Construction, Writers for the Musical souvenir magazine, videography and editing, social media marketing etc.
Email us at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!
2016 Annual Report - As in previous years, the 2016 Annual Report can be viewed on our church website at www.carmel.sg. This is to reduce paper usage. However, if you wish to receive a hard copy of the report, please call the church office @6779-5077 (Lai San) or email us at [email protected].
PASTORAL TEAM
Senior Pastor Rev Oh Boon Leong
Missions & Strategic Planning Rev Peter Teo
SES & Care Group Rev Lim Kheng Hai
[email protected] Ladies, ConnexUs & Rhoda
Ps. Assoc. Ang Lee Luang [email protected]
Children Ps Asst Margaret Ong [email protected]
Youth & Family Rev Jabez Chia
[email protected] Young Adult & Youth
Ps Asst Marianne Wong [email protected]
Pastor-at-Large Rev Daniel Chua [email protected]
SEMS Ps Asst Joyce Goh
Mandarin Service Rev Johnny Tee
[email protected] Mandarin Service & HLO
Ps Tang Bin [email protected]
Remnant Korean Service Rev Ezra Jang
BOARD OF ELDERS Eld Bruce Lockhart
(BOE Chairman)[email protected]
Rev Oh Boon Leong (Session Moderator)
Eld Yeo Siew Yam [email protected]
Eld Ho Peng Kee [email protected]
Rev Peter Teo
Rev Lim Kheng Hai
Rev Jabez Chia
TODAYTODAYTODAY
THIS WEEKTHIS WEEKTHIS WEEK
NEXT SUNDAY 25 DNEXT SUNDAY 25 DNEXT SUNDAY 25 DECEMBERECEMBERECEMBER, 2016, 2016, 2016
Mandarin Service Chapel 10.45 am
Rhoda Fellowship ACE Room 11.00 am Christianity Explored: The Sower Leader: Pang Tee Lin
Youth Service Chapel 12.15 pm Speaker: John Calvin - The Poverty of Christmas
Remnant Korean Service Chapel 2.30 pm
SEMS Service Hope Sanctuary 7.45 pm
Ushers: Susannah Siew & Team/Covenant CG Refreshments: Jennifer/Peck Har AVA: Michael Teo/Caleb Lu/Mark Pearce/Low Ek Yong/Alan Tan Welcome Corner: Tan Choon Kiat/Sim Chui Hoong/Joyce Lin Librarians: — Closed — Thanksgiving Flowers: Tai Wah & Kum Fah Alex & Susan Lee Sim Tiong Beng & Camlyn Koh Li Chen
English Services Hope Sanctuary 9.00 am/11.00 am
Speaker: Rev Daniel Chua - Christmas Message
Youth - Combined Service Sanctuary 9.00 am/11.00 am
Mandarin Service Chapel 10.45 am
Rhoda Fellowship ACE Room 11.00 am Worship Leader: Zenny & Maricel
Remnant Korean Service Chapel 2.30 pm
SEMS Service Hope Sanctuary 7.45 pm
Wednesday, 21 Dec 7.45 pm ACE Room: Prayer Meeting Chairperson/Devotion: Ang Lee Luang
Thursday Men’s Group (TMG) : Break in December
Thursday 8.00 pm Hope Sanctuary: Choir Practice
Saturday, 24 Dec: Christmas Eve Service Hope Sanctuary | 5.30 pm & 8.00 pm