Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome to the month of April! In the midst of wars, tariffs, and uncertainty, God is still working to advance his purposes and bring about his kingdom. When you don’t know what to do, take time to pray and rest in God’s immutability (the fact that He doesn’t change!).
This month we have a number of different activities that you need to know about. For example, this weekend, we will have a special STM sharing from our sister Pat Fung at the Living Stones Bible Study, at 7:30 pm. Don’t be late! We’ll start right on time to give her the max amount of time to share.
Next Weekend (April 11-13), on Friday, April 11, the Panama STM team will be sharing their experience (in English) in the Main Sanctuary from 8 to 9 pm, followed by a Q and A. You’re welcome to attend that, by invitation from the Missions Committee. On Saturday, April 12, we have the Easter Family Festival. If you’re helping (where are my Resurrection Road teammates!), things start at noon with a quick lunch and then set up for a 1:30 start time for those pre-registered, and a 2 pm start time for walk-ins. The event goes until 4 pm (with clean-up likely going to 5 pm). Then on April 13, we have our bi-annual CPC Town Hall meeting (which is a way for us to share what is going on, and a time for you to ask questions). That will happen during the Sunday School hour. In the afternoon of April 13, CBCGL will hold a Baptism and Child Dedication service. Two children from parents in CPC will be dedicated! As far as I know, two youth will also be baptized with 4 from Mandarin.
The following weekend (April 18-20), we will have Easter Weekend activities. On April 18, we will have our Good Friday service at 7:30 pm in the Fellowship Sanctuary. On April 20, we will have our Easter Service at 9:45 am also in the Fellowship Sanctuary. Note the time change! There will be no Sunday School on April 20.
The final weekend of April (25-27) is typically our State of the Church Meeting. This year, as in previous years, we will not have a formal meeting, but rather have reports from different ministries sent out to the congregations. So keep an eye out for those around the end of April!
Additionally, if you could complete the 360 Pastoral Evaluation for me, that would be great. I’m aiming to have the evaluation completed by April 8. It is something that will take about 14 minutes (which is the present average). This will help me know what to work on while I’m on sabbatical. Please look in your e-mail for the link, which was sent out on April 1st.
Please continue to pray for the nations of Israel and Ukraine and South Sudan. Pray that the wars would end and the ceasefire in Gaza would be reinstated. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. And https://worldrelief.org/blog-prayer-for-israel-and-gaza/ And here are other prayers for peace in general: https://worldrelief.org/prayers-for-peace-in-the-world/ Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Gaza and Lebanon, Sudan and South Sudan, and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.
This Week (Apr. 4 - 10, 2025):
1. Tonight, Apr. 4, 2025, the Living Stones Friday Night Bible Study is meeting from 7:30-9:30 to study “The Sign of His Glory”. TC and Nathan are leading. You can read John 2:1-25 if you want a sneak peek of the content! Join in person in Room A-218 or online via the following link at 7:30 pm:
https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. CrossPoint Community Sunday School meets this Sunday – Apr. 6 in the Koinonia Room (A-216). We will be learning about worldview through the Intro to Apologetics Sunday School led by Marina Lam. We will use the following link for those who wish to join online this Sunday:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/491248585?pwd=RnpLcnpjQ01nTGZLSmhaZ3l4L3dKQT09
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 403767
Join by phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
There will also be a connection hour, a time for conversation and prayer, in A-202.
3. This Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 11:25 am, our CrossPoint Community Worship Service will start and Pastor Nathan will be preaching. Pray for him! Join us for worship at CBCGL and take communion with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Text: 1 Peter 4:1-6
Title: Preparing for Suffering
Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/live-stream/
Note: There will also be communion this Sunday (April 6)
4. Each Wednesday, such as this coming week (Apr. 9) at 7:45 pm, you are invited, encouraged, and requested to join our weekly prayer meeting. We will not grow in Christ without growing in our dependence on God through prayer. In April, we will be praying with a focus on our friends. The link is found below in the section on prayer.
Administration / Events
1. We have a missions update (so check out the missions tab in the bulletin)! You can pray for James Liang. His recent update is from his time in Panama (about an hour outside of Panama City) working with students, staff and alumni of CRU alongside Filter of Hope. For more information, check out the missions tab of the bulletin. Also, if you’d like to help with providing mission updates for CPC – let Pastor Nathan know!
2. CPCM has reserved the Multi-Purpose Room on Saturday’s from 1:30 to 4PM for sports. In general, we can play any game: Ping-pong, badminton, pickleball, volleyball, basketball; we can do it all. The room is reserved only for CPCM members and their guests, so it is highly likely you will have lots of space and time to play whatever you want. The goal is to build deeper bonds through shared interest and activity. The contact person is Joshua Zhang.
3. We will have our next baptism service on Palm Sunday (April 13). To be baptized, you must attend baptism class. If you are interested in being baptized, please contact Pastor Nathan Willems. Come to baptism class to learn why we baptize people, what is necessary for baptism, and what rights and responsibilities you have as someone who is baptized.
We also will have child dedication. If you’re interested in dedicating your child(ren), talk with Pastor Nathan!
4. Sunday Lunch Service is available at CBCGL with $5 lunches that are first-come, first-served. Pizza is $2 per slice and Ramen is available (priced variously according to size).
5. Women’s Bible Study – “KEEPING IT VERTICAL” meets the first and third Tuesday of each month to learn, share and grow in the Lord. We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit. Come join us and meet new friends and bring more friends along! Contact jeannemic50 (at) icloud.com (Please note, beginning April 15, this will be at 10 am!)
6. The Ladies Fellowship (Keeping in Vertical) invites you to register to attend a one-day women’s retreat at Calvary Bible Church in Derry, NH either Fri, May 16 or Sat, May 17, 2025 (a one-day event held on two separate days). 8 spots are still available!
Online registration began on Monday, February 24, 2025 via https://www.cbcderry.org/lda25
Cost is $45 which includes breakfast, lunch and registration details.
EVENT DETAILS including the event schedule, a short bio on the speaker (Katie Davis Majors) and important things to know can be found on the website noted above. PLEASE NOTE Tickets are NONREFUNDABLE AND NONRETURNABLE (Feel free to sell or give your ticket to a friend if you register and can’t make it). For more info or to register as a group, please contact: Pat Fung (patriciafung5 AT gmail.com)
7. All other announcements can be found here (in our CrossPoint Community bulletin).
For Prayer:
1. From Bishop J.C. Ryle – “To be prayerless is to be Christless, Godless, and in the high road to destruction…It will always be found that when prayers are few, grace, strength, peace, and hope are small.” Please join our Wednesday night prayer meeting (7:45 – 9:00 pm) even if you can’t participate the whole time.
https://zoom.us/j/758587937?pwd=aS9sZUdxcm1janNNM2I2aXJ6Smx2QT09
Meeting ID: 758 587 937
Password: 030086
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
We’d be glad to pray for you. If you need prayer, you can submit your prayer request via the following link: https://www.cbcgl.org/pray/
In Christ, your servant, SDG,
Rev. Dr. Nathan Willems
Associate Pastor of CrossPoint Community – A Ministry of CBCGL