Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This weekend, we have a number of activities, like the Panama STM Team sharing in the Main Sanctuary, tonight from 8 to 9 pm. This will be primarily in Mandarin, but there can be translation available if you decided to attend and you cannot speak Mandarin.
On Saturday, April 12, we plan to have our Easter Family Festivities from 2 to 4 pm (with those who have pre-registered able to come at 1:30 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 Community Hall at 9:45 am. In the afternoon of April 13, CBCGL will hold a Baptism and Child Dedication service (our 87th!). Two children from parents in CPC will be dedicated! As far as I know, two youth will also be baptized along with 4 from the Mandarin congregation.
One of the goals we have had for CPC for the past few years has been spiritual growth, specifically through discipleship. This morning, I read an article on “The Gospel Coalition”s website. It explained six things that discipleship is not. I found it to be a helpful reminder which I am glad to summarize for you here.
1. Discipleship is not “meeting for coffee” – Discipleship is about helping others follow Christ, through prayer and the Word of God, (and it could include coffee!)
2. Discipleship is not convenient – It requires us to share life with others, to help them see what it is like to follow Jesus in the day-to-day stuff of life.
3. Discipleship is not a one-way street – Yes, as a discipler, you give. But you also receive and learn and grow alongside the person you are discipling.
4. Discipleship is not reserved for church leaders – Normal Christians are called to make disciples (not just pastor/elders and deacons).
5. Discipleship is not an either-or situation – We need to be discipled and we need to disciple others. It’s both-and.
6. Discipleship is not optional – Each of us needs to make disciples, because that’s what Jesus told us to do (Matt. 28:18-20).
7. I’ll add one more – Discipleship is not merely learning (gaining knowledge) – Discipleship includes learning, but also requires the context of community and the change that comes from growth, challenge, and stepping out of our comfort zone to follow Jesus.
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. 11 - 17, 2025):
1. Tonight, Apr. 11, 2025, the Living Stones Friday Night Bible Study is meeting from 7:30-9:30 to study “The Sign of His Grace”. Jack and Marina are leading. You can read John 4:46-54 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 will take a break this Sunday – Apr. 13 so that you can attend the CPC Town Hall Meeting in the Community Hall (A-202). We will use the following link for those who wish to join online this Sunday, but let Pastor Nathan know if you plan to use it. Otherwise, we will not provide an online option.
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)
3. This Sunday, April 13, 2025, at 11:25 am, our CrossPoint Community Worship Service will start and Pastor Raymond Lee will be preaching. Pray for him! Join us for worship at CBCGL.
Text: Lamentations 3:22-23; Isaiah 41:10
Title: Braving An Unknown Future
Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/live-stream/
4. Each Wednesday, such as this coming week (Apr. 16) 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. This week’s Saturday Sports has been cancelled – so that you can participate in the Easter Family Festival.
3. We will have our next baptism service on Palm Sunday (April 13). Two youths will be baptized. We also will have child dedication. A family from CPC will dedicate their two children!
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). No church lunch will be served on Easter (4/20).
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, on April 15, this begins at 10 am.)
6. Registration is now full for the women’s retreat. The Ladies Fellowship (Keeping in Vertical) reminds you 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) if you have already registered.
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)
2. 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