Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome to May! Tonight, join us for Bible Study (In Person, we will also take some time to clean) tonight. You can join us for the Open Gym and/or the Hobby Bunch on Saturday, beginning at 1:30 pm. If it hasn’t already been done, at 4 pm, we plan to clean the Community Hall as part of our contribution to the Spring Cleaning at CBCGL. On Sunday, in the afternoon, we have our CPC MC meeting and Church Council Meeting.
This coming week, I’m really excited to return to the Chinese Heritage Church Collaborative. This is a 3-day conference in the Dallas area. Over 130 different people connected to English ministries in Chinese heritage churches in North America will gather together to be encouraged to continue in our love and service of the Lord which leads us to love and serve you, our brothers and sisters in Chinese heritage churches. I enjoy this conference because I get to see some old friends and co-workers in ministry, but I also get to meet others who understand the dynamics of working in Chinese churches as an English ministry pastor. I’m looking forward to sharing with you more of what I learn and experience upon my return next week.
At this conference, some pastors will get to meet with other pastors for the first time because they are a pastor without other Chinese churches in their region. So, this might be the first time they get to talk in-depth with others who understand their joys and their struggles. Thankfully, for me, I have this opportunity twice a month (once in person and once online). I get to meet with great and faithful brothers in the Lord who are serving in Chinese churches as English ministry pastors. As a testimony to their faithfulness, most have served in their church for over 7 years. Within this year, one brother returned from Sabbatical; another is taking a Sabbatical now; and I will be taking a Sabbatical this summer. Next year, two others are taking Sabbaticals, by the grace of God.
Bringing it back to next week, on Saturday, May 10, Minister Charles will walk for his Graduation from Seminary (as will a brother in the Mandarin congregation). In the afternoon of May 10, Minister CJ (Mandarin Ministry) will become Pastor CJ through his ordination service. Then on Sunday, May 11, we have a combined Mother’s Day service, beginning at 9:45 am in the Main Sanctuary. Afterwards, we are hoping to have a time of fellowship and connection in rooms A-216 and A-218, as we won’t have regular Sunday School.
Then later in May, on the 18th, the Youth Ministry is doing a STM fundraiser (The Annual 5k at Heart Pond). Also, the Empower Fellowship will start. That is our college student ministry which typically runs in the summer and during Christmas break.
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 (May 2-May 8, 2025):
1. Tonight, May 2, 2025, the Living Stones Friday Night Bible Study is meeting from 7:30-9:30 to study “The Sign of His Provision”. Bob and I are leading. You can read John 6:1-15 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 – May 4 in the Koinonia Room (A-216). We will be learning about worldview through the Intro to Apologetics Sunday School led by Elder Wu. 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)
3. This Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 11:25 am, our CrossPoint Community Worship Service will start and Pastor Nathan (I) will be preaching. Pray for him(me)! Join us for worship at CBCGL.
Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19
Title: Suffer for Christ’s Sake
Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/live-stream/
4. Each Wednesday, such as this coming week (May 7) 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 May, we will be praying with a focus on Special Events this month and summer. 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 Rev. Aritung Kikon. His recent update is from the Seminary that he runs in India to equip native church leaders to bring the gospel and lead churches in India. They just had a graduation! 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. 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).
4. 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 May 6, this begins at 10 am.)
5. 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.
6. VBS Registration is open for CBCGL’s VBS held August 4-8 (It’s Full Day this year!). To register please follow this link. Also, the VBS committee is looking for materials to make decorations. You can find that announcement here.
7. The Hobby Bunch will be meeting on Saturday, May 3rd, 1:30-4pm! Bring stuff to do your hobby! Other options are learning air dry clay from Carmen and making VBS Decorations! Location: Room A202 Community Fellowship Hall
8. 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