Sunday, September 27, 2009

One Family Discovery Camp (Part 2)

by Rev. James Wong

Last week I shared with you on the One Family Discovery Camp which we organized for the church on the 20-22 September 2009 during the Hari Raya holidays. How was it? There were 50 of us there. God had given us fine weather and we had a good time of worship, fellowship, learning, sweating and great fun together. I would summarize the camp as a fantastic experience of discovery for most of us. Here are the highlights of the camp. Participants were divided into 4 groups from the beginning and there were various competitions going on.

Discover 1: The theme for this session was Love One Another. We watch a very moving movie FIREPROOF. Most of us laughed and cried through the movie. What do you do with a marriage that is breaking down? The easy way out is to get out of a relationship where there is no hope for mutual love, respect and reconciliation. The 40 days ’Love Dare’ book is a book that talks about how to treat your partner in a loving way. But how do you love someone who rejects you repeatedly? You cannot give what you do not have. Unless you have the love and forgiveness of Christ in you life it is impossible to keep on loving. The movie teaches us what real love is in a marriage.

Discovery 2: The theme for this sessions was Accepting One Another. Genesis 1:27-28 tells us that God created man and female according to his image. However God used dust to create Adam and a rib from Adam to create Eve. The difference of substances here has a deeper meaning. Both man and woman were created different although they were created equal. We explored some of the major differences between the thinking of a man and a woman. Not being aware of these differences can be a source of constant conflicts. The key in a marriage relationship is to accept each other’s uniqueness with love and respect (Eph 5:33).

Discovery 3: The theme for this session was Encourage One Another. Everyone was given an A3 size paper to draw a picture that represents his/her life. This was where everyone got a chance to see the creativity of others. After the sharing, everyone wrote a positive comment on the work of others. Then everyone moved around and see the works of other group members and also put down a positive comment. It was a moment of great encouragement for everyone and it was a practical way to put into action the words of Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) “Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

Discovery 4: The theme for this session was Involve one another. Each group acted out a biblical story to the great surprise and laughter of everyone. The creativity of each group was beyond expectation. It was through teamwork that each group was able to present the message in a clear, creative and hilarious manner. The best actor award went to bro. Yap Fook Lim who played the role of Samson’s girl friend who betrayed him.

I thank God for this wonderful One Family Discovery Camp and for those of you who had a good holiday during the Hari Raya holidays.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” ~Matt 4:1 (NIV)

1. The Pain & Pleasure Test
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil* came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" ~Matt 4:2-4 (NLT)

Don’t worry... Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” ~Matt. 6:31-33 (NLT)

2. The Popularity and Praise Test
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'*" 7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'*"
~Matt 4:5-7 (NLT)

•Just when Rehoboam was at the height of his popularity and power, he abandoned the Lord, and the people followed him in this sin.”
~ 2 Chron. 12:1 (LB)

The purity of silver and gold can be tested in a crucible, but a man is tested by his reaction to men's praise. ~Proverbs 27:21 (TLB)

3. Prosperity and possession Test
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and all their glory. 9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me." 10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'*" 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. ~Matt 4:8-11 (NLT)

•25 If we are living now by the Holy Spirit's power, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. 26 Then we won't need to look for honors and popularity, which lead to jealousy and hard feelings.
~Gal 5:25-26 (TLB)

Quit Trying to Please Everybody

by Rick Warren

"It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you" (Proverbs 29:25 GN).

When we worry about what other people think, we let them control us. We waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure out what other people want us to be. Then, we waste a lot of time and energy trying to become like that rather than just being what God made us to be. You're manipulated and controlled by somebody else.

Worrying about what other people think is dangerous because we're more likely to cave in to criticism. It means we don't always do the right thing; instead, we do the thing that everybody wants us to do.

And we're in danger of missing God's best because we're so worried about what other people want us to do that we can't stop to think about what God wants us to do.

• Fact #1: You cannot please everybody. Even God can't please everybody. One person prays for it to rain; another prays for it to be sunny. In the Super Bowl, both teams are praying that they will win. Who is God going to answer? God can't please everybody. Only a fool would try to do what even God can't do. You can't please everybody.

• Fact #2: It's not necessary to please everybody. There is a myth that says you must be loved and approved by everybody in order to be happy. That's just not true. You don't have to please everybody in order to be happy in life.

• Fact #3: Rejection will not ruin your life. It hurts, sure. It's not fun. It's uncomfortable. But rejection will not ruin your life unless you let it.

Quit trying to please everybody! Remember that nobody can make you feel inferior unless you give them permission.

The Apostle Paul says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 TEV) This means we can think like this: 'God likes me, and I like me; if you don't like me, then you've got a problem. If God likes me, who cares that everybody doesn't approve of everything I do.'

Remember, nothing you ever do will make God love you less. Nothing you ever do will make God love you more. He loves you completely right now.

Growing In The Word Series


Understanding The Pastoral Ministry Today




One Family Discovery Camp 2009


Miss BCCM


This is my story...

Finally, we found the sign
...yeah


We love durian...yummy
Wearing slippers,
doing exercise


Talent time...

Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Welcome everyone to God’s house. It is indeed a pleasure that we can worship God together this morning. May God’s word enrich and bring transformation to our lives.

2. SUNDAY SCHOOL SUNDAY
Next Week, our church will celebrate Sunday School Sunday. It is a combined service starting at 8:30am.

3. FUND RAISING CONCERT FOR SABAH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY’S MULTI-PURPOSE EDUCATION CENTRE
A fund raising concert ,“Church Music In Perspective”, organized by the Association For Members Of Chinese Church Music Sabah will be held on 17th October 2009, 7:30pm at BCCM Sandakan. Our English and Chinese congregations combined choir, BCCM Sing Kang choir, BCCM Tawau choir and BCCM Sandakan (BM) tambourine group will be involved in this concert. Tickets, priced at RM1,000.00, RM500.00, RM100,00 RM50.00 and RM20.00 are on sale. You can buy the tickets from our choir members, Preacher Lo, Preacher Yoa or at the counter in front of the church. Please refer to the poster in front of the church for further information.

4. CHURCH FELLOWSHIPS BIBLE QUIZ
Books : Old Testament - Nehemiah
New Testament - James
Date : 24th October 2009 (Saturday)
Time : 7:30pm
Venue : Wisma Basel
Brothers and sisters are encouraged to read the two books and be prepared to participate in the Bible Quiz.

5. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Church Welfare Committee will give Academic Excellence Award to children of our congregations (English, Chinese & Indah) studying in kindergarten, primary & secondary school. The qualifying academic standard will be based on last year’s (2008) results. Details are posted at the entrance of the church and are also attached to the application form. Application forms are available from the Enquiries table. Please hand in completed application form to Rev. James Wong by 25 October 2009.

6. MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce that Bro. Henry Voo & Sis. Angeline Han will be getting married in this church on 3rd October (Saturday), 9:30am. May God bless them with everlasting happiness and love in Christ.

7. PREACHER LO’S ITINERARY
Preacher Lo will take leave on 29th September 2009 (Tuesday). He will be traveling to Tawau on 30 September 2009 (Wednesday) to rehearse with the choir members from Tawau for the STS Fund Raising Concert.

8. TESTIMONY SHARING BY PREACHER CHUNG SU MING
There will be a testimony sharing by Pr. Chung Su Ming as follows:
Date: 9th October 2009 (Friday)
Time: 7:30pm.
Venue: BCCM Sandakan
Theme: Love Can Make Up For The Breach Of life
Pr. Chung Su Ming, a Taiwanese, is married, with a daughter Hui Xin who is born with congenital brain damage and is physically handicapped in many ways, including eyes and nose which are not properly formed, vertebral column curved to one side, legs not of the same length, defect in the left ear and defects in the teeth and jaw bones. For 23 years, Hui Xin’s severe handicap has taught Pr. Chung wonderful lessons on life. Pr. Chung and her daughter have been to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor etc. and have shared in a total of 34 Meetings and 3 Talks, which stirred up a lot of positive responses from the public and churches in West Malaysia.

9. SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ TRAINING
There will be a Sunday school teachers’ training on 10th October 2009, 2 - 5pm at BCCM Sibuga, to be conducted by Pr. Chung Su Ming. Sunday School teachers are encouraged to join this training. The fee for this training is RM5. Please register with sis. Yap Pak Shun.

Church Activities For This Week


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

One Family Discovery Camp

by Rev. James Wong

We will begin our One Family Discovery Camp this afternoon at 2:00pm during these Hari Raya holidays. The schedule of the camp is printed on page 7 of this bulletin. How do you keep the family as one in the home and how do we promote that oneness in our church, knowing that the church is our spiritual family? In this camp we will have four discovery sessions.

In Discovery I, you will watch a powerful movie Fireproof. This is a touching movie about a marriage that is falling apart. “At work, inside burning buildings, Captain Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter’s adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage he lives by his own rules. His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever … rescuing his wife’s heart.” Here is a movie that will excite you and make you cry and think. What does it mean to love one another in a very rough marriage relationship? You will discover the answer in this session.

In Discovery II, you will study the major differences in the thinking of a man and a woman. It is very often the lack of this understanding of the inherent differences between these two sexes that resulted in many marriage failures. The differences are more than biological differences. Have you realized that a man talks a lot while he is courting and almost go silent after marriage? Why is it so difficult to make a man to talk? Why man flips the TV channels continuously and woman can’t stop talking? What do you do with the differences? Discovery II will open your eyes to understand the mind of a man and a woman and what you can do about the differences.

In Discovery III, you will go creative to express yourself in your own ways through painting a picture of your life. Most of the time people see you and interpret you according to their perception and experience with you. This session will help your friends to know and understand you better and at the same time you will have many surprises that will spur you on to be a better person. In the process you will discover your uniqueness, your strength and your loveliness.

In Discovery IV, your group will work out a creative drama according to the selected stories in the Bible. Your group presentation will be judged according to 1. Creativity 2. Team-work and 3. Clarity of the message. This activity will enhance the involvement of every member of the group for a common project and at the same time learn about the significance of the Biblical truth on which the drama is based.

Throughout this camp, there will be six competitions going on. These competitions will require the awareness, contribution, and cooperation of each team member to achieve their level best. The winning team will be greatly rewarded. The visit to the Rainforest Discovery Centre on Monday afternoon is a journey of excitement shrouded in mystery. Each team must find their clue to the next destination to complete the trail.

Please pray that this One Family Discovery Camp will be a blessing to all of us to achieve unity, understanding and good fellowship during this Hari Raya season.

Repentance: Allowing God to Change Your Mind


by Rick Warren

"Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think" (Romans 12:2 NLT).

Imagine riding in a speedboat on a lake with an automatic pilot set to go east. If you decide to reverse and head west, you have two possible ways to change the boat's direction.

One way is to grab the steering wheel and physically force it to head in the opposite direction from where the autopilot is programmed to go. By sheer willpower you could overcome the autopilot, but you would feel constant resistance. Your arms would eventually tire of the stress, you’d let go of the steering wheel, and the boat would instantly head back east, the way it was internally programmed.

This is what happens when you try to change your life with willpower: You say, "I'll force myself to eat less . . . exercise more . . . quit being disorganized and late."

Yes, willpower can produce short-term change, but it creates constant internal stress because you haven't dealt with the root cause. The change doesn't feel natural, so eventually you give up and quickly revert to your old patterns.

There is a better and easier way: Change your autopilot—the way you think. The Bible says, "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think" (Romans 12:2 NLT).

The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance, which in Greek literally means "to change your mind." You repent whenever you change the way you think by adopting how God thinks—about yourself, sin, God, other people, life, your future, and everything else. You take on Christ's outlook and perspective

Growing In The Word Series


One Family Discovery Camp 2009


Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Welcome everyone to God’s house. It is indeed a pleasure that we can worship God together this morning. May God’s word enrich and bring transformation to our lives.

2. CGC PASTORATE MEETING
The CGC Pastorate meeting will be held on 24th September 2009. Rev. Wong, Pr. Lo and Pr. Yoa will attend this meeting. Rev. Wong will attend a meeting of Sabah Theological Seminary on 23rd September and Pr. Lo will attend CGC Church Music meeting on the same day. On 25th September, Rev. Wong will attend the Central Council meeting, the PEGC and CGC Special Consultative meeting and also the CGC meeting. Please remember all the pastors in your prayer.

3. MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
On 26th September, 7:00pm at Wisma Basel, the BCCM Sandakan Chinese congregation will be organizing a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering. There will be a potluck dinner. Each family is to bring 1 dish. At the same time, there will be a Tang Lung (Chinese lantern) competition. There are two categories of competition namely the individual category and group category. The entrance fee is RM5 for each Tang Lung. The deadline for the competition is extending until today. Please register with brother Chong Kat Vui (013-8851018) or sister Yong Yen Phin (272119). We need freewill offerings and sponsors for gifts. Please contact Preacher Yoa for further details.

4. FUND RAISING CONCERT FOR SABAH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY’S MULTI-PURPOSE EDUCATION CENTRE
A fund raising concert ,“Church Music In Perspective”, organized by the Association For Members Of Chinese Church Music Sabah will be held on 17th October 2009, 7:30pm at BCCM Sandakan. Our English and Chinese congregations combined choir, BCCM Sing Kang choir, BCCM Tawau choir and BCCM Sandakan (BM) tambourine group will be involved in this concert. Tickets, priced at RM1,000.00, RM500.00, RM100,00 RM50.00 and RM20.00 are on sale. You can buy the tickets from our choir members, Preacher Lo, Preacher Yoa or at the counter in front of the church. Please refer to the poster in front of the church for further information.

5. CHURCH FELLOWSHIPS BIBLE QUIZ
Books : Old Testament — Nehemiah
New Testament - James
Date : 24th October 2009 (Saturday)
Time : 7:30pm
Venue : Wisma Basel
Brothers and sisters are encouraged to read the two books and be prepared to participate in the Bible Quiz.

6. MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce that Bro. Henry Voo & Sis. Angeline Han will be married in this church on 3rd October (Saturday), 9:30am. May God bless them with everlasting happiness and love in Christ.

7. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Church Welfare Committee will give Academic Excellence Award to children of our congregations (English, Chinese & Indah) studying in kindergarten, primary & secondary school. The qualifying academic standard will be based on last year’s (2008) results. Details are posted at the entrance of the church and are also attached to the application form. Application forms are available from the Enquiries table. Please hand in completed application form to Rev. James Wong by 25 October 2009.

Church Activities For This Week


Sunday, September 13, 2009

Why Should We Praise God?

by Pr. Timothy Lo Shen Loon

The Christian faith is a singing faith. Throughout the history of the church, music has played an important role in the life of the church. Paul exhorts the believers in Ephesus, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God”. Why should we praise God? Let me offer you 3 reasons.

1. We praise God because God is our creator and He is most worthy of praise.
We praise God because God is our maker and we are His creation. “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise (Psalm 48: 1). “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11) God created this world and all that is in it, so it is only proper that all His creation praise Him. Martin Luther said, “A person cannot praise God, unless he understands hat there is nothing in himself worthy of praise, but all that is worthy of praise is of God and from God. But since God is eternally praise worthy, because He is the infinite God and can never be exhausted, therefore they will praise Him forever and ever.” We have been created by God for the purpose of declaring his praise. “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise”. (Isaiah 43: 21). Indeed, we praise God because God is our creator and He is most worthy of praise.

2. We praise God because there is power in praise.
When we stop trying to fight our battles and simply begin to praise God who has said He will fight for us, then God is free to release His power and provision on our behalf. There is power in praise. When we praise God, God releases His power for us so that we can have victory in spiritual warfare. Praise brings victory, deliverance and blessing. When we praise God we stop to think about our weaknesses but instead focusing on God’s power and strength. God then releases his power and strength to us so that we can be victorious Christians.

3. When we praise God we have a relationship with God.
When we praise God, we are able to come into a proper relationship with God. It is hard to have a relationship with anyone if there’s no communication. When we praise God, we are communicating and expressing to God our love, our adoration, our devotion and our commitment to God. This in turn will help us to develop an intimate relationship with God.

Today is Church Music Sunday, let us all be reminded by the Psalmist to praise God at all times. “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth’. (psalm 34:1)

Spiritual Habits of Effective People: Meeting Regularly


by Rick Warren

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT).

We develop spiritual fitness when we meet regularly and encourage one another. When you get together with other believers regularly, this is called fellowship—sharing and caring together in a small group.

Do you ever need encouragement? Life can be tough and we all get discouraged. The fact is you’re never going to be an effective Christian if you try to go it alone. You need encouragement. You need other people. Life was not meant to be lived by itself.

I grew up in northern California in a little town called Redwood Valley. Just north of us were the giant redwoods. Redwood trees have very shallow roots. They withstand the wind by spreading out and intertwining roots and they hold each other up. What a perfect picture of fellowship! We spread out, we intertwine, and we hold each other up. We strengthen each other.

Snow flakes are frail, but if enough of them stick together they can stop traffic. You can’t do a whole lot and I can’t do a whole lot, but together in a group we can do something. We can have an impact on this world.

Let me mention that I meet people who say, “I’m going to miss church this week. It’s no big deal.” They are simply unaware how you can dry up spiritually whenever you miss fellowship with other believers. In fact, you need to be in constant contact with other Christians, even beyond what you get on Sunday. You need more than just a “Sunday fix.” Every Christian needs a balance between large group celebration/worship and small group fellowship.

You need a big group so you can say, “I’m a part of something significant.” But you can’t share prayer requests within a large group; you can’t pray for each other; you can’t even know everybody. So you need to be in a small group, also.

What’s the result of getting together with other believers? “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 NIV).

Growing In The Word Series


Welcome On Board






Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Welcome everyone to God’s house. It is indeed a pleasure that we can worship God together this morning. May God’s word enrich and bring transformation to our lives.

2. THE 2010 – 2011 ENGLISH CHURCH COUNCIL
The election of office bearers for 2010 - 2011 BCCM Sandakan English congregation was held on 7 September 2009.

3. REV. WONG’S ITINERARY

Rev. James Wong is on leave on 10 - 13 September 2009. He will preach at the 10th anniversary thanksgiving worship service of the Shalom Community Church today in Tawau.

4. CHURCH FAMILY FELLOWSHIP DISCOVERY CAMP
Our church Family Fellowship Discovery Camp will be held at Sepilok Jungle Resort from 20-22 September 2009. We encourage brothers and sisters to join this camp. Please register with sister Annie Yeo (013-8962298) or church office (089-215615). See the poster in front of the church for more details. The registration deadline is today. For those of you who have registered for the camp, please pay to sister Annie today.

5. MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
On 26th September, 7:00pm at Wisma Basel, the BCCM Sandakan Chinese congregation will be organizing a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering. There will be a potluck dinner. Each family is to bring 1 dish. At the same time, there will be a Tang Lung (Chinese lantern) competition. There are two categories of competition namely the individual category and group category. The entrance fee is RM5 for each Tang Lung. The deadline for the competition is 13th September. Please register with brother Chong Kat Vui (013-8851018) or sister Yong Yen Phin (272119). We need freewill offerings and sponsors for gifts. Please contact Preacher Yoa for further details.

6. THE 2009 CHINESE COUNCIL MEN FELLOWSHIP RETREAT AND AGM
This event will be held in our church from 18 - 19 September 2009. During this AGM and retreat, brothers from other BCCM churches will be in our church. Do remember to pray that this event can be conducted smoothly.

7. FUND RAISING CONCERT FOR SABAH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY’S MULTI-PURPOSE EDUCATION CENTRE
A fund raising concert ,“Church Music In Perspective”, organized by the Association For Members Of Chinese Church Music Sabah will be held on 17th October 2009, 7:30pm at BCCM Sandakan. Our English and Chinese congregation combined choir, BCCM Sing Kang choir, BCCM Tawau choir and BCCM Sandakan (BM) tambourine group will be involved in this concert. Tickets, priced at RM1,000.00, RM500.00, RM100,00 RM50.00 and RM20.00 are on sale. You can buy the tickets from our choir members, Preacher Lo, Preacher Yoa or at the counter in front of the church. Please refer to the poster in front of the church for further information.

8. CHURCH FELLOWSHIPS BIBLE QUIZ
Books : Old Testament — Nehemiah
New Testament - James
Date : 24th October 2009 (Saturday) Time : 7:30pm
Venue : Wisma Basel
Brothers and sisters are encouraged to read the two books and be prepared to participate in the Bible Quiz.

9. MV DOULOS NEWS
Mv Doulos is currently at KK port, and will be there until 20th September 2009. Brothers and sisters who are in KK during the period are encouraged to visit Doulos. The bookshop opening hours are as follow:
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am — 10:00pm
Sunday - Monday 2:00pm — 10:00pm

10. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Church Welfare Committee will give Academic Excellence Award to children of our congregations (English, Chinese & Indah) studying in kindergarten, primary & secondary school. The qualifying academic standard will be based on last year’s (2008) results. Details are posted at the entrance of the church and are also attached to the application form. Application forms are available from the Enquiries table. Please hand in completed application form to Rev. James Wong by 25 October 2009.

11. ACKNOWLEDMENTS
The Boys Brigade acknowledges with gratitude to the following for their gifts:
BB Month Offering: Ex-BB Boy RM1,000.00
Ex-BB Officer RM 600.00

The Student Ministry acknowledges with gratitude to Life Group 5 for their donation of 30 plastic chairs.

The church acknowledges with gratitude of the following for their gifts:
Sister Chong Chew Fun RM200.00
Brother Tony & Sister Jane Ying RM50.00

Church Activities For This Week


The Character Of A Leader

by rev. James Wong

This week we will look at the Character of a leader. In Christian leadership the heart comes before the skill. The heart issue is much harder to deal with than the skill aspect of leadership. The heart needs the transformation of God’s Words to put it right and skill can be learned. Therefore, character is the basis of Christian leadership and the skill of leadership must improve along the way as a person serves God.

The Today’s English Version (TEV) translation of the bible of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-10 tell us in detail the Character of a Christian leader. When we combine the two lists we can learn two important lessons as follows:

1. Church leadership is a noble task. “This is a true saying: If a man is eager to be a church leader, he desires an excellent work (vs.3).” Leader here refers to an overseer (Greek episkopos = "overseer, supervisor, one who looks over the work of others.") Christian leaders are to have the kind of character that will enable them to lead by example and supervise the work of others without strain. To be a Christian leader is a noble task because it is a task of serving the church of God. It is serving and giving, not controlling the church of God. This is a distinctive character of Christian service laid down by our Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 10:45 where he said he came to serve and to give his life for the salvation of others.

2. The qualification of Christian leadership. This is based on the character of the person. Let us all grow to become qualified for the noble task of serving others in taking responsibility in Christian leadership.

Spriritual Habits of Effective People: Tithing


By Rick Warren

“Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives” (Deuteronomy 14:23 LB).

We develop spiritual fitness when we honor God by giving him a tithe every week. Tithing is the spiritual habit of giving back to God the first 10 percent of all I make. If I make $100, I give $10 back to God; if I make $1000, I give $100 back to God. I get to keep 90 percent but I give 10 percent to him.

Why would anybody have to do that? Because God says so and that’s reason enough. If you don’t do it, you’re disobeying God. But there’s more reason. The reason I tithe is to draw me closer to God.

Jesus says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21 NLT). If I put my money in a boat, that’s where my affection goes. Wherever I put my money, that’s what becomes important to me. If I put God first when it comes to my money, it says, “God, you’re first in my life.”

If you show me how you spend your time and how you spend your money, I’ll show you what’s important in your life. No matter what you say is important—show me your schedule and your checkbook stubs and I’ll tell you what’s really important to you.

Deuteronomy 14:23 explains that, “The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives” (LB). If I say, “God, I want you to be number one in my life,” but he’s last place in my budget, that’s a contradiction.

The Bible teaches that giving is an antidote to materialism. The materialism of the world says, “Get, get, get.” The only antidote is giving; we do just the opposite of what the world says. As I learn to hold things with an open hand and return the first part to God, it breaks the grip of materialism in my life. It helps me develop the characteristics of God because “God so loved the world that he gave” (John 3:16). If you want to become like Jesus, you must learn to be a giver.

Don't Manage Your Time - Manage Your Life

by John Maxwell

Early in my leadership year, I realized that my ability to maximize my time would be essential to my productivity and my effectiveness as a leader. As Peter Drucker said, “nothing else distinguished effectiveness executives as much as their tender loving care of time.”

Because I knew I needed to improve in this area, I attended a time-management seminar. I learned many valuable lessons that day. One of the things that struck me and that has stuck with me for more that thirty years was the analogy the presenter used to describe time. He said that our days are like identical suitcases. Even though they are all the same size, some people are able to pack more into them than others. The reason? They know what to pack. We spent most of that day learning about what to pack in the time allotted to us.

CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE

I left that seminar with two impression: first, time is an equal-opportunity employer; everybody gets twenty-four hours a day—no more, no less—but not everybody gets the same return on their twenty-four hours. Second, there really is no such thing as “time management.” The term is an oxymoron. Time cannot be managed. It cannot be controlled in any way. It marches on no matter what you do, the way the meter in a taxi keeps running, whether you are moving forward or standing still. Everyone gets the same number of hours and minutes every day. Nobody—no matter how shrewd—can save minutes from one day to spend on another. No scientist—no matter how smart—is capable of creating new minutes. Even with all his wealth, someone like Bill Gates can’t buy additional hours for his day. And even though people talk about trying to “find time,” they need to quit looking. There isn’t any extra lying around. Twenty-four hours is the best any of us is going to get.

You can’t manage your time. So what can you do? Manage yourself! Nothing separates successful people from unsuccessful people more than how they use their time. Successful people understand that time is the most precious commodity on earth, they know where their time goes. They continually analyze how they are using their time and ask themselves the question, “Am I getting the best use out of my time?”

Even though most people would acknowledge that time is finite, I think the majority of them don’t really understand its value. In his book What to Do Between Birth and Death: The Art of Growing Up, Charles Spezzano writes, “You don’t really pay for things with money, you pay for them with time. In five years, I’ll have put enough away to buy that vacation house we want. Then I’ll slow down. That means the house will cost you five years—one-twelfth of your adult life. Translate the dollar value of the house, car, or anything else into time, and then see if it’s still worth it.”

(John C. Maxwell, Leadership Gold, pp. 114- - 115)

"So be careful how you live. Not as fools, but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.”
~ Ephesians 5: 15-16

Special Olympics 2009 Opening Ceremony

15 August 2009
Sandakan Sports Complex

Our church Boys’ Brigade 2nd Sandakan Company was requested to perform in the opening ceremony for the Special Olympics 2009 which was held in the stadium of Sandakan Sports Complex on 15 August 2009.

The ceremony started with the participating contingents marching past in the stadium, led by the Boys’ Brigade brass band. The National and State anthems were sang followed by the speeches of the Special Olympics organizing Chairman, Mr. Ku Fui Man and Guest of Honor, Mr . Alan Khoo.

After the visit to the contingent by the Guest of Honor, accompanied by the organizing chairman, the brass band presented a ‘Formation’ performance. It is a great opportunity to let the BB members gain experience by performing in this event.

Areas Of Ministries And Their Purposes


Pix: Lifeguard




Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Welcome everyone to God’s house. It is indeed a pleasure that we can worship God together this morning. May God’s word enrich and bring transformation to our lives.

2. CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
The church council meeting for the month of September will be held on 9th September , 7:30pm at Wisma Charis conference room. All the current church council members and the newly elected church council members are required to attend.

3. ELECTION OF NEW OFFICE BEARERS FOR 2010-2011 ENGLISH CHURCH COUNCIL
The election of new office bearers for 2010-2011 BCCM Sandakan English Church council will be held on 7th September 2009, 7:45pm at Wisma Charis conference room. All the newly elected English Church Council members for 2010-2011 and all those who are currently serving in the English Ministry are required to be present.

4. SANDAKAN PARISH COUNCIL MEETING AND ELECTION OF NEW OFFICE BEARERS
The Sandakan Parish Council meeting and the election of new office bearers will be held on 8th September 2009, 7:45pm BCCM Sing Kang.

5. PARISH WELFARE BLOOD DONATION CAMPAIGN
Date : 6th September 2009 (Today) Time : 9:30am - 2:00pm
Venue : Wisma Basel
Brothers and sisters are urged to participate in this blood donation campaign. For donors below 17 years old, parents’ permission is required.

6. REV. WONG’S ITINERARY
Rev. James Wong will be away on leave on 11 - 13 September 2009. He will preach at the 10th anniversary thanksgiving worship service of Shalom Community Church on 13 September 2009 in Tawau.

7. CHURCH FAMILY FELLOWSHIP DISCOVERY CAMP
Our church Family Fellowship Discovery Camp will be held at Sepilok Jungle Resort from 20-22 September 2009. The registration deadline has been extended to 13 September. We encourage brothers and sisters to join this camp. Please register as soon as possible with sister Annie Yeo (013-8962298) or church office (089-215615). See the poster in front of the church for more details.

8. MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
On 26th September, 7:00pm at Wisma Basel, the BCCM Sandakan Chinese congregation will be organizing a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering. There will be a potluck dinner. Each family is to bring 1 dish. At the same time, there will be a Tang Lung (Chinese lantern) competition. There are two categories of competition namely the individual category and group category. The entrance fee is RM5 for each Tang Lung. The deadline for the competition is 13th September. Please register with brother Chong Kat Vui (013-8851018) or sister Yong Yen Phin (272119). An estimated amount around RM1,500.00 is needed to organize this event. We need freewill offerings and sponsors. Please contact Preacher Yoa for further details.

9. FUND RAISING CONCERT FOR SABAH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY’S MULTI-PURPOSE EDUCATION CENTRE
A fund raising concert ,“Church Music In Perspective”, organized by the Association For Members Of Chinese Church Music Sabah will be held on 17th October 2009, 7:30pm at BCCM Sandakan. Our English and Chinese congregation combined choir, BCCM Sing Kang choir, BCCM Tawau choir and BCCM Sandakan (BM) tambourine group will be involved in this concert. Tickets, priced at RM1,000.00, RM500.00, RM100,00 RM50.00 and RM20.00 are on sale. You can buy the tickets from our choir members, Preacher Lo, Preacher Yoa or the counter in front of the church. Please refer to the poster in front of the church for further information.

10. CATECHISM CLASS
Catechism class for Confirmation and Adult Baptism will commence in September 2009. Closing date for registration is 6th September 2009. Please obtain the registration form from the “Enquiries” desk and return the completed form to Preacher Timothy Lo. Dates for the catechism class will be fixed later.

11. CHURCH FELLOWSHIPS BIBLE QUIZ
Books : Old Testament — Nehemiah
New Testament - James
Date : 24th October 2009 (Saturday) Time : 7:30pm
Venue : Wisma Basel
Brothers and sisters are encouraged to read the two books and be prepared to participate in the Bible Quiz.

12. MV DOULOS NEWS
Mv Doulos is currently at KK port, and will be there until 20th September 2009. Brothers and sisters who are in KK during the period are encouraged to visit Doulos. The bookshop opening hours are as follow:
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am — 10:00pm
Sunday - Monday 2:00pm — 10:00pm

Church Activities For This Week