The primary focus of the church, what is it? In the hearts of every brother and sister, the order of priority varies: Some value fellowship and desire intimate companionship, sharing their hearts and supporting one another in the spirit. Some believe that spiritual growth is crucial, understanding more biblical truths and living them out. Others actively participate in serving, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling the mission. However, the foremost purpose of the church is to lead every believer to come before the Lord in worship, to serve Him, and to bear witness to what we believe.
Over the past two years, due to the influx of immigrants, the number of church members has continuously increased, and as a result, we have continuously opened new worship services so that we can accommodate willing believers and even non-believers to come and worship together, despite limited space. Unless our new friends choose not to come, there is no reason for the church not to consider how to meet these desires to worship together. Therefore, we have opened multiple worship gatherings at different times and locations, either to reach new gospel locations or to accommodate the overflow of people in certain congregations.
The primary scene for shepherding the church is, in fact, the worship gathering, where believers draw near to God through worship songs, expressing our reverence for Him, and listening to the preaching of His Word, which builds up our spiritual lives. Thus, doing worship well is the church’s foremost task, allowing us to offer the best to God and not waste the precious opportunity for the congregation to participate together. Therefore, starting from the second half of this year and for the 2023-2024 church year, the theme of our church will be “Living Worship Dedicated Ministry” In terms of pulpit messages, we will focus on preaching from the Psalms of praise. Besides continuing to organize worship teams and training worship servants, the church will also hold a quarterly praise and prayer meeting, hoping to enhance the congregation’s engagement in worship and prayer.
As the needs of the church continue to grow, there are fellowships, children’s Sunday school, and youth groups waiting for brothers and sisters to respond and participate according to their spiritual gifts. However, the purpose of serving is not merely to accomplish tasks but more importantly, to continually grow in our spiritual lives. Through co-laboring with other believers, we learn to complement and harmonize with one another. In the process of serving, we also learn to humbly rely on God and look to His guidance. I hope that in our congregation at MAC, whether you have joined us in the past year or two or have been here for many years, you can find your place of service. While God can raise anyone to work for Him, He is very willing to have us participate, as it is a privilege for us.
Rev Wai-chor Chiu