Father’s Day 2024

Jun 16, 2024

Praise the Lord for the wonderful Father’s Day, which allows us to express our thankful hearts to our Heavenly Father and our fathers on Earth !

A well-decorated photo corner, featuring the theme of “Family Hand,” was set up next to the entrance of Hope Oasis. Brothers and sisters, along with their family members, gathered and took photos to commemorate this joyful moment.

At 11:00 am, Pastor Gavin, with interpretation by sister Julia, led the congregation in a prayer to start the day. In the “Refreshing Moment,” Pastor Gavin addressed a common phenomenon that earthly fathers often express their love through actions rather than words, leading children to sometimes overlook their love and contributions, as if people fail to recognize the love from our Heavenly Father without knowing Him. By sharing the Bible verses 1 John 3:1, Pastor Gavin reminded us that God’s everlasting love has bestowed upon us as we are called the sons of God.

Sister Gloria led the congregation to dwell in powerful praise and worship, and we took the communion in one spirit.

Then brother Billy, a father of 3 sons, shared a wonderful testimony of God’s blessing upon his entire family. Since the birth of his eldest son, Hinzley, brother Billy’s mother had been bringing his son to Peace Group (Thai) service. His son then accepted Christ and invited brother Billy to join a Sunday service, leading to his acceptance of Christ as well. By following God’s guidance step by step, he began attending Sunday service and care group, dedicating himself to serving God through shepherding and ministry involvement. As he drew closer to God, he learned to rely on Him, be disciplined, and walk together with brothers and sisters. Despite the challenges of being the breadwinner for a family with 3 kids, with the support of his wife, he was grateful to find strength and provision in God.His eldest son came on stage, and expressed appreciation for his earthly father’s love and guidance, and they both thanked God as their whole family continued to follow Jesus. By proclaiming Joshua 24:15, they affirmed the commitment of the entire family to serve God.

Following that, the second part of the skit from last Mother’s Day was presented. The father, in an attempt to bring financial freedom to the family, resorted to gambling but ended up losing all the savings. Facing the potential breakdown of this family, the father was comforted by his wife, who shared the love of our Heavenly Father and manifested His gracious forgiveness of our sins.

All fathers who participated in the service were then invited to come on stage for group photos, and gifts were presented to them. Pastor Gavin led a prayer to bless the fathers and their families, encouraging them to rely on our Heavenly Father, regardless of the difficulties and challenges of caring for their families.

Afterward, Pastor Arlene delivered a sermon on Psalm 103:13, highlighting the similarity between God’s compassion for His worshippers and fathers’ compassion for his children. She shared real-life examples from the fathers of brothers and sisters, including Gloria, Mr. Lai, Janelle, Lala, Penny, Jay, and Fei, to illustrate how fathers’ guidance can have a lifelong influence on their children. They learned important qualities from their fathers, such as persistence, honesty, trustworthiness, a caring heart, resilience, integrity, and the heart of developing others respectively. Sister Edith also found comfort in God through her father’s miraculous recovery after an electroshock accident, which manifested God’s protection. Finally, Pastor Arlene encouraged us to pro-actively receive God’s strength, power, and glory by referencing 1 Chronicles 29:11-12. The service concluded with light refreshments.

Thank you Jesus for revealing the deep love of our Heavenly Father ! Let us continue to follow You and share the Gospel !