29th Anniversary Celebration and “Fami-nival” 2021

August 8, 2021

Happy 29^th Anniversary to Hope of God Church Hong Kong !

The theme of this year’s celebration is “I Listen”. Pastor Gavin shared about the Bible verse John 10:27 before the Service began. He reminded us to position our spirit and heart with expectation, and also position our physical and mental conditions with expectation so that we can hear from God.

To start the Service, there was an opening video illustrating the theme “I Listen”. There are different voices in the world that can lead us away from God’s plan. However, with listening ears and an open heart, we can hear God’s voice and come back to Him. Then brother Jack started the celebration with a prayer and passed the time to sister Rosa, who led us to dwell in a joyful praise and worship.

After the praise and worship, we partook the holy communion in a special way. Brother Jack told us to put the communion cup into a little glass, which was the souvenir our church had prepared for us. After Pastor Gavin gave thank for the holy communion, we walked around toasting with brothers and sisters, celebrating the wonderful work of Jesus upon our lives. Then we partook the communion together in one heart.

After that, sisters Gloria and Carrie from Joyful Group testified God’s goodness in a video. Two years ago, sister Carrie’s mother suffered from a stroke and was sent to hospital. She read Psalms 23 and 91 to her and prayed for her every day. She also took the chance to invite her dad to accept Jesus at that time. She thanked brothers and sisters for sending her Scriptures of healing and victory. Praise God that her mom is fully recovered now. Sister Carrie believes that God holds us in every step and hopes to continue to serve God and wait upon Him. Sister Gloria testified that she also shared the Gospel with her dad when he was in hospital. She realized that God always reminds us to do the right things at the right time. She also said the Prayer Full Life Circle has offered a great chance for her to pray with other brothers and sisters and support one another.

Then it came the special presentation. It started with a video showing some short clips in which different care groups sang the song “We Are One”. Following the video, a group of Filipino sisters performed a wonderful dance on stage.

Pastor Gavin preached on the Scripture John 10:27. The title of the sermon is “I Listen”. Jesus is the good shepherd. He protects, provides and has a personal relationship with us. But how can we listen to God? First of all, we should have ears that listen. However, our minds may be preoccupied with lots of things that distract us from hearing from God. Thank God that the Holy Spirit can give us understanding and enlightenment to know about God’s will. Therefore, we can always pray in the Spirit. Faith of Jesus Christ can also help listen to God’s Word. Second, we should have feet that follow. God knows us better than we do. Therefore, we can be confident that we walk in the right path as we follow Him.

After the preaching and altar call, the “Recap 2020-2021” video was shown. It captured the joyful and touching moments of our church in the past year. Thank God for all His leading and guidance.

Then membership awards were presented to members who have joined the Hope Family for 7, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. Praise God for this great family !

“Fami-nival”

In the afternoon, after having lunch, we got back to church for the “Fami-nival”. To celebrate our church anniversary, brothers and sisters from different groups set up some game stalls together. It was such a great fun for members and friends to come and play together. There was also a backdrop with colourful balloons for people to take pictures. The venue was filled with laughter and the smell of marshmallow.

Another highlight of the event was the Dress Code Competition. The catwalk session was such a joyful time. The winners of Individual, CareGroup and Group Awards were sister Tata, brother Fei and sister LaLa, and Kindness Group respectively.

Thank God that we all enjoyed the event very much and are thankful for this family of God.