Church News (Page 105)

By Not Known Leonard Sweet related this story from the Gulf War (1990-91) of three British soldiers stumbling in the desert. Separated from their troops in the fighting, they were lost, hungry, and searching for help when they bumped into a four-star US general. Excitedly they blurted out, "Do you know where we are?" The general stiffened. Upset at their lack of…

By Not Known It was once simple to be a dad. You went to work from 9am to 5pm and then came home. There you found a stay-at-home wife who kept the household running smoothly, looked after the children and was waiting for you with a loving kiss and a delicious meal. It’s different now. For one thing, the workplace has extended way beyond 9 to 5 into a 10-12 hour…

By Not Known How do we come to know God? The Old Testament figure of Samuel gives us a glimpse of this issue in a particular setting. Like many of us, and our children, Samuel grew up knowing about God and surrounded by religious life. In his case, he literally grew up in God’s sanctuary, from the time he was weaned (1 Sam 1:24). While there he continued to grow in…

By Not Known Christian mission takes a wide variety of forms today. Just think about these present examples from within ORPC: Paul Johnson using his computer skills in the full-time, life-long work of supporting Bible translation. A member using some of her present school holidays to serve in a Christian orphanage in inland China. Another member doing a weekly volunteer…

By Not Known What is the hardest mission field? A missionary in tropical Vanuatu reports having electricity for only a few hours a day, water running low and there being no money for the basic supplies. A missionary in China tells of Christian workers been arrested and disappearing, without information or judicial review. Missionaries in other countries speak of how…

By Not Known There are people who perform lowly deeds around our hawker centres. They remove and wash dishes, disposed of garbage and wipe tables. They are rarely noticed or thanked and are almost never in the limelight. In New Testament times, these people would be called ‘deacons‘ or ‘servants‘. What is a servant? A servant is someone who is at…

By Not Known A recent article declared that the virtual church is the way of the future. This ‘church‘ has no building and does not meet together. Instead, it is a cyber- community where members log on from home to download a service of their choice and then make their offering by electronic fund transfer. Does this sound bizarre? Virtual churches do have some…

By Not Known Recent years have seen what many call the ‘Worship Wars‘. Churches have been divided over issues related to worship styles, especially with regard to music (lyrics and instrumentation), prayer styles, degrees of informality and such like. New churches have been formed in which the defining feature, power of attraction, is just in worship style.…