HIM FAMILY NEWS
Hope Auckland, New Zealand Christmas
Christmas in 2009 was a fruitful one here in Hope Auckland. Leading up to our Christmas Service on the 20th of December, we went out to spread Christmas cheer in the community. Church members from across the life groups, including children, gathered and sang the carols they had practiced very hard the many Sundays leading up to it.
We sang at a rehabilitation centre and two elderly homes over the evenings of the 17th and 18th. We were even able to present gifts to a home thanks to the generous donations of Hope Aucklanders.
The 20th of December was our Christmas Service, themed “From: Him, To: You.” It featured a musical trio and a hip hop dance/acting performance as well as an outdoor photo booth, Kodak Korner.
The next day, we took to an ice-skating rink for our “Christmas Party on Ice” in an effort to raise money for the charity Childfund. With a huge turnout of both church members and visitors, we were able to raise a grand total of $1500. Overall, it was an exciting season for the church, with talents and abilities being pulled together to produce a wonderful time for all!
Pastor Bernard & Angela Soh
Hope Auckland, New Zealand
Hope Perth: Christmas in Katanning 
The Christmas celebration service in Katanning was a time to showcase and testify God’s goodness and blessings in our mission effort in Katanning.
On the 19th of December, 2009, with the help of our brothers and sisters in Katanning, we had a wonderful Christmas celebration.
There were 13 members from Perth who went to Katanning on a mission trip. 43 adults and 14 ethnic Chinese children from Katanning, which represents half the ethnic Chinese residents in Katanning, had a great time of fellowship at this event.
After three years of mission effort in Katanning, building up believers from the ground up, our life group in Katanning, which consists of 13 regular members, was now able to organise and co-ordinate a major celebration as a church. For the Christmas event, they invited their friends, prepared great food for lunch and held two special performances.
After sharing the message, Ps Stephen made an altar call. We had three visitors make the decision to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. Praise the Lord!
We are looking forward to a great year in Katanning as Hope Perth increases our mission effort to Katanning, a town 350km away from Perth, yet very close to our heart.
Pastor Stephen & Hannah
Hope Perth & Hope Katanning
Hope Melbourne Church Anniversary 
The theme for our Bible Conference this year was “SHINE: A Glorious Church”. It was held from Friday evening, September 11 to Sunday afternoon, September 13, 2009. This year, we also had the privilege of Ps Brendan Kirby from Hope Adelaide being our guest speaker alongside Hope Melbourne’s Ps Ian Foley and Ps Mark Rusic. In the opening session, Ps Brendan inspired us to believe that God’s people are expected to shine and this only can be done through Jesus’ life in us.
“….Glorious church has nothing to do with us, but it’s to do with embracing the King of glory (Jesus) into our lives more and more and walking with Jesus more and more, allowing His life to be lived in us and through us….”
On Saturday, we had fun with the games “Word Power” and “Trivia” which was held in between the teaching sessions. Selected individuals from across the four centres in Hope Melbourne (Darebin, Frankston, City and Waverley) were mixed to form two teams for both games. In “Word Power”, they were required to state verses word for word, fill in the blanks for chosen verses and were tested by applying the correct verses to selected case studies. Both teams performed very well and inspire the crowd (at least the judge anyway!) to memorise verses too. For the trivia competition, the team called “Brainiac”, a name destined for victory, won against “Fire Starter”.
For the Sunday service, it was also the time for Hope Melbourne to celebrate her 19th anniversary. From Revelation 19:5-8, Ps Ian exhorted all centres to seek to shine the glory of God. In closing, Ps Brendan challenged us to continually shine in the end times. God is restoring His church together with His people and we simply need to have faith in Him to claim what is already ours in Jesus name.
Hope Brisbane Church Anniversary
Our 16th anniversary was truly a reminder to me of God’s wonderful grace that has brought us thus far as a church. God has been good to us in so many ways. It was wonderful to see 586 people gathered to celebrate our church anniversary. Let us continue looking to God for abundant blessings and do pray for the leadership team that we may continue to grow in wisdom to lead the church forward in God’s purposes. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had worked hard to make this a memorable anniversary.
As I enjoyed the various performances, I reflected on the fact that we have so many talented people in our midst. Surely, a significant proportion of the gifted people in our midst are not visible in that fashion. Your giftedness in our midst are so multi-faceted and I would encourage each one of you to invest your talents for God’s Kingdom. What you have may not seem like much now, but never under-estimate what God can do with the little that you offer to Him. Every one of you matter to God and to us.
As I pondered over my last 12 months, one key area that God had challenged in was to be willing to step up in faith. I have found that when God opens a door, I need to be ready to respond in the affirmative. It is not always suitable to my timetable nor to my convenience. But it is surely perfect in God’s timing. For each one of us God has a unique journey of faith. And when God opens a God-made door and invites you through, that is not the time to shrink back but instead to step up in faith. It is when we take such steps that we begin to encounter more of God.
It is also important that as a church, that we truly be a faith community. A community that exercises faith in God and that our faith is evident, not only in an inward trust in Christ, but also in an active demonstration of the power and authority of our God. It is when we step forth to grasp divine opportunities to expand His Kingdom, when we step forth to see signs, wonders and miracles, when we step forth to see lives transformed that our faith is demonstrated in tangible and impacting ways.
May you take those steps of faith forward and make a difference.
Dr Wilson Lim
Hope Church, Brisbane
Orphanage Ministry - Uganda, Africa
Vision for Uganda orphanage
On the afternoon of Saturday 19th September 2009, I arrived in Uganda, a nation devastated by decades of war and by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Two years ago, I had only hoped that I could somehow contribute to the pressing needs on the other side of my world.
I first heard about the great work Watoto Child Care Ministries was doing in Uganda while I was at a womens' conference.
I was inspired as I heard the stories of orphans who each had been placed into a new home, with 7 other parentless children, and a widow to look after them; and how these families, within a wider village community, were raising children into strong, God-loving adults. These children, most of whom had lost their parents to AIDS, now have hope again and believe in a brighter future. So I started raising funds. I thought I would help by contributing towards the cost of building a house. Little did I know that God had plans for me to join with a team to go to Uganda and actually build the house.
Teaming up with Glebe Rd Uniting Church
The team was a beautiful collage of personalities. From my church, there was myself, Melissa Toh, Kevin Choo and Mei Goh. The majority of the team were from Glebe Rd Uniting church in Ipswich, and a few of their friends.
All up, there were sixteen of us. We had been meeting up and praying together for months leading up to the trip, so we arrived in Uganda with ample anticipation. We were committed to building a house, but not just a house - a home. A place where precious lives would be restored.
Bulrushes, Watoto's Baby Centre
The day after we arrived, we visited Bulrushes, Watoto's baby centre, where orphaned or abandonned babies are rescued and nurtured. Babies scurried towards us from all directions, crawling into our laps and reaching out for cuddles. We all melted like butter! To think that many of these precious ones would have died had it not been for Watoto.
Many were brought to Bulrushes premature, malnourished or in terrible condition, but are now happy, healthy, bouncing babies!
Building a house in Suubi Two
The next day, we started to build in a new village called Suubi Two. We loaded and unloaded bricks and formed a long chain so that we could move bricks from A to B.
Each brick weighed 7.5kg so we got a great work out. With Ugandan builders assisting us, we all got the hang of bricklaying fairly quickly, and by the end of Day One, we had built eight rows of bricks. That evening, we all groaned in agony from sore muscles and aching backs, arms, and legs, but after some Tiger Balm and a good night's sleep, we were back on site early the next morning, eager to keep at it. We were determined to finish buillding the house! After a total of three and a half days of vigorous brick-laying, enduring scorching heat, braving shaky scaffolding, getting mortar and mud in our shoes, clothes and hair, we finally completed the house!
Together with the builders, we had a dedication ceremony to dedicate the house to the children of Uganda, and prayed a prayer of blessing over the house and over the lives of those who would call this dwelling their home.
We had worked hard, but it was a labour of love. While we were building, God was also building faith in us. We had an opportunity to visit and pray for one of the children in the village bed-ridden with malaria, and by the next day, he was out of bed, joyfully drawing with the colour pencils we gave him. On the final day of building, we also had the honour of seeing one of the Ugandan builders give his heart to Christ. We cherished every moment in our hearts, and felt so privileged to be a part of God's great work.
Fellowship with the locals
The highlight of the whole trip was when we went to one of the established Watoto villages where we had lunch with the families.
The family that I visited had eight girls and a Watoto mum, who greeted us at the door with big smiles and warm hugs. We were then spoilt with the best Ugandan home-cooked meal ever. As we ate, the girls happily shared about their favourite subjects at school and what they wanted to study in university. There was so much hope in their eyes. As they were excitedly showing us their rooms (4 girls to a room), we were saddened to hear the story of how only a year ago, they lost their previous Watoto mum to AIDS.
I couldn't even try to comprehend how it would feel to lose your parents and then to lose your adopted mum, to go through so much grief as a child. Yet these girls had a strength of faith about them that was remarkable. Before we left, they blessed us with a delightful dance and a couple of beautiful songs. We were so touched by their love and found it so hard to say goodbye. We already knew that coming to Uganda to build a house was going to make a difference, but after spending time with one of the families, we were absolutely convinced that what we have built will make a difference in childrens' lives, and a lasting impact in the nation of Uganda.
James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Compassion for the orphans and widows
As long as there are orphans and widows in need in our world, there will always be work for the church. We left Uganda with a strong sense that our work had only just begun, and that the building will continue when we landed back on home soil. So I am setting my sights on another house, another eight precious orphans rescued by 2012. Some team members have determined in their hearts to return to Uganda in the near future to serve as volunteers. All of us will continue to champion this cause.
We set out to build a home and change lives, and in the process, God built His compassion deep in our hearts and changed our lives forever.
Uganda Africa Mission Photo Website
Tina Wong
Hope Church, Brisbane
- Write to Tina Wong for more information about "Orphanage ministry in Uganda, Africa: tinie_wong@hotmail.com
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