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[主任牧師報告] [Senior Warden] [2008 Rector's Report] |
2009Annual Parish Meeting Rector’s Report by The Rev. Lily Chang |
You Will See Greater Things Than These—Listening and Responding
Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." (1Samuel 3:10) Jesus answered Nathanael, “You will see greater things than these.” (John 1:50)What is the meaning of annual parish meetings? At the beginning of each year, we gather before God to conduct this meeting. What indeed is the purpose of doing so? When the church office busies itself to produce the pamphlet that we have in our hands, have the two priests, the wardens, from both congregations write down the report for this year, even ask the chorus leader, the kindergarten, and the social work department to leave behind written documents to describe the various aspects and activities of 2008. I cannot help but ask, what is the meaning that the annual parish meeting has for you and I?
Could it simply be something that we do repeatedly according to our Parish Constitution? Or could it be that through it, God is reminding us of things? Or, could it be an opportunity for us to reflect on what our service before Him has been like? What type of meaning and reflection has the happenings of the past year had for our church? Someone has once said that not reflecting on past experiences brings about no learning. Without reflection, an experience remains an experience, unable to become of value and meaning in people’s lives. Therefore, today in our 2009 annual parish meeting, we gather together before God, not only to give Him thanksgiving for last year, but to look back and to think about how to respond to God.
This year is my fourth year being Rector of Good Shepherd. When I think of the theme and content that I am to share with you this year, I look to my annual meeting sermons two to three years back, and I see connecting and stable phenomena among us.
First, just as the theme I have shared with you in 2007, “We are a church who companions on the journey on the Faith,” it is indeed a characteristic of Good Shepherd. God has allowed our church to have a four-dimension ministry—the Chinese congregation, the English congregation, the kindergarten, and the social work services. When we walk together, with Jesus as our center, following Him, encouraging and supporting one another, and being of one mind, we can experience deeply the presence of God’s power and the miraculous deeds that He has performed among us, through which the Gospel can prosper. We only have to look at last year’s bazaar and Christmas caroling to the homes of the kindergarteners and the elderly.
Second, thanks be to God. Even though we are walking together in company, every ministry has its unique development. For the past few years, the Chinese congregation has introduced fellowship small groups. Last year, we broke through tradition and advanced the time of the combined service to 9:30, so that we could have better training and time for sharing once a month. For the past few years, the English congregation has conducted monthly morning Bible studies in people’s homes, evening Bible studies in restaurants, and lunch break Bible studies in offices. We walk together in company, but each group uses its own ways to build a community of faith because we know that the Word of God is at the center of our church community. When we draw close to God, He draws close to us.” (James 4:8) And He is the source from which we draw our strength in order to accomplish the ministries that He gave us.
“Do your best to spread the Gospel.” Colossians 1:28 says, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” The kindergarten and the social work services are our outreach ministries. They not only serve the community, but also act as a weapon and a medium to spread the Gospel. We give thanks to God that during the 2008 celebration of the 40th year anniversary of the kindergarten, amidst the various activities designed for the alumni, we saw God’s faithfulness and his wonderful work among them, how the seed of the Gospel has sprouted and bore fruit in the children and their teachers.
Third, we are not a church that only looks inward to our own needs. Thanks be to God, Good Shepherd is a generous church. Throughout the years, we have taken 10% of the pledges to give long-term support to Bali Nursing Home, Bethesda Nursing Home in Hwalien, SOS Children’s Village of Taiwan, and the work of Tau-Shen Seminary. Last year, we began to support World Vision with the education of the native Taiwanese children and St. Stephen’s disadvantaged children’s ministry.
In actual practice, the English congregation has continuously kept better relationships with the foreign institutes in Taiwan and has provided service to St. Anne’s Home and Animals Taiwan. For the past two to three years, under Rev. Diane’s leadership, the English congregation began to care for St. James’ English congregation. In 2008, the Chinese congregation has cared for St. Stephen, a mission state that the diocese has newly set up, through visitations and donations. A special thanks to Rev. Enoch Lee, who goes there once a month to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. In May of 2008, the Chinese congregation hosted the northern churches choirs’ concert. Through this concert all of the participation shall the beauty and wide of the Anglican unity in diversity.
Fourth, our church finances. Thanks God that within this few years both English and Chinese congregations earnestly promoting stewardship offering, so we have being reaching the highest point in the history , thank for our stewardship at Good Shepherd. Although in the threat of financial tsunami, we still able to reached out 3 million in 2008, that because we have less staffs and the evangelist sent by diocese, that even up our budgeting. This is the first time we able to do that. I hope that in the next 1-2 years, we can become financially independence and self sufficient. This is a challenge, but I believe with help from God, all things are possible.
Fifthly, In early 2008 due to increase the cost of building materials, our three sub-groups: the Prayer Committee, Building Committee and Funding Committee members strive for reconstruction project. After many discussions over the year the vestry has made the difficult decision. That is “to postpone the Church reconstruction project”. But as I had mentioned in the 2006 Annual Parish Meeting:
“For such church reconstruction work as this, it is no simple task, but a holy and spiritual matter. When we pray, we must in faith seriously ask God to guide us in our mission and planning for the future. God can speak through prayer and through our team work. As we put him at our centre, he can raise a common consensus among us, then we can better understand what he wants to reveal to us.”
I believe that God’s hand has leading us to postpone the Church reconstruction project. Because in the early of 2008 it seems so good economical situation for the Global, no one able to notice the serious financial tsunami attack the whole world in the end of 2008. Here I would like to invite all of you to pray for our English congregation. With expected economical difficulty this coming year 2009, it maybe will affect the growing members of English congregation and the offering amount. Meanwhile we gratified ourselves with not lose job or not leave without pay at this financial crisis. I would like to challenge you, facing economy change and society problem, do we our church can raise any ideas or actions or strategies to help carry those suffering people through these unstable generations?
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus answered Nathanael, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." When we found that God can foresee us and he knows everything about us. Can we be as Nathanael totally convinced to Jesus and said "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" But God will not satisfy this answer. He challenges us and say to us, "You will see greater things than these."
When the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD under his teacher Eli, “In those days the word of the LORD was rare; visions were not widespread. ". Although the word of the LORD was rare, God still call his people. He called and called , until the boy Samuel understood this is the calling from the LORD.
My dear brothers and sisters, God has been calling us. Today we gather together in his presence, we give thanks to him for his bountiful grace and blessing. Before him we listen to his words and believe "we will see greater things than these." .As to be the disciple of Jesus, and be his followers, we need to open ourselves to him, let we open our spiritual eyes and ears to accept his challenge, and say "You will see greater things than these." with our action and prayer to answer God’s invitation at year 2009.