Pastor's Page"Typhoon Circumstances"
The hoisting of Typhoon Signal No. 8 at 7AM on September 26 led to cancelling our worship that Sunday. Six Sundays ago a typhoon produced a Signal No. 3 a few hours before worship. As a No. 3 gives flexibility, we proceeded with public worship although the No. 8 was hoisted at noon as we finished. We all dashed for home that day in a torrential downpour.
It's rare that our church is interrupted by circumstances beyond our control. Thank God because we are dependent upon our Sunday gatherings for the lifestream of our fellowship. On the recent typhoon Sunday the Prestons went just next door to worship in the living room of our neighbors, Rev. Emory Gaskins and his family and a few of his friends from the International Baptist Church whose service in Aberdeen had also been cancelled.
While our Community Church is strong in public worship, we are weak in back up and supplemental small groups. If we don't gather at the APEX on Sunday morning, most of us don't gather at all. That's not entirely the case: We have our ALPHA on Monday evenings and I believe that next gathering will be even more enthusiastic because the 50 or so persons there will have been denied their usual Sunday ingathering.
Odd and happier circumstances on Friday, September 23, propelled me into leading the sacrament of Communion at a gathering of Emmaus Walk pilgrims at my former church in Hong Kong. The featured speaker, the Rev. Maxie Dunham, who was to have officiated at the sacrament, was considerably delayed in a traffic jam in Wanchai so the lay leader, Elaine Pickering, asked me to step in for him. I was happy to do so and found myself offering communion to a wonderful gathering of former EMMAUS pilgrims. Later, Mr. Dunham arrived and gave us an inspired talk at dinner following.
It was just fortuitous circumstances that I attended the Emmaus Gathering because I learned of it only two days before and via an e-mail from Beijing! Many persons would have loved to have heard Maxie speak. I learned that a Billy Graham team recently did a one day consultation for Chinese churches just the week bedore and none of the English-language congregations were informed. Our ecumenical communications on the eve of the Millennium are poor.
I was privileged to have been one of the initiating pastors of Emmaus a few years ago in Hong Kong. One of its several great features is that it is strongly inter-faith and has always had fine Roman Catholic participation along with the Protestant sponsorship.
The next Emmaus events are the Men's Walk October 28 to Oct 3l and the Women's Walk Nov 4 to 7 at a retreat center in Chung Hum Kok.
Persons in Hong Kong with interest in the Emmaus opportunity may speak to me and Nancy. The Emmaus Walk is a unique blessing which every Christian should have once in their life. Pilgrims overseas are requested to pray for these upcoming walks.
As always, circumstances can give openings to God..
Pastor Gene Preston
The Rev. Gene R.Preston
14th Floor, Blk 36, Lower Baguio Villa Tel : 25516161 Fax: 25512114E-mail : gpreston@netvigator.com
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