Zion Bishan Bulletin 07 June 2020 Livestream

7 June 2020
10.30 am Livestream

Call to Worship

Meditative Hymn: God Moves In a Mysterious Way

Scripture Reading: Psalm 77 ESV

Message: " Will God Spurn Forever?”

Response Hymn: Lord from Sorrows Deep I Call

Lament in place of Communion

Corporate Life & Prayer

Offering

Benediction

Announcements

We are pleased to welcome you to worship with us! If you are new to Zion Bishan, do drop us a note on our contact form and our hospitality team will get in touch with you in the coming week. Please use the same contact form if you want to find out more about our faith, or about our activities and programmes.
http://www.zionbishan.org.sg/about/contact-us/response-form/

Our Sunday services at a glance

Speaker: Mr Quek Tze-Ming
Worship Leader: Pastor Alby Yip
AV: Soh Kok Hong
Pianist: Lee Ping Lin

Songs for personal worship and reflection:
www.zionbishan.org.sg/songs-for-reflection

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, 10 June
9 pm Overseas Ministry Partners Prayer Meeting
www.zionbishan.org.sg/pray-omp

Friday, 12 June
8 pm Zoom Prayer Meeting (Registration required):
www.zionbishan.org.sg/friday-prayer-meeting

Sunday,14 June
10.30 am English Livestreaming Service
"Hope in Hardship" Psalm 90
Speaker: Pastor Dev Menon

Speaker: Mr Quek Tze-Ming

Will God Spurn Forever?
Psalm 77

Scary questions (vv. 1-9)

Distant memories (vv. 10-20)

Invisible steps (vv. 19-20)

Reflection Questions

1. In what areas of your life have you felt like the psalmist suffering in vv. 1-4?
2. Have you ever been in (or did you know someone who is in) such despair as to question God’s goodness or his care, such as in vv. 7-9? How did it affect your faith?
3. Does remembering God’s presence and work in your past encourage or discourage you? Why?

Our Church

Post-circuit breaker – The government has released a fresh set of directives for post-circuit breaker church gatherings. We are still not allowed to gather and will have to continue with live-streamed services at 10.30 am every Sunday. It is anticipated that this will last for a few more months. Let us pray for God's sustenance, especially for those who are facing life's challenges, that we may all hold fast to God and trust that "He has made everything beautiful in its time," (Ecc 3:11) including these times. Indeed, let us take these limitations as the crucible of faith and to allow God to do His good work in us.

Activities during phase 1 – Pray for the following activities that are being carried out on church premises:  

ZBK – Thank God for the resumption of the kindergarten. Pray for the staff and teachers as they manage students and parents with the necessary safety protocols in place.

S3P – Our guest stayers will be with us until the end of July. Pray for our volunteers who continue to check-in with them. Cordons have been set up to mitigate interaction between stayers and other users of the church. May such measures be seen as acts of love towards safety and neighbourliness.

Admin staff – Some of our admin staff will begin returning to work in the church office on a rotational basis. Pray for their safety as they travel and for their important work in supporting the ministries of our church.  

Livestreaming – Thank God for the provision of a team of 5 to be on site for Sunday services. Pray for both English and Chinese service livestreams to carry on smoothly.

Our People

Henry Soh – Thank God for his smooth transition into Dover Park Hospice.

Our World

Indonesia – We prayed last week for healing and recovery from Covid-19 infection for Pak Heru, our ministry contact in East Java. Thank God his condition has stabilized after experiencing a very critical stage.   

India – Pray for God's wisdom to guide and sustain our ministry partner in the relief work that is ongoing in Kolkata, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan. Pray too for the local authorities as they deal with damaged electricity supply, destroyed toilets, and the flooded sewerage system in the city.

Unrest in USA – Since the death of George Floyd on 25 May, who died while being restrained by a police officer in Minneapolis, violent protests have sparked off across the country. Pray for peace to return to the many affected cities. Pray for the hearts of people to be turned towards Jesus, the Prince of peace and for justice to prevail.

1. Pastor Dev preached at Herald BP Online Conference last week and is preaching at Shalom BP this morning.
2. Pastor David has accepted reappointment as Advisory Pastor of Zion Bishan. The one-year term will be from 1 June 2020 to 31 May 2021. Do keep him and Jenny in prayer for God's provision and especially health to run the race in this season of their lives.
3. Pastor Daniel is on sabbatical leave till end August 2020.

Freedom

Written by Ps Alby Yip

The headline “Singapore to exit circuit breaker on June 1” was splashed across all newspapers and media platforms when it was announced on May 19. Although it will be phased, the entire nation still heaved a collective sigh of relief. Almost instantly, social media platforms were flooded with people posting what they will do, some with vengeance, when free to do so.

It is understandable. Living things are created to be free. Hence, one of the greatest lessons afforded us in the period of lockdown is perhaps this: “Don’t take freedom for granted.” No one would have imagined that the COVID-19 virus would put continents, countries, businesses, and families on lockdown. This is what we want to be careful about as we exit circuit breaker.

Unbridled freedom will result in bondage. The COVID-19 virus is still very much a threat. A second wave could send the nation back into circuit breaker. All that was previously done, given and sacrificed would have been in vain. So what can we take away from COVID-19 as we slowly step out of it?

I mulled about this in our family devotions on the Lord Jesus calming the storm. The disciples saw more than the effects of the storm calming down at the Lord’s command. They saw the cause, the One who “commands even winds and water, and they obey him.” (Luke 8:22-25, emphasis added) Did you also see Him in our COVID-19 storm? I did.

In Zion Bishan alone, we see how God used the situation to build up and send out His people. More people were worshipping regularly, giving increased, prayer meeting attendance shot up, families having more time together, windows and doors of Gospel opportunities are opened. Many were drawn to dependence on God and were drawn deeper in their relationship with God.

In a sense, like the disciples, our eyes have beheld in fresh ways the sovereignty of God as we rode out the COVID-19 storm. Indeed, with Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm. But what will we do as we step out of this storm? To resume life back to pre-COVID times? Or would we contend to live with limitations on what we want, so that we may live for what He wants?

Let’s not just reclaim freedom; we can also redeem freedom. COVID-19 is too precious a lesson for us to forget not because of the freedom lost. It is a precious lesson because it showed us that we can be free even when on lockdown—that when we do with less, we gain more!

Rest Day for Pastoral Staff
(A Request from HR Committee)

We thank God for our team of dedicated pastoral staff who are readily accessible to members for pastoral care and counselling matters throughout the week. Most of our pastors have their off-day on Mondays except for one on Wednesday so that at least a pastor is available on Monday. The arrangement is to allow the pastors to have their proper rest and time with their own families during their day off. Please be mindful to allow our Pastors to rest on their off-day, except for very urgent matters.

Holy Communion

With the extension of the church worshipping via livestream services, we shall be resuming Holy Communion in July. To fulfil the criteria of the act of coming to the Lord's table being safe, biblical and in a worthy manner as exhorted in 1 Cor 11, the pastors will be conducting Holy Communion via Zoom according to the clusters. More details to be released.

Use of Prayer Garden
By booking appointment only

We are making the outdoor prayer garden (behind the fellowship hall) available for 1 family at a time (up to 5 members who live together), to come down and pray in 30min timeslots.

Bookings are mandatory using this link: www.zionbishan.org.sg/prayer-garden. You may request the on-duty pastor to come down and pray with you if you wish.

The Marriage Course (Preview)
13 June, Saturday, 4.00pm

The Marriage Course is a 7-Session Christian Course designed to equip couples in their marital journey.

The preview will run a sneak peek at one of the seven sessions via Zoom.
To register go to www.zionbishan.org.sg/tmc-preview

Christianity Explored
29 July, Wednesday, 7.45pm

A new round of CE will be run entirely on Zoom. Invite friends and family and attend CE together!

Be a CE table host!
Training begins 1 July, 7.45pm

Training will be conducted every Wednesday from 1 July to 22 July via Zoom. Contact Vernon for more information: vernon@zionbishan.org.sg

Children's Ministry
CD resumes from this Sunday via Zoom

Toddlers will meet once in 3 weeks.
Nursery to P5 meet on 2nd & 4th Sunday.
P6 will meet alternate weeks.

CM Team & CD leaders will disseminate more information via the Parents WhatsApp chats. Please ensure you are in your child's CD class WhatsApp group.

Contact june@zionbishan.org.sg or ruth@zionbishan.org.sg for any enquiries.

Do also join the Zion Bishan Children's Discipleship FB Group if you have a child in CD: www.facebook.com/groups/zbkids