Zion Bishan Bulletin 21 June 2020 Livestream

21 June 2020
10.30 am Livestream

Call to Worship

Meditative Hymn: Take Heart

Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3:1, 21-24, 31-33, 55-58 ESV

Message: But We Will Lament with Hope

Response Hymn: There is a Hope

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: Elder David Leong & Deacon Benson Chia
Worship Leader: Pastor Dev Menon
AV: James Kok
Pianist: Evangeline Chai

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

Looking Ahead

Friday, 26 June
8 pm Zoom Prayer Meeting (Registration required):
www.zionbishan.org.sg/friday-prayer-meeting

Sunday, 28 June
10.30 am English Livestreaming Service
"Be Still And Know That I am God" Psalm 46
Speaker: Pastor Alby Yip

Speaker: Elder David Leong & Deacon Benson Chia

But We Will Lament with Hope
Lamentations 3:1, 21-24, 31-33, 55-58

Suffering in this Present Reality

• Suffering: Collateral & Personal
• Cancer as suffering

2 Journeys

Sin, Wrath & Curse

Loss & Lament in Lamentations

Why do we lament?

• Learning to lament in community
• Expressing pain honestly before God
• Reminding of God’s steadfast love through prayerful lament
• Developing a collective sensitivity to suffering
• Framing pain & suffering as part of this present reality

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. Have you ever expressed grief or sorrow in your life? Is there a place for corporate lament within the church community?
2. Recall a time when you lost someone close to you. Were you able to honestly tell God how you have felt?
3. How may I/we better understand, come alongside to give the gift of presence to someone who is going through cancer or whose family member is having cancer?
4. Lamentations has been used as liturgy of grief in Jewish worship to mourn the destruction of their Temple. How may we use Lamentations during our own suffering to remind us the larger story of God’s faithfulness in our lives?

Our Church

Leadership – Pray for the pastoral team as they seek God’s leading as the church regains its momentum. Pray also for the pastors, elders, deacons, AG and ministry leaders as they seek to provide face-to-face pastoral care to members in need. Pray for safety and also for anointing as they minister to others.

ZB COVID-19 Survey #3 – Thank God for responses collected last week. Pray that the information collected will help with the direction and pastoral care of our church. With Phase II starting, pray that the new survey concerning Sunday Services (p. 7) will help our leaders make good and safe decisions when we are allowed to meet physically for worship.

Worship Services – With allowances to resume services in July with limited numbers, pray that as our church considers plans to gather safely, in a loving manner towards one another and to our neighbours. May the meeting of saints encourage each other’s hearts and build one another up in the name of our Lord Jesus.

Our People

Fathers – Pray for a blessing upon the fathers in our congregation this Father’s Day. May they love the Lord with all their heart, mind and strength and teach their children these instructions from our Lord (Deut 6:4-7). May they lead and provide well for their families financially, emotionally and spiritually as well.

Our World

Singapore – Entering into Phase II, with more businesses opening and relaxation of movement, comes with an increased risk of spreading COVID-19. Do pray for people to be more vigilant and sensible in their activities. Pray for our nation’s leaders as they have to meander through many unknowns whilst leading the country forward. Pray also for all the scientists who are working on a vaccine worldwide. In fact, there is a team in Singapore’s Duke-NUS who is going to human trials in August and hopes to develop a vaccine by this time next year.

Indonesia – God is opening doors for many to turn to Him in this pandemic.  A partner reports that a man and his family were able to find truth and peace through coming to Jesus.  Pray for the protection and growth of their faith. Pray that he may also be a channel for the gospel to his own people.

Nepal – Prakash, a 30 year-old staff of our ministry partner suffered a stroke two weeks ago. Lacking medical facilities in the west, he had to be driven 18 hours to East Nepal. Thank God for a successful 6-hour brain surgery on 14 June. He is responding well and is conscious. Please pray for healing and recovery. The neurosurgeon, a non-believer, waived his surgical fees. He received the Good News instead. Pray for his salvation.

1. Mr Quek Tze-Ming recorded a sermon for Grace SCCC English Congregation’s service this morning.
2. Deepest condolences to the family of Mr Tan Jee Ee, aged 90, who went Home to be with the Lord on 13 June 2020. He was the father of Diana Tan and grandfather to Seth, Kemp & Klein Aw.
3. Mr Henry Soh, aged 68, went Home to be with the Lord on 13 June 2020. We thank God for sustaining Henry through life’s many challenges he faced and he is now safe in the arms of Jesus.

No More Normal

Written by Ps Dev Menon

If you heard my sermon last week, I mentioned that I got angry with anyone who told me I must accept a ‘new normal’. However, after personally meditating on Psalm 90, I realized that this reaction was me not wanting to accept the loss of my old routines. I was grieving the loss of my lifestyle, and a big part of that was the form of church that we are all so used to…

As we begin to look forward post- circuit breaker and into phase 2, we must all accept that there is not going to be a ‘new normal’ either. Things will keep changing – and Covid-19 highlights the fact that change is the only constant in this world under God’s curse.

The government has permitted all religious organizations to carry out worship services of up to 50 persons per service, as well as classes and activities in smaller groups. Our leadership is taking some time to deliberate what this will mean for Zion Bishan and will inform the congregation in due course of our plans. Briefly, we hope to resume some form of worship services in the month of July.

However, this will mean that we will not go back to the familiar 8.30am and 10.30am English morning worship services. It is likely that we will have several services throughout Sunday - and perhaps on Saturday as well – and even then, that will not be able to accommodate our whole congregation every week. Livestream will still be the default, and each member may only be able to come for a physical service just once a month in July, together with your Cluster (via an e-booking system), to take Holy Communion together. In the month of August – this may change yet again depending on how the pandemic progresses or regresses, and so on and so forth…

This seems to be the end of stability and long-term plans for most events, activities, and religious routines for the rest of 2020, and perhaps well into 2021. We must be willing to adjust each time.

It will be a difficult and frustrating time for many – myself included. But in all this change, we must anchor ourselves firmly to our only Rock and Refuge, our only Safety and Security, our only Sanctuary - the Lord our God (Psalm 90:1-2). Otherwise all that will be left is complaint and despair.

In practical terms, please make sure you are part of an AG WhatsApp chat group or a Cluster ‘Non-AG’ WhatsApp group (which I have set up for each member who is not part of an AG). If you are not on any of these groups, please let me know (dev@zionbishan.org.sg) and I can add you to one. This will be the most reliable way to keep up to date of any news of what is happening in Zion Bishan – particularly in relation to the resumption of these smaller worship services.

Phase II Post-Circuit Breaker

The government has announced the transition into Phase 2. On 17 June, Mrs Grace Fu, Minister of MCCY, engaged with church leaders, where Ps Alby was present, on matters relating to church activities. The broad idea is to allow no more than 50 people in one gathering, whether it is in worship services or other activities. Session held an emergency meeting on 18 June and agreed to resume physical worship and Holy Communion in groups of no more than 50 worshippers. As there are many safety and logistical requirements that need to be put in place, we shall only hold physical worship services from July. In light of this, the previously announced plans for remote participation of Holy Communion will be cancelled. More details will be announced next week.

ZB Phase II Sunday Service Survey

We have been granted permission to resume worship services in person, subject to 50 persons cap. As we plan, we would greatly appreciate your inputs. Please take a moment to fill in this 1-minute survey: http://tiny.cc/ZBphase2survey

ZB Directory of Businesses

www.zionbishan.org.sg/directory-of-businesses
This is meant to help members who own businesses or are self-employed/ freelancers. By sharing this information, we encourage you to support one another by engaging these businesses, and thus tide through this time together.

Quarantine and Lockdown II:
What on Earth is God Doing?

ADC by Ps David Wong
8.00-9.15pm, Thursdays
The Gospels tell us of Jesus’ disciples behind locked doors. What can we learn about what God is doing, then and now?
This ADC is a further 3 sessions. It will be help on Thursdays 25 June, 2 July and 9 July. Sign up for the Zoom invite at https://forms.gle/sEseu44mFBojsEUV7

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! Register with vernon@zionbishan.org.sg

OMP Prayer Meeting
24 June, Wednesday, 8.00-9.00pm

Come and pray for our Overseas Ministry Partners (OMPs) from Philippines, the Student Ministry Outreach, and hear from Rebecca Lee (Cambodia).
Sign up for Zoom Link here:  www.zionbishan.org.sg/pray-omp