If you have not marked June 11 in your diary, would you please do so for you and your family? It will be our church’s 130th Anniversary Service in the afternoon of June 11, followed by dinner.
God has given CPC a unique ministry to minister to a large number of people at different stages of faith.
For example, many overseas students came to know the Lord when they were at university. CPC was their spiritual home in the formative stage of their faith. Now they worship or serve in other countries or ministries, and a lot of them still call CPC their spiritual home. Their children come to our church if they are in Sydney to study. One of those overseas students is the speaker at our Anniversary Service, Dr Patrick Fung, the General Director of OMF International. He calls CPC his spiritual home.
Other examples are the children of our church families. They grew up in CPC and attended Sunday School and Youth Group. While some might move to suburban churches for different reasons as they grew up, yet they see CPC as their home church. One suggested that our church is like the Antioch church where people were sent out for the sake of the gospel. There are also Cornerstone Church and Grace Point Presbyterian Church, which branched out from us.
To celebrate God’s grace to CPC throughout all these years, the Session understands that thanksgiving should not limited to us who are currently at CPC, but for all who were touched and transformed by the Holy Spirit through CPC’s ministry. Therefore, we have hired a big venue at Chatswood for the Anniversary Service, with capacity for 1000 people. Guests and those who attended CPC in the past and even those from overseas are able to join us, to give thanks to God and to encourage one another in the journey of sharing of the gospel and disciple making.
Please save the date of June 11, invite ex-CPC brothers and sisters to join our anniversary celebration, enter the souvenir design competition, and mostly importantly pray for the preparation and the work of the Holy Spirit to guide and prepare our hearts.
如你還沒有將6月11日這大日子寫在你和你一家的日程上，請趕快寫上。因這天是教會的130 週年堂慶，崇拜在下午舉行，然後設有晚宴。
神給 CPC 一個很獨特的使命去服侍在不同信仰階段上的很多人。
舉例來說，很多海外留學生是在大學時認識主。長老會是他們在信仰起步時屬靈的家。現在他們在不同的國家敬拜或在不同的事奉上侍奉。但他們仍視 CPC 為他們屬靈的家。當他們的孩子來悉尼留學時，孩子也參加 CPC。在這些的留學生中，其中一位是馮浩鎏醫生。他是今次週年堂慶的嘉賓講員，亦是海外基督使團的總幹事。他視長老會為他屬靈的家。
另一例子是教會很多家庭當中的孩子。孩子們在主日學及少年團契中成長。有些因各種原因而轉去地區性的教會，但他們仍視 CPC 為母會。有人說 CPC 好像安提亞教會一般為福音的緣故而差遣會友出去。還有從我們中間分出去的房角石和天恩長老會教會。
為了感謝神這麼多年的恩典，長老議會明白感恩不局限於現在參加CPC的弟兄姊妹，而是包括以往藉長老會的事工而被聖靈感動及改變了的人們。所以我們已經租了一個在Chatswood可容納一千人的大會堂。除了嘉賓，以往參加長老會的會友，亦可與我們一起同頌主恩，在分享福音和訓練門徒的旅程上互勉。
請大家留下6月11日，邀請以住CPC的會友參加週年慶祝，參加堂慶紀念品設計比賽，更重要是為籌備工作和聖靈作工祈禱，以致我們蒙帶領和我們的心被預備。
