CG beach outing

CG Beach Outing

Hi Effervescence,

You guys did a great job planning and executing the beach event we had on Saturday. I'm very proud of all of you. A big thank you for those who prayed, for those who invited their friends, for those who made an effort to talk to the guests, for those who planned... and for everyone who came.

I was really worried at first because of the rain. But praise God! The rain stopped just as quickly as it started and our event still went on. A few of our guests actually said they had fun and that they would join us for other events in the future. Even though during this event, we didn't get much of a chance to share about the God whom we believe in and love, I believe that we've already accomplished the first step in introducing them to our CG. Do continue to pray for them and invite them for yalpha and other events!

This is one event that's really made me see that our CG can be outward looking. We can be unselfish. We can be loving. I don't know about you guys, but now I'm even more excited to see what else we can be doing for the people around us. Our friends, neighbours and even our community. My prayer is that our CG is one that God can actively use to touch the lives of others.

Well done, Effervescence. Your leaders are really encouraged.

Love,
Germs





P.S. Can I say again how touching the cake surprise was (:

How pastors get rich

How pastors get rich

http://www.cultwatch.com/HowPastorsGetRich.html

I came across an interesting article recently entitled "how pastors get rich". I read it and thought it was rather true. The article talks about several methods that SOME pastors use to feed off their congregation and get rich... And the worse thing is that these can be done so subtly that it seems totally ok!

One example was how Pastors earn money from the selling of books, tapes, DVDs, and conferences, and t-shirts. Then they use this fake success to tell Christians that when they pour money into the church, God will pour riches into their lives. This is the prosperity gospel - That Christians are supposed to be living a blessed life in terms of health, wealth and more. They use this to get Christians to donate and buy whatever they tell them to.

Btw, about the prosperity gospel... I'm not sure if any of you buy into it... I for one believe that Jesus, as well as his disciples really SUFFERED for the gospel. We, as his followers are expected to do the same. I don't agree that all Christians should be living a charmed life full of luxuries. I find it hard to accept pastors living extravagantly.

One other point they made is how some pastors own businesses and get their congregation to patronize their business.

Not many pastors are like that, so let's not stereotype. It is good, however, for us to be careful. When we give money to God, it should be out of a grateful and cheerful heart ... not under pressure or compulsion. God has blessed us with so much and in response, we want to give back for that money to be used for his kingdom and glory. We also have to be careful that we are giving money to the right people and places.

I've posted the link on top for those who would like to read up more about it. It's quite a long article, so you can just skim through and read the parts you find more relevant.

In his love,
Germs

Sat Beach event

Hi all,

There's been some changes to this sat's event. We were not able to book a BBQ pit so we will be bringing and ordering food instead! Continue to pray and invite your friends!

Germaine

Hi everyone,

This coming Sat is our CG BBQ picnic thing! The purpose of this is really not to just have fun, but to bring our friends and invite them to join Yalpha afterwards. Please start asking your friends and confirming with me the number of people who are coming so we can prepare the right number of food.

I'm really excited as this is a very good chance for our friends and non-believers to come and get to know how Christians are like. I hope everyone takes this seriously. Start praying for the event. And on the day itself, we will have have to be "facilitators", making an effort to mix with the newcomers and ensuring that no one is left out.

We will be meeting at 1.30pm at Woodlands MRT. Each one should contribute $10 for the event but for the friends, it's free! You can msg me if you have any questions. Look forward to seeing you and your friends there. :)

Hey guys!

so youth EE just ended yesterday and i just want to encourage you guys to go for the next one which may be either this year end or next year june.

when i first heard bout youth EE from my brother last year, it was when he was practicing how to share the gospel with me. and it made me interested to learning how to share as well. so before attending youth EE, i was really excited but yet nervous to share the gospel with others. But after the 4 days of EE, i realise that it was not as frightening as i thought it would be. and through all of the experiences i gained from street E ( sharing on the streets) i could really see how God can work in many wonderous ways. we reached out and shared the gospel with 31 youths, which 5 came to know and accepted christ! (clap clap!) This whole EE training has made me want to reach out to the lost even more now cus i know how to share the gospel properly now.

it was also really tiring during the 4 days of youth EE as before that we had like alpha training, but it was super enjoyable! and i realise how much better use of my time equipping myself rather than just slacking and lazing around at home.

so come for the next one cause its going to be awesome(: you'll learn so much in 4 days! although street E may seem scary but when you're able to share the gospel with with others, it such a great thing! i'll not explain to much about EE cause i want you guys to experience it for yourselves(:

so enjoy your holidays guys(:

peace out!

zenas

Next sat

Hey all,

I had fun at open Sunday this week. Next week, CG will be at my place again. Marcus will be the 1st the lead the 10-min Bible Study. (3 Cheers to Marcus!) Ian will be leading us in a time of worship. I'm excited to see more and more of you take leadership roles in CG!

Let's meet at 2.15pm at Admiralty. Please do not be late! Keep your evening free because after Bible Study, we'll pack dinner and go... KITE FLYING. No, excuse me... kite flying is NOT lame... It happens to be extremely popular at the moment. We'll go to the hill near admiralty. In the evenings, there are tons of people flying kites there with their families and friends. I went to have a look and the place was beautiful with all the kites in the sky and the sunset behind them.

Those who have kites, please bring. Or we can buy some and share. They're not too expensive. Maybe $5 per kite. Oh wait. How about making making a kite with a huge CROSS on it? Lol. Ok. Thinking too much.

See you all on sat.

In his love,
Germs

Mini Bible Studies Series

Mini Bible Studies Series

Hi everyone, from this month forth, we will get one of you to conduct a 10-minute Bible Study session during CG. We actually tried this for a while but discontinued when everyone got busy. I have already assigned the topics to the following people:

June
12 June: Marcus - Hebrews 5:11 - 6:3
19 June: David - 1 Corinthians 2:10-16
26 June: Zenas - Mark 12:28-31

July
10 July: Jun Chuan - Luke 10:38-42
17 July: Ryan - John 16:5-16
24 July: Brandon - Romans 8:5-14

August
07 August: Celestine - Romans 13:1-7
14 August: Grace - Ephesians 4:11-16
21 August: Ian - Philippians 2:3-11

September
11 September: Patrizha - 2 Timothy 2:14-19
18 September: Amanda - Matthew 24:36-44

Please make sure you're able to come on the week that you're due for leading. Check in advance and if you really can't make it, find someone who's able to switch schedules and let me know so I can change the date.

I want to encourage everyone to take this seriously. Don't do this last minute. Take the time out to pray and study God's word. Most importantly, don't try to teach in your own strength! The point is not to show off what you know! Rather, ask that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the truth about his word. Pray for understanding.

If you would like help in preparing for the study, you can approach Wei Sheng or me. Enjoy!

In his love,
Germs