"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