2022.10.15/16

From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Thanksgiving was especially meaningful this year for me and I would like to share my joy with you all.

From the Church’s perspective, we had a thanksgiving theme plus a celebration of baptisms for a total of 19 new brothers and sisters (giving us a total of 29 in 2022). I had the joy and privilege of participating in all the baptisms in all the four Chinese services, to witness the tears of joy, the sparkling eyes of hope, and the smile of faith and assurance of the different candidates. When each person was asked by the different pastors whether he or she believes in his or her heart that Jesus Christ is his or her saviour, there was always a firm and joyful affirmative response: I do. Then when asked whether he or she will follow Christ closely based on the Word of God, again each answered in a clear loud voice: I do. One sister commented to me afterwards that her “I do” was spoken with even more conviction than when she did her wedding vow. She was also overwhelmed by the flood of gifts and well wishes that she received afterwards from family and friends, in her mind more filled with excitement than her own wedding.

There were many moving moments, to mention just a few here. In the Mandarin service, a mother and daughter who came to seek the truth not too long ago, both were joyfully baptized in the service. A sister in the Saturday Cantonese service who had delayed being baptized for years was baptized as witnessed by her husband and daughter, as well as many brothers and sisters who had encouraged her throughout the years. In AYAYA, there were so many touching testimonies, for example a husband was baptized in the presence of his wife and daughter after the family was restored in their relationships. Another sister whom Pastor Francis ran into at a superstore a few years ago also received baptism. In the Sunday Cantonese service, a fully pregnant mother wanted to be baptized with her husband because they wanted their child to born into a Christian home and they want to be good Christian parents. Another lady wanted to be baptized because she had realized her former faith was faulty, and she wants to be a true Christian. I can go on and on, but you can read them in the next issue of UNITY.

At the Sunday Cantonese service, Pastor Collins preached an evangelistic sermon based on the story of the healing of the 10 lepers: Ten were healed, only one was saved. The Spirit prompted me on Sunday at the end of the baptisms to make a calling for anyone to accept Christ after witnessing the baptisms. We were totally surprised when a person in the congregation immediately raised his hand and stood up to accept Christ, to the roaring claps of the whole congregation. Yes, the Spirit of the Lord was present and at work! Thanks be to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

For me personally, after experiencing the challenges of COVID and of the ministries in the last year, this service was a fitting conclusion to my ministries at RCAC, witnessing totally about 200 people baptized in the last decade, becoming children of God and part of the family of God. This is a testimony to the faithfulness of the God whom we serve and to His work in our midst. To God be the glory!

Your servant in Christ
Pastor Simon