For almost 120 years, we’ve been a community used by God to proclaim Christ to our city and to build one another up in faith. As articulated by our vision statement, “We are a community devoted to Jesus Christ, who share his gospel, calling on people to follow him, and seek the flourishing of Hong Kong.”
What has this looked like over the past year?
Firstly, there’s been our ministry of connecting. We’ve sought to connect people to Christ and connect people to community. Our church is well located. We get lots of people visiting us on Sundays. It’s always such a delight to meet newcomers and to hear their stories, whether they’re exploring faith or looking for a new church home. Over the past year, we’ve sought to improve the way we connect with people by building a new, more newcomer-friendly website. We’ve resumed monthly morning teas on Sundays, held regular newcomer lunches, updated our Partnership course, and held many events to help build that sense of community that we missed during COVID.
God's people are built up through God's word
Secondly, there’s the ministry of building people in Christ. God’s people are built up through God’s word. We aim to teach the Bible deeply at our Sunday services. We encourage our people to attend Growth Groups, where they can learn from the Bible, be supported in faith, receive practical care, and develop deep spiritual friendships. These groups are the backbone of our church. Supporting group leaders and multiplying groups is a significant ministry commitment. We also encourage our people to use their gifts through serving either in a church ministry, or with one of our church mission partners around the city. We believe that serving not only shares the love of Jesus with others but also builds faith and maturity in ourselves. During the year, we conducted a survey to get to know you better. Those attending a Growth Group are twice as likely to be experiencing spiritual growth, and those involved in volunteering are five times more likely to be experiencing spiritual growth.
Over the coming year, we want to encourage our people to make the following commitments:
First, everybody as a welcomer. Just as we’ve been welcomed by God in Christ, let’s welcome one another. That means being active in inviting people to church, being intentional in getting to know others, and exercising hospitality. We each have a role to play in growing depth and intimacy in our community.
Second, embrace change. The gospel is a summons to respond to Jesus. This means a life of repentance, turning away from our idols, and seeking to become transformed in the likeness of our Saviour. God has given church as the context for this change. We need one another.
Third, commit to gospel faithfulness. Use what God has given you for his purposes as you explore how the gospel should shape every part of your life. We want to be a community that spurs one another onward in good works.
Thank you for the part that you’re playing in our community. It’s my prayer that you’ll be encouraged by reading this report, be steadfast in praying for our church, and be committed to growing in Christ in fellowship with his people.
Extract from the 23/24 Annual Report. Please find the full report here: standrews.org.hk/acm-annual-report
