喜樂團契
Joy Fellowship
若說路得團契不是教會最早成立的一個團契, 它也會是教會最早成立的團契之一 。大約在70年代中, 教會有一群姊妹建議相聚在一起, 成立姊妹團契、互相學習、查考聖經、栽培靈命, 命名為路得團契。經過這40多年來 , 許多姊妹們已經移居他州, 例如你們熟識的 Betty Chan 姊妹最近搬到加州去, 又在兩年前, Connie Leong 姊妹也搬了去波士頓定居, 亦有數位巳被主接回天家了, 今天仍留在團契早期的團友只有十位八位, 如鄺太、梅太、Irene Pon等 .鑑於離開的人數漸多了, 我們祈盼多些新人來加入團契 , 使它 能在主裡健康成長, 不只延續下去 , 並且越發興旺起來。
感謝主, 在去年(2018)年底, 我們與鄭牧師和黃長老, 會談數次之後 , 得到他們的贊同和支持, 將團契改為一個不分性別、年齡的團契, 歡迎各方面有興趣的弟兄姊妹們都來參加, 終於在去年 2018年底開始 , 我們舊有的路得團契, 正式改名成為喜樂團契。很感謝主的恩典和帶領, 從此我們得到許多位弟兄和新朋友來支持加入, 這一年來, 我們每月團契聚會人數都有卅多人。因此藉著今年這個感恩節, 我們要特別獻上感恩和讚美。
If Ruth Fellowship was not the first fellowship group established in our church it still has to be counted among the earliest. Around the mid 1970s a group of sisters in the church expressed a strong desire to form a sisters’ fellowship. It was hoped that in a fellowship group they could encourage one another in the study of God’s Word the Bible, and in the pursuit of spiritual growth. This led to the birth of Ruth Fellowship. It has been over 40 years since that time. The Fellowship membership roll has had many changes. Quite a few of the members had moved away, such as Sister Betty Chan who recently moved to California, and Sister Connie Leong who left for the Boston area a couple of years ago. Some others had gone to be with the Lord. Among those from the early days who are still here are Mrs. Kwong, Mrs. Moy, Sister Irene Pon, and a few others, but the number of members has greatly diminished. We are convinced, in view of the decrease in the membership, that we badly need more people to join us. We saw this as a way to set the Fellowship on a sound footing so that it can continue to be a place where believers can receive help to become mature Christians.
Towards the end of 2018, we met several times with Pastor Cheng and Elder Wong to discuss our needs and vision for the Fellowship. We are very grateful for their understanding and support. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we all agreed that the Fellowship should not be limited to ladies, but should be open to all.
At the end of 2018, Ruth Fellowship was officially renamed to Joy Fellowship and would welcome any church members who want to join the group. All praise be to God, our group has grown since the inception of Joy Fellowship at the beginning of 2019. A few brothers have joined us. There are also several new friends come regularly to our meetings. Now, we usually have around 30 people who attend our monthly meetings. We are so thankful for what God has done for us. During this Thanksgiving Season, we want to offer our heartfelt thanks and praises to our gracious Lord.