Continue reading »]]> 節錄四月號宣道總會通訊

異象宣言：「神呀！我們全心等候基督藉一運動改變教會、加拿大及至全世界。」

當宣道會祈求「被基督改造，改變加拿大與世界」，究竟是什麼意思？如何實現這一目標呢？
我們認定惟有基督透過聖靈，才能夠改變。或者我們會因此陷入混亂、困惑、挫敗，惟有基督能夠將禱告異象變成美好。希望這可以在我們個人和教會實現。盼望在未來《會長的話》裡，與你分享這個題目。現在我集中討論，改變加拿大意謂著什麼。
改變加拿大並不是期待加拿大成為一個基督教國家；我們所渴望的，是加拿大有很多人歸向基督，愛祂及跟從祂，在浸禮中承認祂是生命的主及救主，能夠活出聖潔和公義的生命，從而國家亦變得更公義。
我們如何達到這目標？最簡單的就是向別人傳講基督的故事，邀請他們與基督建立生命的關係。問題是，怎樣實行這件最基本的事，似乎變得越來越複雜。複雜的因由，加拿大社會變得前所未有的世俗化，世俗化至對任何有關宗教的抗衡。基督教不但被忽略，而且被漠視。不但被漠視，而且被嘲諷，最終可能極度勢微。
面對這情況，我們過往守株待兔傳福音的模式似乎已經過時了。我們很容易將信仰私人化：這正是世俗主義者希望見到的被關起來，完全無害。 讓我們破繭而出：摒除心中的恐懼和芥蒂，再次願意表明我們是有信仰的。這信仰是影響生命的；這信仰是值得探索的。我們能否重整生命的故事，以誠懇的態度，從心裏清楚向人講明嗎？我們可以重新認識福音，掌握福音的內容，能夠向別人講述神救恩計劃，領他們到基督面前，祈求他們的罪被赦免，從而得著永生嗎？
在此我鼓勵你們重溫其他有幫助的資源。我兩個首選是：1) 來自澳洲的課程http://www.xee.info/，透過一系列的對話來分享福音，是三福運動的延伸及更新版。2) 啟發課程http://www.alphacanada.org/仍是有效的渠道，把人帶到基督面前。此外，我鼓勵牧者們藉復興佈道的信息，講解十架的真理，呼召人決志。親愛的讀者，我亦鼓勵你們邀請人到教會，讓他們能聽到福音。
總而言之，我們活在一個抗拒福音的社會。人心實在被蒙蔽，但天父能把基督福音的真光，照亮人的心。讓我們真誠地為加拿大禱告，盼望這國家能透過福音得以改變。

When the Alliance Family of Churches prays to “be transformed by Christ, transforming Canada and the world,” what do we mean? And, how do we go about that?
Here we acknowledge that only Christ, by the Holy Spirit, transforms. We can muck up, we can entangle, we can wreck, but only Christ can transform into beauty in the way we envision when we pray. We want that to happen to us and to our churches. We begin here. I wish to speak on that in a future Table Talk, but right now I want to focus on what it means to speak of transforming Canada.
It does not mean that we expect Canada to become a Christianized society. It does mean that we desire to see many people in Canada come to Christ, to love him and follow him, identifying with him as Lord and Saviour through baptism, and for these people to live lives of holiness and justice and see the nation be more just.
Now, how do we go about that? The quick answer is to tell people the story of Christ and invite them into a life giving relationship with him. The problem is that how to do this very basic thing seems to have become more complicated. The complication arises from the fact that Canadian society is not only more secular than ever before, it has become belligerent in its secularity. Christianity is not only ignored, it is shunned. It is not only shunned, it is derided and to whatever extent possible, diminished.
In the face of that, some of our standby modes of sharing our faith seem so yesterday, and we easily default to private faith, which is exactly where the secularist wants it, locked up and harmless.
Let’s break out. Can we begin to put away fear and awkwardness, and again be willing to let it be known that we have faith, and that yes, it impacts our lives, and yes, we believe that it is worth exploring. Can we think through our own life story so that we can speak it clearly, speak it from our hearts, and speak it invitingly? Can we again learn the gospel, and summaries of the gospel, so that we are able to present the plan of salvation and lead people to Christ, to the forgiveness of sins, to life everlasting?
There are still helps available and I encourage you to examine them again. Here are two of my favourites. From Australia comes a program to share the gospel over a series of conversations, an outgrowth and updating of Evangelism Explosion. Check it out at http://www.xee.info/ .   Alpha is still here, and people are still coming to Christ through Alpha. Check out Alpha at http://www.alphacanada.org/. Added to this, I wish to encourage our pastors to revive evangelistic preaching, to explain the cross and call people to commitment. And I also wish to encourage you, dear reader, to bring people to your church so that they may hear the gospel.
Having said all of that, I wish to say that we are living in a society that is resistant to the Gospel. Hearts are truly blinded, but the Father can shine the light of the glorious gospel of Christ into any heart. Let us truly pray for Canada to be transformed through evangelism.

Continue reading »]]> By Pastor Larry Anderson

I make my home in Vancouver BC and our district recently had its retreat in January 2012.  On my way into one of the meetings I saw Dr. Franklin Pyles, currently the President of the Canada C&MA walking in.   I went up to him and struck up a casual conversation, asking what he thought he might be doing after he stepped down from his tour of service as President in the next Assembly in July.   His next comment caught me totally off guard. “I want your job,” he said.  “Really…?” was my shocked response.  I knew he had been a Senior Pastor in the past as well as a professor at our prestigious schools, CBC and CTS..  Then there has been his gig of being president for 12 years was no light touch.  I thought to myself… is he saying that he wants to ease into retirement by taking my joy as an English Pastor? …is this a compliment?  I waited for his response, but he didn’t, so I jumped in and said,  “You want to be an English Pastor in a Chinese Church, because of not having all that responsibility of a Senior Pastor and having to run the ship.”  “Quite the contrary” he remarked, “I think it’s a greater responsibility to be an English Pastor in raising up the next generation.”

That was it, as we were cut off, due to the meeting starting.   Now two months later I find myself in the Toronto Pearson Airport awaiting my flight back to Vancouver after a CCACA Executive meeting and for some reason this prior conversation hijacked my thoughts. It’s Sunday afternoon and I just finished preaching a message at a local Chinese Alliance Church.  The sun is now streaming in the windows here at Terminal 1, as I await my flight.  I lean back in my chair and take a big breath in… all seems wonderful in my world of being an English Pastor.  The church is growing, we have just completed some major renovations with a new church balcony and new sound equipment, I have some wonderful relationships with our church staff and people in our different congregations.  Things couldn’t be better!  I am now on my way back to Vancouver, which a phone call to my wife last night revealed is rainy with a weather system that has the lower mainland locked its clutches.  I think this is a good metaphor of what it is like to be an English Pastor.  There are moments when the sun is shining and you feel all is right, but then there are the days on the job when you feel like you are in the clutches of something that is dark and sinister.

Is being an English Pastor really that enviable?  Is it a step down?  Or is it a step up?  At my best moments, it is a step-up and there is nothing better.  I love my job and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything different.   I feel called of God and the course has been full of blessing. Now, after having served close to 20 years as an English Pastor, I can truthfully say that I have also seen the underbelly of serving in a Chinese Church and despite this there is by far so much more to rejoice over.   We are not always promised to be led by quiet waters and green pastures, and there is much in the way of wastelands to traverse, but man, when you make it to the grass – it seems even greener and sweeter.  Keep at your job, not only because you get to serve God and the next generation, but because the President is looking for a vacancy.

Continue reading »]]> Dr. Jason Hing-kau Yeung was installed as the first Principal of the CANADIAN CHINESE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT AMBROSE SEMINARY on Sunday, March  25.  Prayers of installation were offered by Rev. Dr. Francis Tam, Executive Secretary of the Canadian Chinese Alliance Churches Association; Rev. Dr. Riley Coulter, Chancellor and Acting President of Ambrose University College • Seminary; and Rev. Dr. Hay Chun Maak, Honorary Chairman of the Association of Canadian Chinese Theological Association, who also brought the message.

From 1999-2011 Dr. Yeung served as Professor of Theology and Director of the Chinese Culture Research Centre at the China Graduate School of Theology in Hong Kong, prior to joining Ambrose.  He earned a PhD in Theology from the University of London, England [1994]; a MPhil from King’s College, University of London [1989]; a MTh from the Southeast Asia Graduate School of Theology [1985]; a MDiv from the Lutheran Concordia Seminary in Hong Kong [1981]; and a BA from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Twenty-one students are presently enrolled in the Master of Divinity or the Master of Arts in Leadership & Ministry programs in the Chinese School of Theology at Ambrose Seminary, which began offering classes in the fall of 2011.  For more information about this program, please contact Patricia Tam [ptam@ambrose.edu] at Ambrose.

R. Riley

Coulter Chancellor and Acting President