Introducing the deacons for the new Diaconate term

Following the AGM on Sep 27, we are pleased to announce the following deacons were elected, and the officer bearers appointed as listed in order of appearance:

• Desmond Chu (Croydon Park English) – Chairman of the Diaconate
• Richard Chiu (Strathfield Cantonese) – Vice-Chair of Diaconate
• Anna Lee (Strathfield English) – Secretary
• Lily Shen (Strathfield English) – Assistant Secretary
• William Sit (Strathfield Cantonese)  -Treasurer
• Carrie Tang (Strathfield Cantonese) – Assistant Treasurer
• Andy Chen (Strathfield Mandarin) – Deacon
• Vincent Cheung (Croydon Park Mandarin) – Deacon
• Frank He (Strathfield Mandarin) – Deacon
• Leo Lam (Strathfield Cantonese) – Deacon
• Harry Law (Strathfield Cantonese) – Deacon
• Kit Ling (Strathfield Cantonese) – Deacon
• Daniel Ng – (Strathfield English) – Deacon
• Changjie Song (Croydon Park Mandarin) – Deacon
• Terrence Wong (Strathfield English) – Deacon
• Simon Wu (Strathfield Mandarin) – Deacon

It is important to note that the Diaconate includes the pastoral team on an ex officio basis:

• Rev Frankie Law (Cantonese) – Coordinating Minister
• Pastor Billy Lee (Cantonese)
• Deaconess Fiona Fung (Cantonese)
• Pastor David Chen (Strathfield Mandarin)
• Rev Chadd Hafer (Croydon Park English)
• Rev Andrew Bardsley (Strathfield English)
• Pastor Wayne Mok (Strathfield English)
• Youth Pastor Dan Chieng
• Rev Dominic Ku (Croydon Park Mandarin)

Deacons were appointed to the following sub-committees:

As the new Diaconate gathered for the first time, we were challenged to serve and lead the church with spiritual priorities in our discussions and decisions:

1. Ensure the gospel is uncompromised.
2. Honour God morally and ethically.
3. Pursue church growth, outreach and mission.
4. Nurture church unity and respect for all; not causing others to stumble.
5. Maintain comprehensive oversight for all in the church.
6. Work hard for the Lord.

On our Diaconate retreat on Nov 28, we will consider some of the following initiatives for this term. Please pray for the Diaconate’s wisdom and unity in leading the church in these areas:

• Completion of the CDP, and using the facilities for new ministries.
• Considering how the church has changed through and after Covid. Promoting church unity in Covid.
• Reviewing the missions strategy of the church.
• Reviewing governance and compliance matters.
• Considering 3-year Diaconate terms for the future.

During the deacon induction, the deacons pledged before the Lord and the church to serve to the best of their ability, by God’s strength, and for his glory. At the same time, as a church, our members are encouraged to support and pray for the leaders. May we all work together to be a people of God, growing in Christ, reaching out with the gospel until he returns!

Covid: When we will go back to church?

During the past month, we in Australia have been blessed with recovery from the second wave, and little local transmission. People are adjusting to life with Covid, as we await a vaccine to be developed.

However, Covid continues to be a worldwide crisis, as every day 4,000 people die, and 250,000 people are diagnosed with the virus. With a missional heart, we need to continue to pray to the Lord for his mercy and healing upon the world.

As a church, it is important that we meet together in person to worship the Lord, fellowship with each other, and serve in ministry together. Despite the convenience of online services, they are no replacement for church life in person. It is a good spiritual practice to make the effort to meet with other Christians physically. Therefore we are planning for the reintegration of all services back on site. All services will be held at Strathfield. Further details will be announced in your service. The provisional plans for returning to site are:

Maximum numbers for each service are yet to be determined. A pre-registration process may be required (details to be announced).

Reminder: We are a Covid-Safe church

WSCCC is registered with the NSW Government as a Covid-Safe church. This means that we have an accountable Covid response plan, based on NSW Health guidelines. These are constantly being revised, and we ask all members to update themselves with the plan, available on our website here. All leaders and organisers of ministries are required to be familiar with these guidelines please and ensure that your activities comply.

As of 5 October 2020, the general guidelines are as follows (please see the Covid response plan for specific details):

Church Development Plan (CDP) Update

By God’s grace, the second stage of the CDP is underway at Croydon Park! Work began at the beginning of September, and already the following things have taken place:

• Demolition of various rooms and walls.
• Replacement of hall ceiling and removal of hazardous materials.
• Excavation to the lower foyer.

Completion is expected to be in mid-2021, hopefully with the Covid pandemic settled, and a new facility to continue our next stage of church life! Below are some mockups of the project, and photos of the progress.

Thank you for your support of the project. Our next bi-monthly special offering during services will be collected on October 25.

Update on church finances

We continue to thank God for his continued gracious provision, despite the constraints of Covid and our responsibilities to provide for our full ministry staff team, 10 missionary families, ministry expenses, maintenance costs, and the building project.

We encourage our members to continue to give their offerings to the Lord as a spiritual act of worship, reflecting what is in your hearts. May our leaders use the funds wisely for growth of God’s kingdom. Please give in balanced amounts into the three funds of the church, according to our needs reflected below.

Members are reminded that electronic giving is a hygienic, consistent, accountable and convenient way to give to the church, especially whilst we cannot pass an offering bag around. As we move into the future, we encourage members to continue with their electronic offerings, which is now routine for financial transactions in society.

• Via secure credit card at: https://wsccc.org.au/giving/
• Via electronic bank transfers to the church accounts:
  • General fund: BSB 082 080. Acc 48 243 6244. Name: WSCCC.
  • Mission fund: BSB 082 080. Acc 52 856 0495. Name: WSCCC.
  • Building fund: BSB 082 451. Acc 73 932 0475. Name: WSCCC.

Prayer Points

Please continue to commit our church and the world to God in prayer:

• Thank God for his mercy upon Australia as Covid transmission has fallen. Pray however for the rest of the world, who continue to suffer daily, especially those in the USA, India and South America.
• Praise God that the new Diaconate team has been elected. Pray for their wisdom, their unity, their perseverance, their protection, and their personal relationships with God. Pray especially for the Diaconate planning retreat on November 28.
• Thank God for that we are able to start the building project at Croydon Park. Thank him for the smooth preparation of the site, and pray for the project team (church CDP committee, the architect Andrew Blamey, and the builders from Reitsma) as they commence work. Pray for God’s continued provision of finance to achieve the required budget.