Hearts Grateful, Singing Praise to God

This past April, following the forty days of Lent, we celebrated with thankful hearts the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Our church also began to take on a renewed look, including the long-awaited launch of CPU-2, led by Deacon Walter Wong and Thomas Lai. "CPU" stands for Care and Prayer Unit. The original vision was to ensure that every brother and sister in the church would be part of a unit that offers care and intercessory support. CPU is not meant to replace our existing fellowships or Bible study groups. Initially, its primary focus is to serve those who are new to our church community.

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Each CPU group is also encouraged to have a clear mission. For example, CPU-1 is dedicated to welcoming and serving young immigrant families who have recently arrived in Canada. A key element of the CPU ministry is committed leadership. We thank God that, after three years of waiting, He has provided us with Walter and Thomas. Please pray for them, and ask the Lord to raise up more leaders to work together for the future development of our church.

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In our children's ministry, Wayne Tsang joined us in April as a worker in SMSL’s children’s outreach ministry. Wayne was previously known to Anson Tang from their time serving together in youth worship in Hong Kong. When we first invited Wayne to consider serving in the children’s ministry, he was quite surprised. But he committed the matter to prayer, seeking God’s will. After nearly three weeks of prayer, he clearly sensed God's calling to serve. Wayne enjoys outdoor activities and was the team captain of the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Team. He will work about 4 hours a week, to assist in both 9:30am and 11:30pm Sunday School and to coordinate Children Outreach Programs. We warmly welcome Wayne into the SMSL family.

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Lastly, we sincerely ask for your prayers for our upcoming SAT Youth Worship (tentative name). In recent years, due to the wave of immigration from Hong Kong, many young adults and young families have joined various local churches. This has led to significant growth in some congregations that primarily serve Hong Kong immigrants. We have also noticed that some churches have begun offering Saturday services to accommodate those who need to work on Sundays.

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Our pastoral team has long hoped to explore this area of ministry. However, due to limitations in available personnel, we’ve been cautious and hesitant to move forward. Yet God has opened the way for us. Not only has He brought Anson Tang to serve at SMSL, but He has also begun to prepare young adults to support this new ministry. After about a year of preparation, we plan to launch our first Saturday worship service on May 31 at 17:00 (tentatively once a month to start).

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In terms of style, this service will take a more contemporary and diverse approach, while still retaining certain theological elements from the Anglican tradition. There’s no need to be overly concerned about this balance. Allow me to share a story about Archbishop Steve Wood, the newly elected Archbishop of the ACNA. Since 2000, he has served as the rector of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in South Carolina. Under his leadership, the church has become one of the most vibrant in the region, with a congregation of over 3,000 people and multiple church plants in various areas.

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In terms of worship, he emphasizes a blend of traditional liturgy with contemporary worship music. Each Sunday, the church offers both traditional and contemporary services. According to Bishop Stephen Leung, St. Andrew’s currently has about 1,500 people attending Sunday worship. Of these, 250–300 attend the traditional liturgical service, while over 1,000—mostly young families—participate in the contemporary services. You can explore more through this link: https://standrews.church/watch-online/.

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Paul exhorted the Colossians: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).

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We pray that God will open new paths and do a new work at SMSL, so that we may become a community that delights in Him. Amen.

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In Him,

Angus

May 2025