6/9 Sunday Announcements

1. *WELCOME TO HOSANNA! – *If you are a new or returning visitor, please stay after-service and let our Welcoming Team serve you a meal and a cup of water! Our church lunch is always free for all. It is our joy to serve you! *Today’s menu is delicious spaghetti prepared in view of the final day of “SCUBA” VBS for all our children and adults alike! Stay with us after-service to break bread. Fill-out a yellow newcomer’s contact card so that we can keep in touch. We welcome you into this family of Christ’s loving arms and remain here for you as His body to grow and flourish together!
2. *TEMPORARY SUNDAY WORSHIP CHANGE OF LOCATION TO GYMNASIUM – We sincerely thank you for your understanding and making it out to the gymnasium/cafeteria today for our Sunday resurrection worship service. As announced midweek, we are experiencing ongoing water damage issues with the Ezra Chapel, Cry Room, Corner Conference Room, Office, Preschool Room, as well as the surrounding classrooms across the church facility. With the exception to the Preschool Room for Preschool Worship and Office for standing-only retrieval for coffee/tea/snacks, DO NOT ENTER THESE AREAS. Until all renovations/remediations to the water damage are resolved, we will no longer be worshipping in these facilities. With the safety of this congregation as our highest priority, the Board of Elders were forced to make a swift decision last Tuesday to temporarily move our Sunday worship to the gymnasium with the full support of Bethany Korean Church. *We want to make clear that this location is temporary and will be re-evaluated by the Board weekly. Both Bethany Korean Church and Hosanna Church extend their sincerest apologies to all of you for the discomforts and distractions it may cause you and your family. If there be any further questions, please never hesitate to reach out to our Elders. **Immediately after-worship, we ask for your help to swiftly re-setup the chairs and tables for our breaking-bread ministry. Thank you for your understanding and compassion in Christ at this time!
3. *STARTING NEXT SUNDAY – ***10:40am*** WORSHIP START-TIME! – Due to the change in our worship location to the gymnasium, our worship service must end by 11:50am to accommodate the youth ministry entering for their breaking-bread lunch time. Therefore, we also need to adjust, out of love for them in Christ and the orderly use of the gymnasium. *Starting next Sunday (6/16), worship will begin promptly at **10:40am altogether with our children (kinder to 5th grade). *Presider Kristen Lee will dismiss the children at the end of our praise & giving time to children’s ministry with Pastor Sunny at approximately 10:55am. Preschool worship will still begin at 10:40am in the Preschool Room. *Our after-worship breaking-bread ministry will begin with the youth ministry approximately between 11:50am-12:00pm. We will need to be disciplined to come a little earlier, but we ask for your greatest understanding and grace in the Lord in these desperate times. We want to remind everyone with kindness, gentleness, and conviction from the holy Spirit how important it is to come early to resurrection Sunday worship service. It makes a world of a difference to reflect and pray 10-15 minutes prior to the start of corporate worship than hurriedly walking-in at 10:40am or later. Like good soil, we need to be prepared to receive the seed of God’s Word weekly – that takes time to cultivate. Proper cultivation time is difficult to do if we are late, in a hurry, or treat worship like an afterthought. Let us do our best to arrive between 10:20am to 10:30am. Give yourself and the LORD plenty of time. Pickup a bulletin, pen, and giving envelope. Grab some tea or coffee in the office. Pre-read the Scripture text for the message. Greet someone with the peace of Christ. Move forward and leave the rear seats vacant. Silence your cell phones and other distractions. Ensure you have a Bible. Let us honor this Day of Rest created for us!
4. *UPDATES from Bethany Korean Presbyterian Church –
   • *We are continuing our prayers for the youth ministry and the search for a new youth minister. While the search for the youth minister is in progress, any further questions about the youth ministry can be directed to Deaconess Kris Lee, Director of youth ministry.
   • *TODAY is the final day to close out the 2024 “SCUBA” VBS from 11:00am to 1:30pm.
5. *PRAY FOR NEW STAFF SEARCH PROCESS – We are continuing our prayers for the new staff search and encourage all, with God’s calling, to apply for one or multiple roles with the instructions on the homepage of our website (hosannapc.org). Or, if you know anyone who may be interested, please share the information with them. *Please make sure the instructions are followed and all application materials are submitted. No incomplete applications will be considered for the position. Until the staff roles are filled, there is no deadline for applications. Let us continue our prayers for the Lord’s good and faithful choice servants!
6. *TODAY, KITCHEN MINISTRY! – Thank you for those serving the dishwashing ministry today (starting 12:40pm). Let us continue to be a blessing and help to our Bethany Korean kitchen team.
7. *THIS FRIDAY (6/14) AGAPE life group, 6:30pm @ location TBA – We invite all young adults to this Friday’s gathering. RSVP to Deacon Hana or assistant shepherd Jake in the group chat. Thank you in advance to all those opening their homes for ministry. Pray for our AGAPE ministry of college, postgraduates, and newlyweds, gathering every Friday evening at 6:30pm at various homes, and our shepherds Deacon Hana Lee and assistant shepherd Jake Jeong, as they guide this precious family.
8. *THIS SATURDAY (6/15) HOSANNA PRAYER MEETING, 8:30am @ location TBA – Already a month has passed since our last gathering! It’s that time again to call upon the LORD together. We call upon all the prayer warriors to come and cultivate a culture of corporate prayer together, calling out to the LORD in one mind, spirit, and voice. Parents, bring your children and spend some time intentionally praying for them. Let us foster cross-generational praying for our families, our mission as Hosanna Church family, and the world!
9. *NEXT TWO SUNDAY’S (6/16) GUEST PREACHERS: Rev. Mark Story and Pastor Walter Teter – The Board of Elders has granted and mandated a two-Sunday’s off break for Pastor Chester and family. In his absence, Rev. Mark Story and Pastor Walter Teter have graciously offered to come and give the message. *Please prepare your hearts to receive God’s Word through them on “Seeing Jesus in the Burning Bush” from Exodus 3:1-17 and “Look and Be Saved” from Isaiah 45:22. *Rev. Mark Story was a critical point-person in developing our bylaws and moving us forward through the chartering process in our ECO denominational family, and serves as the Pastor of Discipleship at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. Pastor Walter Teter has been a tremendous help and encouragement to us in our past time of transition, and serves as the Director of Discipleship at Hackberry Creek Church in Irving. Please welcome both of these sincere and faithful servants of the LORD, prepare your heart to obey God’s Word through them, and thank them for coming to preach God’s Word to us.
10. *KINGDOM EXPANSION PRAYER – We are moving to pray for a wider vision of God’s Kingdom to expand through the global prayer guide for the persecuted church and persecuted Christians worldwide from The Voice of the Martyrs organization. Today, we are praying for our persecuted Bengali brothers and sisters in Christ residing in south Asia.

 
**Prayer Topic: Persecuted Christians in Bangladesh (south Asia)
 
     Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. Churches are careful when offering relief to the poor and needy because they do not want to encourage false conversions among people claiming faith in Christ solely for economic benefit. While Bangladesh is a majority-Muslim nation, the government avoids undue influence from Islamists and actively fights extremism. Millions of Bangladeshis are learning about Christ and the Bible through media outreaches. 87 percent of Bangladeshis are Sunni Muslims. Approximately one-half of 1 percent are Christians. Local Muslim authorities, Islamist extremist groups, families and communities persecute Christians.
     Many Christian groups meet publicly, while others worship in unregistered churches. When Muslims convert to Christianity, they are often forced to leave their community. The Bangladesh Bible Society and the missions community have made Bibles available in several languages, but those in rural areas and especially Muslim converts have difficulty finding and acquiring them.
 
*The Scripture for today is:
 
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (ROMANS 5:3-5)
 
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (JOHN 20:31)
 
 
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (ROMANS 10:9-10)
 
Prayer by Pastor Chester:
 
Our Father, we lift up to You our Bengali brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ in south Asia. We cry out against the poverty that has gripped this nation, and pray Your provision will meet all their needs. Lord, let no conversions to Christ happen out of economic benefit, but out of the poverty of their spirit, for You promised – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We speak against the authorities and extremist groups plaguing their communities. Protect them, O God, from harm’s way. Provide a place to flee in Your safety and refuge. Raise Your workers to the rural villages of Bangladesh especially, so that they might acquire a Bible and grow in holiness and wisdom in relationship to Your Son and Spirit. Lord Jesus, expel the oppression around them economically, the influence of false doctrine and worship in this majority-Muslim nation. Restore unto them the truth of who You are, by grace through Christ. Be with them today as they meet in homes and small places of worshipful gathering. Sustain their passion and love for Jesus that only grows stronger with persecution. We pray especially for the vulnerable Bengali children and youth – Lord, have mercy and protect them from the evil one. Fill us with a greater burden to pray for Bangladesh. Make us Your house of prayer for all nations. We do not take for granted today Your grace and freedom in gathering to worship You. Lord, we long for the same in this distant land. In the risen Lord and Savior of the Bengali people, Jesus Christ’s name we pray, Amen.