Dec 17, 2023 Church News

1. Welcome to our Sunday Service. Due to an increase in COVID cases, wearing a mask inside the church is highly recommended. If you have any symptoms, please rest at home. You can find free testing kits at the welcome table

• English & Youth & JAM: 10 am @ Gym
• Cantonese: 8:30 & 11:30am @Sanctuary; Mandarin: 10 am @A8

2. In-Person English Sunday School 11:30am – 12:30pm
   • Children’s Sunday School in B4-B7; Adult Sunday School in Gym
   • Junior High Sunday School in B11; Senior High School in A9
3. 12/24(Next Sun. 10am) Christmas Joint English / Children / Cantonese / Mandarin Sunday Service @ the sanctuary, A8 & Gym. Sunday Schools are paused
4. The AGM on 12/3 was blessed. All agendas have been passed and here are the excerpts:

• Alex Yan and Cecilia Li were elected to be the member representatives of the 2024 deacon nomination committee.
• The 2023 PGMBC ministry report was adopted.
• The 2024 PGMBC mission department budget was adopted.
• The 2024 PGMBC ministry report and budget were approved, with an additional $1600 assigned to the Junior Christian Education Department Budget for supporting Compassion Canada Child Sponsorship.
• The two purposes of the Development Fund, as affirmed in the special general meeting on October 2, 2016 were amended as follows:
  • Delete the first purpose which stated as “reduce debt related to the church property at 2855 E 1st Ave.
  • Amend the second purpose of the development fund as “for the improvement, purchase and redevelopment of church property.

5. 1.1-12.3 Offering Report is now available in Google Drive for checking your balance, or check at the front table and bulletin board. Contact  for enquiry. Offering through PayPal or CanadaHelps should get the receipts from the them but you can also see your donation amount in our Offering Report.
6. 2023 Offering Cut-Off Date is 12/31(Sun).

• If you want your eTransfer offering to count for 2023 tax deductions, combine it with the December 24th offering. Some financial institutions may delay processing eTransfer requests due to the holiday season.
• Official Receipt for Tax Return will be emailed/mailed to donors in Feb., for donor’s info update, please contact 

7. 2024/1/7 (Sun) Deadline for 2023 Reimbursements Please submit your voucher together with receipts to Joanna before 1/7. All late vouchers should be approved by the 2024 dept. chairs and counted as 2024 expenditures
8. Guidelines for Cancellation of in-person Sunday gatherings: due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, the lead pastor, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will decide by 6:00 am on Sunday on whether the church will suspend in person Sunday activities and transition to online activities. A message will be sent to all WhatsApp groups, posted on the church’s website & Facebook. Leaders, please notify your members to join the gatherings on Zoom instead. The sermons will be uploaded to our YouTube channel on 2:30pm
9. 1/7(Sun) 2022 Deacons and Dept. Chairs Inauguration in Services. Let’s witness our Lord’s calling and support them all together.
10. 1/7(Sun) New Security Codes to Key Holders – Old/New Key Holders, Deacons, Dept. Chairs and Fellowship Leaders, please return/sign up with Joanna Li starting today until 1/31. $50 will be charged for a replacement if the key is lost.
11. 1/7 (Sun) Mail Slots Re-assign – Previous users should empty the existing mail slot by 12/31.
12. Oliver Chan has declined the offer to assume the position of Director of Community Outreach and Service. However, he will remain involved in that capacity as a volunteer while pursuing his theological studies. As the church remains in search of a suitable candidate, the current pastoral staff will continue to share the responsibilities

Prayer-Gospel-Mission-Bible-Caring

13. English Prayer Meeting 8-9pm @ Zoom ID: 816 8896 1006 Passcode: 162746. Let’s get together and pray for each other.
14. Pastor Don’s Advent Sermon Series

• Advent – meaning “coming” – is a season of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. To help in our preparation for Christmas as a church and in our individual lives, during the first three Sundays of December we will be following the themes of Advent in our English Worship Service. We will then follow that up with a sermon discussion time during our adult English Sunday School. The theme we will be following in this series is that of “Regifting Christmas.” Christmas is the celebration of the giving of God’s greatest gift to us – Jesus Christ. In this series we will be discovering how we can not only fully receive God’s gift for ourselves but be part of giving that gift to others as well. We hope you plan to attend all the services and stay for the discussion during Sunday School to learn practical ways how you can make your celebration of Christmas more meaningful for yourself, your family, as well as others. This would also be a good time to invite others to come to church with you.
• Sermons and Studies in this Series: December 17 Regifting Peace

15. 2024 Mission Fest 「THE LORD WORKING WITH THEM」is coming to the heart of Vancouver on2/15-17, hosted by Westside Church. Please see the website for the details