Christmas 2009

Photo Album for Christmas Carolling 2009



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Photo Album for Christmas Day 2009



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Photo Album for Christmas PCH Open House 2009



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Welcome Capt Tan & Brenda

We want to take this opportunity to welcome Capt Tan and Brenda as our new TSA Officer for Penang Corps. They have served in Bintulu with Chinese speaking congregation. They have accepted the new appointment to serve in TSA Penang with English members.



We also want to welcom Major Kamala as TSA Officer for Penang Children's Home.

We pray that God will continue use them for the TSA work here in Penang.

Once again we welcome them and we want to work together for the TSA.

Major Francis - Farewell Group Picture

We want to say thank you to Major Francis and Major Mary who have been with us for the past 6 years in TSA Penang. They have served as TSA Officer for Penang Corps and PCH.

We pray that God will continue to help and strengthen them as they take up their new appointment in Kuching. We enjoy their 6 years ministry here in Penang and left with mix feelings. Kuching will be Major Mary hometown and this will be their first time serving in Kuching in their 25 years of service as TSA Officer.

Prayer Request

1. Please pray for Brother Chew Pong Hoe (Ah Boy), who is going through an operation. May God grant him a fast recovery process and continue good health.

2. Pray for our Local Officers and those who want to serve the Lord in coming years.

3. Pray also for the prayer group, that this group will continue to start meeting again in early 2010 to study God's word and pray earnestly for all the prayer request that we have continue to pray since 2008/2009 and coming new ones.

Announcements

Watch Night Service:

We are will be having a Pot Blessed Dinner to celebrate Year 2009 and welcoming Year 2010 on 31 December 2009, 8:00pm.

You are welcome to contribute your dishes to share with brother and sister in Christ.

Kindly bring your family and friends along. All are invited for this dinner.

Follow by that, we will be having a short Watch Night Service around 11:30pm.


Sunday School:

We will be resuming activities on first Sunday, January 2010. Please pray for our children and teachers who have put in their hard-works to teach the young ones about God's word.


Serving Team:

Those who have God calling to serve in the church programme, please contact Capt Tan and Capt Brenda. We also thank those who involved actively serving in the passed years.

The King

The King - when he came an acclamation
Rang out from a heav'nly choir.
The angels above
Sang of mercy and love
Goodwill to all people on earth.
His mother she saw
Past the manger and straw,
The pain and the passion of birth,
The Light of the World - her son, Redeemer -
Who'd burn up with holy fire.

The King he announced with power, with passion,
The rule he would usher in.
The blind they will see
And the captive go free
To live in his Kingdom of grace.
For all who believe
Will his pardon receive
And find by his mercy: a place,
A seat by his throne, a home, a mansion,
An end to the reign of sin.

The King in his crown of thorns was beaten,
Then nailed to a cruel tree.
Abandoned, alone
And so far from his throne
He took what the demons could hurl.
And there, crucified,
Lion-hearted he died -
The Lamb for the sin of the world.
A tomb for a womb, the prophets' whispers
Would birth a dawn victory.

The King, when he comes again, will conquer.
His river of grace will flow.
The last will be first
And the dead they will burst
To life at the sound of his voice.
And round by his throne
The King gathers his own -
His children, his bride. Oh rejoice!
The King, when he comes, will reign in triumph,
As prophets said long ago.

Nigel Bovey

War Cry 19 December 2009 - TSA UK

Twelve Days of Carol - Nice Version

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

Christmas Message 2009 from the General

All My Heart Rejoices

WHAT a night! The night our Saviour was born! A night to rejoice with all our hearts!

Sweet angel voices, sounding far and near, announced his birth: Christ is born! It was as though the entire sky announced this matchless message. Joy filled the air. Joy-bells still ring to hail his coming.

If we listen carefully, our ear attuned, we can still hear the holy baby’s first cry from the manger in Bethlehem. It is as though from birth he has been calling us, entreating, pleading with us to flee from the snares and dangers that await our souls. ‘Come to me,’ he says. ‘Leave all that grieves and burdens you. I can offer freedom. I can give you all you need.’

So let us accept his divine invitation, you and I together. Let us do so without delay. He invites us all. He calls to the lowly and the great alike. We cannot impress him with our education or our income, so whoever we are we approach him together with awe and wonder as equals. He invites us to commit ourselves to him. He wants us to return the love he offers us all. The Christmas star, high and bright in the sky, is a hope-filled sign of divine love.

Coming to the newborn Christ-child is a signal that we have come to our senses. We come to him, deciding to live in obedience to him, and finding our hope of Heaven in him. He offers us the matchless prospect of living with him for ever. Who else promises matchless joy both now and in all eternity?

For all these reasons my heart rejoices. Christ is born!

By General Shaw Cliftonwith acknowledgements to Paulus Gerhardt (1607-76)and 'The Song Book of The Salvation Army', No 73

Announcements

1. We congratulate and wecolme Lt. Anthony, Wai Chun and Kevin Meredith on their Commissioning on 28 Nov. Lts. Anthony & Wai Chun will be appointed to bintulu corps and will take a corps appointments in Australia.

2. We thank Pastor Sam Santhanam and Jenny who spoke last Sunday and led the meeting respectively.

3. The General has announced the appointment of Lt. Colonel Gillian Downer as the Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women's Ministries of this territory upon the retirement from active service of Colonels Keith and Beryl Burridge at the end of June 2010.

The appointment is effective from 1st July 2010 and Lt Colonel Downer will be promoted to the rank of Colonel as she take up the new responsibilities as Territorial Commander.

Lt. Colonel Downer Gillian Downer has a real love for Asia and is no stranger to this territory having served firstly as General Secretary and then as Chief Secretary up until mid 2007.

4. Major Francis and Mary Ng with Caleb and Angelynn will leave for Kuching on 9 Dec at 6:25pm.

5. Major Kamala will arrive on 9 Dec at 11pm on AK6505 from Kuching. Captains Tan & Brenda will arrive on the 10 Dec at 6:10pm on MH 1158.

6. December 13 will be the welcome meeting for Captains Tan & Brenda and Lt Col Bob will conducr the installation. Major Kamala will be welcomed in the meeting too.

7. Pray for the christmas program and celebration in the month of December. First caroling will commence on the 12 December, next Sunday.

8. Combined Churches Christmas Celebration 20 Dec @ Time Square, 7:00pm

9. Flowers for the week. Susan Zechariah

Epic journey inspires awe

NINETY-FIVE years ago today, on 5 December 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail on the final leg of his journey to reach Antarctica.

His team aimed to be the first to cross the continent - one and a half times as big as the United States - from one coast to the other via the South Pole. It was a remarkable project even for an era that already had more than its fair share of heroic tales.

Shackleton planned meticulously for the expedition, expecting to face a whole range of hardships. But the expedition party never set foot on Antarctica.

Their ship, Endurance, was crushed by the drifting ice, and survival became their first priority. In an amazing story of courage and heroism none of Shackleton's party died, although it was May 1917 before Sir Ernest finally arrived home in Britain.

We can be thankful that not all journeys end up like that but, whenever we travel, organisation is vital. Decisions need to be made about what is to be taken, the route mapped out and suitable resting places found.

It would be foolish to embark on a long journey without making some practical preparations.

In the Christmas story the wise men, or ‘magi' as they were known, travelled extraordinary distances in search of a new king. They started off not knowing for sure where their journey would take them.

‘After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, during the time of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem' (Matthew 2:1 New International Version). This expedition would have taken planning and preparation. They saw an unusual star and set out to follow it to who knows where, for who knows how long.

When they finally arrived where the star stopped they discovered Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Life is often thought of as a journey. For many people, like the magi, the journey has included an encounter with Jesus. That encounter has been life-changing. It has helped them to cope with the difficulties life can bring and provided direction when they've not been sure which way to go.

Two thousand years ago the wise men followed the direction of a star to find Jesus. Today we can follow Jesus to find direction for our lives.

Salvation Army UK - War Cry 5 December 2009