We have just started an area for aspiring writers to share their thoughts and contribute to the body of Christ by letting us know what God has been doing in their life. Also, if you have thoughts about the sermon or life in Korea then please feel free to submit to [email protected]. Check out the new page for some encouragement. God bless you.
Before coming to Korea my life was full of uncertainties and despairing moments. Despite the gloomy cloud overhead, I could hear God telling me to take the risk and venture out of my comfort zone. I knew that this would be a frightening experience for me because I had never done something like this before.
Making new friends, learning to abide in Christ by myself, and learning how to trust in my own decisions were all very daunting tasks.
I wasn’t sure how I would survive on my own—it all overwhelmed me—and as soon as I had arrived, I retreated into my personal comfort zone that I established earlier at home.
Having heard about Dongshin through the Internet, I knew the international Church was nearby, but I was just unwilling to step out into the awkwardness of meeting new people.
I was having a bad time in Korea and I was fearful that venturing into more unknown territory would result in failure. I felt to experience the failure of rejection would only take me deeper into my hole I was content staying in.
Even as I sat in my dark bedroom with the blinds closed, God reminded me about what I had learned from my friends back home. I can’t be alone—I wasn’t created for that.
With that reminder, I set out to find the body of Christ here in Korea—deep in my sin and still feeling guilty—I caught a taxi to the nearest station. I had no idea how to get back to my apartment, but I knew that God was with me.
I told myself if He had provided for me thus far; He would definitely bring me into community out here as well.
It’s been a few months since I’ve become a part of Dongshin and it really has been a stretching experience for me. Relationally and spiritually, the international Church has been teaching me how to be honest and intentional with people. I’m allowing God’s message to sink in deeper now, and He’s showing me that His love for me really has no limits.
I pray that I will continue for the willingness to reach a new level of connectivity with the people of Dongshin, and to continue partnering with the Lord during my stay in Korea.
Our brothers and sisters at Daegu Sungmyung Church are holding a free movie afternoon with snacks and drinks and have opened the invitation to us and anyone you would like to pass this message onto.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=162534297130172&index=1
‘Film & Theology’ at SMC’s has its very own theatre. This event is approx. 3hrs and includes a brief presentation of the movie, viewing of the movie, and a group discussion time. The cinema is a modern-day pulpit: expressing ideas about God, life, love, relationships, and people. Join us for a great movie and an interesting discussion time. Feel free to invite your friends!
Directions:
Korean Directions for taxi driver: 새방골 성명교회 가주세요
Bus Directions: Bus #521 goes right past Sungmyung church. The stop is located between the church and Kyungwon High School.
Yesterday a 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch and created massive damage including the loss of many lives.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708192
Please being in prayer for all the people affected.
Well, if you missed the bowling on Sunday, it was an epic battle between the will of the hand and the will of the ball! Results will be announced next Sunday.
Also, we have a special guest speaker ‘Brian Kim’ who has been living in North Korea so don’t miss next Sunday (27th)
The sermon from Sunday about the law of diminishing returns is available here on video http://blog.daum.net/ktmega/14785650
Also, we are having a special offering this Sunday to assist with ministry activities that are beyond our budget such as the conference and orphanage among other things. We want to be able to support all the ministries connected with our English service and we need your help so be in prayer this week about what God would like you to do or give.
Brandon will be away in April for some time so we need some more supporters to visit the orphanage on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays from 2-4pm. Please let us know if you are able to come and play with the children that desperately need love and attention.
God bless you this week
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Also you can follow us on Facebook, search for the group ‘Dongshin Church past and present’
Don’t forget Bowling this Sunday after small groups (only 10,000 won), it’s going to be epic!
Last Sunday, we had the message from Matt 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The true definition of meekness: “Weakness is a voluntary limitation of power.” We are choosing to limit the resources at our disposal. Jesus limited his power while on Earth to glorify his father even though he had legions of angels ready and on hand to help him.
Why do we need meekness? It makes us useful as channels in God’s kingdom. God wants to use our resources; that are actually his resources, to grow His kingdom and bless humanity. But if we’re constantly using everything for ourselves, we become unfit for service, since we’ve used all our resources.
Illustration: I have this much, but choose to use this much.
God want to use your resources for his purposes You are not on earth to live for yourself
2 Tim. 2:21 – Vessel fit for the Master’s use
To watch the video of Leon’s sermon, click http://blog.daum.net/ktmega/14785648
and you can view future sermons by clicking on the page link on the bottom right.
Also, Leon has produced a website for people to think about sexual purity and you can visit at
Small Groups started last Sunday with donuts and M&M’s and we have 3 groups with experienced leaders to guide and discuss the sermon, the Bible, and life in general as it applies to God’s perspective. We want to encourage everyone to be connected to a small group as it allows you to have the richness of knowledge, spiritual input, and personal relationships during your time at Dongshin Church. The group membership will remain the same for the next 6 months. Chris and Emily are the Small Group Coordinators and if you are interested in becoming a small group leader, then please talk to them or Pastor Andy Gilman.
Next week, we will start another small group for people who are new to Dongshin and didn’t have the chance to join a group so please feel free to join us after the sermon.
Have you ever considered a missions trip? Dongshin Church has received a special request from our brothers and sisters in Hungary to have a group visit in August (1st-10th). Right now, we are wanting people to indicate if they are interested and we will arrange a meeting to discuss the details with Pastor Daniel Kim (who is the new Liaison Pastor between our English service and the Korean Church leadership). Please pray and ask for guidance about whether this unique opportunity is for you. Then please talk to Pastor Andy or Pastor Daniel Kim.
Financial Planning classes will start at the end of February as textbooks are being ordered. The classes are based on Crown Financial Ministries (http://crown.org/). Dennis and Noelle are the leaders with over 15 years experience.
Prayer Requests – remember if you have any prayer requests, please send an email to [email protected] as we have a team on standby to intercede for you and others in Jesus’ name.
Special Offerings – We will be having a special offering each month for the next 10 months to support extra ministries and major Church activities such as the conference. There are always many things that need doing and we want to help as many people as we can so please pray that God provides the resources and people to glorify him through our actions at Dongshin English Service.
Foundation classes will be held from the end of January (30th) and will run for 6 weeks – this is an opportunity to discover what Dongshin stands for, what christian living is really about and how you can embrace God more in your life.
Financial Planning classes will be held from the end of January and will run for 10 weeks on Sunday mornings (tba) – This group is nearly full and is being run by 2 very experienced people who have been teaching the principles from Crown Financial Ministries (http://crown.org/) for over 15 years so if you are interested in managing your money in a godly fashion, then you need to attend.
Small Groups are starting again this year and we have experienced leaders to guide and discuss the sermon, the Bible, relationships and life in general as it applies to God’s perspective. We want to encourage everyone to be connected to a small group as it allows you to have the richness of knowledge, spiritual input, and personal relationships during your time at Dongshin Church. Please signup at church and if you are interested in becoming a small group leader, then please talk to Pastor Andy.
Have you ever considered a missions trip? Dongshin Church has received a special request from our brothers and sisters in Hungary to have a group visit in August (1st-10th). Right now, we are wanting people to indicate if they are interested and we will arrange a meeting to discuss the details with Pastor Daniel Kim (who is the new Liaison Pastor between our English service and the Korean Church leadership). Please pray and ask for guidance about whether this unique opportunity is for you. Then please talk to Pastor Andy or Pastor Daniel Kim.
Finally, we are preparing a church directory from a request by the Korean Church leadership which needs to be completed shortly so we will be recording personal details and taking your photo (which will only be used for church purposes) on Sunday. This will also help you to make new friends, learn names and create a support network outside of church especially if we need to talk to other believers who can also guide us in our daily lives.
Sermon summary 9th January
Isaiah 43:18-19 Do not remember (dwell on) the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
These powerful verses remind us in the new year that we need to perceive our circumstances through God’s eyes rather than idolize what we want and what we don’t have. We should avoid lingering on the thoughts that lead us away from God. The first 2 commandments deal with idolatry so if it is that important to God, then it is important to us. Therefore, don’t let your circumstances dictate your faith in 2011.
This year, which is our 10th Anniversary of the Dongshin English Service holds lots of promise with the fulltime appointment of Andy Gilman as Pastor who has been consistently serving the church for many years in a leadership capacity. He will be available at the main church building on the 4th floor (Tuesday – Saturday from 9-5pm) as well as his usual duties on Sunday. We pray that God will increase Andy’s wisdom and vision for our English Service as well as the wider Daegu community.
As part of the vision, we will be having sign-ups next week for small groups that will be held after the Sunday service and this is an essential part for developing relationships and deepening your knowledge of the bible. We have some quality leaders to guide and encourage you in the small groups and be prepared to make a 6 month commitment to the group.
Also, we will be running a Foundations class which is a 6 week course for any church member to investigate what Dongshin Church stands for in terms of biblical and spiritual direction. The course is an excellent opportunity to examine God’s word in more detail to have a clear understanding of what it means to be a christian. It has a maximum enrollment of 20 people so we will have sign-ups next week for that as well.
Finally, the end of 2010 was enjoyed with a unique sofa sermon and the Annual Christmas party that involved games and a gift exchange.The sofa sermon was an interview with 4 people and they discussed how they celebrated Christmas and the way that Jesus was incorporated into that day. Also, the question was posed about spiritual gifts and all were encouraged to seek the Lord about it by using the bible (Matthew 6:33), what people said about what we are good at, what we felt compelled to do and what we liked to do.
After that, we played Bible ‘catchphrase’ by one person asking their team members to guess a common phrase from the bible without saying any of the words in the phrase. It was well fought and even at the end of the regular session. We had to go onto the advanced version having phrases like ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself’ and ‘They shall mount up with wings like eagles’. Afterwards, we had a fun time exchanging gifts and it could be changed 3 times before it was safe in 1 person’s arms. Poor SJ and Gloria had their gifts taken at least 6 times!
God bless everyone in 2011
It’s the season of giving and what better way is there than to bless the children at Shin Saeng Won orphanage this Christmas. We are having a special offering over the next 2 Sundays. Please give generously in the box at the rear of the service or write “orphanage” on your tithe envelope.
God bless the children
With December 25th looming and advent being explained at church every Sunday, we hope you haven’t forgotten the annual Dongshin Christmas party which this year, will be on Sunday Dec 26th at the conclusion of the service.
Like last year, we will have a special gift exchange where gifts need to be wrapped and to the maximun value of 10,000 won. So if you want to enjoy the fun and food, please bring along a gift and a celebratory mood as we will have some Christmas games and fellowship together. Afterwards, we will have some yummy food! Any questions, please talk to Karl at church.
It is so on! Get rid of that excess Thanksgiving food that went to places where it isn’t needed! Come for a run around at the Children’s Park near Beo Meo Intersection. From the intersection, it is south and on your left opposite Outback Steakhouse. Once at the park, go up the hill and to your left (between the trees where you will see a big building and a train next to it. On the left of the building is an astro turf pitch where we will play so please wear long pants for safety. Daniel will be co-ordinating the sports and if you need any help, please call him on 010-3569-4431.
Hope to see you there
Go hard or go home.
Thanksgiving day at Dongshin is in the history books and what an evening! Thanks to all the people who assisted with the setup, cooking, serving and anyone else who pitched in. It started with games in the main room (say Beast, bird, fish) and then moved down to the dining area where people were able to socialise and enjoy a taste of home. The evening entertainment was the 1st annual gobbling contest which was won by Danni as she impersonated the gobble of a turkey least likely to be eaten for thanksgiving. In a gobble tie, special mention goes to Karin for performing the cutest gobble closely followed by Karl who tried to woo Nate (the MC) with a Marilyn Monroe inspired rendition (you had to be there to see it and it will never be repeated). After that, we had pumpkin pie for dessert and cleaned up. To commemorate the occasion, a poem was written by Karl
2010 Feast of Thanksgiving
Fantastic cooking
Fabulous decorations
Flavorsome food
Fulfilling fellowship
Fun and Frivolous games
Freaky gobbling
Flirtatious singing
Full and hopefully forgiving bellies
Final goodbyes
F’ankful friends
Hey y’all, it’s that time of year when we get together for a good ole-fashioned pigout! The dinner will mainly be for people who attend Dongshin Church however you are welcome to invite friends to join us on this auspicious occasion. It will be held after church from 5-7pm and we will require some assistance in 2 areas,
Room Preparation and cleanup
Kitchen preparation
Also we will need people to act as ushers and welcomers. Please ask Andy, SJ, Karin or Karl at church to see how you can help at this awesome event.
We look forward to everyone having plenty to be thankful for and also give thanks to the one who created good food, Jesus Christ.
See you in two weeks.
Dongshin Team
The 2010 Kurios conference is in the history books, we had some wonderful worship, stupendous speakers, , worthwhile workshops, satisfying sustenance, fantastic fellowship, wet weather and a gracious God! Thankyou to the support team and all the helpers that made the weekend work so well and we would like to hear from anyone who is interested in blogging about their time at the weekend and any reflections. Thank you to all the attendees for your attitude and assistance in making this conference a success and we hope that you had a meaningful experience with God.
Kind regards
Dongshin Team
Thankyou to those who have responded to the bus ride request. We want to make sure everyone gets to the conference so if you need a ride and haven’t emailed, please send an email to [email protected] asap
The times available are
Pick up Time
Dongshin Church Friday, 7pm Chimsan Retreat Center 1 van
Dongshin Church Friday, 8pm Chimsan Retreat Center 1 van
Dongshin Church Friday, 9pm Chimsan Retreat Center 1 van
Dongshin Church Friday, 10pm Chimsan Retreat Center 1 van
Dongshin Church Saturday, 8am Chimsan Retreat Center 2 vans
Return
Chimsan Retreat Center Saturday, 10pm Dongshin Church 2 vans
Chimsan Retreat Center Sunday, 11 am Dongshin Church 1 bus
God bless you
Dongshin Team
Hi Everyone,
due to an overwhelming response from the pre-registration, all 80 places have been taken and we are really sorry but owing to the size of the conference facility, we are unable to accomodate additional people. If you are interested, then please let us know at church or email and we will place you on a waiting list as it is possible that people may cancel at the last moment. We appreciate the people who have taken the opportunity to pre-register and we know that God will bless our time together.
Dongshin Team
Click on the images below to print and view the full details, if you would like them as PDF files, please email us at [email protected]
You need the registration form to officially sign up for the conference, so click on the image below and you may save it, print it, and submit it.
It’s time to start thinking about the annual church conference and what a glorious event is being planned to bless you, the church and God! You don’t want to miss the 2nd annual Dongshin English Church “Kurios Conference 2010”!!! Retreat with your family and your friends for an amazing weekend to seek the God of the universe. There will be:
• Workshops
• Music
• Food
• Prayer
• R&R ~ rest and relaxation
• Activities
• …and much time to meditate on our Lord’s Word and listen for His voice.
We are inviting other churches around Daegu to join us for the weekend so everyone is welcome. Find contentment in the power of communication with God and allow yourself to be changed by Him on this beautiful autumn weekend that He will give us.
The theme of the conference is “Contentment” and please pray for this conference that God will be glorified and that we will have a deeper understanding of God’s character as we take time out from our schedules to be in God’s presence and fellowship with each other.
We will be staying at a lovely facility in Cheongtong Wachon on the way to Pohang (North-East of Daegu). http://chimsan.net/village_main.html
Acts 10:24-48 portrays the story of one man, Cornelius who is responsible for salvation being extended to the Gentiles and Peter who obediently goes to meet Cornelius and preaches a simple message of the gospel. The holy spirit comes and the rest is history. God used these two men to bring salvation to the gentiles and ultimately us and does it unconventionally which is usually God’s way. Compare the world sense and spiritual sense, we see that:
The world says law and order, Jesus says love Matthew 22:37 & 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The world says get, Jesus says give Luke 9:12-17
Think about these paradoxes of Jesus
*The way first is last, *The way of success is service, *The way of security is vulnerability *The way of protection is forgiveness, *The way of life is the way of death (death to self, society and family)
*Want to be free, give complete control to God, *Want to become great, become the least
*Want to discover yourself, forget yourself, *Want honour, honour yourself with humility
*Want to get revenge, bless and love your enemies Luke 6:27
Finally, as a Christian brother and sister, God shows through the bible that our perception should be that
I am accepted…
John 1:12 I am God’s child.
John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.
Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
I am secure…
Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me. Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.
I am significant…
John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God’s temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
God bless you and let us bless him with our prayers this week.
Remember to scroll down for details on the October Church conference.
Dongshin English Service