Church Growth

The 2016 pre-confession class met on Sunday afternoons with a large group of people. From November through today, several of the members of that class joined CERC either through confession of faith or adult baptism.  (Thanks to Daniel Tang for all the photos once again!)

First was four confessions of faith:  a man with a Pentecostal background who came to CERC through some friends, along with a mother and her two daughters.  The sermon was taken from Colossians 2:6-7:  "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him..."

Grace, Rachel, Jemima Joy, and Stephen answering the confession of faith questions

The following week four young adults received adult baptism.  Three came to CERC through friends, and one through a brother who had joined our church earlier.  They came either straight out of idolatry or from atheism, and all had unbelieving family members in church to witness their baptisms.  The sermon text was Philippians 1:6:  "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Zhi Leng

Jia Chin

Millie

Celina

Two weeks later, one more young adult was baptized.  She also came to CERC through a friend.  The sermon that morning was on Psalm 63:7:  "Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice."

Meryl

The following week we had three more confessions of faith.  One was a girl who had grown up in CERC, and we are thankful that God not only brings in those from outside, but saves His people in the lines of generations.  Another was a former minister and his wife.  Lap Meng served in a Pentecostal church for years but became convinced of the Reformed faith. After the officebearers of that church worked with Pastor Lau and then my husband for some time, the church eventually disbanded, and the pastor and his wife came to CERC. Psalm 31:15a was the text for their confession of faith:  "My times are in thy hand."

Lap Meng, Mui Tiang, and Joy

Each member receives a certificate of baptism or of confession of faith.

Today was the final group:  the Lehnert family.  Curtis, an American, met his wife Esther in Hong Kong while they were working there.  They moved back to her homeland of Singapore when she was expecting their first child, and they began worshiping with us.  That was a couple of years ago, and today Curtis made confession of faith, Esther received the sacrament of adult baptism, and their two children, Gabriella and Roman, were baptized. The text was Psalm 128, "The Blessed Covenant Family."

Esther

Gabriella

Roman

We are blessed to see God's guiding hand in bringing each of His children to Himself, from all different ways of life and religious backgrounds.  To Him be all the glory!