Prayers 5 31 2015
*Welcome; Trinity Sunday—God inThree and Three in One
*Joe’s Café and Breakfast at Church ended today; formal recognition during the service; take a break and plans are underway for new breakfast options this Fall
*Coffee next Sunday by Victor Lee and Sydney; looking volunteers for this summer just to provide coffee and perhaps anything else
*Lanna Coffee is available for purchase after worship this morning
*Tiffany Lessler will be sharing with us about this year’s mission team later in the service
*Membership Meeting today, 1:00, sanctuary; important decisions and discussions ahead; please make an effort to attend; bows and tea are available
*Golf Tournament tomorrow in Oakland; to raise funds for this year’s summer ministries; thanks for your support and if you don’t play golf but would like to make a donation, see Joel Jang or Byron Chan; pray that I get a hole in one!
*Next Sunday, June 7th, Pastor Visal will be delivering the message at 11:20 Worship while Joy and I visit Boston where I’ll speak at my home church’s 350th anniversary; FCBC has a long way to go but eagerly waiting for this October for our 135th!
*Retirement Luncheon and Love Gift
Prayer Concerns
*Jimmy Chan was discharged for home on Tuesday
*Victor Lee’s surgery on his back
*Marjorie Choy fell and bruised her face
Prayer of God’s People
God of mystery, you come to us through the love of Christ. God of grace, you come to us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We try to sit quietly, but we squirm. We try to listen, but we don’t hear. We try to be still, but our minds chatter away with the things that need doing when worship is done. We try to be open to new ideas, but we rely on patterns of the past. Lord, open our eyes and our ears and our lives to your awakening today as we hear your plans for our lives and our witness of your love in the world.
At the Membership Meeting today, we pray for the candidate who will be nominated for the Community Outreach Minister position to help us to strengthen our mission in Chinatown. We pray for the nomination for the Transitional Senior Pastor whose expertise at times of change and transition will prepare us to remain faithful as well as to anticipate your plan, O God for our church in the future. And today we pray for careful and respectful discernment of the meaning of being American Baptist at FCBC and in our collaborative and cooperative association with other ABC churches. Teach us to listen to one another as well as to bless us with the Holy Spirit to have unity in our Lord, Jesus Christ.
For those who are in ill-health, we pray with the confidence that all things are possible with you. When we are in pain and suffering, we believe that you have made us to be resilient to become whole once again. Thank you, dear Lord for the many family members, friends, and medical specialists who bring about good health to us.
Be with the Thailand Mission Team members who are preparing for their mission adventures this coming July. Grant them encouragement and the hope of accomplishing their goals. Bless the Day Camp staff team as they will open our church doors on our behalf to the many children. Let the last 2 weeks of training reflect your love for all the children of the world.
On this Trinity Sunday, we pray in the name of God, the Son and the Holy Spirit for you have revealed your will for us in the world and in whom we proclaim today as Lord and Savior. All of these things, we pray in the name of Christ who taught us to pray together, “Our Father…”
Benediction
My friends, go forth from this place in the love of God as you follow in the footsteps of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
May the presence of God be real to you by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Go forth, therefore, in love and hope as you walk with the triune God of glory and strength. Amen.
Recognition of Joe and Emily Chan for Breakfast at Church Hospitality
When the church retrofitted the building in 1999, no one knew that on most Sundays of the year and for over 15 years, Joe Chan with the support of Emily whom he left early in the morning before sunrise would come up to San Francisco to cook breakfast for the church. Joe’s Café extended Christian hospitality to all who came up to the window to place their orders. Visitors ate free and people enjoyed his eggs and spam, tater tots and Gil’s waffles. I was told that Joe’s Café put a stop to Capital Restaurant serving breakfast.
The word, “breakfast” is only mentioned twice in the Bible. It was during the occasion when the disciples went fishing after the resurrection and found that they couldn’t find any fish. Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and behold, they caught 150 fish that they were unable to haul the fish into their boat. After they came on shore, they found that Jesus had started a charcoal fire with fish on it and some bread. Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples.
For over 15 years, Joe like Jesus has been offering breakfast hospitality to hundreds of people. After the disciples had eaten, Jesus tells Peter that if he loves him then he would go and feed Christ’s sheep. Most of us have enjoyed Joe’s breakfast so it’s time for us to go and feed Christ’s sheep.
Most visitors to our church rave about our Breakfast at Church hospitality. We’ll miss Joe and Emily, Gil and Elaine, Walter, Alan, Charlene and a host of helpers and cleanup crew after breakfast is over. But today, we thank you for continuing this heartfelt and stomach filling ministry for over 15 years.
Now it’s time for us to go tend the Lord’s sheep and feed all the hungry people in the world.
Let us pray. Thank you, God for Joe and Emily Chan as well as for all of the kitchen helpers who have made a difference in your church. The hospitality that we have known over these many years is reflective of your kind and generous hospitality exhibited in Jesus’ ministry with his disciples. Grant Joe and Emily good health and more time to share your love. We have been blessed because of this ministry. In Christ, we pray. Amen.