October’s Outreach Partner
is Rahab Ministries
Women’s rehabilitation project for workers
in the red-light districts of Bangkok To find out more and how you can help, please go to our Outreach section towards the end of this newsletter
Let’s Join together this Sunday! 3rd October 2021
10 am. via Zoom
On-line ONLY
Stay at Home and Please Join us on ZOOM!
(computer, tablet or smartphone)
Due to COVID19 health measures, our worship service will NOT be in-person this Sunday
about ICB worship on Zoom:
Please come on time and allow a minute or two to connect.
You will be “muted” upon entering the zoom room with the musical prelude on. Please stay muted during the service.
Pastor Chee suggests, “while you listen to the prelude, please pray for the service to run smoothly for God’s glory. There’s plenty of time to chit chat in the break out rooms after the service.”
This Sunday’s Sermon
is delivered live on Zoom by our minister, Revd. Chee Keong Yong
Revd. Chee’s sermon is entitled: “To be seen and not be heard“Our Scripture Readings are: Epistle: Hebrews 2:5-12* Gospel: Mark 10:2-16*(*click for online Bible)
Pastor Chee’s introduces our theme:
Over the past few Sundays, we have been looking at Mark’s Jesus. Quite frankly, Mark presents him as a revolutionary, a reformist, a challenger of the status quo, etc. We see Jesus as someone who does not fit into our expectations of him.
Even Peter’s expectation of Messiah was challenged at Caesarea Philippi. It is no good saying that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) without understanding the role of being the Christ. Clearly, Peter’s attempt to hinder Jesus from heading to Jerusalem was a failure to recognize Jesus’ role in being the Messiah. Like other Jews, Peter expected the Messiah to be their deliverer from the Romans.
Following on from that, Jesus continued to challenge the disciples as to their ideas of greatness in God’s Kingdom. “To be first, you must be last” is unthinkable. Most of us are programmed to reach the top at all costs in a ‘dog eat dog’ world. It is drilled into us while we are young. We dare not come out last. So Jesus’ admonition to his disciples is all the more shocking.
Last week, we again saw the disciples being challenged about who are the insiders and outsiders. It is easy to assume that we are the insiders – the privileged ones. Sadly, the religious authorities thought so, too. To them, Jesus was the outsider. Have you ever been in the outsider position? It is not a good feeling. So the disciples learned the outsider position from Jesus’ perspective. We are the outsiders being grafted into the inside by grace.
Here, today, in the continuation of Mark’s Gospel and specifically Mark 10:13-16, we see Jesus rebuking the disciples for hindering children from coming to him. On the surface, we may not truly understand the action and words of Jesus. To grasp all that is revealed in these few short verses, we need to understand the position of children in that society at that time.
I encourage you to join us on Zoom this coming Sunday at 10.00 am.
God bless
Chee
Please scroll down below for news about possible in-person services and notices about Sunday school in October, ongoing and upcoming on-line events on weekday evenings and this month’s Outreach Partner: Rahab Ministries.
VISIT our
ICB Sunday School Facebook Page!! HERE
https://www.facebook.com/ICB-Christian-Education-106748784983710
(copy this URL into your browser)
ICB is a fully self-supported congregation.
We gladly receive your donations. KBank a/c 003-1-09408-9
More information on the ICB Website
Thank you!
Announcements from our Minister
1. Possible in-person services are being prepared for when regulations allow
We are hoping that Sunday morning in-person worship services may resume at some time during October.Please keep a lookout on email, ICB website, Facebook or Line (morning service group) for further announcements about when these may start at a new temporary venue, near to BTS & MRT stations and a car park.We plan also to continue live streaming on Zoom for those preferring this.
Please pray and bear with us as we plan in continued uncertainty but we will not go ahead with in-person gatherings until we consider it is safe.
2. VISIONING ICB’s FUTURE PATH
We are excited to find out where God’s path leads us to!
We have only recently started on our road to planning a future for ICB, which hopefully extends outside our membership zone to those in our community and city who need our help to help themselves based on how Jesus lived His life on Earth.
More details on how we are progressing and what the next steps may be will appear in future newsletters – so watch this space!!
Meanwhile, if you wish to add your input on how you would like to see ICB develop, please contact the minister via email, initially. He or someone from the Council’s Outreach Committee will then contact you back. Your ideas are vitally important!
Proverbs 29:18 –
“Where there is no vision, the people perish;..” Acts 2:17 –
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
3. Explore the Holy Land with Messianic Jews
Would you like to join in on a tour of the Holy Land on Fridays in the comfort of your home?
We will never know when physical travel to Israel is possible but I can bring it to you. These sessions continue at 7pm. on Fridays,
The Zoom link is:
Meeting ID: 870 8145 9925 Passcode: 164138
web reference: https://bit.ly/37VCJJ7
Jerusalem – Holy City of Salem and Truth
Visit many of the biblical sites during our virtual tour of
the Holy Land – guided by our minister, Revd. Chee.
3. ALPHA COURSE – a series of interactive sessions exploring the basics of the Christian faith.
Are you interested in joining an Alpha course? New Zealand is staging an Alpha course online. If you would like to join, it continues on Wednesdays at 2.00pm (BKK time). Anyone can sign up through – https://www.alpha.org.nz/try-alpha/Each session looks at a different question, and is assigned to create conversation. No two Alphas look the same – they run in coffee shops, churches, bars, prisons, universities, schools and homes. There’s no pressure, no follow-up and no charge; it’s just an open, informal, and honest space to explore and discuss life’s big questions together.
If you are signing up as an ICB member, please put “Hamilton (N.Z.)” in the box for City. I have permission from my colleague in Hamilton for you to do so.
The Alpha course continues on Wednesdays
at 2.00 pm (Bangkok time)
CHRISTIAN OUTREACH The International Church of Bangkok
partners with Christian ministries throughout Thailand to advance the work of Jesus.
5% of ICB’s yearly total income goes directly to the outreach partners. Members and friends are also encouraged to give directly.
Bank transfers are easy to do and very welcome Please Donate NOW when it’s Most Needed!! KasikornBank (KBank): 003-1-09408-9
Transfer your donation to the ICB Bank account above and please email your transfer confirmation with the message:
“For Outreach: month/year (or name of O/R partner)” office@icbangkok.orgICB’s Outreach Partner
for October 2021
RAHAB Ministries Bangkok
Helping women trapped in prostitution to find a new life in Christ, offering them a future and a hope.
Situated in Thailand’s northernmost province, Chiang Rai, Prachakittisuk Church can be found off the main road leading to main border points to Myanmar as well as Laos.
Known as the Golden Triangle, this area is extensively populated with ethnic minority groups, locally called hilltribes. Although living there for generations, many have still to receive Thai citizenship, leading to education neglect & other inadequate social services. The Church was founded in 1953 by the father of the current minister, Rev. Dr. Sirirat Pusurinkham, who says her 300 members are “happy people”, which is what “Prachakittisuk” means. Nevertheless, few of them earn an adequate wage for their families’ basic needs, lacking education, with many being illiterate.
In 2003, the church set up an orphanage for children whose parents both died of HIV/AIDS. There are more than 10 such orphans in our care who lacked basic needs such as food, clothes, and school scholarships.
Prachakittisuk Church’s orphanage in early years. At the start there were 5 children. Now we have 25 young residents.
Rev. Dr. Sirirat explains,
“Over the years, we have been able to see more than 10 of our orphans graduate from University and become teachers, nurses, engineers, musicians, and pastors. But still there is more work to be done. Raising children is a lifelong process that requires investment in time, physical resources but most of all, commitment and love. Feeding, housing, and educating these many children mean we are always fund-raising yet also trusting God to provide.
Covid19 has affected church members severely though loss of income and mounting debt. Their children cannot go to school unless there is support to buy food and to get to school. When the village school conducts online lessons, many children do not have cell phones to study that way”.
Our church supports many orphans and women who are part of church’s handiwork project. We have over 50 women making handicrafts for sale, from purses & bags to table runners, bookmarks, facemasks and much more.
Rev. Dr. Sirirat asks us to pray:
“The pandemic calls on our solidarity and accountability, mindfulness, care and wisdom.
It also calls for our signs of faith, hope and love. We pray for all humanity: Help us to help one another during this time. Help communities to be stronger during this challenging time. Help us to heal as we face our fears. May God increase our faith so we don’t panic. With God, in God, we have hope. Please keep our ministry in your prayers.” Amen.
You are welcome to phone Rev. Dr. Sirirat : 081-602-5561
If you missed any of the recent sermons or would like to hear one or more again, recordings are available from Rev. Chee himself. Please let him know which Sunday(s) you are interested in and he will send you the link.
Send an email to: minister@icbangkok.org
International Church of Bangkok (ICB)
Advancing the Work of Jesus!
ICB is an English language congregation, composed of native and non-native speakers.
We are committed to welcoming people of all backgrounds to Christian worship for a diverse, inclusive and unifying faith experience.
We seek to advance the work of Jesus Christ by promoting and supporting spiritual growth, community and service to others.
Scan these QR Codes to
find out more about
International Church of Bangkok
This upper link will guide you to our
ICB Website
This lower link will guide you to our
ICB Facebook page
For personal inquiries, more information and
church membership, please email
Rev. Chee Keong Yong: minister@icbangkok.org
