Ministry Spotlight: Harbour City Church - 10/24/2019

Ministry Spotlight: Harbour City Church Harbour City Church is the primary ministry of the MTW Sydney team. HCC's beginnings were in small groups starting in 2008; two years later, HCC began weekly public worship services in space rented by the hour in the heart of Sydney, with a view (if one was in just the right spot) of the famous opera house and the slightly less famous harbour bridge. As a young, growing church, there have been several moves into larger spaces, with the church now worshipping a bit farther out in the Sydney suburbs at a local community center. Jim Jung is the original church planter and lead pastor. He and his wife, Claudia, started the Sydney MTW team in 2006, and have recruited a missionary team currently consisting of the Goodrich family from Texas, and two single men both hoping to arrive in Sydney in January (Kooi and Choi!). In addition to leading HCC, Jim oversees Student Outreach to the World (SOW -- to be spotlighted next month), City Sanctum (spotlighted last month), and is the MTW regional director for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Harbour City Church is led by two MTW ordained pastors as well as several elders, mentored and trained at HCC. There are active ministries for men, women, and children, as well as mercy ministry, and the aforementioned Student Outreach to the World (university ministry) and City Sanctum. HCC is a member of the Westminster Presbyterian denomination; the first church in the denomination was planted by American missionaries from World Presbyterian Mission, the predecessor of Mission to the World, in the 1970s. The denomination currently consists of just 15 churches, most of them in Perth in far western Australia. In addition to my primary role with City Sanctum, I will have a role at HCC and in assisting Jim Jung in his leadership of the various local ministries and within the Pacific region. Support Raising Update God has provided for 84% of my monthly support! The process of raising the additional support to serve in Sydney has sometimes been a step or two backward and a step or two forward as I've lost a little support here and there as a result of changing mission fields. Support raising is a daunting task: working to make contacts, but waiting patiently on God to bring in the funds. A number of people and churches that have shown interest in partnering with me, but have not yet made that official. Committee decisions are often slow; please pray! Due to excess one-time gifts over and beyond my one-time budget, these funds will be disbursed through my four-year term in Sydney. This is currently about $400 per month, leaving about $1,500 in needed monthly pledges. Additional one-time gifts will increase this reserve fund. Monthly or annual pledges get me to 100% funded more quickly. If YOU would like to partner with me, you can make a pledge by any of the following methods: Reply to this email with your pledge. Give/pledge online. Email Mimi Lee at MTW with your pledge. If you have any questions, please email me. If you would like a hardcopy of my prayer card sent to you, please let me know. (You can tear off the bottom half of it to mail to MTW with a contribution and/or pledge as well.) Thank you for your prayerful consideration! Support Goals/Timeline: 90% by the end of October; it's possible! 100% by the end of November Apply for resident visa in December Depart for Sydney first week of January Follow FB Group Forward to a Friend Jackson, MS area Event! If you are in the Jackson, MS area, you are invited to Cultivation Food Hall THIS SATURDAY, October 26, for lunch and a presentation about the new ministry in Sydney. This event is open to all friends, current supporters, and anyone interested in missions. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend! The presentation will start at 12:30 pm. I suggest you come around 11:30 to noon in order to order lunch from one of several great vendors in the food hall, then bring your lunch to "The Living Room" event room. I hope to see you there! Calendar October 26 • Jackson, MS event (see above for details) October 27 • Ethnos: Prayer for the Nations meeting (event is at a private home in Jackson, MS area. Email me if you'd like info.) • 6:00 pm Nov. 26 - Dec. 3 • Thanksgiving with family in Washington state December 8 • City Life Church • St. Paul, MS • 10 am worship Prayer Points Pray for the upcoming events on my calendar, that God will use them to bring additional partners, but also that God will use them to call others to serve overseas for the gospel. Pray that God will provide 90% of my support by the end of October. Pray whether God would have you be a financial partner with me in the gospel. Pray for Harbour City Church: • for Jim Jung as he leads the church, as well as his many other responsibilities; • for the elders and various ministry leaders; • for Westminster Presbyterian denomination, that they will be faithful to scripture, engaging in the culture, and effective in bringing many people into relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for my own preparation for ministry in Australia. I am reading several books on ministry and on Australian culture.