魏愛玲師母
2025 年 12 月 23 日感恩节聚会见证
亲愛的教会家人们：
上个主日，在我们秋季特会结束的时候，我坐在那里聆听杨牧师的讲道。忽然，当我看到大家都专心聆听神话语的那一刻，我的心被极大的感恩充满。我立刻意识到，这是一个很深、很强烈的感动，我知道那是圣灵在提醒我。我们刚刚度过了一个极其蒙福的秋季特会周末。讲道之后，许多人来到前面请求代祷，愿意更深地把自己献给主，委身于祂的国度工作，也立志更真实地为祂而活；还有一些人渴望认识耶稣，接受祂作救主。
希伯来书 10:25 说：“你们不可停止聚会，好像那些停止惯了的人，倒要彼此劝勉；既知道那日子临近，就更当如此。” 这节经文鼓励我们这些信徒，要面对面地聚在一起，彼此扶持、彼此鼓励，因为我们每个人在人生中都会面对困难与挣扎。
当我看到大家为感恩节愛筵忙碌预备时，那真是一幅喜乐又温馨的画面。姐妹们忙着把一道道菜摆上桌。我周六下午离开时，宏岚还在厨房；周日早晨我来到教会时，她仍然在厨房里！我对她说：“宏岚，你是不是在厨房里过夜了？”我真心感谢她付出的辛劳。其实，大家都非常辛苦！所以，我要谢谢你们每一位，使这个周末如此美好！饭菜丰盛又美味！
弟兄们则忙着搬桌椅、摆放会场。许多人彼此交谈、拥抱，或是结识新朋友；孩子们欢笑着、奔跑着。我心中充满感恩，因为你们在周五晚上、周六、并且周日仍然来到主日崇拜，甘心把整个周末献给主。这的确是一种付出与牺牲，但我相信，我们每一个人都因着这次特会被更新、被祝福。能够属于神的家、属于我们的教会，是何等美好的事！在这里，我们感到被接纳、被支持，也被人代祷。
教会里有许多不同的服事方式：有些服事是在幕后，有些服事是显而易见的；有些需要事先长时间的预备，有些来自天然的恩赐；有些服事只是单纯地“在场”。但所有的服事，都需要一颗甘心乐意的心。
你们也知道，在这次秋季特会中，我们为青少年安排了查经。内容是关于关系与愛——特别是与神之间健康、充满愛的关系，以及与他人之间健康、充满愛的关系。这次学习是建立在圣经中“最大的诫命”之上。马可福音 12:30–31 中，耶稣说：“你要尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力愛主你的神。其次就是说：要愛人如己。再没有比这两条诫命更大的了。” 这是耶稣引用了旧约申命记第六章的话。
耶稣在这里清楚地告诉我们：我们要愛神，也要愛人。从一开始，神的心意就是让我们活在愛的关系中。如果我们真心要像马太福音第六章所说的那样，先求神的国和神的义，就必须学习如何愛神，也学习如何去愛人。而这一切，神都已经在祂的话语中清楚地教导我们。
我们与青少年的查经也涉及了一些不容易、却非常重要的主题，比如：性、身份认同，以及当别人选择了一种危险、不讨神喜悦的生活方式时，我们该如何用愛去帮助他们。我们要显出恩慈与怜悯，却绝不能淡化、妥协神话语中的真理。我们需要重新坚定自己作为基督徒的信念与使命：我们是只为自己而活，还是为神而活？我们是追求个人的享乐，还是愿意把生命献上，为着一个更大的、永恒的目的？
当我们把自己交给神，祂就赐给我们一颗新心、一个新生命——这是出于神的恩典与恩赐。当神的愛住在我们里面时，我们就能去愛别人，哪怕那些人并不容易去愛。
所以，亲愛的弟兄姐妹们，我们都知道自己要彼此相愛、彼此代祷，并且存着一颗感恩的心来生活。感恩节已经来到，我祷告我们每一个人都被感恩充满——为着神的愛与赦免，为着祂所赐的一切恩典，也为着我们这群宝贵的教会家人。
让我们继续彼此聚集——为了祷告、为了敬拜、为了团契；让我们靠着主的帮助，一同追求在主里面不断成长、更加成熟。
最后，魏牧师和我衷心祝愿大家：
感恩节快乐，主恩满溢，平安喜乐！
Elinda West
Testimony for Thanksgiving Service Dec 23, 2025
Church Family last Sunday at the end of our Fall Conference I was listening to Pastor Yang preaching. Suddenly as I just observed everyone paying attention to his preaching, I felt overwhelmed with thanksgiving for my church family. I recognized this feeling as powerful and know it was the Holy Spirit reminding me. We had a very blessed weekend in our Fall Conference. Many came down to the front after the preaching to ask for prayer and to dedicate ourselves more fully to the Lord and to His Kingdom work and living more deeply for Him. And some want to know Him as Savior.
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching!” This verse is encouraging us as believers to meet together face to face for mutual encouragement and fellowship especially since we all face hardship and struggles in our lives.
As I observed the activity during preparation for the Thanksgiving Feast everyone was hurrying around and it was a joyful and happy sight. The sisters were getting all the food onto the table. Hong Lan was still in the kitchen when I left on Saturday afternoon and she was in the kitchen when I arrived Sunday morning! I said, Honglan did you spend the night in this kitchen? I thanked her for all her hard work. Everyone worked hard! So, thank you to all of you for making it such a good weekend! It was an abundant and delicious meal! The brothers were moving the tables and chairs into place. Many were visiting or hugging one another or meeting new friends! The children were squealing and running around. I felt so thankful for all of you giving up your weekend on Friday night, Saturday and coming to Sunday worship, TOO! It was a sacrifice, but I think we were all changed by it and blessed by it! It’s very good to belong to God’s Family, our church, where we feel welcome and supported and prayed for.
There are many ways to serve in the church. Some service is ‘behind the scenes, some service is obvious, some service requires preparation in advance, some service comes from natural talent, some service requires just being here. ALL service requires a WILLING HEART.
As you know we did a Bible Study with the youth for the Fall Conference. It was a study on relationships and love, especially a healthy loving relationship with God and a healthy loving relationship with other people. This study was based on the Greatest Commandment in God’s Word. Remember in Mark 12:30-31Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second (commandment) is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” He was quoting the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 6. So, Jesus is saying we are to love God and love other people. Jesus’ plan from the beginning was that we have loving relationships. If we want to seek God’s Kingdom first like Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, then we must learn how to love God and other people. And He tells us how to do that in His Word! Our study with the youth included some difficult topics like our sexuality and where is our identity. And how do we help other people by our love when they are living a lifestyle that is dangerous and not pleasing to God. We show kindness and grace but we never water down the truth of God’s Word. We needed to reinforce our beliefs and purpose as believers in Jesus Christ. Are we just living for ourselves or are we living for God? Are we living for our pleasure or will we give our life for a greater purpose? When we give ourselves to God He gives us a new heart, a new life. This is a divine gift. When we have God’s love in us we can love other people even when they aren’t easy to love.
So, brothers and sisters, we all know we are to love one another and pray for one another and live with a thankful heart. Thanksgiving week is here and I pray that all of us will be filled with a thankful heart for God’s love and forgiveness and for all our blessings AND for our Beloved Church Family. Let’s keep on… meeting together… for prayer and for worship and for fellowship. Let’s all strive to be better with our Lord’s help.
Wei Mushr and I wish you all a VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING