Hi Church,

1. THANKSGIVING NIGHT SERVICE

Date: 31 December from 6pm to 10 pm at Auditorium.
Food contributions can be set up at 6pm. Dinnertime is from 630pm to 730pm.

Thanksgiving Service commences with Praise & Worship at 730pm.

2. MANDARIN SERVICE
Date: 4 Jan & 18 Jan Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am in Tweenies room.

3. SUNDAY SPECIAL AFTERNOON PRAYER MEETING
Date: 4 Jan Sunday afternoon at 245pm church office.
Young adults are hosting this combined prayer meeting for 3 ministries.
All church saints are welcome to join in this prayer effort.

4. SERVANTS SEMINARS 2009
Dates: 10 Jan and 17 Jan Saturdays from 1030am to 230pm. Lunch is provided.
Ministry leaders and all who are serving in any capacity in church are expected to attend this seminar in preparation for our service in 2009 on either one of this Saturdays.

5. FISHERS OF MEN GATHERING
Please check your emails for details & updates on the gathering. More information will be given next week.

God bless,
Mei Cheng

Dear Saints,

Hope your loved ones and friends have enjoyed the little production which we have jointly put together.
Special thanks for the anchors and casts who have selflessly availed themselves for the task.

This coming 31st Dec we’ll be having our Thanksgiving Celebration for GOD’s goodness and faithfulness shown in our lives for the year of 2008 and beyond. It is also an opportunity for saints to come in unity and love to jointly usher the presence of GOD in 2009 through sharing of our testimonies, praise and worship. In the atmosphere of reverence and gratitude towards GOD, we are seeking saints who would like to share in the potbless that we traditionally have before service in the evening.

Please contact me via email at hockey@alivecommunity.net or reach me in the office at 6323 5393 to confirm the food item you will be blessing us with before 28th Dec, Sunday.

Thank you muchy!

With Christ’s LOve,
hOckey

Dear Jesus,

Christmas is a time of remembering that You came down to earth, forsaking all dignity of Your mighty throne in heaven, humbling Yourself in human flesh to deliver us from our selfish lifestyles. It is a time when I put all work aside to spend time in quiet communion with You. My heart is made glad when I hear traditional Christmas carols. Each of them carry a lingering sweetness about You. O, how I wish it was Christmas every day! Your presence is greater than any gift that people give and Your voice is more resounding than the bellowing laughter of Santa Claus. Your spirit is more real to me than reindeer driving a flying sleigh and Your touch is more soothing than a burning hearth amid a cold winter.

This Christmas, though speculated to be of pagan origins, is a time for me to dwell deeper into love with You. What better way to celebrate the birth of my Best Friend than to spend more time with You? It occurred to me that it doesn’t make sense to commemorate Your big day by busying myself with writing cards and giving presents to people and yet forget all about You. Never will I do that to my Friend! Indeed, the joy of being with You and celebrating with true, heartfelt worship with my fellow saints is sweeter than the hub bub of shopping malls decked with decorations and commercial items inspired by the captialist economy of this earthly abode.

The year is coming to an end, spelling the approaching closure of this chapter of my life in 2008. The pain and sorrow outweighed the happy moments, but they are nothing compared to the joy I find in You, even in the most agonising moments. As the beginning of 2009 draws nigh, I’m believing in You for double blessings, double the joy that You’ve given to me. Miracles will happen when I pray, not because of who I am, but because of who You are. More will come to know You and share in the blessed hope, not because of what I do, but because of what You do. You are the God who is well able to do anything. It is because of You that we get to enjoy this festive season. How much more joy I would expect in 2009, the year of breakthroughs and promotion!

Dear Friends

On Tuesday, 2 December 2008, Bishop Willoughby saw an oncologist who specializes in melanoma. Dr Richard Carvajal provided Bro Willoughby with a treatment plan. Bro Willoughby will commence oral chemotherapy today, Sunday, 7 December. This drug, which will be taken daily for 6 weeks followed by a 2 week break, will cause side effects such as nausea which will be the most severe for the first 3 days. Dr Carvajal informed that this drug will not only seek to destroy any remaining melanoma cells but also work on the brain and aid the radiation in being more effective in destroying the tumors. A PET-CT scan will be performed in 3 months time to assess the efficacy of the drugs.

In addition to the oral chemotherapy, Bro Willoughby will commence targeted radiotherapy on the brain tumors on Friday, 12 December. This treatment will consist of 5 high dose radiotherapy sessions each lasting 15 minutes in length.

Yesterday, Bro Willoughby experienced additional symptoms caused by the brain tumors. They include some numbness in his right leg and arm. The physicians at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have adjusted Bro Willoughby’s steroids dosage to reduce these symptoms thus allowing him to maintain his mobility. Sis Willoughby will be undergoing a PET-CT scan on Monday, 8 December to see if there is any cancer activity. This investigation was ordered by her Singapore oncologist because of consecutive monthly rises in her tumor markers and complaints of tiredness and back pain.

Your prayer support for the Willoughbys over the past month has made a tremendous difference in their lives. The prayer pointers for this week are as follows:

- That the PET-CT Scan report will show no cancer activity in Barbara Willoughby’s body.
- That the tiredness and back pain that Sis Willoughby has been experiencing will cease.
- That Bro Willoughby will experience slight or no adverse effects from the chemotherapy.
- That every unseen melanoma cell in Bro Willoughby’s body will be destroyed.
- That the radiotherapy sessions will be effective in completely destroying the brain tumors.
- That there will be no further deterioration in Bro Willoughby’s level of mobility.

Bishop Willoughby has stated that he is committed to a process of faith. He is committed to be like Him and does not intend to take himself off the potter’s wheel. Before I close this email, I would like to share with you a word of encouragement that Bro Jeff Arnold, Pastor, Pentecostals of Gainesville, Florida shared with Bro Willoughby.

God can provide relief but his real goal is restoration. Restoration is a process. Restoration requires faith in the restorer. God’s ultimate goal is to restore us into His likeness and to restore what we lost in the fall. Oftentimes before we fully come to or turn to God, we have to come to the end of ourselves which requires a journey.

Restoration refers to the act of bringing back to a former place, station or condition, the fact of being renewed or re-established. Relief, on the otherhand, speaks of that which removes or lessens pain, discomfort or uneasiness.

Restoration often causes the loss of identity for a period of time to that which is being restored. This loss of identity causes a lack of recognition. But the restorer says ‘If you will trust me, I will put it back together again.’ And so it is with our lives. Do we really believe that God can reduce us to the extent that we lose our identity and bring about not just relief but restoration to our lives?

Relief or restoration? May God give each of us this week the courage and faith to trust in our Saviour, our Restorer and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Abiding in His Grace
Sandra Subner
On behalf of Timothy Lee and Tabernacle of Joy