Congregation of the Good Shepherd Welcome Luncheon...

Today was the fall welcome luncheon at Congregation of the Good Shepherd (COGS), the expat (a person living outside his country of citizenship) church that I have been regularly attending. COGS was founded 15 years ago by a group of expats who desired to have a traditional church in Beijing. It meets with the government's approval provided only foreign passport holders are admitted. Worship here is liturgical following the seasons of the church year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost.



Above: Member of COGS enjoy the lunch.

Each fall a welcome luncheon is held to welcome newcomers and welcome back expats who have been away for the summer.

Here are a few highlights:

A college student was visiting today from Hunt, TX. Again it is a small world, I worked in Hunt, TX during the summer of 2000 at Camp Stewart, a summer camp in the Texas Hill Country.

During the lunch I was seated at the same table as the choir director. He asked me if he detected a southern accent in my voice and I told him where I was from. He then said he was from Alabama! Three years ago when he made the move to China to become music teacher at an international school, he happened to be on the same plane as Pastor Dan when Dan was first coming over to be the pastor. Coincidence or something else?

The congregation is presided over by Pastor Dan Sandifer-Stech, an ordained Presbyterian minister from Louisiana and an elected church board:

Above: Pastor Dan covers the church's history during the welcome luncheon.

Above: Board chair Jim Gradoville goes over plans for the year. I didn't know David Rickman had a twin brother living in Beijing!

In case you are curious, here is what the order of worship looks like for a typical COGS service:

Announcements

Choral Introit

Call To Worship (Responsive Reading)

Hymn

Welcome to Visitors and Farewells

Passing The Peace

Prayer

Scripture Readings

Choir Anthem

Sermon

Prayer

Hymn

Pastoral Prayer/Prayers of the People

Offering

Confession of Sin

Communion

Hymn

Dismissal and Blessing

Choral Benediction