ESC Body Life Ministry

Body Life Ministry (7 members)

Coordinator :

  • Grace Tam 譚梁蘊慈

Members :

  • Joy Lee 葛李麗

  • Nicole Leung 梁家褀

  • Jocelyn Tai 戴芷妍

  • Edward Tam 譚偉康

  • Ralph Wong 黃樂信

Ministry Description

Vision  

To cultivate a caring, biblically functioning community in the ESC so that all who come feel welcome and can develop a sense of belonging.

Ministry Group Members

Areas of responsibility for BLM include, member care, ESC activities, small and large group events, communication among groups and members, and all aspects of ESC life together. The MG personnel will work together to achieve the goals of each area of ministry. 

Areas of Ministry

Congregational Events

Plan and execute congregational events such as retreats, community get-togethers and dinners, special events and/or event refreshments, and other body-life building events.

Congregational Care

Create and build on ways to care for ESC members and their specific needs (e.g., Care to Share).

ESC Communication

Seek ways to plan, edit, and publish forms of communication for members of the ESC (e.g. social media, “Encounters”, brochures) that can serve to build up the congregation. Liaise and work with the ESC Multimedia Ministry and other ministry groups to develop and share content with our congregation.

ESC Conferences

Oversee the planning and execution of congregational conferences throughout the year (i.e. Spring Retreat, Fall Retreat). On occasion, this includes the planning and execution of the English-speaking portion of NYCBC’s Summer Conference. Liaise and work with the CSC/MSC BLM counterparts for Summer Conference.

2023 Ministry Report

1. The goals of the ministry group for the Year 2023 

  • Serve and help build community in the ESC community through a variety of events (retreats, BLT, )

  • Encourage brothers and sisters to get to know others outside of their familiar groups (e.,g “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”)

  • Collaborate with other ESC ministries in planning for events (e.g., Christmas Evening Worship)

  • Provide an opportunity for greater communication and support among the various ministry groups

  • Plan each event to meet at least one of the 2022 foci

2. The highlights of the activities for achieving the goals

We are thankful for all the opportunities we had to help build and encourage our brothers and sisters.

  • With input from leaders and ESC members, our weekly Body Life Together (BLT) gatherings were tweaked to put a greater emphasis on Bible Study, sharing, and prayer. New groups were set up for the new season, while still maintaining an intergenerational focus.

  • A Ministry Fair was held in April. ESC members were introduced to the various church ministries and encouraged to get involved. 

  • A new event, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” was introduced. “Mystery” guests were assigned to the homes of “mystery” hosts for a fun evening of food and fellowship. 

  • Seeing a need for greater communication and support among the various ministry groups (instead of serving in our own silos), Ministry Group Gatherings took place a couple of times this year. It provided an opportunity for all our ministry group members to gather and share their ministry goals, activities, and needs, and to pray for each other. 

  • “BMM & Lunch” was started up as a way for ESC members to eat and then participate in the church BMM as a group. It sure beats doing it alone!

3. The results and some forward looking sharing

  • 120 people, including a number of families with children, came together for a wonderful weekend of teaching, food, fellowship, and fun at our ESC Spring Retreat. We are looking at the possibility of holding a Ladies Retreat in the fall of 2024

  • Our staples, such as Sundae Sunday and Outdoor Worship continued to bring people together and to be enjoyed by all.

  • There were happy surprises all around as the mystery guests/hosts were revealed at “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”. New friendships were forged and old ones deepened. 

  • Building on BMM & Lunch, Body Life Lunch is another idea in the making to bring brothers and sisters together for a meal after Sunday worship, and allow for connecting and fellowshipping.

  • We continue to build on ways to support our Ministry Group and BLT leaders through resources, sharing, and prayer.

  • For larger events, we would like to invite members outside of the BLM to help plan and coordinate