ESC Body Life Ministry

Body Life Ministry (7 members)

Coordinator :

  • Grace Tam 譚梁蘊慈

Members :

  • Jocelyn Tai

  • Ralph Wong

  • Allan Wong

  • Ken Kwan

  • Natalie Lim

  • Iris Li

  • Ling Mark-Chan

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.

2024 Ministry Report

1. The goals of the ministry group for the Year 2024

Goals of the ministry group 

  • Serve and help build community in the ESC community through a variety of events and formats (e.g., retreats, BLT, Encounters 2.0)

  • Encourage brothers and sisters to get to know others outside of their own cohort groups

  • 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

2. The highlights of the activities for achieving the goals

Highlights of the activities 

  • Body Life Together (BLT) small group gatherings continue every Wednesday evening. New members joined and people continue to deepen relationships begun a year ago. We are studying the book of Psalms for the 2024/25 season.

  • “Body Life Lunch (BLL)” took place a couple of times for ESC brothers and sisters to have a meal together at church. 

  • NYCBC’s Anniversary Lunch was a great event, as all congregations worked together to serve several hundred hungry brothers and sisters! ESC was able to enlist the help of many in our congregation to make the BBQ section happen smoothly and joyfully!

  • We hosted a Newcomers Lunch/BLL in November

  • Our annual ESC Spring retreat was held the first week of May. Our speaker, Pastor Justin Galotti, spoke on the theme: Holiness

  • In late fall, a Ladies Retreat was held at Conestoga Bible Camp. Our speaker, Alyssa LaRocque, spoke on the theme: A Call to Contentment: Pursuing Godly Satisfaction in a Restless World. 

  • Encounters 2.0, ESC’s publication, started up again with a Fall/Winter issue. It was filled with updates, testimonies, creative writing, and even artwork. We are encouraged to “read” from our ESC members.

3. The results and some forward looking sharing

Results and forward looking sharing 

  • Over 120 people, including a number of families with young children, came together for our Spring Retreat, and 25 ladies joined the Fall Retreat. Both were wonderful weekends, filled with wonderful learning, food, fellowship, and fun. 

  • Over 70 people gathered for our BLL/Newcomers lunch in November, with 20 newcomers. It was a good opportunity to introduce the ESC to those who recently joined us and to get to know them better.

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

  • We continue to build on ways to support our Ministry Groups through providing opportunities to gather for mutual sharing and prayer for each other.

  • For larger events, we hope to continue involving members outside of the BLM to help with planning and coordinating.

  • We hope to have more regular Body Life Lunches (BLL) this year, along with other similar lunch gatherings (e.g., “BMM and Lunch” and “Soup Sundays”).

  • We look forward to helping again with NYCBC’s anniversary celebrations in June of this year.