Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No 5 | Page 25

March 1 - 15 , 2017 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY 25

THE CHURCH

table ; and we leave to share the good news of salvation with a suffering world . The church offer a banquet to a starving world . Because membership in the church of the living God is of great value , we should not treat it indifferently . The church isn ’ t a club where we meet for mere friendship . Itr is the body of Christ . Membership implies joyful participation and active support . We are warned against despising the salvation that we once accepted so gladly ( Hebrews 6 : 4-6 ; 10 : 26-31 ; 12 : 15-17 )
THE PRIVILEGE OF MEMBERSHIP
“ Church membership provides us the joy of fellowship today and the hope of a glorious tomorrow . ” Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy , cleansing her by washing with water through the Word , and to present her to Him as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any blemish but holy and blameless ” ( Ephesians 5 : 25-27 ). The church is the bride of Christ , precious in His sight , His fortress in a rebellious world , the object of His supreme regard . He is patiently accomplishing His work in His church on earth , because He has an eternal destiny for her : that her members may dwell wih Him for eternity .”
For prayer , questions and Bible study , call Ben at 604-581-1278 , Junjun at 778-927-8040 , and Stanley at 604-700-3053 . You are invited to worship with us every Sabbath ( Saturday ) at the Abundant Life Community Seventh-day Adventist Church at 13062-104 Avenue , Surrey . Welcome .
Our new shepherd , Pastor Leomar Macaraig also takes care of the Vancouver Filipino and Burnaby FilCan SDA churches . His phone number is ; 604-928-3579 . Every Friday , we have a Bible Stud with the Pastor . Everybody is welcome to attend , whether you are a Seventhday Adventist or not . The Word of God is for everyone . Our address is 9495- 132 Street , Surrey .

Pope Francis : It ’ s a grave sin to lay people off carelessly

Business is obliged to protect peoples ’ dignity – and those who lay off employees solely for economic gain commit a serious sin , Pope Francis told employees of a TV platform in Italy .
“ He who shuts factories and closes companies as a result of economic operations and unclear negotiations , depriving men and women from work , commits a very grave sin ,” the Pope said in reference to Sky Italy ’ s recent cutbacks .
Sky Italy is a platform for digital satellite television . Partly owned by 21st Century Fox , they are also a major broadcaster for sports . Sky has recently announced plans to downsize and move 300 employees to Milan from Rome .
The Pope emphasized the dignity work gives to men and women and lamented employers who do not keep their responsibility to access to this dignity .
“ Work gives dignity , and managers are obliged to do all possible so that every man and woman can work and so carry their heads high and look others in the eye with dignity .”
Pope Francis has spoken on the accountability of a business to its workers before . Addressing the Italian Christian Union of Business Executives in 2015 , he encouraged the estimated 7,000 gathered at the Vatican to look at ethics as a necessity for economics and business .
“ You are called to cooperate in order to grow an entrepreneurial spirit of subsidiarity , to deal with the ethical challenges of the market and , above all the challenge of creating good employment opportunities .”
The Pope ended his speech with hope for a quick resolution that “ takes into account the respect for the rights of all , especially for families .” ( CNA )
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