For the latest schedule, go to youth.ccac.church! Themelios will be joining with the rest of the English congregation this month for a special event on Friday, April 19 called Secret Church. This is an event hosted by David Platt’s organization, Radical. So what’s Secret Church? Here’s how they describe it on their website. SECRET CHURCH is a […]

For the latest schedule, go to youth.ccac.church! Easter is upon us. This is a time where Christians remember and celebrate what God did for us through Christ on the cross of Calvary. On Good Friday, we’ll remember his death and remember the incredible weight of sin that he bore on our behalf. But then on […]

For the latest schedule, go to youth.ccac.church! I just came back from Hong Kong last week and I was reminded everywhere I went that Chinese New Year is upon us. Red decorations with gold lettering, signs of “luck”, dragons, red pockets—everywhere. As a second-generation Chinese Christian, Chinese New Year has always been a tensive time for […]

For the latest schedule, go to youth.ccac.church! I hope you all had a blessed time celebrating Christmas with those around you and you’re ready now for one more weekend of festivities as we count down the year and enter into 2024. In Lamentations 3:22-23, we’re reminded that the we get to experience the Lord’s mercy anew […]

For the latest schedule, go to youth.ccac.church! The season of Advent is upon us and with it comes a wonderful time of celebration and cheer as we all get to wind down with family for a few weeks and also celebrate the incarnation of our Saviour once again. I pray that in this season you […]

For the latest schedule, go to youth.ccac.church! I have so much good news to share with you! First off, God has answered our prayers for another counsellor for 412! Our sister Hallie will be joining to serve starting this month. Hallie is a university student with a big heart for the youth. We’re excited to […]

I hope everyone has settled back into the rhythm of the school year. As we come into October, we mark an important time in church history: the Protestant Reformation. While others recognize October 31 to be Halloween, we recognize it first as Reformation Day. It was on this fateful day in 1517 that Martin Luther […]

I know nobody wants to think about it but September is just around the corner and that means it’s almost time to start the new school year. As far as I can remember, this was always a anxiety-filled time for me. There’s just so much change during this season–new classes, new friends, new challenges, new […]

Attention! 412 Fellowship will be continuing to meet this month but Themelios will be taking a break for the rest of the summer.  In terms of transitions ahead, I know some of the incoming Grade 7’s have already started to join our English service and 412, welcome! We’re happy to have you. Our official transition date […]

Congratulations students for surviving yet another year of school! I hope you’ll all enjoy a restful break as we enter the summer. Parents, I hope the transition and adjustments to the summer routine won’t be too difficult and I hope that you’ll be able to spend some quality family time together too.  Just a reminder, July […]

It’s the final month of school. Hang in there, you’re almost done! Parents, let’s pray especially for our high school students at this time. This is often a time of added stress, anxiety, and pressure for them. Often, I hear students share about how they ask God for help to do well on exams. While […]

We’ve been praying over the past few months for new leaders for the 412 Fellowship and I want to thank all of you for joining in prayer for this need. I’m happy to let you all know today that God has answered this prayer in part! Starting this month, Isaac Kong will be joining as […]

As we come upon Easter weekend, I want to invite you to enter a time of reflection with me on Christ’s love for us and how he gave his life for us so that we might live. Once again this year, we’ll be joining with other Alliance churches to observe Good Friday. I hope to […]

This past Sunday, I shared at our English Town Hall about our current needs in the Youth Ministry. In case you weren’t there, here’s where our needs currently stand: For 412, we need at least two new counsellors For Themelios, we need at least one new counsellor For Sunday School for this coming summer, at […]

I wanted to ask for your prayer this month for our youth ministry. This year, we’re going to be in need of new counsellors for both our fellowships because of some transitions ahead for some of our current leaders. Ideally, we’d like to have at least two new counsellors for 412 Fellowship and one new […]

Hope everyone is doing well as we start the New Year. Our Themelios Retreat was last week and it was the first one that we had in some three years because of the pandemic. It was great being able to have everyone out for retreat again. I hope that those who went found the experience […]

As we come into another season of Advent, I hope you and your family are doing well. In the Christian calendar, this is a wonderful time to re-center yourself and your family around Christ again. There’s nothing as humbling as remembering that God Almighty actually lowered himself to take on human form, as a baby, […]

While the world around us recognizes today, October 31, as Halloween, we as Protestant Christians recognize the day as Reformation Day! To commemorate the day, over the weekend, I watched a documentary on the life of Martin Luther called Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer. For a limited time, this full documentary’s actually […]

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone! In our Protestant tradition, October is often commemorated as Reformation Month because it was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther nailed his famed 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg […]

It’s been a while since I last wrote, I hope you’ve been doing well this past half year! Just wanted to let you know that I’m now officially back from my parental leave. It’s been such a blessing being able to take some time away to adapt to our expanded family. I’m grateful for both […]

A Happy Lunar New Year to you and your family! I hope you’ve been able to enjoy some meaningful and quality time with your family in this season. While we might not be able to go out and have big gatherings with family at restaurants, I hope that you’ve still been able to make the […]

It’s time to start a new year. After over a year of doing ministry exclusively online, we’re excited to start things back in-person this Fall. Please take note that we’ll be following all of the church’s safety guidelines to ensure that our meetings are as safe as possible. All attendees will be screened and signed in at […]

As we start planning and preparing to resume in-person youth ministries in September, we want to hear from you. Please fill in this short survey by Sunday, August 15. We appreciate your input! Post-Secondary Q&A What’s life in residence like? Is there really that much drugs, sex, and alcohol in schools? What happens if I need help? Come […]

It’s been a while since my last newsletter, sorry about that! I hope you’re still doing well despite the challenges of the times. Here at the church, we’re continuing to press on and we’re now beginning to gear up with plans for the summer.  Grade 12 Transitions Just as in previous years, we’re planning to […]

I heard someone lament the other day, “It’s been five years since this year started.” This has definitely felt like a LONG year. But yet, Lord willing, this year will actually be coming to a close and we’ll be heading into the 2,021st year of our Lord in a couple of days. How’s this year been for […]

Without a doubt, this has been a challenging year. Yet there comes a time at the end of every year where Christians are united to look forward with hope to remember and celebrate the coming of God in the flesh, through Jesus, to save broken humanity. Indeed, it’s this hope that allows us to press […]

What a year this is. I feel that all I can do month over month is encourage you and and myself to simply press on in Christ as we face crisis after crisis in the world. We're now facing a second wave of the pandemic, there are fires in California, there's the US election debacle, [...]

Yup, for those living the academic life, September is the New Year. So, Happy New Year. New Year, new you. And this is going to be a different one. We're still online and in the midst of a pandemic but by the grace of God, we're still being sustained to press on. Nonetheless, I know [...]

August marks the end of the 2020 academic year for us. This has been a strange one. Yet, I imagine that the next one's going to be even stranger... Nonetheless, changing times also moves us towards innovation. For the first time, we launched all our ministries online and it led to countless discoveries of new [...]

We're just about reaching the halfway point of 2020 and this has been nothing short of a challenging year around the world... a global pandemic, Australian bushfires, floods in Indonesia, a volcano eruption in the Philippines, murder hornets, continued protests in Hong Kong... just to name a few. And now, in recent days, we witnessed [...]

I hope you’re doing well amidst our ongoing trial. As we continue to press on, I pray that you would be able to encounter the presence of Jesus in tangible and meaningful ways as he enables you to endure and persevere. May our faith increase even in times of trouble as we’re turned to taste and […]

These are challenging and unprecedented times we’re facing. Let me start by addressing this — I know that there are those among us who are going through a much more difficult time compared to others. Perhaps your family has seen lay-offs. Perhaps you’ve seen this sickness, or another, up close and personal. Perhaps you’re facing […]

Following our government’s advisory, we’re going to be closing our office for two weeks or until further notice, starting today.  But if you tuned in to my sermon this past Sunday, you’ll recall (hopefully) that I said we can’t give up meeting and that the Church can never be cancelled. All of this stands. The […]

As part of trying to build closer community, we’re splitting off to meeting in our smaller groups this week. Please be sure to check out where you’re going and to bring the appropriate signed consent form. Click for addresses and consent forms — 412 Fellowship @ Markville Mall Entrance #3 Luther and Nicholas’ Group @ […]

Sorry, conditions are getting worse… stay at home! See you Sunday!

For both 412 and Themelios, this Friday we’re going to do like Tessa and Scott at Markham Civic Centre. Bring your skates! Get your CONSENT FORM HERE! Skating Markham Civic Centre 101 Town Centre Blvd, Markham 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Rentals are available at $10 / 2 hours. You must bring valid Government-issued ID like a health card […]

A bit behind in sending this out this month so I’m just going to make it a double feature to cover the events of March as well. Thank you for all of you who have been praying for Jackie and myself. Jackie’s recovering well from her surgery and getting better by the day. Please continue […]

And just like that, it’s 2020! This is the time where many of us take in all the moments of reflection from December and put them into practice. So let me walk through the last two months for us here… In November, our church had our missions month where we heard from missionaries and others […]

Next Friday, on December 13, both our fellowships will be having a joint program with a few other churches in our Alliance family. We’ll be gathering together at Scarborough Chinese Alliance Church (139 Silver Star Blvd) at the usual time of 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm. This will be a night of fellowship and celebrating Christmas together. Please […]

And that’s just about another year! Considering it’s not even December yet, I’m sure I’m going to take the privilege of being the first to say Merry Christmas to you! So, Merry Christmas! For the church, this is the season of Advent. Throughout this month, we celebrate and remember that miraculous act in which God […]

FOR ALL IN THEMELIOS! Our high school retreat will be from December 27 – 30 this year and we’ll be at Countryside Camp in Cambridge again. This is a great opportunity for students to really deepen relationships with friends and with God. You don’t want to miss out on this retreat! To further that opportunity […]

Sorry folks, I completely forgot to write this up for this month! So to make it up to you all, here’s a double feature with all the news for the rest of this month and for November. There’s a lot going on these two months. We just celebrated Thanksgiving, we have the federal elections coming up […]

Here we go again! September is coming up and we’re gearing up to start the new school year. As a kid, I was always nervous about starting school again — new classes, new people, new pressures. For any of you youth out there who are feeling that way, you’re not alone! And more importantly, know […]

  What if my roommate smokes weed? What is a laundry machine? How can I keep my faith? What if I hate my program? Etc, etc, etc… Come take advantage of this opportunity to ask all your questions about the transition into the post-secondary world. This event is for you all parents, graduating students, and […]

Congratulations on surviving another school year, it’s summer now! No matter what you have going on this summer, don’t forget to set aside some time to spend with your family — especially for those who are looking forward to that big transition in the fall to the post-secondary world! On that note, let me give a […]

Summer is almost here! For the many students, this is the time of preparation before exams. For some, this is a more “relaxed” time because there’s no more classes. For others, this is the most stressful time because of the pressure of the exams. No matter which scenario is the case, I want to encourage […]

Here’s your reminder — Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 12; that’s in nine days! Please ensure that you make all necessary preparations in these days. Apart from that, Themelios is kicking off afresh tonight with all the Grade 12’s having moved on now. Transitions are never easy because it’s a change, and every change comes […]

I’m ready for summer. I’m just waiting for a nice Saturday to come so I that I can clean my grill and start the BBQ season. And speaking of transitioning into the summer season, we have some important transitions ahead that everyone needs to take note of so please read on! GRADE 12 TRANSITIONS In […]

It feels like time is flying by, it’s March already! Today (Wednesday, March 6) is actually the first day of Lent. This is the season of preparation in anticipation of Easter where we observe, remember, and celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the midst of our busyness, the season of Lent therefore invites […]

Happy Chinese New Year! Last month we celebrated the restart of the calendar year and many people (including me) came into the year with a fresh list of resolutions. How have those been coming along for you? Mine have seen ups and downs but for the most part, I’ve still committed to them! But if […]

Our annual lock-in of Grade 7-8 students at the church for a night. This year it’ll be happening from Friday, February 15 at 7:30 pm – Saturday, February 16 at 11:00 am. Click here for the consent form. Please submit this as soon as possible to either Pastor Darren or Jeremy so that we can know […]

Happy New Year! Oh the season of making New Year resolutions! In Sunday school this past week, we were presented with the question of “What breaks your heart?” as the guiding question for making our resolutions for the year. The aim, of course, was to examine the greater call that God gives to every Christian with respect […]

Well, December is here, so let me be the first to already say to you, Merry Christmas! I’ve actually already gotten my Christmas playlist going (and if any of you use Spotify, you can check out my personally curated playlist here!). For the church, this is the season of celebration. This is the month where we remember […]

Hope you’re doing well as we roll into Missions Month in November. I’m currently on vacation again (I’ll be back November 13!) but I’m also attending a conference over these next few days. Tonight, we had the privilege of hearing an amazing message from pastor and theologian, Kevin DeYoung. And he said something rather profound […]

Happy Reformation Month! Click here if you don’t know what the Reformation is or just want to see a cool video that explains it! I’m going to keep this letter short this month because I’m actually on vacation now but I still want to keep you all in the loop. Jackie and I will be road-tripping to New […]

I never liked middle school and I disliked high school even more. I think many of you would stand with me on that, especially with the start of a new school year this week. With the bell that rang this morning, it cued in the return of teachers, homework, tests, group projects, and the daily […]

Even though it’s still so hot and humid outside right now (the weather was actually nicer in Mexico than it is here!), the leaves will soon be changing colours to signal the coming of Fall. And with that, it’ll be time to begin a brand new school year. This is the season of transitions. So as […]

We’re now into the last month of the summer break. For the many high school students who were in summer school, summer’s really just beginning, so enjoy these last few weeks! Parents, on the other hand, will be perhaps be more excited that September will coming soon and their kids will be out of the house […]

Instead of regular fellowship, we will be heading out to Laser Quest Richmond Hill for a fun night out! This includes two laser quest games, food and drinks in between and afterwards. We’ll be meeting at 7:30 sharp (Jackie will be there at 7:15pm) and end at 9:30pm. There are 20 spots open, and it’s […]

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And […]

Over the past month, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how we can apply ourselves more strategically in the Youth Ministry in terms of goals and vision. In terms of vision, the mandate in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples of all peoples is what directs us. But how do we actually go about […]

This Friday, June 29, no one’s going to be at the church! 412 Fellowship will be taking a break this week as it’s the fifth week of the month. Spend some family time instead! Themelios will be having Accountability Group Night. Each group will be going out somewhere with their A-Group. For arrangements and consent forms, please […]

2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know […]

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.   11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live […]

We’ve updated our emailing platform! From now on, you can manage your own subscription options and even invite others to sign-up through the new form that can be found at the bottom of our website. It’s June, the time where students anticipate the summer break yet dread the final exams and projects. In these times, God’s […]

Hi Everyone, This month we’re making the big transition for our grade 12 students. Just this past Friday we had a graduation celebration for them and starting next week, they’ll be moving over to join the Adult Small Groups Ministry. More details below. Over the May long weekend, we’ll also be having our church’s family […]

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a great time celebrating Easter and reflecting on the wonderful gift of salvation that we now have through Jesus Christ! This month in April we begin to think about transitions. In particular, the transitions of the graduating grade 12 class as they prepare to join our adult small […]

Hi Everyone, This month is the month of preparation for the church. Easter Sunday falls on April 1 this year (even though that’s also known as April Fools’ Day, all I can say is that the Good News of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and completed work of saving us is no joke at all!). While we […]

Hi Everyone, February is an exciting month. For students, it marks the half-way point of the school year. For families, there’s a great opportunity to spend time together with kids and relatives with Chinese New Year and Family Day. For parents, there’s Valentine’s Day to look forward to–a great day to spend with your spouse! […]

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Just a few more days and it’ll be 2018, so Happy New Year! With the new year, it’s a great time for a bit of a personal reboot. Whether you believe in or make new year resolutions, this is a great time to evaluate the […]

Hey Everyone, Advent — from the Latin word adventus which means “arrival” or “coming.” This is the season in the church where we celebrate and remember the first coming of Christ and continue to anticipate his second coming. In other words, Merry Christmas! It’s an exciting month, out-of-town students are coming back home, everyone gets a […]

It’s that time again Themelios, are you excited? Register soon as spaces are limited! Who: Themelios (high school students) When: December 29, 11:00 am – January 1, 3:00 pm Location: Countryside Camp (1985 Beke Rd, Cambridge, N1R 5S5) Cost: Registration, $120 and optional $15 for a t-shirt; freewill offering, $115 * Deadline: December 3, or until spaces […]

Hi Everyone, As we exit Reformation Month, we’re entering Missions Month in November! We have a lot of exciting things lined up this month–OMF will be coming to teach Sunday school for four weeks, we have an IW from Taiwan coming to speak for our missions conference weekend, and we’ll be announcing a new missions opportunity […]

On Friday, October 27, from 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm, Themelios we’ll be joining with youth groups from all over Markham for a night of praise and prayer called City United. This event is brought to you by the Markham Youth Network of which I’m a part of. Come looking forward to meet other Christian […]

This Friday, we’ll have the privilege of helping to clean up the church—from the inside and out, just like that song! Please come dressed appropriately for the weather and for the work. Also, if you have a pair of gardening gloves, please bring them! See you all then!

Hi Everyone, Happy Reformation Month! In our English congregation this month, we’re celebrating alongside many other Protestant churches the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses against the Roman Catholic Church on the door of the church of Wittenberg and changed the course of […]

Cue the sad music, this sad pug represents the feels when there’s no fellowship this Friday (September 29). But don’t be sad! Go hang out with your family and other friends! We’ll see you all next week 🙂

Hi Everyone! This coming Friday we’ll be having our first ever (annual) sleepover at the church! We’ll still have the regular fellowship so for those of you who aren’t able to join the sleepover please do come to fellowship with us still from 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm. In our fellowship time this week, we’ll […]

This Friday’s fellowship involves bringing one of your most interesting thing, photograph, food, or anything you can think of! We will be diving deep to get to know one another through sharing and activities! Hope to you see you all in a couple of days! Sleep over is in two weeks! Please hand in your […]

Hi Everyone, The new school year is upon us! For students, this is you usually a dreaded time; but for parents, this is usually a joyous time as it clears the house once again. Whichever camp you’re in, I pray that God is walking with you in this time of transition. As a kid, Septembers […]

Hi Everyone, Just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new initiative that some of the youths in Themelios have started up called The Truth Expedition. Essentially, this is a YouTube channel where our youths will engage with people and try to answer the tough questions that people have about faith, theology, […]

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a great time with friends and family celebrating our nation’s 150th. I was at Toronto Remix with a few of our youths and we had a pretty exciting and enriching time. Over the course of the week, we had the opportunity visit a retirement home, a refugee house, […]