[International Ministry / Ryan Hauser]
This past Sunday on the 18th it was still one week from Christmas, but that didn't stop the International Community at TNHC from celebrating a little early.
【國際事工部 / 潘鳳珠 翻譯】上個星期天12月18日，距離聖誕節雖然還有一個星期，台南聖教會的國際事工部迫不及待地開始歡慶聖誕。
With joyful carols and candles lit, the park across from the church brought nearly 200 people from all over the city to enjoy an evening of singing, dancing, music, and performances. We called it "Carols by Candlelight".
伴隨著喜樂的聖誕歌曲以及搖曳閃爍的燭光，當日傍晚在教會對面的建平公園有將近200位弟兄姊妹來一同享受歌唱、舞蹈、音樂表演的「燭光聖誕音樂會」。
We have run an English service at TNHC on the 6th floor for over a year now and we wanted to give something back to the community for the holidays. Many of us know that being away from your home country and away from family can sometimes be lonely, so as a community of believers we wanted to reach out to those in need.
在台南聖教會六樓約書亞廳的英語主日崇拜從開始到現在已有一年多的時間，國際英語小組想要在這個聖誕節期中對國際社群有所貢獻。大部份的人都知道離鄉背井在外打拼有時候真的會很孤單，身為國際社群裡的基督徒，我們希望能夠祝福到有需要的人。
Early in November the international small group started planning the event, practicing songs, and building props to prepare for our first Christmas church event in Tainan. What a wonderful night it was! We started with a fun introduction and then right into the carols with a full band lead by our long time member Elaine Olding who did a wonderful job organizing this event.
11月初的時候，為了國際事工首次的聖誕活動，英語小組如火如荼地策劃、練習、和準備道具。節目由兩位英俊的主持人Ryan和Adam開場，緊接著由Elaine和現場樂團帶領大家進入第一首聖誕歌，開始了美好的燭光音樂會。
As the evening progressed we had more singing accompanied by the talented live band, comedy performances, a great choreography by the dance team and children, and of course the lighting of the candles as we sang Silent Night and Away in a Manger. Just as we were lighting the candles the sun was disappearing from the horizon and we started to sing together, it was like magic... no, a miracle.
We were able to get a box full of canned food from the guests that were donated to Ray of Light Christian Charitable Organization for young mothers as well as Tainan Grace Home Church to help the homeless. All together we had done what we set out to accomplish for the night, and that was to bring new people into our community, and to share the love of God with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
節目除了現場樂團演唱的聖誕歌曲，還有幽默喜劇表演以及精彩舞蹈呈現。當開始唱「平安夜」和「馬槽聖嬰」，大家也同時點燃手中的蠟燭。日落西山的傍晚，閃爍的燭光熠熠，弟兄姊妹齊聚歡唱聖誕佳音，整個溫暖感動的景象氛圍是一個上帝同在的奇蹟。
音樂會現場所接受的食物罐頭捐贈，分別奉獻給希望之光（為不預期懷孕和墮胎而置身危機中的婦女提供復原重建的支持與幫助）以及恩友中心（照顧街友及獨居老人等貧弱族群）。這一場燭光聖誕音樂會在圓滿中落幕，也達到本次活動的目標，帶領新朋友進入國際社群，並且跟主內的弟兄姊妹一起傳遞分享神的愛。
