I have only a brief exhortation because the exhortation from the Bible is already contained in the two messages that I preached in 1 Peter 5. Here I will only give a few words of encouragement to each of the three couples.

First of all, I would like to encourage Minister Dongjian and Mrs. Hong Peng to focus on her healing and not to worry about her ministry. You may be disappointed that you were expecting to do a lot of visiting and ministry work, but now you are being visited and ministered to instead. In fact, you should know that today’s installation ceremony is to establish you before God and to lay hands on you in prayer, which means that from today onward, whether you are healthy or sick, whether you are serving or recovering from illness, you are both ministers of North Church and have been chosen by God to begin serving.

Only God has a different plan for each preacher in serving. From today on, whether in good times or bad, in devotional journals or in singing in the dark night, in waiting quietly or in fellowship, as long as you live out the Christ in your heart, you are serving the Lord. Don’t be anxious. Rest assured that you will be healed, and we will all walk with you on this journey of healing.

Secondly, I encourage Pastor Sion and Mrs. Rachel not to let people underestimate you as young persons, but to always be examples of believers in word, deed, love, faith, and holiness. Pray that your love will be abundant and multiply and that your bodies will be healthy.

Finally, I would like to encourage Elder Wei Kang and Mrs. Yuan Chen, both of you have been serving as elder and elder’s wife for many years, and this time you have returned to the Pastors and Elders Council as a great help and blessing. Let us encourage each other to gird ourselves with humility and submit to each other, because God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Now we, pastors and elders, are going to lay hands on them and pray for them. Will the three couples please come to the stage.

I would like all the pastors and elders to pray for them with one voice, and then I will say the closing prayer.

“Dear Heavenly Father, we now pray for Mr. and Mrs. Dongjian, Mr. and Mrs. Sion, and Mr. and Mrs. Wei Kang that the Spirit of Elijah may be moved to double their efforts, to give them the gift of serving You, and to stir up the gift given to them like fire. Strengthen the work of their hands, and be with them. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, pray, Amen.”

The three couples will now turn around and face the congregation. We ask all the deacons to come up to the stage and shake hands.

All right, now our pastors will join together in a hymn called “The Longer I serve Him.”

The pastors and elders will sing the first verse, and the second verse and afterwards will be sung by all the congregation together.