Methodist Message: October 2015 Issue by Methodist Message

Vol 117 No 10 • OCT 2015

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this issue...

ISSN 0129-6868 MCI (P) 079/03/2015

National survey of children and youth ministries Are we connecting with the next generation?

New column Early Methodist preachers pages 20-21

page 15

WELFARE SERVICES

Wheels for GOOD celebrates MCS 130 By the Methodist Welfare Services Communications Team .

ore than 3,000 families, cyclists and beneficiaries celebrated two milestones – Singapore’s Golden Jubilee (SG50) and the 130th Anniversary of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS 130) – at Wheels for GOOD, a charity event organised by Methodist Welfare Services (MWS). The event on 15 Aug 2015 at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park was graced by Guest of Honour Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, and Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore, the Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup.

Two rides to celebrate two milestones – SG50 Scenic Ride and MCS 130 Fun Ride The Wheels for GOOD event flagged off with the SG50 Scenic Ride (50 km) that covered scenic spots around Singapore such as Upper Thomson and Punggol. This was followed by the MCS 130 Fun Ride (13 km), which took riders around the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Continued on page 9...

‘METHODISTS IN ACTION’ – OCTOBER In February’s Methodist Message centrespread, we debuted a calendar that included monthly ‘Methodists in Action’ suggestions – a small action that you can take to bless those around you. Here’s this month’s suggestion!

Source of Encouragement:

– Speak encouraging words and not harsh words Proverbs 15:4 says “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Share some encouraging words and consciously avoid saying harsh words, especially to children who may be stressed with their exams this month.

COMING UP

A time of Celebration, Praise and Thanksgiving Chia Hui Jun is Editorial Executive at Methodist Message and worships at Foochow Methodist Church.

Celebration of

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING SERVICE

ll Methodists and friends, come join us at the Celebration of Praise and Thanksgiving Service, the culminating event of The Methodist Church in Singapore’s 130th anniversary (MCS 130) celebrations! Organised by the Methodist School of Music, it will be held on 28 Nov 2015 from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. at Paya Lebar Methodist Church. The event will showcase the top winning entry from the Song-Writing Competition held from May to July this year. Leading the worship will be the Methodist Festival Choir, which performs during major Methodist events, and worship teams and ensembles from the Annual Conferences. The service will intersperse Wesleyan hymns among contemporary Christian pieces. A video montage featuring highlights of the MCS 130 events held over the past year will also be shown. Since the launch of the MCS 130 celebrations themed ‘Moving Forward in Service’ on 22 Feb, we have seen the biennial MethodistWalk in March, a video series uncovering ‘Our Unsung Heroes’ serving in the Methodist community, a special edition of the annual Aldersgate SG Convention and the Wheels for GOOD fund-raiser by Methodist Welfare Services (article on P1 and P9 of this issue). These events indicated areas in which Methodists in Singapore have been of service to the nation. Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup, in his video message to the churches for the MCS 130 launch, said: “Over these years, we established schools; we provided community services; we have many local congregations spread over the island. And these congregations, especially those in the vernacular languages, served to provide an anchor and hope for many.” He used the analogy of salt, which, when sprinkled on food and blended, improves its taste: “So too all of us, who bear the flavour of Christ, when we blend into society, participate in its life and give of ourselves, we make this place a better place to live in.” As we close this year of SG50 and MCS 130 celebrations, let us respond to Bishop’s call to “continue to be faithful to be ‘salt and light’ in Singapore.” So come to this service, where we will not only be a thousand tongues singing our Great Redeemer’s praise, but also be inspired to move forward in service to our God and our nation! n

Come celebrate, Praise God & Give thanks! All Methodists are invited to this culminating event of the 130th anniversary of The Methodist Church in Singapore ADMISSION IS FREE - Register by 26 Oct through your local church office, OR at this link: https://goo.gl/33GPRG DINNER WILL BE PROVIDED AFTER THE SERVICE

NOV 2015, SAT 4.00 - 5.30 PM

PAYA LEBAR METHODIST CHURCH

5 BOUNDARY ROAD SINGAPORE 549954

Organised by

THE METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE

Tel: 6478-4765 Email: communications@methodist.org.sg

Admission is free. However, as dinner will be provided after the service, please register by 26 Oct through your local church office, or at this link: https://goo.gl/33GPRG. Celebration of Praise and Thanksgiving Service 28 Nov, 4 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. Paya Lebar Methodist Church, 5 Boundary Road, Singapore 549954 Poster design by Ms Yvonne Yong, GC-WSCS

methodist message

The official monthly publication of The Methodist Church in Singapore. Published material does not necessarily reflect the official view of The Methodist Church. All Scripture quoted is based on the New International Version, unless otherwise stated. Our address

Design & Production SNAP! Creative Pte Ltd

Methodist Message • #06-04, 70 Barker Road, Singapore 309936 Tel: 6478-4793 • Fax: 6478-4794 Email: newmm@methodist.org.sg MM website: message.methodist.org.sg Church website: www.methodist.org.sg

Let us have your views

Editorial Board Adviser and Publisher Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup, Chairman, Council on Communications Editor Assistant Editor Ms Grace Toh Sub-editor Ms Tan Chiu Ai Editorial Executive Ms Chia Hui Jun

Have something to say or share? Email us at newmm@methodist.org.sg and if appropriate, your contribution could be published.

BISHOP’S MESSAGE

Walking in integrity Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup was elected Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore in 2012. He has been a Methodist pastor for 30 years.

any of us may have seen the TV commercial of a father and his son going to an amusement park. Before entering the merry-go-round, the father paid for tickets for both of them. The man receiving the payment looked at the son, and then told the father that he could have told him that the boy was under six years old. He would not have known the difference and would have let the boy in for free. The father pointed his chin at his son and said to the man, “He would have known.” What the father was modelling before his son was integrity. That word has its root in “integer”, meaning a whole number. It is about wholeness, or soundness, being integrated rather than divided. In contrast, many of us were aghast when a staffmember at an outlet of a well-known company was caught on camera transferring soybean drink from cartons of another company, and claiming the rebottled drink to be freshly produced. When we walk in integrity, our thinking, our emotions, our spirit, our values, our convictions are in alignment with our conduct. Our exterior life is in sync with our internal life. Here is a simple integrity test. Say you are alone in the washroom. Having washed your hands, you dry them with a paper towel. Then you throw the wet paper into the bin. But it drops not into the bin but onto the floor instead. No one else is in the washroom. You know deep down inside that cleanliness requires you to pick it up. But would you just walk out of the loo without doing anything? Integrity will prompt you to pick it up and throw it properly into a bin, because your actions are in line with your beliefs. “I will walk with integrity of heart,” sang the psalmist (Psalm 101:2, ESV). That psalm has a few pointers on this subject. First, this psalm is a prayer. One key motivation to walking in integrity is our awareness that there are eyes trained on us. It is to this person (or persons) that we will be accountable – especially if this Person is God. Self-deception, arising from a lack of such awareness, is one reason why many of us keep doing evil. However, many believers live as if God does not exist, or that He is blind. Aware of this human

shortcoming, the psalmist vows “I will look with favour on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me” (Psalm 101:6, ESV). We need credible likeminded persons, to whom we can be accountable. We give them licence to check on us, to rebuke us if necessary. “I will ponder the way that is blameless,” sings the psalmist. Thinking about ways we can practise integrity, we can then anticipate various scenarios which challenge our commitment to it and prepare the right responses. Finally, the psalmist adopts a zero-tolerance stance against anything that even smells of straying from integrity. “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.” (Psalm 101:7, ESV) If we are serious about upholding integrity, when we find someone within our organisation compromising our values, then we must act to address the situation. Most people do not become corrupt overnight. It is a process of gradual decay. When we start to relax our standards in this area, it is a matter of time before we no longer walk in integrity. n

“I will look with favour on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.” Psalm 101:6, ESV

Picture by AntonioGuillem/Bigstock.com METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

HOME

High places Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon was Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 to 2012. Currently retired, he now keeps busy with an active itinerant ministry speaking and teaching in Singapore and overseas.

he geography of the nation of Israel often reflected key spiritual truths. During the time when kings ruled the nation (once united and later divided), one feature is repeatedly noted in the narrative but often missed by readers – the “high places” in Israel. There was one high place in Jerusalem that was reserved for the worship of God. This was where the temple was sited. God had instructed that this was the only place assigned to be His dwelling place. All other sites would lead to idolatry (Lev 17:3-5). Nevertheless, before King Solomon built the temple, people “were still sacrificing at the high places” (1 Kgs 3:2). The king joined them (1 Kgs 3:3) and later these high places, competing with the temple in Jerusalem, became a snare for the nation. High places were considered sacred and appealed to the superstitious idol-loving people, who followed the practices of their neighbours. Many disobedient kings continued to allow and even promote idolatry in these high places (2 Kgs 16:4). Even the good kings seemed to have tolerated these high places, perhaps because it was difficult to regulate every rural area. Popular spirituality that is against the ways of God is not easy to remove. Though Joash did “what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, the high places were not removed and the people continued with their idolatrous practices (2 Kgs 13:2-3). So it was with Uzziah, also known as Amaziah (2 Kgs 15:3-4) and Jotham (2 Kgs 15:34-35). Only Hezekiah was able to destroy the high places, but this was short-lived, for his son Manasseh rebuilt them and reintroduced blatant idolatry (2 Kgs 21:3). Later, after Manasseh suffered as a prisoner of war, he repented and removed traces of idolatry in the nation. He did not clean up the sites thoroughly because the high places were still there. And, ingeniously, the people “continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God” (2 Chr 33:17). How stubbornly the high places remained in the spiritual geography of the land! This truth reflects what goes on in our souls.

We proclaim Jesus to be our Saviour and Lord, and rightly so. He died for us and now rules over us. However, we often do not let His authority be expressed in every nook and cranny in our hearts. We may be guilty of harbouring “high places” where modern idols are secretly, and perhaps unconsciously, served. “Even while these people were worshipping the Lord, they were serving their idols” (2 Kgs 17:41). Christians must search their hearts to see if there are any areas that are resistant to the grace of God. Perhaps it is a sinful habit, a prejudice, a grudge, or greed and anxious lack of trust in God. The more dangerous kind is sin dressed up in religious clothes. Like the people in Manasseh’s time, Christians may habitually use old sinful pathways of thought and behaviour, but rationalise it by covering these with Christian stuff on the surface. Remove the superficial Christianity, and you will find sinful high places lurking within. Pride can be camouflaged as religious ambition, greed as blessings from God, anger as indignant righteousness, the worship of self as the worship of God, self-promotion as animated service. Old idolatries and superstitions are not shed when prayer is made into an exercise to manipulate God with spiritual techniques or when the church becomes a place for competition and one-upmanship. We are reminded in Scripture that sin tends to stick stubbornly on the inner landscapes of our souls. Half-hearted attempts at discipleship will not get rid of it. Instead, we are to “put to death” persistent sins (Col 3:5) – an expression that reminds us of weeding, pulling the mess out, roots and all. Revivals in the Old Testament often did not go deep enough. It may be the same today. Is it not time to let the Holy Spirit scour our souls to rid us of remaining sins and idolatries? It may be painful but it is good. It is always good when the King’s shadow falls graciously and authoritatively on every part of our lives, when we learn to love Him with all our hearts. n

Background picture by kavram/Bigstock.com

SAYS THE TRAC PRESIDENT

Whose feet do we wash? The Rev Dr Gordon Wong was elected President of Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) in 2012 for the quadrennium. He has been a Methodist pastor for 29 years, and has been a lecturer at Trinity Theological College since 1995.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14 (NIV)

“Y

ou a doctor? Ha! That’s a big laugh. You could never be a doctor! You know why? Because you don’t love mankind, that’s why!” Charles Schulz’s Peanuts character Lucy says this to her brother Linus. “You don’t love mankind.” Linus replies, “I love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.” I wonder. Why didn’t Jesus say: “Go and wash the feet of all the nations in the world”? Jesus does say that sort of thing elsewhere (e.g. Matthew 28:19 “Go and make disciples of all nations”). But not here. Here Jesus says, “Wash one another’s feet.” Jesus could have said, “People will know you are my disciples by the way you love the world.” Instead, on this Last Supper evening, he said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, emphasis mine) Some witty person composed a little ditty: “To love the whole world is no chore – my only problem is the neighbour next door!” Loving and washing the feet of “the world” is sometimes easier than washing the feet of “one another”. When I was a teenager, I would gladly spend three hours or more at the May Day Church Spring Cleaning event, but was most reluctant to spend even one hour helping to clean my bedroom. As an adult, I am still reluctant. I make time to sort things out at the office, but keep putting off household concerns.

A manager may be wonderful at relating to the community and Board of Directors, but not so kind with fellow managers, secretary or staff whom he sees each day. A pastor might be humble in doing important church work, but not so patient or helpful with parents or spouse. A student might sacrifice humbly her time for the Students Union, but ignore unity and love with a sibling at home. A church might excel in blessing the community but fail in showing love to one another. Our problem is not just loving “the neighbour next door”. Loving our brothers and sisters within our doors is also a struggle. I wonder. Do you? Humble, loving service to the world or humble, loving service to one another? Both are important, but what do you think? Why does Jesus say, “Wash one another’s feet”? Whose feet will we wash this week? n

PRAYER u Heavenly Father, teach us to be humble and willing to wash, not only the feet of Your Son Jesus, but the feet of one another. Amen. Picture by carlosphotos/Bigstock.com METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

YOU & YOUR FAMILY

To solve or resolve Benny Bong has been a family and marital therapist for more than 30 years, and is a certified work-life consultant. He was the first recipient of the AWARE Hero Award in 2011 and is a member of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church.

renowned couple therapist once stated that most problems faced by couples are not resolvable. This was baffling, given that it was said by someone whose career was in helping couples with their problems. Was this a statement of resignation, which came after years of facing the stark reality of seeing numerous failed relationships in spite of going for counselling? Or was it meant to be a ploy to boost the sales of his book or his model of therapy? Every counsellor or therapist will admit to sometimes feeling like the problems of their clients seem immovable and insurmountable. Many couples coming in for counselling may state that they do not see things changing, even with external help. So are couples in such troubled relationships doomed to live out the rest of their marriage in some form of marital purgatory? And is their only other option to free themselves and end their unhappy marital union? Two couples come to mind when I am thinking of this dilemma. Both have been married for more than 12 years and the parties had known each other for a good number of years before marriage. One couple delayed marriage for a long time and the other married against the advice of their pre-marital counsellor. Both had conflicts prior to marriage and right through marriage. Their marital conflicts did not involve betrayal and infidelity, and thankfully did not become violent. But their conflicts were frequent and without any satisfactory resolution. Both these cases appeared to involve couples who had strong personalities. Neither party felt mainly responsible for causing the problems in their marriage and were not about to negotiate nor compromise readily. The marriage presented a contest of wills. This contest played itself out in a whole host of different topics, from household expenses to the types of extracurricular activities their children took, to relationships with their in-laws. In this battle of wills, no one seemed ready to give any quarter. The expert therapist I referred to earlier would say many of these conflicts are unresolvable because they are rooted in the personalities of the couple, like a marriage between an extrovert and an introvert. They are fundamentally different individuals and neither is better than the other nor inferior to the other, but the great differences in personality and character resulted in greater marital conflicts. I do not entirely agree with this observation. Differences in personality need not sound the death knell for such marriages. If couples are willing to reach a compromise, then the differences would not

be so contentious and may even prove beneficial by adding some diversity in the relationship. The late Mr Anthony Yeo, whom many recognise as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Father of Counsellingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Singapore, once said that the goal of counselling is to help clients either solve or resolve to live (more effectively) with their problems. Coping with oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems is not avoiding dealing with the problem. One needs the patience of Job to quietly forebear and tolerate circumstances that he or she is unhappy with. It is usually undertaken when one believes that staying the course, as in living with a difficult spouse, fulfils other goals and objectives, such as maintaining marital stability at home for the children. As Christians, we have the added option of calling upon our Lord to help us shoulder this burden. We can also take comfort in the fact that our Lord knows each of our struggles and, even if He does not seem to be removing them, He is not indifferent to our suffering and will give us the strength to bear with it. n

Background picture by Tom Wang/Bigstock.com

NATIONAL DAY AWARDS 2015

Congratulations!

Methodist Message congratulates the following who received the 2015 National Day Awards: Churches

Aldersgate Methodist Church Mr Samuel Tiang Shee Tiung The Commendation Medal Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church Mr Sng Cheng Keh The Public Administration Medal (Silver) (Bar) Dr Leong Chee Chiew The Public Administration Medal (Silver) (Bar) Ms Chew Tock Lee The Public Administration Medal (Bronze) Mr Steven Chiang Hock Chuan The Commendation Medal Mr Foo Tze Liang The Commendation Medal Bukit Panjang Methodist Church Mr Roger Wong Kok Buk The Public Administration Medal (Bronze) Christ Methodist Church Mr Ho Karl Howe The Commendation Medal Covenant Community Methodist Church Mr Quek Yuen Hong The Public Service Star Prof Brenda Yeoh Saw Ai The Public Administration Medal (Silver) Mr Goh Eck Kheng The Public Service Medal Dr Doric Wong Wen Kuan The Long Service Medal Faith Methodist Church Ms Lang Siew Ping The Efficiency Medal Holland Village Methodist Church Mr Mun Kwok On The Public Administration Medal (Silver) Mr Richard Seow Yung Liang* The Public Service Medal Paya Lebar Methodist Church Ms Ng Ling Ling The Public Administration Medal (Silver) Mr Tan Kok Heng, PPA(G), PP, PBS The Public Administration Medal (Silver) Mr Yap Kong Huat The Long Service Medal Ms Tan Wei Peng The Long Service Medal Pentecost Methodist Church Mdm Melissa-May Tam Li Jen The Public Administration Medal (Silver) Mr Danny Poh Leong Kiat The Public Administration Medal (Bronze)

Wesley Methodist Church Mr Chim Hou Yan, JP, PBM, BBM The Public Service Star (Bar) Mdm Grace Chern Whee Li The Long Service Medal Schools

Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) Mr Timothy Wong Chiew Mun The Commendation Medal Mdm Rajalakshmi d/o Krishnan The Long Service Medal Mdm Cecilia Yeo Cheng Chu The Long Service Medal Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) BG (NS) Lim Teck Yin, PPA(P), PBS The Public Administration Medal (Gold) Mr Richard Seow Yung Liang* The Public Service Medal Anglo-Chinese Junior College Ms Yue Yin Wah The Commendation Medal Ms Ng Swee Pheng The Long Service Medal Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) Mr Ng Hun Boon The Commendation Medal Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) Ms Ng Peck Suan The Commendation Medal Mdm Aisah Binti Md Yusoff The Long Service Medal Methodist Girls’ School Mr Heng Jee Sin The Long Service Medal Ms Beatrice Goh Chin Choo The Long Service Medal Ms Clara Wong Yin Leng The Long Service Medal Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Primary) Ms Poh Hwee Thing The Commendation Medal Mdm Lim Chor Koon The Commendation Medal Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) Mdm Hiew Yu T'ing The Long Service Medal Agencies Dr Chen Ai Ju

Methodist Welfare Services The Public Service Medal

* indicates recipient listed under both church and school. Listings of recipients and awards were as provided by the churches and schools.

Background picture by Kjersti/Bigstock.com METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

MISSIONS

Into Nepal:

Led by the Spirit, blessed by the Spirit Rachel Koh and Loo Cheng Yi worship at Pentecost Methodist Church. Rachel is studying Social Work and Political Science at the National University of Singapore and Cheng Yi is a third-year medical student at University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

A student in Nepal.

n 2011, we went on a two-week mission trip to Nepal. God melted our hearts and we fell in love with the country and its people. As friends, we yearned to return to Nepal together, never imagining God would lead us there this year, and use us this way… We departed Singapore for Nepal on 22 July 2015. Going there after a recent major earthquake was a seemingly crazy decision. We went with few plans and resources, trusting that God would guide and provide. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. Our purpose was a 20-day stay at Sophia’s Home (SH), a home for destitute and needy girls in Lalitpur. The Rev Sabashtain Lepcha and his wife Grace serve as godly parent figures. The girls call Grace “Mummy”.

PRAY

u For the girls in Sophia’s Home u For God to do His work in this country where

SH provides 29 girls, aged 4 to 19 years, with a hope and a future. Coming from single-parent and poor households, the girls previously had few opportunities to prepare them for life ahead. At SH, they are in a loving and safe environment. They are given education to enable them to fulfil their dreams of becoming doctors, nurses, dentists, lawyers and teachers. They learn that they are daughters in His kingdom. Our most precious experience was entering into the girls’ daily routines. This included morning (6 a.m.!) and evening devotions, which were so meaningful and a much-needed time of remembering God’s presence. We led devotions on topics such as ‘How is God real in your life?’, ‘Hopes and dreams’, ‘The Person of Jesus’, and ‘Hearing God’s voice’. Despite minimal preparation before the trip, God led us in our actions and sharing, helping the girls to reflect and grow closer to Him. As we spent time with the girls, we gained understanding of their faith journey, their families, and their futures and struggles. Their personal sharing was heart-warming. During leisure time, we taught drums, guitar, keyboard and even Korean! The praying, daily meals, walks to school, “doing life” – all seemingly mundane but done together – captivated our hearts. It drove home the lesson that we are all beloved children of our Heavenly Father, and that all are similarly broken, yet masterpieces in the eyes of our Creator. There is so much from the trip we hold dear, but have space to highlight only a few. To celebrate the end of the girls’ exams, we organised a Games day. We played Captain’s Ball, and challenged each other on creativity and even photo-bombing skills. It was an unforgettable day of unadulterated fun with the girls. We also visited a nearby ‘forest’ on a hill. To get to it, we had to cross a stream. On reaching the hilltop, we did quiet time, prayed and reflected on God’s creation and majesty. Our return trip included splashing in refreshing spring-water and rolling down a grass slope with glee. Coming from Singapore’s concrete jungle, we were awed by what God has blessed Nepal with, right at the girls’ doorstep. We were able to share our awe of God’s handiwork with them, who, like us, often miss seeing God’s blessings. We were truly encouraged by the girls’ faith, prayers and hunger to experience more of God, despite their many challenges. As He reveals His presence and will in their lives, God is slowly but surely transforming them to grow in Christ-likeness. We were humbled by how God used us to create lasting impact in the lives of the girls and in ours too! Ours was an adventure led by the Holy Spirit when we tasted and saw for ourselves that God is good, good beyond measure. Would you consider going on such an adventure yourself? n

spiritual needs are great

Photos courtesy of Rachel and Cheng Yi

WELFARE SERVICES

Wheels for GOOD celebrates MCS 130

A dance item by Anglo-Ch inese Junior College titled 'Centre of Asia'.

...continued from page 1

Longest Relay with Bicycle Rims at the Wheely Fun Family Carnival Minister Gan launched the Wheely Fun Family Carnival with Bishop Dr Wee, and were joined by Mr David Wong (Chairperson of MWS), Mr Albert Lim (Chairperson of the Wheels for GOOD Organising Committee), Mrs Jenny Bong (Group Executive Director of MWS) and Mr Rob Burrough (Principal of Anglo-Chinese School (International)). The group led by Minister Gan also set a Singapore Record (adjudicated by the Singapore Book of Records) in using their hands to perform the longest bicycle rim rolling relay, along with 200 other carnival-goers (pic above). The Wheely Fun Family Carnival featured performances from various Methodist schools as well as wheels-themed activities for families, young and old, and GOOD beneficiaries. Carnival-goers relived the childhood game of rolling bicycle rims with a stick (separate from the relay), and took part in various group and individual activities such as Wheelchair Basketball Challenge, inline skating challenge, kids’ roller-racing and Human Foosball Challenge. The Wheels for GOOD event was the culmination of the Getting Out of Debt or GOOD programme that was initiated by MWS in January this year to reach out to families in need who are struggling with debt from everyday living. Members from 46 Methodist churches as well as business and foundation partners, such as Far East Organization, Lee Foundation and BinjaiTree Foundation, donated a total of $3.1 million to the GOOD Programme. More than 600 families, identified through 42 agencies including MWS’ Covenant, Daybreak and Tampines Family Service Centres and partner agencies, would have between $2,000 and $5,000 of debt lifted from their shoulders. Through this debt clearance programme, families can now start on a fresh slate, manage their finances better and build assets.

MWS takes a 360° multi-programme approach to help our beneficiaries overcome their complex challenges over the long term. They are able to tap on integrated services under the MWS umbrella such as casework counselling, befriending support, debt management programmes, financial assistance, as well as tutoring, bursaries and after-school care for the children. Mrs Jenny Bong, MWS Group Executive Director, said: “Many families in need find it challenging to plan for the future, invest in their children’s education, or build assets and savings when they are beset by mounting chronic debts. By clearing their debt, the GOOD Programme provides a fresh start, so they can take concrete steps out of the poverty cycle, such as managing their money, and starting to save. “To help them further, MWS will roll out a debt management programme, which will match their payments to clear chronic debts or when they put aside money to save.” n

Responses from two GOOD beneficiaries Evelyn, a GOOD Programme beneficiary and single mother: “I am extremely grateful to be at the receiving end of your organisation’s help. It is a huge load off my mind as I am really finding it tough to juggle our family’s expenses on my salary. Thank you very much for helping to relieve this huge worry about providing a home for my children.” Fadzli, another GOOD beneficiary: “No words can begin to express our heartfelt thanks for your kindness and thoughtfulness. As the sole bread-winner of a family of six and coupled with health complications, it was a struggle for me. Without the assistance of MWS, I wasn’t sure how to get through these difficult times. Eternally grateful, Fadzli.”

FIND OUT u more about how MWS helps families in distress – visit www.mws.sg/families Photos courtesy of Methodist Welfare Services METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

HOME

KKMC receives award for promoting religious harmony Article submitted by Kampong Kapor . Methodist Church

ampong Kapor Methodist Church (KKMC) was one of three religious organisations that received the inaugural Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCC) Ambassador Award from Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, on 31 July 2015. The award was given to “recognise religious organisations and other stakeholders that have worked closely or contributed immensely to IRCCs”. Of the three organisations awarded, two were churches, the other church being Bartley Christian Church. A total of five religious organisations, three of them churches, had been nominated for the award. KKMC was cited for their past activities of organising inter-faith lectures, community Christmas programmes, IRCC Fun Walk and for promoting religious understanding and peace. It was also commended for having initiated several community outreach programmes, such as the monthly ‘Feed the Hungry’ programme to distribute food packets to foreign workers in Little India, and bonding programme ‘Breakfast with Love’ where members from the church befriend elderly residents in the neighbourhood through exercise, breakfast and fun activities. The Rev Kenneth Huang, Pastor-in-Charge of KKMC, responded to news of the award: “On this SG50 year, we celebrate our church’s contribution to building the nation and community.” IRCCs are local-level inter-faith platforms in each of Singapore’s 87 constituencies, formed to promote racial and religious harmony. They are

The Rev Gabriel Liew (right) receiving KKMC’s IRCC Ambassador Award from Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, at the inaugural IRCC Awards Night 2015.

instrumental in strengthening social cohesion, and building friendship and trust between religious, ethnic and community groups. They are trained to respond quickly to racial and religious tensions during crises by remaining calm and resilient on the ground, and assisting in the recovery process. n Photo courtesy of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church

MCI celebrates ‘Enlarging God’s Tent’ through new extension The Rev Derrick Lau is Pastor-in-Charge of Methodist Church of the Incarnation.

ethodist Church of the Incarnation (MCI) celebrated the Official Opening of its $4.5m Extension Project with a Thanksgiving Service on 19 July 2015. Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC, planted a Terminalia Mantaly Tricolor tree to mark the occasion, and Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup prayed

that the symbolic act would serve to remind us of the rootedness of our faith in Jesus Christ who was raised as a carpenter and crucified on a tree. The tree also symbolises its life-giving nature and provision of shade to the community. In all, let this tree reflect the significant milestone of MCI in its God-given vision of ‘Enlarging God’s Tent’ by sharing Christ’s love with the community and world. Our guests at the opening included Mr Edmund E, Vice-President of Trinity Annual Conference, and representatives from the community and social agencies in Chua Chu Kang Constituency. The Celebration Service was held at the new JPG Hall – Joy, Praise and Glory Hall (cf. Jeremiah 33:9). Speaking as Pastor-in-Charge, I emphasised during the service that the key purpose of the project was to praise God for His love and share Christ’s love with the community and the world. Reflecting the vision of worship based on Psalm 117:1, worshippers from five nations offered prayers for their countries, interspersed with Korean and Vietnamese worship songs. MCI appreciates your prayers as we seek to fulfil our Vision 2018: “Growing Christian Disciples who renew their worship to the Almighty God and share Christ’s Love with the community and world.” n Photo courtesy of Methodist Church of the Incarnation

CHURCH PROFILE

BRMC:

Started by faith, motivated by love The Rev Dr Chiu Ming Li is Pastor-in-Charge of Barker Road Methodist Church.

t 4 p.m. on a Whit Sunday (otherwise known as Pentecost Sunday), ten schoolboys met in an old, dusty and dilapidated music room in a hostel. That was how Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) started on 20 May 1956. The odds were stacked against them. These were young boys meeting in a school compound on a hill. The long-established Wesley Church was nearby. Who would come to join them? Conventional wisdom had it that their youthful fervour would soon fade. But God honoured their faith, blessed it and gave it increase. Today, BRMC runs 12 worship services every week at Barker Road and our Oasis ministry at Bukit Batok for our 2,600-strong congregation. Our deep relationship with Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) continues today through our ministry work in ACS (Barker Road), ACS (Primary), Oldham Hall boarding school, and The Boys’ Brigade in Singapore. At BRMC, our worship services range from the traditional hymnbook to the contemporary to the charismatic, and are held in English, Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia, and Tagalog. Our Indonesian service just celebrated its 16th anniversary, and our Filipino congregation will mark its 32nd year in November. Missions work is close to our hearts and we strive to obey the Great Commission as a church. We currently support missions work in seven countries: Cambodia, East Asia, North and South India, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Nepal. Another key church concern is to be Jesus’ hands and feet to reach out to the poor, disadvantaged and marginalised through our outreach and social concerns ministry. The church gives direct financial aid to about 120 families at this time. Beyond helping to meet the immediate physical needs of such families, we seek to empower them to rise above the cycle of despair and hopelessness. We are investing in our next generation – our children, youth and young adults – nurturing, developing, discipling them, and integrating them into the various church ministries.

A mission team from BRMC prays for a patient during a medical mission trip to Cambodia.

Barker Road Methodist Church (Trinity Annual Conference) 48 Barker Road, Singapore 309917 Sunday Services: 8.30 a.m. (English, Hymnbook), 8.30 a.m. (English, Charismatic), 10.30 a.m. (English), 10.30 a.m. (English, Contemporary), 10.30 a.m. (Mandarin), 10.30 a.m. (Bahasa Indonesia), 10.30 a.m. (Tagalog), 5 p.m. (English, Contemporary) Other Services: Wednesday 7.30 p.m. (Mandarin), Saturday 5 p.m. (English, Contemporary) Bukit Batok Preaching Point: 10.30 a.m. Contact: brmc.org.sg or 6256-4298

We continue our series of profiling local churches from our three Annual Conferences of The Methodist Church in Singapore. As we come to have a better understanding of each other’s history and ministry, we may discover more opportunities to forge cross-church partnerships and collaborations. The church’s vision is to be transformed by the love of Christ, with 2 Corinthians 5:14 being our vision Bible verse. I have been the Pastor-in-Charge at BRMC since January this year, and am approaching my first decade as a pastor here. I am burdened by our need to strengthen and deepen our community here, and also to extend our pastoral care to help members who suffer silently and secretly from all manner of sickness in their body, soul or spirit. As we look forward to our diamond jubilee – our 60th anniversary – next year, I envision a church where every member is one whose every action is energised and governed by his assurance of God’s love for him, and motivated by his love for Christ. n

Photos courtesy of Barker Road Methodist Church METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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TRANS WORLD RADIO

Speaking hope through Rachel Mehlhaff is a missionary journalist with the Trans World Radio Asia office in Singapore.

Since its beginnings with just one small radio station in Tangier, Morocco, in the 1950s, TWR has grown into a media movement that speaks hope to more than 3 billion people in 230 languages every day. A TWR listener group in India gathering to listen to a discipleship programme and discuss what they’ve heard.

rans World Radio (TWR), an organisation using mass media to reach people for Christ, receives story after story from listeners about how the radio programmes reached into their lives in an intimate way at the moment they needed it most. One listener in Nepal said the radio became “like a close friend” after she became sick and was abandoned by her family. Through the programmes, she found acceptance and hope in Jesus. A listener in Indonesia said he felt like God was speaking directly to him through the programme. Since he started listening to TWR, the radio has “become my new friend,” he said. A listener in China said the “voices of your presenters share the Word of God in an intimate manner. It is like meeting with the Lord face-to-face! It feels as if the Lord is upholding me and leading me forward, step-by-step, via the radio during times of trials and tribulations.” For TWR listeners, the radio programmes become a source of hope and encouragement. That’s the goal of TWR — to assist the church in speaking the hope of Christ to the world over the airwaves and on other relevant media platforms. Sixty years of speaking hope Since its beginnings with just one small radio station in Tangier, Morocco, in the 1950s, TWR has grown into a media movement that speaks hope to more than 3 billion people in 230 languages every day. Over the radio waves, TWR’s programmes cross distances and reach people behind closed doors to deliver God’s message of salvation through Jesus. They reach people isolated from the gospel by geographical and ideological barriers. TWR seeks to find the best medium to share the gospel to ensure it is relevant to the people it is reaching. While radio is the main platform, the organisation also uses SD cards, audio devices, mobile phone applications and online streaming. It also has an extensive field ministry with on-the-ground partnerships offering personal spiritual support to thousands daily. Partnerships are important to the DNA of the ministry. TWR collaborates with churches, ministries and content owners to fulfill the Great Commission. It partners with organisations such as Thru the Bible Radio Network, The JESUS Film Project, and Cru, to provide content to listeners as well as for on-the-ground ministry.

mass media

TRANS WORLD RADIO (TWR) 85 Playfair Road, #04-01, Tong Yuan Industrial Building, Singapore 368000 Tel : 6501-5150 Email : info@twr.asia Website : www.twr.asia Facebook : www.facebook.com/twr.asia Find faith for your world TWR360 is an online platform offering an abundance of resources TWR’s audience can download, stream, and read in their own language. And it’s accessible anytime and anywhere. We currently have 40 languages and continue to add more. Find out more at www.twr360.org

The TWR Nepal team distributing rice after the recent earthquakes.

Reaching the unreached Much of TWR’s work is to bring the gospel to the unreached, to the hard-to-reach and to areas with restricted access, including North Korea, China and what it refers to as the PANI region, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan and Northern India. In China, TWR is working on the second phase of the SONLift project, which is a five-year integrated media outreach to two-thirds of the country’s unreached people groups (UPGs). China has the second-largest number of UPGs in the world and most live in inaccessible places, and many don’t or can’t read. In the PANI region, radio broadcasts are an important way to share the gospel. Churches in many parts of this region are not allowed to openly share the gospel and Christians are often discriminated against. Responding in disaster TWR also responds by offering hope in the midst of disasters. Following the recent earthquakes in Nepal, TWR produced a 15-minute trauma programme that is being broadcast in Nepali over 15 FM stations in the 15 most affected districts. The team is also distributing relief aid to survivors (pic above). “Though it is related to Christianity, I have been greatly influenced by this programme,” said one station manager in Nepal, who is not a believer. “And as the demand of listeners for this programme is also very high, I have been broadcasting this programme free of cost thrice a day. If such a programme is broadcast in the days to come, then it is for sure that the whole district will be drastically influenced.” TWR also responded after the 2011 Japan tsunami. Following the disaster, radio was re-evaluated and became a critical channel to alert, update, and evacuate people in the event of a tsunami or earthquake. This resurgence of radio gave TWR an opportunity to begin broadcasting a counselling programme to minister to the survivors. In 2014, TWR began daily FM radio broadcasts of three outreach programmes. Whether using high-powered radio, streaming content to the Internet, or visiting face-to-face, TWR leaves a lasting spiritual footprint. n

Pray Prayer is an important part of the ministry. Join TWR in praying for listeners, staff members and projects. For the latest prayer needs, visit http://www.twr.asia/get-involved/pray One specific prayer initiative is for the Japan ministry. To find out more, visit http://www.twr.asia/prayforjapan Partner Avail your media content on TWR’s media platforms. TWR’s cloud-enabled digital media system lets you offer your Christian resources across multiple platforms, including TWR360! Go Ministry doesn’t end with just broadcasting the message. Want to learn more about the on-the-ground work? Consider a mission trip! Join Are you called to use media to make a lasting difference for Jesus Christ? TWR has various openings, some of which are technical. TWR has internship and volunteer options as well. Missionaries are welcome. Give Your gift makes a huge difference to those whose spiritual growth solely rests upon TWR’s broadcasts. For more information about any of the above, contact TWR at info@twr.asia

In China, TWR is working on the second phase of the SON-Lift project, which is a five-year integrated media outreach to two-thirds of the country’s unreached people groups (UPGs). Photos courtesy of TWR METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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Building

Through

Belief

on its

and on attaining strong academic and all-round achievement and an impressive growth from 120 students in 2005 to 1000 students in 2015   • 13 Top of the World awards in IGCSE examinations over each of the past six years • 96% pass rate in 2014 IB Diploma examination • Outstanding ‘value added’ examinations results from PSLE to IB graduates • Three students accepted to Oxford and Cambridge universities for 2015 • Top university admissions in the UK, US and Singapore • Successes at national level this past year in Archery; Cheerleading; Chinese Drama; Cycling; Debating; Fencing; Football; Golf; String Orchestra; Touch; Taekwondo; Volleyball

Rob Burrough Principal

    

Kathleen Manley

• 50:50 mix of local and international teachers who uphold the Methodist ethos and provide high quality teaching

Vice Principal (Academic)

• Small class sizes with overall student : teacher ratio of 8.7 : 1

Richard MacLean

• 40 different CCAs – 16 Sporting; 12 Visual and Performing Arts; 12 Special Interest Groups

Vice Principal (Pastoral)

• 20+ overseas trips per year for Service; Curriculum visits; Model United Nations; University visits; Outdoor Education; Music tours

Tan Siew Hoon Vice Principal (Student & Staff Development)

• Over 200 formal student leadership positions – Prefect, Student Council; Ambassador; House; CCA Captain

The international senior management team has over 55 years of combined senior management experiences in Britain, Africa, Asia and New Zealand.

• Scholarships for 4 Singaporeans to undertake the IB Diploma programme

Congratulations to the school for developing outstanding young men and women who are engaged, inclusive, self-assured and portray fine character.

Supported by

C I A P Architects Pte Ltd ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOL OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION

ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOLS BOARD OF GOVERNORS

President: Cheo Chai Hong

Chairman: Richard Seow

THE ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION Chairman: Richard Seow

 Parent School Partners

Co-Chairs: Cecilia Chau-Koh Ng Mei Mei Prema Kanagalingam



Directors: Ar. Tham Tuck Cheong Ar. Theodore EC Chan

Jakarta

Founder: Mucki PL Tan Executive Principal: Ng Eng Chin

Chaplain: Rev. Joel Yong

HOME

Insights from historic survey of children and youth ministries Grace Toh is Assistant Editor of Methodist Message and has been a member of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church for most of her life.

“I

f we hear their hearts… we can answer their cries!” said Mr Rodel Lacson, Regional Operations Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific region with OneHope, a Scripture engagement ministry. OneHope is conducting a survey of children and youth ministries in churches, spanning more than 40 countries, and Rodel was presenting the findings from Singapore – the first time such a survey has been conducted across denominations here. The historic survey had been sparked off by a question: “Are we connecting with the next generation?” This was measured through collecting information from churches and Christian organisations about how they have been reaching children and youth with the gospel. For the Singapore report, data was collected from 110 churches and 15 Christian organisations, of which 20.7 per cent are Methodist. Why is such research important? “Research gives us the information to prompt us into action,” noted Rodel. The findings highlighted current church practices in ministering to children and youth, and areas of strength as well as challenges and opportunities. He hoped that the findings presented would encourage churches to grasp opportunities and seek innovative solutions for challenges in children and youth ministries. For example, the survey found that technology is becoming increasingly important in reaching children and youth in Singapore, where household access to the Internet and mobile phone penetration are both high. Thus, churches can leverage on tools such as the mobile application ‘The Bible App for Kids’, which OneHope partnered with YouVersion to produce, to assist in discipleship and outreach efforts. The findings of the quantitative survey, as well as accompanying qualitative interviews, were presented at a session hosted by The Bible Society of Singapore (BSS) on 21 Aug 2015. OneHope’s partners in this research project were BSS, the ETHOS Institute™ for Public Christianity, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore. Dr Calvin Chong, Associate Professor of Educational Studies at Singapore Bible College, presented preliminary findings from qualitative interviews conducted among youth leaders of churches and Christian organisations, aiming to “offer the church wisdom and rich insights of ground-level realities surrounding the Singapore Christian youth scene”. Likewise, Ms Gwen De Rozario, Head of Children Ministry at BSS, shared findings from qualitative interviews conducted among children’s ministries. A sobering realisation was that although churches may recognise the importance of investing in children and youths who are the next generation and the future of the Church, they are lacking full-time children and youth workers who can adequately support the respective ministries. Gwen noted: “There is a difference in what we know and aspire to, and what is happening on the ground.” As such, it was useful to have both the quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, to place the results in appropriate perspective. The need for parents to partner with children and youth ministries was particularly highlighted through the qualitative interviews. Parents’ active involvement in discipling their children and youth was crucial, a point later echoed by Mr Terry Williams, Children’s Ministry Specialist with Scripture Union Queensland and SU International.

Visiting Singapore to speak at the SticKEY Faith Conference 2015, which was to take place the very next day, Terry noted that the pattern in Jesus’ day for making disciples was the family – firstly in the household, then complemented by the wider family of the gathered church. He quoted Pope Francis: “Families are the domestic Church.” More research is needed to find out the factors which help children and youth stay in church and in the faith. Dr Cheah Fung Fong, Chairperson of the Trinity Annual Conference Board of Children’s Ministry (TRAC BOCM), shared preliminary results from a poll done by BSS and TRAC BOCM that invited responses from youth and young adults who had grown up in church and stayed. More responses are being sought for the poll, which remains open until 31 Oct 2015. n

From left: Dr Calvin Chong, Ms Gwen De Rozario, Dr Cheah Fung Fong, Mr Rodel Lacson, the Rev Jeremy West (OneHope Regional Director, Asia-Pacific) and Mr Terry Williams.

FIND OUT u more insights from the OneHope report – visit ethosinstitute.sg/resources/ (scroll to bottom of page) and bible.org.sg/children PARTICIPATE u in the poll by BSS and TRAC BOCM if you are between 18 and 36 years old, and have been attending church since you were eight years old or younger – visit goo.gl/6A1Bvv before 31 Oct 2015 Photo courtesy of The Bible Society of Singapore METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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HOME

MMS launches Rev Dr Clarence Lim Missionary Development Fund

ethodist Missions Society (MMS) launched the Rev Dr Clarence Lim Missionary Development Fund during its biennial fundraising “My Father’s Business” Banquet held on 23 Aug 2015 at The Fullerton Hotel. The fund was started with $100,000 from a donor, who has requested anonymity. He felt driven to recognise and honour the immense contributions of MMS’ Founding Director, the Rev Dr Lim, who had passed away on 2 Oct 2014. The fund will provide financial support for MMS’ leadership development among its serving missionaries, and potential Methodist candidates committed to serving full-time in MMS mission fields. Serving missionaries are eligible to apply for recognised, full-time or part-time training courses conducted locally or overseas if they have served at least two years in a MMS mission field, or in MMS Home Office, and are recommended by their

Country Director and supported by the Area Director. Potential candidates intending to serve in MMS mission fields must be active members of a local Methodist church in Singapore, preferably in missions-related activities and have a character reference and recommendation by their Pastor-inCharge. Recognised seminaries and colleges include Trinity Theological College, Singapore Bible College, Asian Cross-Cultural Training Institute and Tung Ling Bible School while recognised seminars include mission conferences, Global or Eagles Leadership Seminars, and Church Planting programmes such as Growing Healthy Church. n

If you would like to donate to ensure sustainability and viability of the fund, please call 6478-4818, or email mms@methodist.org.sg to find out more.

HYMNS & SONGS

Blowing the ram’s horn in the year of jubilee Dr Yeo Teck Beng is Principal of the Methodist School of Music, and a member of Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church.

riting this article, I was reminiscing about the grand celebration of our nation’s 50th National Day. I give thanks to God for guiding and preserving this tiny nation, which appears as a little red dot in the world map, for 50 years of independence. Everywhere in Singapore, the SG50 logo that celebrates the Singaporean spirit – which proves that “size does not matter” – can be seen on the streets, on TV screens, on T-shirts, on large posters, and banners. The Golden Jubilee is a significant milestone for a young nation like Singapore. The word “jubilee” in the Bible is derived from the Hebrew word jobel, which means “ram’s horn”, since it was precisely that horn which was used as a trumpet, sounded throughout the land of Israel to indicate to everybody the beginning of the jubilee year.1 Legislated into the Mosaic Law, the jubilee arrangement ensured that all debts were cancelled, all family properties sold were returned and all bondage in service to others was ended with the year of jubilee (Lev. 25). ‘Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow’ was a popular hymn written by the prolific hymnist Charles Wesley in 1750. This six-stanza hymn was the third of his seven hymns for the New Year’s Day collection. At the heart of this Wesleyan hymn is the vision of Christ’s second coming, an idea clearly conveyed in the refrain “The year of jubilee is come! The year of jubilee is come! Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.” As a result of sin, man in his fallen nature was in debt, shackled by his great adversary, Satan. Adam and his race had forfeited all their rights to the blessings of the earth. Being enslaved to sin and destined for death was never the design of God when He created man. In this hymn, Charles Wesley proclaimed that Jesus, our great High Priest, the atoning Lamb of God, has made full restitution for our sins by His death on the cross. The weary spirits can now find rest and mournful souls can be glad because Jesus the Messiah has ushered in the jubilee time when man is freed, liberated from sin and hell (stanza 2 and 4). This is truly a fitting hymn to sing as we celebrate the year of jubilee. The church looks forward to the second coming of Christ when all creation will be restored. The apostle Paul said, “… that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:21) n

uciano Pacomio, “The Jubilee in the L Bible”; available from http://www.vatican. va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ ju_mag_01051997_p-78_en.html (accessed 11 Aug 2015)

Blow Ye the Trumpet Blow (The United Methodist Hymnal, #379) Blow ye the trumpet, blow! The gladly solemn sound let all the nations know, to earth’s remotest bound: Refrain: The year of jubilee is come! The year of jubilee is come! Return, ye ransomed sinners, home. Jesus, our great high priest, hath full atonement made; ye weary spirits, rest; ye mournful souls, be glad: (Refrain) Extol the Lamb of God, the all-atoning Lamb; redemption in his blood throughout the world proclaim: (Refrain) Ye slaves of sin and hell, your liberty receive, and safe in Jesus dwell, and blest in Jesus live: (Refrain) Ye who have sold for nought your heritage above shall have it back unbought, the gift of Jesus’ love: (Refrain) The gospel trumpet hear, the news of heavenly grace; and saved from earth, appear before your Saviour’s face: The year of jubilee is come! The year of jubilee is come! Return to your eternal home. Words: Charles Wesley, 1750 (Lev. 25:8-17) Music: Lewis Edson, ca. 1782 Picture by Aleksandar Todorovic/Bigstock.com METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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SOUNDINGS

The fictionalised self Dr Roland Chia is Chew Hock Hin Professor of Christian Doctrine at Trinity Theological College and Theological and Research Advisor of the ETHOS Institute™ for Public Christianity (http://ethosinstitute.sg/).

ince its inception about 40 years ago, the Internet has revolutionised our lives in innumerable ways. It has made possible access to a huge amount of information on almost everything under the sun, from the latest news about a celebrity to instructions on how to make a bomb. The Internet has also enabled unprecedented connectivity, bringing together people separated by vast distances, with just a push of a button or a click of the mouse. When wedded to the smartphone, the Internet has made information-gathering, chatting and texting the habits of billions of people in the world today. But the Internet revolution has also brought about irreversible changes to the way we relate to one another. The instantaneous communication it has made possible has also introduced profound and disturbing distortions to human sociality. Some worry that these subtle transmutations would in the long run be harmful to society. Round-the-clock connectivity has brought about what some writers have called “deboundarying”, where limits are no longer respected and are repeatedly transgressed. Deboundarying has exploited two unsavoury aspects of our (fallen) social nature: voyeurism and exhibitionism. We love watching others, and we love being watched. This in part explains the success of talk shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show where guests unselfconsciously bare their souls in front of the cameras. Facebook is arguably one of the most effective vehicles of deboundarying. By posting personal details, photos, relationships, likes and dislikes for public access, users have made the personal and the private public. As one writer puts it, “Now, one is exposed to the world, including friends of friends, and their friends.” The overexposure that deboundarying encourages has often led to spinning or masking. To spin is to fabricate. It is to airbrush our flaws, tell ‘tall tales’ and lie. The spin is therefore a constructed identity, a fictionalised self that masquerades as the real self. Spinning may sometimes be a form of hiding, a concealment of one’s inadequacies and

vulnerabilities. But spinning can also be a form of fantasising, of transforming ourselves into the ‘selves’ we would like to be – what Freud calls wish-fulfilment. The upshot of this is that the real and the fabricated are blurred into each other. There is no True Self, just an endless series of interchangeable masks. Some Internet utopians say that this ability to assume multiple identities is the ultimate manifestation of freedom. They decry the myth of the fixed identity. They celebrate the emergence of the ‘Promethean Self ’ that the Internet has facilitated and the unlimited self-reinvention it has made possible. In her fascinating book, Life on the Screen, Sherry Tuckle points out that interaction on the computer takes place in “boxed-off areas on the screen, commonly called windows”. This has led to the fractionalisation of the self, where one’s true identity can only be perceived when the different bits of one’s distributed presence are assembled. The fractionalised self and the fictionalised self are not unrelated phenomena. In fact they can be said to be two sides of the same coin. This brings us to that trite but still elusive concept: community. To be sure, smartphone and Internet users often speak of forming “communities”. To this end, Facebook has even transformed the noun “friend” into a verb: to friend. But deboundarying has subverted traditional ways in which communities are formed and sustained, by deconstructing social boundaries. A good example is “disinhibition”, a term coined by Elizabeth Reid which denotes the obscuring of “boundaries that would

“Soundings” is a series of essays that, like the waves of a sonogram, explore issues in society, culture and the church in light of the Gospel and Christian understanding. generally separate acceptable and unacceptable behaviour”. It must be pointed out that although the Internet can be said to be responsible for the phenomenon I have been describing, it should not be made to shoulder all the blame. As the Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz notes: “The pornofication of culture and the political-economic push for increased transparency of private life has been on the rise for decades, and the Internet has only institutionalised these trends.” It is equally important to stress that not everyone who uses the Internet is guilty of these aberrations. But the reality and corrupting influence of the darker side of cyberspace culture simply cannot be ignored. This new sociality is worrying because it undermines what the Christian tradition has understood to be indispensable in any human relationship: truthfulness, authenticity, integrity and responsibility. Without the sense of self-obligation to be dependable so trust can be built, healthy human relationships cannot be maintained and society itself will atrophy. n

Background picture by GaudiLab/Bigstock.com METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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EARLY METHODIST PREACHERS

Methodist Message (MM) has invited the Rev Dr David Lowes Watson and Dr Tong Hoo Ing to write a series of paired articles on early Methodist preachers from the UK and Singapore respectively. This biographical series aims to trace the movement of the Holy Spirit in grassroots evangelistic preaching, reminds us of the evangelistic fervour of Methodism worldwide, and demonstrates the fruitfulness of the Gospel when preached with spiritual power and integrity. As you read the biographies of our Methodist forebears, may you too be inspired to preach the Gospel – not only within the church, but going beyond to reach our community.

Christopher Hopper

Preaching Christ amidst persecution

The Rev Dr David Lowes Watson is an eminent Wesleyan scholar, author and Methodist minister of the Tennessee Conference, the United Methodist Church, USA. He was keynote speaker at the Aldersgate SG 2014 Convention.

ext to the Scriptures, there is no richer source of spiritual guidance and nurture in the Christian life than the witness of those who have gone before us. John Wesley acknowledged this when he asked some of his preachers to provide personal accounts of their calling for The Arminian Magazine which he launched in 1778.1 One of these preachers was Christopher Hopper, who came from a village in the North of England. He was born on Christmas Day 1722 to parents who were farmers and faithful members of the Church of England – though, in his own words, they were “strangers to vital religion”. So when John Wesley visited the nearby city of Newcastle upon Tyne in May 1742, Hopper was not sure what to make of this clergyman who preached in the open air. “He made a short blaze, soon disappeared, and left us in a great consternation.” Charles Wesley also came to the area, and Hopper “ran with the multitude to hear this strange preacher … Some said, ‘He is a good man, and is sent to reform our land.’ Others said, ‘Nay, he is come to pervert and deceive us.’ I said, ‘If he is a good man, good will be done. But if he is an impostor, he can only leave us as he found us, without hope and without God in the world.’ I cannot tell what induced me to go so far; but I found I was in danger of being called a Methodist.” The seed of these encounters bore fruit when Hopper became a Methodist later that year and, as so often happened, soon experienced persecution. “Some said, ‘Ah! what think you? Christopher Hopper is converted.’ Others said, ‘He hath received the Holy Ghost.’ Others said, ‘He is mad; keep far from him.’ Some p itied me, but all agreed I had renounced my baptism, left the Church, and was in a dangerous situation.” Soon after, John Wesley formed a Methodist society near Hopper’s village and made him a class leader. He began to exhort, one of the first steps toward becoming a preacher; and as invitations came to preach farther afield he began to sense a call.

“As yet, I had not considered the consequences of such an undertaking. I was sweetly carried on with a loving desire to promote the glory of God … But the devil was highly displeased. He saw his kingdom was in danger, and immediately proclaimed war against me.” This caused him to question his call. Did he have the right to preach, since he was not an ordained clergyman? One night he went for a walk to pray it through, and the answer came: “If God has called me, I must bear a public testimony, and leave the event to him.” So he pressed ahead, never to turn back. To support his family he taught school, but continued to give his “soul, body, and substance” to Christ. “I commonly preached, or met a class, every evening after I had dismissed my scholars … and preached twice or thrice, often four times, every Sabbath day … I was frequently in great jeopardy. Indeed, I did not much regard a little dirt, a few rotten eggs, the sound of a cow’s horn, the noise of bells, or a few snowballs in their season; but sometimes I was saluted with blows, stones, brickbats, and bludgeons. I sometimes lost a little skin, and once a little blood, drawn from my forehead with a sharp stone.” In 1748, he gave up teaching, and devoted himself full-time to work with the Methodist societies. The following year, he became an itinerant preacher for Wesley, and proved to be one of his most trusted colleagues, often travelling with him and sharing in the preaching. Hopper ceased to itinerate in 1790 and died on 5 March 1802, duly honoured as one of Methodism’s foremost early preachers. n

1 These accounts were later edited by Thomas Jackson and published as The Lives of Early Methodist Preachers. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 3rd ed., 1865-66, 6 vols.

The Rev Paul S. H. Hang Sr.

Born to ‘deng-do’

aul Hang Hoh-Gi was born in Sien Yu City, Fukien, China, on 3 May 1901, to a Methodist family. His mother served as a “Bible-reader” – she visited the homes of people who had little or no education, to read the Bible to them in the Hinghwa dialect. As a young boy, Hoh-Gi accompanied his mother on her daily Bible-reading rounds. He was self-taught in his primary school years before he entered the Guthrie Memorial High School at the age of nine. When he was asked what he wanted to do when he grew up, the young Hoh-Gi answered, “Deng-do, yes, deng-do” which means “preach the Gospel” in the Hinghwa dialect. The phrase “deng-do” reverberated throughout his life, as he faithfully obeyed the exhortation of Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19 to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” (KJV) In his book My Christian Testimony, he described how he went up a hill one day to pray for guidance on his future work: “If it is thy will that I should become a minister, I pray thee to reveal thy will through the words of Scripture.” On opening his eyes, he turned the pages of his Bible and stopped at Acts Chapter 9, about the conversion of the apostle Paul. He was filled with joy and decided to change his name from Hang Hoh-Gi to Hang Sing-Ho (Paul). Soon after Paul Hang graduated from the Nanking Theological Seminary in 1927 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, his godfather, Dr George Hollister, received a letter from the Hinghwa Church in Singapore requesting a pastor to serve the church after several short-term pastors had departed due to sickness or old age. Dr Hollister sent the Rev Paul Hang, who began his life-long journey of ministry in answer to God’s calling “to preach the Gospel” and to become the longest-serving pastor of Hinghwa Methodist Church in Singapore – serving for 36 years until his retirement. For 15 years, the church met in a shophouse at 27 Sam Leong Road near Kitchener Road (it is now housed at 93 Kitchener Road). During those 15-odd years, the early church made remarkable history with many Gospel outreach programmes, evangelism and revival, including rallies when the well-known evangelist Dr John Sung Song-Che came to Singapore from mainland China in the late 1930s.

Dr Tong Hoo Ing contributes to Methodist Message as a volunteer writer. A retired neurologist, he worships at Wesley Methodist Church, and volunteers with medical mission teams to Third World countries.

The Rev Hang also contributed to the spread of the gospel in Singapore and the region in many other ways, such as: ➢ Helping to develop the Southern Bell, the Chinese equivalent of Methodist Message, as the leading Chinese Christian magazine for all the Chinese churches in Singapore and Malaysia. The Rev Hang was on the Board of Editors, together with the Chief Editor, the Rev Andrew K. T. Chen. ➢ Playing an important role in the training of pastors at the annual Chinese Pastors’ Institute for the work of the churches in Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo. ➢ Being elected as the first Asian ministerial delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Church held in Boston, USA, in 1948. ➢ Serving as Secretary of the Chinese Christian and Education Board for 11 years from 1937 to 1948. ➢ Serving as Editor of the Annual Conference minutes of the Malaysian Chinese Annual Conference (1938-1953), and also as Secretary of the Conference. ➢ Serving as Chairman of the Singapore Chinese Christian Church Unit from 1947 to 1957. On account of his ill health, the Rev Hang retired in 1963, but during those years of retirement, he served as Conference evangelist and preacher in many of the Methodist churches in Malaysia, Singapore and Sarawak. He later underwent surgery for cancer of the bladder but succumbed to it in 1972. Dr Paul Means, in his preface to Paul Hang’s book My Christian Testimony, reflected on the Rev Hang’s rich preceding 70 years and wrote that he should hear in his heart the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Indeed, he had lived out his determination to “deng-do, yes, deng-do”. n

Photo courtesy of the Rev Paul K. H. Hang Jr., from his book Blessings by the Dozen METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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POEMS

The Word Of God Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18 (NKJV)

Leong Kwok Thye is a member of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church and has been involved in the ministries of Scripture Union and the Bible Study Fellowship. He is currently a volunteer pastoral care facilitator in Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) and Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road).

Your word is a lamp to my feet, Lighting up dangers that I meet; Keeps me from going astray, Every step along lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way. Your word is a light to my path, Guiding my journey on earth; Directs my wandering soul, To Your glorious eternal goal. Your word I have kept in my heart; That I may not sin and depart From Your just and righteous ways, And to delight in You all my days. Open my eyes that I may see Your loving kindness and majesty; To acknowledge You, Lord As my Creator and my God.

Background picture by Sergey Nivens/Bigstock.com

October REGISTERING FOR ETHOS INSTITUTE ANNUAL LECTURE 2015

20 Oct (Tuesday), 8 p.m. – 9.30 p.m.

Wesley Methodist Church, Wesley Hall, 5 Fort Canning Road Come for this inaugural ETHOS Institute lecture where Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup will speak about challenges and influences in the Church in Singapore such as liberal secularism and radical conservatism, and how today’s multi-polar Church can move forward towards greater unity. Organised by ETHOS Institute for Public Christianity. Register by 13 Oct. Admission is free, though a freewill love offering will be collected. For more info or to register, visit http://ethosinstitute.sg/events/annual_lecture, email info@ethosinstitute.sg or call Ms Jasmine Tan at 6304-3765.

oct

REGISTERING FOR KAIROS COURSE

23, 24, 30 & 31 Oct; 6, 7, 13 & 14 Nov, 7.15 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Fridays, 8.30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturdays; 21 Nov (Saturday) 8.30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

BIBLICAL 1. God’s Purpose and Plan 2. Israel, The Covenant People 3. The Messiah, the Message & the Messengers

The Kairos Course is a nine-session, interactive course on World Christian mission, designed to educate, inspire and challenge Christians to active and meaningful participation. Kairos looks at the four main areas of mission concern which are the Biblical, Historical, Strategic and Cultural dimensions of mission. BIBLICAL 1. God’s Purpose and Plan 2. Israel, The Covenant People 3. The Messiah, the Message & the Messengers

STRATEGIC 5. Mission Strategy 6. The Task Remaining 7. World Christian Teamwork

HISTORICAL 4. Expansion of the World Christian Movement

CULTURAL 8. Cross-Cultural Considerations

Methodist Missions Society in partnership with

Simply Mobilizing Dates/time : Fri, 7.15 pm – 10.00 pm on 23 & 30 Oct, 6 & 13 Nov Sat, 8.30 am – 1.00 pm on 24 & 31 Oct, 7 & 14 Nov Sat, 8.30 am – 4.00 pm on 21 Nov

oct

Methodist Centre, 70 Barker Road

Join this nine-session, interactive course which covers the biblical, historical, strategic and cultural dimensions of world Christian missions. It is designed to educate, inspire and challenge Christians to active and meaningful participation in missions. Jointly organised by Methodist Missions Society and Simply Mobilizing. Register by 19 Oct. Fee: $80 per person (includes course materials, refreshments and lunch on 21 Nov). For more info or to register, visit www.mms.org.sg

Venue : The Methodist Centre, 70 Barker Road, S (309936) Course fee : $80 (includes course materials, refreshments and lunch on 21 Nov) Register at : MMS website www.mms.org.sg Closing Date : 19 Oct or when vacancies filled Methodist Missions Society, 70 Barker Road #06-01, The Methodist Centre, Singapore 309936 Tel : 6478 4818 Fax : 6478 4817 Email : mms@methodist.org.sg Find out more about Kairos course at http://kairoscoursesingapore.org/about/

ATTENDING THE ECUMENICAL CHARISMATIC HEALING SERVICE

30 Oct (Friday), 7.45 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.

Church of St. Mary of the Angels, 5 Bukit Batok East Avenue 2 Come together for this ecumenical healing service with other Christians where Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup of The Methodist Church in Singapore will deliver the homily and the Most Rev Archbishop William Goh of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore will give the blessing. There will also be sharing of personal testimonies, and praise and worship. Jointly organised by Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Ecumenical Dialogue, Ad Hoc Protestant Team and Alpha Singapore. Free admission. For more info, email Mr Gerald Kong at info@acced.org.sg

oct

REGISTERING FOR THE GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT SINGAPORE

10 – 11 Nov, 9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. Trinity @ Paya Lebar, 247 Paya Lebar Road

10 – 11 November 2015 | www.glssingapore.org/+65 84183306

BILL HYBELS BELS S

Founder and d Sen Senior nioor Pastor, Willow Creek wC reek ek Community Chu Church urcch

SHEILA HEEN

Founder, Triad Consulting Group; Faculty, Harvard Law School

SALLIE KRAWCHECK HEC CK

Chair, Ellevate Network; tworrk;; Former President, Ban Bank nk of America’s Global Wea Wealth altth & Investment Management gemeent

JIM COLLINS

Nationally Acclaimed Business Thinker; Best-selling Author Good to Great

ADAM GRANT

Professor, Wharton School of Business; Best-selling Author

ALBERT TATE

Founder and Senior Pastor, Fellowship Monrovia in Southern California

BRIAN B BR IA HOUSTON STON N

FFounder ounde and Global bal Se Senior enior Pasto Hillsongg Chu urcch Pastor, Church

HORST SCHULZE

Chairman and CEO, Capella Hotel Group; Founding President and Former COO, The Ritz-Carlton Group

ED CATMULL

Co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios; President of Walt Disney Animation Studios

DR. BRENÉ BROWN

Research Professor, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work; Best-selling Author

SAM ADEYEMI

Fou FFounder ounde d r aand Senior Pastor, Daystar D aysstar Christian Centre in Nigeria

LIZ WISEMAN

President, The Wiseman Group; Best-selling Author

CRAIG GROESCHEL

Founder and Senior Pastor, LifeChurch.tv

Final list of speakers will be announced in our website in September 2015.

nov

Sharpen your skills and develop the people you lead by attending this Summit presented via videocast from Willow Creek Community Church. There is a diverse lineup of speakers such as Bill Hybels, Craig Groeschel, Sam Adeyemi and Brian Houston. There will be worship sessions and facilitators to help you and your team apply your lessons to your unique context. Organised by The Global Leadership Summit Singapore. Register by 31 Oct for early bird rates of $170 per person, $580 for a group of 4 people. For more info, visit www.glssingapore.org, email info@glssingapore.org or call 8418-3306.

METHODIST MESSAGE • OCT 2015

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THINK

The emotional problem of evil David Jonathan Graieg is a Masters of Theology graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary (2012). He served as an adjunct lecturer at East Asia School of Theology and used to attend Wesley Methodist Church. He currently serves with City Bible Forum in Australia. David is happily married to Grace, and they have three young children: Sophie, Charlotte, and Elizabeth.

“W

hy, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” cries the psalmist (Psalm 10:1, NIV 2011). Do these words echo how you are feeling? God does not discourage us from voicing such cries to him; in fact, He inspired it in His Word. In my previous article (MM July P24), we looked at the logical problem of evil and found that the Christian worldview has a sound response to this intellectual matter. Nevertheless, we all still face hardships, so is there more that Christianity can offer when we hurt? Some Biblical guidance The Bible tells us that in the beginning God, who is good, made everything good (Genesis 1-2); a reminder that the troubles in this world are not from our loving Father but due to humanity’s sinful choices (Genesis 3). Nevertheless, in the end we are assured that God will set things right: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the meantime, God has not left us alone. In fact, He Himself has borne on the cross the worst of our suffering, which is our sin. The Christian God is Immanuel (God with us), seen in the Incarnation, in which Jesus entered into the pains of this world and overcame it by suffering for us. And, furthermore, while Jesus goes to prepare a place for us so that we might be with Him forever, He has sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us and to be with and in us each step of the way. Consider the apostle Paul, who was able to joyously conclude, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor

demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Paul was not an individual who had an “easy life.” For the sake of Christ he had been imprisoned, flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, persecuted, and starved, just to mention a few of his hardships (2 Corinthians 11:23-29), and yet he could declare that these were “light and momentary troubles” (2 Corinthians 4:17) compared to the hope of eternity. While we may not always know why God allows us to experience a particular hardship, we can be assured that it is God Himself who comforts us, so that we can bring His comfort to others. Consequently, let us make it our aim to count it joy, whenever we face various kinds of trials, knowing that the Lord will use it for His glory. The personal problem of evil we all face then should not be a reason for one to turn away from God, but rather a reason to turn towards Him. May we all, like the psalmist who questioned God’s whereabouts during “times of trouble”, learn to confidently declare that “You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry” (Psalm 10:17, NIV 2011). n

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4 Picture by Atthidej Nimmanhaemin/Bigstock.com