In line with City Harvest Church’s focus on the Cultural Mandate and keen attention on both the inward and outward standards of its members, it is not uncommon to find scores of spiffy parishioners worshiping with a zeal at its service locations at Singapore Expo and Jurong West Street 91 on weekends.
Eighty per cent of the churchgoers at the Saturday service at Jurong West are young people. We talk to three smart dressers about how they personalize their dressing, and their motivation for doing so.
Christabel Seow, 15
Having attended CHC since she was in primary five, Christabel feels that she has gleaned self-confidence and a greater sense of self-esteem through the sermons she has heard in church, and this has translated to the way she carries herself on the outside.She asserts that dressing well is part of being more like God, and that paying attention to the way you groom yourself is in the DNA of the church. She also reveals that her mother goes shopping with her, and mother and daughter offer suggestions to each other on how to improve their appearance.Writer’s notes: You can’t go wrong with black. Christabel’s faux-leather jacket and boots work well with the red-hot micro shorts she sports. She adds a subtle touch of glitter with her necklace and belt. Her outfit is a sure attention-grabber.
Joshua Liew, 20
A final-year student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Joshua firmly believes that dressing smartly brings glory to God, and also helps one boost one’s self-confidence.He also shares that the recent video screened at church, showing the colourful styles of New Life Church members in Taiwan inspired him to dress himself in a finer way.Joshua has found that sprucing up his looks also spurs the rest of his cell group members to do the same.Writer’s notes: Joshua perfects the art of classic casual dressing: blue jeans, black jacket and tee. He goes for simple but expensive-looking pieces: a pewter-grey top emblazoned with a beautiful silver sheen and a black bomber jacket, worn with a pair of well-cut jeans.
Brendan Tan, 21
Fresh out of the School of Theology (SOT), Brendan is currently pursuing a Business Administration degree at the Singapore Institute of Management.He confidently declares, “The way you carry yourself in your dressing is a reflection of how much you honour God.” Brendan also sees his efforts at grooming as an opportunity to encourage the rest of his cell group members to better their appearances, and hopes to bring positive change in his group in embracing the Cultural Mandate.Writer’s notes: Brendan has great colour co-ordination, and he’s able to carry off a purple jacket — a rare choice for guys. He matches his jacket with a blue sequined tee, and balances the colours with classic white jeans and subtle black shoes. If praying can improve one’s personal style, we all ought to pray more, for it clearly works for Brendan!