Dressed immaculately in a striped shirt and a black vest, John Bevere, co-founder of the Messenger International, best selling Author, and a father of four grown sons, was in City Harvest Church to share a word from his book “Driven By Eternity.”

“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” The crux of Bevere’s message comes from this verse in John 8:2.

Touching on issues of “eternity and judgment,” Bevere challenged the congregation to live a life fulfilling one’s call in God. He taught that as believers, we will receive judgement according to how we have been involved in the kingdom of God and how we have built individual lives.

PHOTOS: William Wong

Bevere’s catchphrase was “You will not be judged according to what you did, but what you were called to do!” He explained it simply by using analogies of accountants who were called by God to be Pastors, evangelists called to be businessmen, and women missionaries called to be mothers; because they were involved in doing what God did not call them to do, although they had achieved reasonable success in life, when they got to heaven, they did not receive their full reward.

Throughout the message, his light hearted jokes and examples of real life stories had the congregation rapt in full attention to what he was preaching. Sieow Jelin, 18, a Life Science student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic was touched by the message, saying “It was a wake-up call for all of us Christians. I now have a different perspective of walking in obedience in God.”

Indeed, to say that John Bevere has impacted the members of City Harvest Church is not a cliche, rather it is an understatement!

Passion 99, a church situated in Taiwan, was greatly inspired by the level of faith and spirituality of the youth in City Harvest Church (CHC), Singapore.

The youth in this church experienced little breakthroughs and had many problems previously. Despite hard work and prayers, the people were disheartened when they did not see the fruits of their labor.

PHOTOS: Passion 99

Their breakthrough came when Sophie Hsiung, founder and senior pastor of this church, enrolled herself to the Fast Track Pastor’s Course that was hosted by CHC Singapore in 2004. Hsiung was extremely challenged and moved by the hearts and passion of the youth as they served God and people wholeheartedly.

With the encouragement of Kong Hee, she was motivated to build a vibrant and dynamic church for God. She assimilated the strong discipleship values that Kong strongly emphasized, and duplicated them in her church.

She also implemented effective home cell group systems and focused on building relationships with the youth in Taiwan. Hsiung made a decision to break out of the traditional mindsets of reaching out to youth, and transformed her church to become colorful and creative.

Within four years, Passion 99 witnessed exponential growth from 12 youth to an astounding 110! The breakthoughs kept happening and they started a new church in 2008. Passion 99 is set to transform more lives for Jesus as Taiwan experiences a tremendous wave of revival!

“Epic” is the only word to describe a film like Australia. Clocking in at two hours and 40 minutes, the directing skill of Baz Luhrmann ensures that if you have to sit through a lengthy movie, it will at the very least be a beautiful one. After all, this is the same Baz Luhrmann who brought you 2001′s Moulin Rogue!, a glitzy musical with elaborate costumes and sets to match.

While Australia revolves around a completely different plot, it shares quite a number of similarities with Moulin Rogue!. For one, leading lady Nicole Kidman stars as English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley who makes her way to Australia in a bid to persuade her husband to sell his cattle station.

However, misfortune leaves her a widow and she takes on her late husband’s unfinished business. Such is the premise of Australia, a winding tale of an arduous journey earnestly narrated by an Aboriginal boy, Nullah (Brandon Walters) whom Sarah encounters.

She also enlists the help of an enigmatic cattle drover, known to all as The Drover (Hugh Jackman) as they race against time to herd the cattle to the city of Darwin to protect the cattle station from the villainous cattle station manager, Neil Fletcher (David Wenham).

This is merely the beginning as Luhrmann, who wrote the story and screenplay, packs in event after event. All of these ultimately serve as a backdrop to the blossoming romance between Lady Sarah and The Drover and the story of the Stolen Generation, Australian Aboriginal children who were taken from their families by the government and regarded as outcasts.

There is a lot to digest here and to add to the weight, Luhrmann sets the film during World War II. You can expect an endless barrage of deaths and tragedies in Australia but it is presented to you beautifully as Luhrmann does not scrimp on the aesthetics and ultimately devotes more effort to it than he does with plot or character development.

The landscapes are breathtaking and the camerawork gives you a visual feast.

Like with Moulin Rogue!, music is a key element to the plot as “Somewhere Along The Rainbow” is featured and interpreted in different ways, be it Nullah playing it on a harmonica or Lady Sarah’s rendition.

While there are not many complex twists and turns in Australia’s plot, you are likely to feel winded by the time you reach the ending where all the characters’ lives have been irrefutably ravaged by war. But for all its beauty, Australia does not leave a lasting impression because of its forgettable characters. The film ends up being nothing more than a pretty postcard with a sincere message that warms your heart for only two hours and 40 minutes but does not really convey any strong message like a great epic would.

Rating:

More true accounts about how prayer and fasting helped some of City Harvest Church members overcome their mountains in life.

PHOTOS: Kenneth Tan

SALVATION
Lily Tan (MSK, W96)
During the 21 days of prayer, I prayed for God to open doors so I can reach out to others. Just last week, I went to the hospital for a liver scan and had an opportunity to meet a person who was going for an operation at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. I shared the word of God with her and led her to salvation. I have been following up with her and I am hoping to integrate her into a cell group soon!

Madeline Chua (DD2, N108)
Over the last two years, although I brought friends to church, I had not been able to reach out effectively and was spiritually barren. During the first day of the 21-day prayer chain, I prayed for effective evangelism and even practiced preaching an evangelistic message during one of my quiet times.

Finally, by using the caring system, I brought one of my staff to Pastor Robb Thompson’s service, and she was saved! Praise God! She is now integrating well into the cell group and service. We also have had a prayer group in my company since Nov 2007. This group has grown from three to 10, and they are all City Harvesters. Our vision is to gather all the CHC members in my company to win souls and impact the marketplace. I know this would not be possible without prayer!

HEALING
Jonathan Kang (JE, W204)
During this 21-Day Prayer period, our cell group gathered one night to pray together. We had a member who had internal bleeding in the eyes. She had just gone through a surgery for her right eye a few days ago.

That night we gathered to pray, she was due for a review for surgery of the other left eye the following morning. We prayed and laid hands on her. After seeing the doctor, she was told that her left eye did not require surgery. Also, her right eye is recovering well and fast. Praise the Lord!

Vivi Lim (JE, W204)
One of our members suffers from diabetes, and attended a prayer meeting our cell group held. The next morning, he took a check of his diabetic readings. It showed 12.6 — it had dropped to about half of the reading he took the day before (24+).

That night after the prayer meeting, he had had a heavy, late dinner because he was breaking fast. This would normally lead to an increase in sugar levels. So this reduction in sugar levels is a miracle.

Most importantly, this improvement occurred without him taking any medication! That night, our prayers worked! Praise God!

FINANCIAL & JOB BLESSINGS
Priscilla Chan (MSK, W96)
I had an urgent need for a blood pressure monitor but I couldn’t afford one, and I prayed for a breakthrough. In the midst of the 21 days of prayers, someone blessed me with the finances to buy one! Praise the Lord!

Adeline Wong (EW, W378)
I have been praying for God’s peace to be upon my house. Even though I had an argument with my Dad last Saturday, peace was quickly restored in the house. Instead of arguing with my Dad, I decided to praise God and ask for His peace. True enough, the argument stopped and my Dad and I restored our relationship.

In addition, I have been praying for job opportunities. Today, right after the morning prayer meeting, I received an call to go for an interview. It’s amazing how powerful prayer is.

PERSONAL BREAKTHROUGHS
Andrew Chew (AS, E394)
I have to travel almost weekly due to my job — it takes a toll on my prayer life. But I had a breakthrough when our church embarked on the 21 days of prayer.

I first started by praying one hour with my wife during the 24 hour prayer chain. It was a challenge to me — praying has always been a tough thing for me to do. But when I prayed through the one hour with my wife, I felt refreshed and recharged.

During the next two cell group meetings, I began to share words of wisdom and encouragement when we were moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was my first time stepping out in faith and began to move in the Spirit. I could even draw out the vision that I saw from the Lord.

I am excited about prayer and about seeking God now, and truly now I have something more meaningful to do when I travel in the future, which is to pray in my hotel room and to really seek God and His presence. Praise the Lord!

Koh Chee Wee (YK, W375)
I have always had a desire to be a cell group leader, but along the way I became discouraged and gave up this dream. During these 21 days of prayer, I encountered God and He spoke to me about this dream again. I have decided to rise up and serve God as a cell group leader.

In partnership with Ngee Ann Secondary School, People of Destiny (POD) organized its annual Outdoor Learning Event Experience (OLE!) on 15 and 16 January 2009. This year, POD’s mission was to educate, empower and equip youth with the skills and know-how necessary to organize their own community service project; the annual OLE! served to infuse them with enthusiasm for voluntarism and social awareness.

POD is the youth arm of City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA) located in the heart of Tampines, East of Singapore.

The first day kicked off to a lively start as students had interactive discussions facilitated by CHCSA’s staff and volunteers, touching important issues like effective budgeting for community service projects, understanding the objectives of voluntarism, effective communication with elderly, exemplary leadership and good teamwork. Although they had worksheets to fill up and reflect on, OLE! transcended the theoretical to incorporate the practical as individual classes had to work together to organize either performances or game stalls for 70 elderly who would visit the school on 16 January 2009.

Using the skills they picked up over the two days, along with the effective facilitation of the CHCSA staff and volunteers, song and dance items were mastered in a matter of hours and presented to the elderly, in addition to Wushu displays, wowing the audience. Game stalls featuring creative games suitable for the elderly and attractive prizes added to their enjoyment. A catered lunch created an effective platform for the students to mingle with the elderly, capping two days of intense but fulfilling activity.

PHOTOS: Wendell Wee

“I think entertaining the old folks helped to take their minds off their burdens for a while and enabled them to see that life may not be that hard because there are people looking out for them and are concerned about them,” shared Sim Cher Boon from Class 2R1, whose class was first-in-line to perform a song item. “Personally, I have learnt how to be flexible. We had to think of alternatives in a very short time to deal with obstacles we faced for our performance item.”

An enriching two days indeed. Mission accomplished!

On 4 January 2009, City Harvest Church (CHC) played host to a milestone event for the South West Community Development Council (CDC). The annual charity recycling program, known as Charitable Recycling 2009 @ South West saw its first official collaboration between several key religious organizations.

Besides South West CDC, other participants for this year include CHC, the South West Mosque Cluster, and the Singapore Soka Association. This joint effort proves that with a common cause, different faiths can work together harmoniously on a common platform, for a great cause.

The church’s worship venues became centers for the public and church members alike to contribute their recyclables, such as clothes and newspapers. These materials would then be converted to funds that will go toward helping ITE students from low income families. The program provides much-needed financial assistance to more than 600 such students in attaining course notes, stationery, and uniforms for the new academic year of 2009.

The event was graced by Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of the South West District and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. Besides thanking the different organizations for doing their part in raising funds for the ITE students, Dr Khor noted that “the charity recycling event also offers a practical yet unique opportunity for the inter-faith organizations and their worshippers to work together, thereby strengthening inter-religious and inter-racial harmony and understanding.”

PHOTOS: Daniel Poh

This unique combination proved to be a winning one, as the target of S$60,000 was achieved, with snaking queues still waiting to contribute their “treasures” for a good cause. If the success of the day’s event is anything to go by, “going green” and making a difference is easy when each one puts in their effort to achieve a common goal.

The contemporary music style that City Harvest Church (CHC) embraces won the attention of local media and was featured in Channel News Asia’s prime time program, Get Rea!, a top-rated documentary series famous for raising issues of interest to Singaporeans.

In an interview with David Yem (CHC’s Music Director) and KC Gan (Creative Director), Get Rea! host Cheryl Fox highlighted that the music played in CHC was the major crowd puller because the church’s music team successfully introduced a contemporary twist to traditional church music.

Yem described how the music team aims to capture what is happening in the church and put it in the lyrics of the songs they write. As for the contemporary style of music, Gan beautifully put across that music is the language of the heart, and thus, no one style is right or wrong. However, he further posited that it is the desire of the music team to be creative, to try music in new and popular genres.

When quizzed about how egos and dominant personalities might distract purpose, Yem acknowledged that in a team comprised of creative personalities, perspectives and opinions are bound to differ. As the creative director, he pulls the team together and ensures that everyone is mindful of the fact that they are a team, and they are here to serve the congregation and one another. There is the common understanding that teamwork is of paramount importance in the band.

Get Rea! also interviewed Aldrich Tjahjadi, a member of the worship team, asking him if the message behind these contemporary-styled worship songs sung in CHC is different to the message behind traditional hymns. Aldrich confidently stated that there is definitely no difference in the messages behind the songs and hymns as both are based on the Bible.

PHOTOS: Elvis

Another concern raised was the question of people flocking to CHC just to enjoy the music. Gan nailed it when he said that if music was indeed the crowd puller, it is something that will not last. Yem then proposed that while the music may draw the people in, it is here where people’s needs are met, lasting relationships are formed and lives are built. These are the encompassing elements that serve the purpose of the church.

Contributed by Howard Kuay

Life in the university, void of structured classes and time-tables, can get lonely and daunting at times. Shuttling back and forth between lectures and tutorials, one can easily be lost among the crowd and absorbed into the work-load, neglecting the importance of forming meaningful friendships and enjoying the process of getting an education.

With this need and concern in mind, a group of NUS students came together to form NUS U.N.I.T.E.D., a social outreach for friendship and moral support. As the 3 to 4-year study duration would pass by in a flash, NUS U.N.I.T.E.D. serves as a great platform for NUS students to get to know more friends within the campus.

On 17 Nov 2008, 17 NUS U.N.I.T.E.D members embarked on their first social event, Lunch-Out. With semester examinations just a week away, study groups could be seen all over the Central Forum of the campus. NUS U.N.I.T.E.D gave out invitations to the study groups to join in for a Lunch-Out at the Central Forum. On the day of the event, NUS U.N.I.T.E.D showed up with packets of Nasi Lemak and handed them out to the study groups that showed up. With benches all lined together, everyone took a break from their studying and sat down together for a hearty meal. It was a time of fun, throwing out of jokes, getting to know one another, and leaving exam woes at the back of the heads.

PHOTOS: Peter Choong and Liu Yuantai

It was evident in the faces of the 36 friends that came that they were truly touched by the gesture of the group buying them a meal and organizing such a get-together. Everyone had their barriers down and were mingling among each other like old friends. Peter Choong, a 1st year NUS Student and part of NUS U.N.I.T.E.D shares that, “[it is] a truly heartening sight to see our new friends happy and blessed by our efforts.”

Right after the examinations, NUS U.N.I.T.E.D followed up with another event known as Gastrono-athlon!!! —a night cycling event on 14 Dec 2008. The aim was to cycle along a 65km route using bicycles, with pit stops at famous eateries along the East and Central of Singapore.

16 members of NUS U.N.I.T.E.D and 17 new friends took on this arduous journey, beginning from East Coast Parkway at 9 pm, cycling along the park connectors, arriving at their first check-point,Changi Village. After having a scrumptious meal, they then proceeded towards Singapore Expo Foyer 3 and then to Simpang Bedok for local desserts. After which, they proceeded to the city to see the Christmas lights and decorations along Orchard road. Going past Lau Pa Sat, they had another round of Satay before cycling to the Singapore Indoor Stadium, then proceeding back to East Coast at 5.30 am.

Despite the light drizzle throughout the entire journey, it was a good experience for every participant, taking in the night scene of popular spots in Singapore and conquering the distance on bicycles. The important thing was that everyone had fun and got to build friendships across faculty and groups. Yang Changhan, one of the organizers of Gastrono-athlon!!!, puts it succinctly, “The event was really fun and enjoyable. It was a wonderful opportunity for [us] to get to know one another and do something like this for a change, especially with people outside our own faculty whom we seldom interact with during school hours.”

On the evening of 19 December 2008, Christmas carols could be heard wafting through St Luke’s ElderCare Centre in Bukit Timah.

A sizable crowd of 80 people attended the first ever Christmas celebration held by City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA) at the 5-month old daycare centre for the elderly which was opened on 26 July 2008.

After a satisfying buffet dinner, everyone settled down to a short performance by members of the Eldercare Centre. They were then serenaded to by the volunteers with a medley of Christmas carols.

The audience was also treated to a narration of the Christmas Story by Jonathan Goh and Maria Tok in English and Mandarin. The program ended on a touching note when every member of the audience held a lit candle and sang along to Christmas carols.

Organizer Lee May Chuen, commented, “This is the first time we are having this Christmas celebration and it’s clear to see that everyone, elderly and volunteer alike enjoyed themselves immensely.”

PHOTOS: Jeremy Siah

Judging from the wide smiles and loud applause, it was clearly apparent that the volunteers had spread the Christmas cheer to the elderly.

On 21 December 2008, adults under Audrey Ng’s (AN) zone came together to sing their way to the hearts of many elderly and needy people. The event, Singcerely Yours, was a community service project that sought to bring joy to the elderly and the needy through practical gifts and songs.

Volunteers comprising mainly of working adults and young families visited homes to sing a few popular tunes, give away food hampers and offer their helping hands to the less-privileged families. Many of the volunteers were not trained singers, yet they worked hard to put up a good performance. Judging by the many smiles that day, it seems their efforts definitely paid off.

There were two main objectives for Singcerely Yours. The first was to foster a sense of community spirit among the young adults and working professionals to participate actively in such community efforts. Many participants were first-time volunteers and the organizers hope that through the exposure from this event, they will develop a passion to be a positive influence in the community.

The second objective was to reach out to the needy and to bring about some festive cheer during this Christmas season. Despite the gloom due to the impending economic recession, the organizers believe such an event will bring some joy to the hearts of the elderly and needy.

PHOTOS: Lindy Yeo

The event took place at the Dakota and Chai Chee estates and the volunteers were divided into small groups to visit homes in both locations. The home visits started with a song item, which included carols, retro hits and even Cantonese and Hokkien songs. After the song item, the volunteers spent some time interacting with the families and also handed them a thoughtful gift hamper.

The event was a highly successful one. The elderly and needy had a healthy dose of Christmas cheer spread to them that day and the organizers believe the event has not just been a blessing to the residents of the estate but the participants as well.