Yan Guang Ming, Senior Pastor of Rhema Christian Church in Tainan, Taiwan experienced phenomenal growth over the course of only three years from 2001 to 2004, growing from four to 123 people. City News caught up with the man of God to find out the keys to growth.

“I was very impacted by the ministry of Kong Hee as I saw how City Harvest actively took the gospel out of the four walls of the church to engage people in the marketplace and schools. Coming from a traditional church, youth ministry was unheard of.

However, God filled my heart with a burden to impact the next generation and ensure none was lost. It was a step of faith but we started to be relevant to the youth and many of our staff started to go into the Junior High Schools to teach in the ‘Victory’ Moral Education Course. This was an open door for us to positively impact the values and beliefs of youth outside church!” said Yen.

Many of the students they got to know from the schools the staff taught eventually came to know God and started to attend their church. Through active discipleship, many are growing strong in God and are doing the work of evangelism to reach out to even more of their friends!

A bunch of kids having a boisterous round of tug-of-war would usually garner anxious warnings from overprotective parents under normal circumstances, but this episode of “rough” play was deliberately staged for a good cause.

Eighteen children from YoungTalents — an initiative designed to develop the creative arts in children — were invited by concert organizer UnUsual Productions, to share the stage with Wakin Chau during his One Wakin Live in Singapore concert on 7 February 2009.

The playground re-enactment was all part of Wakin’s performance of My Dearest Son My Dearest Baby, a song the 49-year-old Hong Kong singer-songwriter wrote for his newborn son back in 1990.

In addition to a convincing depiction of youthful exuberance, the kids also flaunted their vocal prowess by harmonizing beautifully midway through the song, thoroughly impressing the organizers.

Despite having to perform before an almost sold out crowd of 7,000, most of the children were quivering with excitement rather than stage fright. Their courage and stage presence belied their youthfulness.

Comprising 250 members aged four to 14, YoungTalents was formed in 2004 to inspire and harness the creative potential and energy of youths and children. YoungTalents performed in ad hoc events throughout 2008 and has even produced two musicals — When I Grow Up in 2007 and Special in 2008.

Anson Ang, manager of YoungTalents, strongly believes in cultivating positive self-esteem and confidence in children through widening their exposure and experiences in the creative arts. “We are committed to providing a collaborative platform for children and those with special needs to contribute to the performing arts scene,” he says.

PHOTOS: Gabriel Seow

Even as the final strains of My Dearest Son My Dearest Baby fade away and the young members of YoungTalents conclude yet another spectacular performance, it is but the beginning for many of these talented little ones.

Foundation is, as the word suggests, an essential building block of makeup. It is the base on which all the other colors on the makeup palette sit, which is why choosing the right foundation is crucial to attaining that seemingly flawless and dewy complexion. Get it wrong, and like a house, it all falls down.

Despite the slew of advertisements in magazines extolling the virtues of a particular foundation, there is no such thing as the “one size fits all” perfect foundation. Getting beautiful coverage lies in choosing the right foundation for your skin type.

Where in the past, women suffered from a lack of options when it came to foundation, the issue now is that there are too many types, making it hard for the woman on the street to decipher one from the other.

Selecting foundation seems to have become almost a science. Oil-based or oil-free? Same tone as the skin or a tone lighter? Pink-based or yellow-based? Stick foundation or liquid foundation?

While there isn’t any hard and fast rule to picking the right foundation, these tips may help you find the right base for your face:

1. When trying foundation, don’t just test it on the back of your hand as skin tones can differ quite vastly on different parts of your body. It is best to blend the foundation along your jaw line, as the face generally tends to be a lighter shade than the neck.
2. To get the right shade that suits both your face and neck, get a shade slightly lighter than the neck as foundation tends to oxidize and darken slightly when we perspire or our skin starts to secrete sebum, especially in Singapore’s humid weather.

Liquid foundation or tinted moisturizers are suitable for those with relatively clear and healthy complexions. A thin layer of liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer followed by a loose dusting of loose powder in a matching shade is all you need. The loose powder helps the foundation to last and also takes away shine.

Application: Apply concealer only after you have applied foundation, as we tend to be a tad heavy-handed with the concealer to conceal dark eye circles or blemishes, which are naturally more apparent before foundation is applied. As a result of the thick application, there may be patchiness or flakiness later in the day.

Use a damp makeup sponge or foundation brush for a smoother finish. When blending near the jaw line, use your finger as the temperature of your fingertips will help make the application more even.

Cream foundation
If your skin is dry, a rich cream foundation may just be the thing for you. A cream foundation provides thicker coverage and has a heavier texture than a liquid foundation or a tinted moisturizer. Hence, freckles, spots and uneven skin tones can be covered up more easily.

Application: For a cream foundation, use your fingers or a sponge to apply gingerly. As cream foundations dry very fast upon application, work quickly to avoid patchy coverage. Remember to blend along the hairline, the jaw and the chin.

Always finish with loose powder as cream foundations contain a lot more oil than other types of foundation, which often means more shine.

Two-way powder foundation
For those with wrinkles or oily skin, a two-way powder foundation or two-way cake is best, as liquid and cream foundations tend to create crease lines, which accentuate wrinkles.

With a two-way cake, always apply an oil-free makeup base before applying the foundation as this will help to even out the surface of the skin surface and help the foundation to set better. For thicker coverage, you can apply the two-way cake using a wet sponge. As the name indicates, the two-way powder foundation can be used wet or dry.

Unlike liquid and cream foundation, however, you will need to apply concealer before applying the two-way powder foundation.

Don’t neglect the skincare!

Regardless of what foundation you use, always be diligent with cleansing, toning and moisturizing before and after application. In addition, sunscreen is a must before you apply foundation, unless your foundation contains SPF. Consistent skincare is still more important than makeup when it comes to achieving that flawless complexion.

A Valkyrie, according to Old Scandinavian mythology is a beautiful maiden who serves the Nordic god Odin, bringing specially-selected slain warriors into a resting place called Valhalla, and tending to them.

This mythic significance of the Valkyries is played out literally and allegorically in this movie named after these maidens. Operation Valkyrie is a historical fact: it was a covert operation spearheaded by Adolf Hitler during World War II. Hitler had said that these men and women who fought and were wounded for his cause were worthy of being tended to by Valkyries.

Tom Cruise stars as the charismatic and determined protagonist Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. The real Stauffenberg served as a courageous and well decorated officer in Hitler’s army. But it was at the height of WWII that his loyalty to his beloved Germany superceded his oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer. Stauffenberg believed that Hitler’s blind hatred and ambition was poisoning Germany and would result in the nation’s downfall.

As Stauffenberg is posted back to Berlin from the battlefield after being injured, he is quickly ushered into a circle of powerful and influential military figures who share the same change of heart as he. Their new mission: To remove Hitler from power. As the movie unfolds, it is clear that this band of conspirators shared varying levels of conviction, each holding a compelling reason to dethrone Hitler.

Cruise’s choices of projects has become rather varied and interesting in recent years. Far from the pretty-boy days of Top Gun and Jerry Maguire, the world’s most famous Scientologist now balances his choices between poignant characters in blockbusters (MI:3, War of the Worlds) and poignant characters in art-house type films (Collateral, Lions for Lambs, The Samurai).

Like the other pretty boy Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button, Cruise drops his laser-whitened 12-pack action hero persona in exchange a crusty soldier with one hand and just three fingers on the other, plus one eye and a patch. In moments throughout the movie, he places a glass eye in his socket to convey an impression of normalcy. Watching him fidget with his glass eye as he’s walking around or sitting in the car can be unnerving for some.

It is this “unprettiness” found in Valkyrie that gives it a credibility and authenticity. Maintaining historicity was clearly the intent of director Brian Singer (X-Men) – perhaps to the point of sacrificing. His aim was to create a tribute to the bravery and courage of a handful of German men and women who dared to make a stand for what they believed was right amidst insurmountable circumstances, and to that extent, Singer succeeded.

The movie is fast-paced and the audience will not feel the time pass. But in the bid to stick so closely to the facts and historical chronology, the character development leaves something to be desired.

For some, Valkyrie will open eyes of understanding on the situation in Germany during WWII; for others, it will cause them to shed a tear at the self-sacrifice and courage of this true story. But hopefully, viewers are provoked to contemplate, for at least a moment, their personal loyalties, the depth of their convictions and the personal resolution to conscience, as Stauffenberg did.

Rating:

Taking in the unique-style design, featuring elegant lines and intricate décor in an 8,500 sq ft landed property, it comes as a surprise that Lillian Cher first dabbled in interior design merely two years ago. Today, however, Cher has become a widely-sought after interior design consultant, having earned plaudits particularly for her adventurous use of wallpapers in her concept designs.

An article in “My Paper” on 15 December featured one of Cher’s design masterpieces. In the afore-mentioned landed property, Cher was given full freedom to design the entire property, all of 8,500 square feet. She did not disappoint.

Cher, utilized a bold combination of distinctively textured wallpapers, ensuring that each and every room possessed a unique quality, without compromising the unity of the overall theme. The end product was a splendid mansion resembling no less than a six-star vacation resort! Cher’s work exceeded the expectations of the home-owner: providing him with a one-of-a-kind crib in Singapore.

From what started out as a personal hobby, Cher decided to take interior designing seriously when her friend commented that it would be a huge waste of her talent if she did not do so. Barely two years down the road, she is today, a proud and accomplished co-owner of interior design company “Area Infinity,” known for its stylish and avant-garde designs.

Popular for its ‘hotel-standard’ dim sum, Victor’s Kitchen in Sunshine Plaza’s looks surprisingly nondescript in the old mall it sits in. However, do a simple Internet search on the place, and you’ll find its simple appearance belies its fame among ‘foodies’ in Singapore. The stall’s excellent dim sum has spawned piles of enthusiastic reviews online, gushing about its succulent prawns and gourmet standards.

We say, one of the best things about the place is its incredibly fresh shrimps. Basically, any kind of dumpling with shrimps here is worth sampling. For instance, the shrimps in the Har Gao we got were huge, succulent and juicy, with all the bounce of the freshest shrimp.

The other thing we really enjoyed was the Chee Cheong fun. Needless to say, the shrimp wrapped in the stall’s silky white skin (made on the spot too) was faultless. The one filled with crispy fritter or you tiao was an interesting match however. The you tiao, cocooned in soft chee cheong fun skin, was still surprisingly crispy, making an interesting clash of textures in one dish.

The stall also offers steamed carrot (or really, radish) cake, which is a healthy alternative to its commonly deep-fried cousin. Though steamed, the dish is by no means short on taste, as it comes coated with a tasty sweet soy sauce and a home made XO sauce which completely satisfies.

Their steamed Lor Mai Kai then, is a mish mesh of great flavors in one compact rice cake, topped with dried scallop, salted egg yolk and a hunk of sausage and meat.

The restaurant’s Char Siew Baos are winners too: little fluffy white cushions filled with chunky, roughly chopped char siew bits.

Generally, we found the quality of the dim sum really matched its hype. In fact, we’re so stoked we just had to rush back to join the crowd of raving reviewers to write this review.

Overall Rating:

January 2007 — Testimony shared by Kenny Low in City Harvest Church

PHOTOS: Li Jingwen

Hi Church, I’m Kenny and this is my wife Serina. I’m the principal of CHEC and O School. In the last few years, God has been teaching us how to reach out to professional dancers in the entertainment industry.

In 2003, I was involved in a series of outreach concerts in Asia. We engaged Ryan Tan to be the dance director and choreographer for those events. Ryan is a very experienced and well respected dancer in the entertainment scene. I remembered the first concert we did in Hong Kong. I saw Ryan sitting by the side of the hall looking grumpy, with his jacket hood covering his face. While, hundreds of people were touched by Pastor’s preaching, he was completely disinterested with God and the church. Yet, I felt in my heart that somehow, the Lord will someday touch him.

Throughout the 8-month long tour, I shared the same hotel room with Ryan. As much as I was eager to lead him to Christ, I purposed in my heart not to preach to him immediately. I felt that he will be hearing enough preaching and altar calls through the 50-over gospel events that we were doing. Like what we’ve learnt in the Caring System, I began by befriending him and showing interest in his life. I read the comics that he read, listened to the songs that he listened to, attended his dance classes when we were back in Singapore, and even helped him out in his business by introducing more students to him. As we spent time together, Ryan began to open up andshared with me more about his life.

Serina:
After working with him for a year, Kenny and Ryan had become very close friends. At our last stopover in Australia , when Pastor Kong was giving the altar call, Ryan lifted up his hands to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He had even told Kenny that he was prepared to get saved in the meeting and that he actually went to buy a Bible before the meeting itself! After he said the sinner’s prayer, Ryan had tears flowing down his cheeks. We saw a different Ryan from the one that Kenny had seen originally in Hong Kong eight months earlier. God had truly touched his life. He is genuinely converted and was water baptized two months later in the river Jordan during our Israel tour. The moment he got out of the water, he was powerfully filled with the Holy Spirit.

The miracle did not stop there. After Ryan became a Christian, he began to help us with the Easter production. He brought in one of his students Carol as a dancing assistant. By that time, Ryan had become more on fire for the Lord. He was actively reaching out to his other friends about how Jesus has changed him. It was in the backroom at the Singapore Indoor Stadium where Ryan and Kenny first shared their testimonies with Carol and planted a seed of faith in her heart. A few weeks later, the dance ministry staged a dance during a Weekend Connection service. Ryan invited Carol to attend that service. Pastor Kong’s message about “Dreams” touched Carol’s heart and that day, she too gave her heart to Jesus.

Kenny:
Shortly after that, Ryan and Carol invited one other dancer to church. His name was Daniel. During that period of time, Daniel was facing a family crisis at home. Both Ryan and Carol began to share their testimonies on how their lives were changed in this church. They decided to show their care by pooling in their finances to help him out. They knew that Daniel loves to dance. So they asked him to perform during the recording of the 2005 Cross album. Daniel was very impacted during that time because he had never seen so many people so passionate and excited for their God. Soon after, they invited him to watch another dance performance at our Emerge Conference. Daniel was deeply touched by the presence of God and the message. As a result, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior as well. When Daniel was serving his National Service, he was unable to attend cell groups and services regularly. However, the cell group continued to show care by giving him Bible studies during his off days. Six months later, Daniel was fully integrated into the church.

But the love and care didn’t stop there. Ryan, Carol and Daniel began to reach out to more dancers in their circle of influence. So far, they have brought 17 other dancers to church, nine of them have accepted Christ and we are in the midst of integrating them into the church.

Through these very creative and talented individuals who came to City Harvest, the vision for O School was birthed. Today Ryan, Carol and Daniel are full-time instructors in O School. The ministry of O School is unique, we provide employment for young talented dancers, we raised bursaries to help youths finish their schooling, and we are giving them healthy role models in the area of dance. In just nine months, O School had crossed 1,000 in membership, we had done dance programs with 15 institutions, touching more than 900 students interested in dancing, and performed to over 10,000 people. I believe many more lives will be influenced for Christ as we shine for Him among these people.

Serina:
Being the salt and light in the world is not so difficult. It is not hard-selling the gospel or pestering people to become Christians. Sharing the love of God is simply showing care, love and interest in other people’s lives. By doing that, we change the world — one person at a time!

This project was organized by The Bible Society of Singapore in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel and The Bible Valley Society.

For the project, sheets of paper were distributed to cell groups in CHC on which members handwrote several verses. The efforts of all 27 zones were then combined to form the entire New Testament. This handwritten New Testament will be showcased at the Bible Valley in Jerusalem, together with other handwritten Bibles in different languages from all around the world. It will be the second such project in the past decade.

In addition to creating unique, one-of-a-kind Bibles, the project has another more meaningful cause. For each handwritten verse, the contributing organization will make a nominal donation of at least S$2. Monies collected will be channeled towards Bible translation, publication and distribution efforts to needy Christians in less developed countries. Part of the funds will also go to support the Bible Valley Society project.

Through this project, The Bible Society of Singapore’s goals were for churches to experience a unifying passion for the Word of God as the people wrote out the Bible by hand. In addition, it would allow underprivileged Christians to experience the life-changing power of the Word of God through the financial blessings this project brings.

Certainly, City Harvest has made its mark as our very own handwritten Bible from Singapore is now showcased at the Bible Centre in the Holy Land.

Following the resounding success of the “风华再现” or “Reminiscing The Golden Oldies” concert in August 2009, featuring performances of evergreen oldies, the Dialect Church has taken on and overcome the greatest challenge yet. On 8 February 2009, the Dialect Church held its inaugural musical, “爱无限” or “Unconditional Love.” Featuring an original script by Justin Chiang, one of the ministry’s back-up vocalist, what started as an impossible dream grew into the biggest highlight of the Dialect Church to date.

A whopping 824 people attended, far beyond the weekly average of 520. The musical proved to be a big hit with the elderly, with a total of 40 salvations. The musical touched on a topic close to everyone’s hearts — the family reunion dinner. There was much laughter and tears as the captivated audience empathized with the feelings of Ah Gong when he longed for his family to spend their reunion dinner together but was repeatedly disappointed.

Chiang, who also took on the role of director despite having no prior experience, said, “I drew some emotional pointers from my own grandfather who was seriously let down during one Chinese New Year. As Chinese, we were brought up with the tradition of respecting the elders, and this is what the season is all about.”

“Many times, when the children grow up and have their own families, they would spare the hassel and just have a small reunion dinner on their own. But to an elderly, that is the only time they hope to see their loved ones and extended families coming together. No effort should be spared to make this possible.”

Having such a large-scale event was definitely not without challenges. Firstly, there was a lack of manpower. Gathering a dedicated team of volunteers from various ministries such as the choir, the lighting and audio team, backstage and camera crew, almost everyone had to take on dual roles. In fact, many of the volunteers took to the stage as actors, dancers and even technical and backstage crew for the first time in their lives. The five months of preparation did not go to waste, as every individual shone impressively.

PHOTOS: Wendell Wee

Zone Supervisor Jonathan Goh, who oversees the Dialect Church service, was very pleased with the final result. “It was a great musical put up by a group of enthusiastic performers. It brought laughter and much warmth to the hearts of the audience. The musical reflected the longing of the elderly for family love and prepared their hearts for God’s Word,” said Jonathan.

The success of the musical hints at the start of greater things to come for the Dialect Church in the Year of the Ox. Chiang said, “This musical is not just a play to spread our love to the elderly, but it also acts as a tool to pass the message to the young, of honoring the elderly and holding them as precious treasure in our lives.”

“With discussion of another concert underway, we hope to see a greater manifestation of Christ’s love to the elderly congregation.”

On 7 February 2009, a group of at least 35 top-level educators, including founders, principals, and department heads gathered at the PSB Academy for an inspiring time of sharing, fellowship and prayer. EduNet was birthed forth from a vision to impact the future generations through a powerful tool — education. These top leaders in education play a vital role in bringing a top-down transformation to schools.

The atmosphere was abuzz with educators shared their experiences over an appetizing lunch buffet. Passion for their profession shone through as they talked about their vision, challenges and breakthroughs. After lunch, everyone was ushered into a function room for a time of praise and worship.

The Principal of Northview Primary School, Ng Yeow Ling, gave the opening address entitled “Anointed for Education”. In his inspiring speech, he shared the vision and reaffirmed what EduNet was about — a meeting place for top level educators to share ideas and inspire one another to do greater works and impact the next generation.

Following Ng’s opening address, Tan Ye Peng gave a powerful and inspiring talk on the importance and value of education. Tan shared about how as educators, their role was not merely to impart knowledge, but values. By touching the young today and giving them a strong sense of social responsibility and values, these leaders of tomorrow will eventually rise up and create a similar culture nationwide. Hence, the importance of proper education with a focus on character development.

Tan also shared his vision of starting a CARE initiative in schools. CARE forms the acronym for Construct a school, Aid the poor, Reach out to the sick and Educating leaders. The concept is based on transforming every school into a hub where financial, social and educational needs can be met. It was aimed at shifting away from the old concept where schools are only for education, and moving into a broader, more wholesome view of the role of a school.

PHOTOS: Li Jingwen

The session continued with a time of testimony sharing with several principals and department heads coming forward to share what God had done in their schools through them. Stories of students’ lives impacted, supernatural guidance in projects and changes in the culture of the schools, greatly encouraged everyone present.

The session ended on a high note with everyone feeling encouraged and truly believing God for greater works and change in their schools. Indeed there is power in unity, and EduNet is truly a powerful support group effecting change in education.