Easter came early this year for close to a thousand elderly members of City Harvest Dialect Church. They held their very own Easter celebrations at City Harvest Church’s (CHC) premises at 1, Jurong West St 91, on 5 April 2009, Sunday.

The worship team kicked of the service as usual with a rousing set of praise and worship songs to motivate the larger than usual crowd. The highlight of the service was a drama performance depicting the crucifixion of Christ. Based on the successful 2006 Easter drama production staged by CHC (main English Service), the story was told from the interesting perspective of the lives of Judas and Peter. Previously, the Dialect Church had always worked independently for their Easter productions. This new move to mirror the main English Service’s work meant that the standard and scale of the performance was pegged to a whole new level.

PHOTOS: Gay Sen Min, Ivy Lim & Tan Song Kow

While there were the usual elderly chattering and wandering around to find their seats during the initial part of the drama, the scene of a bloodied Jesus Christ carrying the cross right through the middle of the auditorium drew everyone’s attention instantly to the performance. All of a sudden, many of the elderly members were sitting up straight and intently trying to catch the best view of the road to Calvary. The close-up experience with the actors was without a doubt, the most impactful part for the congregation.

The service proceeded with a short sermon and the Easter celebrations came to a close with an altar call that saw a number of elderly people lifting their hands and accepting Christ into their lives.

Grown men, fighting over temporary tattoos.

That was the scene this Sunday morning, backstage at the production of The Final Solution at Singapore Expo Hall 8, an Easter production by City Harvest Church. The 16 cast members who played prisoners in the show were jostling for their spot of ink.

At the centre of the cloud of brawny chests and rippling arms was John Carlo Erise — just call him JC — an artist from Santa Rosa, Laguna in the Philippines. Working freehand, JC painted on realistic (though temporary) tattoos on the actors. It was quite a sight to watch life-like wolves, swords, roses and dragons magically come alive on the bodies of the cast with each fluid pen stroke coming from the artist’s hand.

PHOTOS: Daniel Poh

Trained in Fine Arts back in the Philippines, JC’s portfolio consists mostly of anime-style drawings, comic strips and illustrations. Although most of JC’s early artwork was centered on science fiction and fantasy themes, it covered an extremely broad range of subject matter, which saw him through his stints as game designer, poster artist and graphic designer.

So how did this artist become a tattooist? All he did was ask: “Can I help?” and he was quickly roped in to support the production’s makeup artist. A full-time freelance artist, JC (who doesn’t have any tattoos himself) revealed that working on the tattoos “without much training” had its advantages — he had no perceived limitations, and so his tattoos could be as outlandish and stunning as they eventually turned out to be. This very “no limits” mindset is what has sustained his interest in design these past five years.

Prior to his relocation to Singapore, JC was passionately involved in the Monstermash Playground Art Exhibition, which was held at the BlueWings Artspace in Quezon City in the Philippines. The exhibition, which went on between March and May last year, gave unprecedented exposure to JC’s artworks and even propelled him to prominence after he was featured on local television.

From a simple sketch to a finished tattoo within 15 minutes — JC’s gift swiftly yielded the darkly beautiful body art that the audience got to see. He even met some of the strange requests the cast members made. To turn the clean-cut actors into a realistic bunch of inmates, JC worked alongside the makeup artist for the show to create scars that complemented the tattoos. The actors had no problems getting into character.

It was JC’s uncontrived spontaneity that tossed him, temporarily, into the world of body art, bringing his talent and sense of aesthetic to an audience that might never have seen his work. If you like what you see, here’s more: JC’s online portfolio can be viewed at Deviant Art (www.mezaih.deviantart.com).

Crowds were found not only in shopping malls during the Easter weekend. From 10 to 12 April 2009, thousands flooded the booths at the Singapore Expo Hall 7 for The Marketplace SME Fiesta 2009.

Aiming to help Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) enhance brand awareness and boost sales in the midst of the global crunch, The Marketplace organized the SME Fiesta as a platform for retail businesses to showcase their product offerings and professional services to a wider target audience through joint resources.

In partnership with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the SME Fiesta brought together close to 60 exhibitors from across industries in categories such as automobile, health and wellness, banking and finance, technology, creative services, lifestyle and retail.

High-profile business executives who graced the ribbon-cutting ceremonies include CEO of Singapore Business Federation Mr Teng Theng Dar, Founder & President of 77th Street Ms Elim Chew and CEO of Pinnacle International Ms Valerie Tan.

The SME Fiesta also features a Job Placement Center that offered over 3,000 employment opportunities. Staff provided guidance and counseling to more than 2,600 job seekers on site to help them find suitable posts.

To spice up the exhibition, afternoon programs were held on the center stage with fun activities and prizes to be won. Lucky draw winners took hold of free round-trip tickets to London and OTO Bodycare health products.

PHOTOS: Christopher Teh & Jason Lee

Famous celebrities such as film director Jack Neo, TV celebrity and food connoisseur Moses Lim and bestselling author Nanz Chong also inspired many at the guest appearances and interviews.

The Marketplace SME Trade Fair’s resounding success was reported on Channel 8 News, Channel News Asia and featured on The Business Times, Berita Harian and LianHe ZaoBao.

For more information on The Marketplace events, please visit their website at www.themarketplace.com.sg

Every tween’s heartthrob Zac Efron has struck again. That is, struck a chord with his female fans and now, possibly some above 12 years of age. Don’t hold his fluffy beginnings at High School Musical against him; Efron gets to sharpen his acting chops here in this family-fun show.

Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry), 37, is sick of his life and wants a do-over. He has nothing in common with his children, his wife is leaving him, and he’s living with his best friend who’s a glorified dork. As he reminisces about his “glory days” as a basketball champion in his old high school, now his children’s high school, a janitor – Hollywood’s preferred image of an accessible God – asks him if he wants to do it (life) all over again. He answers with a hearty “Yes!”

Driving along a bridge through a thunderstorm, Mike sees the very same janitor about to jump off into the ocean. He falls in instead, and when he comes to, he is 17 again. He has been given the chance to live his life all over again and do it right this time. And so he heads to high school in a bid to help his own children.

Due references to popular culture are made: Clay Aiken is mentioned, K-Fed is mocked and the social hierarchy in American high schools is brought into play. Clichés are unabashedly employed.

It’s a predictable plot, but the movie is kept afloat by the buoyant performances from the cast. The chemistry between Zac Efron and Leslie Mann (who plays Scarlett, Mike’s wife who develops a Mrs Robinson-style crush on this “young man”) is surprisingly fresh. The “oh-no-I-can’t-bear-to-watch” moments, such as the one where Scarlett and young Mike are caught dancing in a compromising position by their son Alex.

Efron’s portrayal of a grown father trapped in a 17-year-old’s body is realistic and hilarious. As he lectures his classmates on the merits of abstinence before marriage with such conviction, the female population of the school falls for him, including Maggie, his daughter who is also his classmate.

What happens in the end, you can pretty much predict from the trailer. Yet as light-hearted family comedies go, 17 Again is worth watching, for Efron’s sparkling performance, and laugh-out-loud moments involving two dorks conversing in Elfish. It ends with the “aw shucks” that is compulsory for every family-friendly movie. Predictable, but still lots of fun.

Rating:

Singapore emerged the global champions at the recent CFA Institute Global Investment Research Challenge (GIRC) in London.

This year’s recipients of the third annual were honored at the 2009 CFA Institute’s Annual General Meeting held on 21 April at the Asian Civilization Museum, Empress Place.

Nanyang Technological Institute’s Crystal Research Group — Krystle Liew Tianni (22), Terence Lim Ying Fan (24), Jeremy Teo Jun Liang (23), and You Yewei (24) — beat participants from more than 240 universities worldwide to emerge winners of several rounds of intense competitions over a span of five months. At the Global Finals held in London on 2 April, the Singapore undergraduates overturned their closest rivals at Yale University to clinch top prize of US$10,000.

These talented individuals won praises from Dan Schaefer, CFA, President of CFA Singapore for coming in first despite strong competitions from the Ivy League universities. “I expected the team to go all the way in and win.” They were likened to Chinese kung-fu masters with their skillful dodging and blocking of demanding questions from the global panel of judges at the finals.

Perhaps it was their defeat last year by Hong Kong Baptist University at the Asia-Pacific Regional Investment Research Challenge, that drove Crystal Research Group to give it their all this year. They presented an unexpected, and less than optimistic report on ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited’s business model — one that went against many market analysts’ sentiments at the time. On top of that, they gave a realistic and market-sensitive analysis that wowed the expert judges.

Adopting such an approach clearly set them apart from the other groups based in Europe and South America. In addition to the accolades received overseas, Liew and You also won themselves scholarships to the CFA program administered by the CFA institute. Liew and Lim were both offered jobs at Goldman Sachs and Citibank respectively, thanks to their stellar achievements.

Assistant Professor Lee Hon Sing, who served as the team’s academic mentor, attributed the win to the synergy among the members, coupled with the old adage: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Obviously the team had planned faultlessly.

PHOTOS: Alvin Loh

Riding high on this crest of success, these four have started their own consulting firm called Rhema Advisory Group, which aims to fulfill the business development needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Contributed by Koh Yong Hui

Friendship was the main goal of the competition on Sunday, 19 April 2009.

57 members from City Harvest Chinese Church (CHCC) gathered at the basketball court of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for a friendly match. 36 participated in the basketball competition and 21 took part in the captain’s ball game. Close to S$100 worth of vouchers awaited the winners.

However, not everyone was there for the prizes. Many came purely for the exercise while others used this chance to widen their social circle.

PHOTOS: Chen Yi Chun

Organizer, Liu Hai Bin from CHCC, felt that the games gave everyone a chance to know one another, interact and build deeper relationships.

Participants also felt that they had made more friends through this event. Zhang Shuai, a student at NTU, said that after the match, everyone took some time to exchange phone numbers while catching their breath.

The hot sun did not deter supporters from coming to cheer for their friends. They did, however, come equipped with umbrellas, mini fans and cameras. To prevent anyone from suffering a heat stroke, organizers even arranged to have helpers distribute water to those present.

One supporter, Yu Fan, felt that such an event was good because it gave people a reason to step out of their house and get some sun. He also added that everyone should do more outdoor sports and take up some new sports. Most importantly, such outdoor activities can help to reduce stress and lead to a healthier life.

At the end of the day, no matter what their purpose may have been, everyone was all smiles, winners, losers, supporters and helpers.

4 April saw the biggest Singapore Egg Hunt in Singapore, with a record-breaking 1,580 participants and 10,000 Easter eggs.

Contributed by Lynn Tan

Excitement was in the air at the sunny Jurong Central Park on Saturday, 4 April. About 1,580 children and parents filled up the park by 11am, all ready for the Singapore Egg Hunt.

Organized by Services for the Children (Kids in Total Embrace or KITE) under City Harvest Community Services Association, the target for this egg hunt was to rally over 1,400 participants consisting of children, parents, and intellectually disabled persons, regardless of race, language or religion, together to hunt for 10,000 eggs. Over 250 families were bused in from all over the island just for this event.

This event is part of the effort by KITE to bring cheer and fun to the community in the midst of the current economic downturn.

It is also to promote a sense of camaraderie in celebration of Singapore 2010. The eggs contained five different sports events, and participants had to collect one of each to qualify to win.

Drumming up entertainment was the percussion group The Strikeforce, and an exciting performance by Team Jump Rope from the Singapore Heart Foundation.

KITE also took the opportunity to make this a special day for some needy familes. A family with six children was given S$500 worth of grocery vouchers and a sponsored television set. Two other single-parent families hard hit by the financial crisis were given S$500 in grocery vouchers.

All went home happy with goodies bags sponsored by Singapore 2010. KITE scored another record-breaking attendance at the Singapore Egg Hunt, beating their own previous record of 1,230 in Singapore Book of Records.

Quotes:
“I am very happy because I collected many eggs and I can do art.”
Nicole, 10, at an art booth at the egg hunt.

“Very happy!”
Wu Jingli, 5 and Sheng Wei, 3 — both first time at the egg hunt and won the second and first prizes, a bicycle and Nintendo Wii, respectively in the “6 years and below” category.

“Very happy! Want to come again next year!”
Alvin Goh, 11 — He found the egg with the 1^st prize of Nintendo Wii in the “7 years and above” category this year.

“It is a lot of fun with the kids and families. Most of all, I appreciate the bursary awards given to the families who cannot afford much during this time.”
Azilah, 22 — eldest sister of the family awarded the bursary and TV set.

PHOTOS: Desmond Tan

“It is a good opportunity for kids to meet other kids and enjoy themselves. Seeing the kids makes the effort and hard work worth it.”
Shaun Tay, 28, volunteer.

Refreshing encounters with God during the week-long prayer

Prayer has been likened to the ‘lungs of the church,’ and during the week of 31 March to 5 April, the church certainly experienced a breath of life and a time of refreshing. The highly anticipated morning and evening prayer meetings began once again, synchronously at separate locations to accommodate the crowds. The various locations included City Harvest Church’s premises at 1, Jurong West St 91, Heart of God Church, Church of Singapore, and Research University on Leadership at the Riverwalk.

Though held at different locations, the same fervency of prayer ensued. People from all walks of life sacrificed their sleep and braved the cold morning to gather and pray. CHC’s strong belief in the power and importance of prayer was clearly echoed in the hearts and attitudes of the people. Many turned up daily, travelling up to an hour at a time to get to the various locations.

Within the various prayer locations, the atmosphere was filled with faith and expectancy. Members engaged with God in a time of personal prayer before coming together to pray corporately. It was a meaningful and much needed respite for many, who sought solace from the stresses of life in their prayers.

PHOTOS: Maggie Chng

Says Adam Tham, 26, a working professional, “The morning prayers helps to put busy working adults’ minds back into perspective, and reminds us that it is prayer that moves the hand of God in our lives.”

The week of prayer served to bring the members back to the important basics of daily prayer, and also help the members to flow together with the vision of the church as they prayed through the prayer list provided.

School of Theology student Rachel Tan says, “The prayer week helped to expand my capacity, and also made me more sensitive to the voice of God.”

Prayer is truly the key to a spiritual revival and a more intimate walk with God!

It was an awesome start to the School of Theology 2009 (SOT) for the 673 students enrolled in City Harvest Bible Training Centre (CHBTC). Over 22 nationalities from lands as far off as Nigeria and Sweden underwent their registration and orientation activities on Monday, 30 Mar 2009, which was incidentally the official opening of the new school term.

From as early as 7am, various SOT Team Leaders and Helpers could be seen buzzing about City Harvest Church’s premises at 1, Jurong West St 91, setting up help counters to aid in the matriculation and registration of the students. An air of excitement was evident as local and foreign delegates alike interacted and shared expectantly about what the first day of school and the next five months of SOT would entail.

The official launch of the new school term had guest speaker Dr Phil Pringle, Senior Pastor and Founder of Christian City Church International (CCC) address the students as well as the staff of SOT. He brought along C3 Band from CCC Sydney to lead in praise and worship. The congregation of SOT students and staff grooved and sang through a set of their praise and worship songs off their latest album For Your Glory, such as ‘Eternal Salvation’ and the crowd favorite, ‘Help Me’.

It was a great precursor to stir the crowd up for what was to come next. Phil Pringle then took the stage and delivered not just one, but two sessions of teaching on church growth and leadership. He covered topics such as repentance and the importance of leaders focusing on their strongest members.

“Whatever you focus on, you will get,” he declared.

Pringle issued a needful reminder to the crowd to constantly renew their minds by reading the Bible, the Word of God; and that repentance, new attitudes and mindsets make up the foundation for Christ to build His Church upon.

PHOTOS: Elvis Chiu & Gabriel Seow

Orientation activities began in the late afternoon. Following the usual icebreakers to warm up the cohort, the various SOT teams were instructed to act out skit with themes such as love, power and faith, by incorporating elements from contemporary movies such as The Matrix, Spiderman and The Incredibles. It was great fun and enjoyment as the students entertained the judges and one another with their amusing three-minute skits.

The day done, the students were then treated to a sumptuous dinner organized by CHBTC.

Kuang Jing Xuan, 22, currently studying in NUS as well, had this to say, “People usually look very tired on the first day of school. However, the SOT students really turned that image around today. Everyone was so pumped up and energetic, it makes me look forward to the rest of the five months in SOT!”

Phil Pringle teaches on five steps to discover our purpose and fulfill it.

Phil Pringle, Senior Pastor of Christian City Church, Sydney (CCC), was the guest speaker at Men United, a men-only meeting held on 27 March 2009 at City Harvest Church. Phil Pringle is a highly sought after speaker who also happens to be an author, song writer and a painter; at 57, he is not about to slow down. His aim is to build 100 churches a day through Christian City Church International movement of churches around the world.

Over the weekend services, C3 band from CCC led the praise and worship. Frontman Joe, youngest son of Pringle belted out familiar tunes like ‘Today’ and ‘Holy’. The ever-exuberant senior Pringle shared his passion and calling for building and planting churches, peppering his sermon with inspiring and hilarious stories to exemplify a point.

Using many biblical characters as examples, he went on to explain how we need the presence of God before we can find our calling. “We don’t discover our purpose till we meet God”, said Pringle. He went on to say that when God touches our lives, He puts His words in our mouths and we need not be afraid of not knowing what to do.

PHOTOS: Gary Sim

In reference to the world economy today, Pringle wisely commented, “When the storms are all around us, this is our hour to stand up and step forward!”

Many people were impacted by Pringle’s message, one of them, Cheryl Lim 14, who accepted Christ during the altar call. “It (his message) gave me a longing to know who Jesus Christ is.”