The weekend of 15 to16 August, 2009 saw the graduation ceremony of another outstanding batch of students from City Harvest Bible Training Center (CHBTC), School of Theology (SOT). Having dedicated a duration of 5 months of their lives to be trained in the Word of God, 650 students were finally awarded their much-awaited Advanced Certificate of Theology, but more importantly, the graduates are now well-equipped to serve God in their respective home churches and ministries.

The vision of these graduates to impact the nations was evident as Kong Hee, President of CHBTC, called on graduates from different nations to pray for a massive move of God and revival in their local churches.

The graduation ceremony was a platform for the graduates to showcase their creativity, talents and dynamic preaching skills — in fact, almost the entire service was run by the graduates themselves. The congregation was delighted by a great visual and spiritual treat. By showcasing an energetic dance performance incorporating song and rap consisting of lyrics written in Japanese, Tamil, Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia in addition to English, the Bible School graduates certainly proved that they were by no means “bible nerds or geeks, but rather, imaginative individuals brimming with ideas, without compromising the spiritual foundation that SOT has so firmly inculcated in them.

Peter and Corrine Ngion, a couple who had successfully completed the 5 month course against all odds, shared their testimony over the pulpit. They related a compelling account of how SOT, in the initial stages, stood for a School of Temptation for them. Hit by the pressure, they were tempted to back out of the course just one week into the school term. Thankfully, they persevered. After settling down to the routine of school, they began to experience problems in their business; then SOT became a School of Trials and Tribulations, where their faith was stretched to breaking point time and again. But eventually, as they gritted their teeth and pressed on, SOT became a School of Transformation, as they learned to lean on the grace and strength of God through prayer and the Word. In fact, as Dewi Lim, an SOT graduate who is into her second year in Nanyang Technological University puts it, “It was through the trials and tribulations (I had to go through in SOT) that I have grown more mature and dependent on God.”

Many of the SOT graduates agreed that coming to SOT to be trained is an experience they do not regret.

Before presenting the certificates to the graduates, Kong shared a short message, reminding all in the congregation of the how God’s Word has to be the cornerstone and authority in their lives if they want to please God.

PHOTOS: Michael Chan, Daniel Poh and Albert Soh

The congregation buzzed with excitement toward the end of the ceremony — what Kong described as “one of the highlights” of the entire graduation. Everyone in attendance was treated to a visual feast as the graduates lobbed their graduation hats into the air amidst shrieks of excitement and, for some, tears of joy. The graduates are now fully girded to fulfill the calling from God in their workplaces, communities, and nations.

Amassing over eleven-thousand spirit-charged individuals, City Harvest Church (CHC) shook the foundations of the Singapore Indoor Stadium at its 20th Anniversary on the 2 August 2009.

The pre-service atmosphere was indeed electrifying. Shutters clicked and placards containing phrases such as “Great Commandment” and “Success!” were frantically waved as members and friends snapped away to remember this precious moment.

Lee Chern Yih, 22, an usher, expressed his opinions about the event. “I am overwhelmed by the fact that such a large number of people can come celebrate this joyous occasion in a single meeting. Most especially for a young believer like me, I am deeply touched by the unity and love people here have for this church. This is what defines us as CHC!”

To kick-start the festivities, the crowd was treated to a rendition of the US Reality Game Show, Don’t Forget the Lyrics! hosted by Bernard Loh and Andrea Lim, a battle of the sexes commenced as the male team, Team Mars, and the all-women’s team, Team Venus, duked it out in a contest of memory, wits and speed. Participants were to choose from six distinct categories, some of which are Emo, Jubilant, Battleground and Holy Ground. As the rules go, a member from each team is required to sing karoke-style until blanks appear, through which, one has to make a lyrical guess. The congregation cheered for their own members as each team showed their musical prowess. It was a close fight, but Team Venus emerged victorious.

As the stadium lights dimmed, faint silhouettes of our pioneers appeared on the steps of the stage. Standing in full formation under spotlight, each of them shared their personal testimonies about how God, through Kong Hee, has discipled, encouraged and brought them up to who they are today. These include Lilian Cher, interior designer, Tan Tian-An who has played Jesus in almost every single CHC Easter Drama to date, and Choong Tsih Ming, Joseph Ang and Bobby Chaw, gangsters turned pastors of CHC.

The sprightly CHC Band then inaugurated the 20th Anniversary Celebration with well-known hits such as ‘Heaven’; from its recent album release, Light of the City, and ‘I Will Bless the Lord’; from the True Worshippers, which have also been featured as one of the main bands for this year’s Festival of Praise. The band also crowned refreshing new tunes such as ‘Radiate’, ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Because of You’. Merely a taste of what new music there is, more can be found in their 20th Anniversary release album, Writings on the Wall.

Emcees for the afternoon, Aries and Sandy Zulkarnain, warmly welcomed CHC’s very own chamber ensemble, The Millennial Orchestra, with the Choir, on stage to perform a piece composed by veteran composer, Dr Kelly Tang, entitled ‘Child of Destiny’. The orchestra and choir will also feature this piece, amongst other home-grown creations during their debut performance at the Victoria Concert Hall on the 23 August 2009. Taiwanese Pop Star, Wing, also graced the occasion with a song.

Shortly after, the stadium was suddenly enshrouded in darkness whilst a photo and video montage of CHC’s 20-year history was shown on screen. Roars of laughter and screams filled the hall as members reminisced about their experiences in the early days. With regards to the distinct change (for the better) in outward appearances, Aries Zulkarnain playfully commented, “You definitely can see the ‘transformation’ power of God in our lives!”

Full of confidence and energy, the Kids Band, consisting of children between the ages of nine and 14, then rocked the congregation to the beat of ‘Sing Sing Sing’, by Chris Tomlin. Formed only a month before the Anniversary day, their consistency and hard work have indeed bore fruit. Let us be witnesses of the next generation of musicians!

PHOTOS: Elvis Chu, Gary Sim, Gay Sen Min, Gloria Wong, Jayson Lee, Ryan Ng, Yan Juyi

The highlight of the celebration was undoubtedly the powerful visionary message imparted by Kong Hee, the founder of CHC. Having arrived at where we are today, Kong shares what makes CHC unique to its calling. In order to progress to the next 20, we should keep the spiritual basics such as praying, fasting, and giving whilst withholding the commandments of God close to our hearts.

Kong further emphasizes that we should avoid preaching separation and practice isolation. Rather, we should have “holy worldliness”, which is to uphold holy disciplines, yet be connected to the world by being relevant and up to date. Because of this, CHC embarked on the Church without Walls ministry to extend help and identify with the pains struggles and problems of the people outside the four walls of the church. The Cultural Mandate was also preached and acted upon to reach out to the five pillars of the Marketplace; Business, Education, Governments, Arts and Entertainment and the Mass Media.

Rather than preaching the message, we should embody the message that CHC has for the masses. Although the next 20 years may see stronger enemies and greater challenges, we should have the assurance that we can be overcomers!

Cautioning us on the dangers of religious extremes such as antinomianism and legalism, Kong strongly encourages us to keep a balanced, all-rounded life.

Kong’s conclusion poses a strong question to us: “Will we still love God when we are older, and wiser?”

The congregation celebrated CHC’s big 20 with a bang, Fireworks, streamers, confetti and balloons collided as the CHC band closed with the popular hit tune, ‘That’s What Friends Are For’. The service closed with surprise birthday wish from Sun Ho, International Pop Star, and son, Dayan.

Indeed CHC is where dreams are realized and successes are celebrated.

1) The first thing to note about Ion Orchard is its immense size, the huge crowds and its hopelessly misleading signs. For example, the escalators jump from level 2 to level 4, missing out completely on level 3. It’s one big mess if you don’t know your way around but don’t get frazzled. Just look for the floor directory to help you navigate your way around, and here’s the coolest bit — it’s a touch-screen (yes, we dig cheap thrills), so you can even shop by genre.

2) There are so many great shops but so little time — we make it simpler for you by singling out a few perennial favourites.

- Topshop: The new flagship store here boosts a far wider selection than all the other outlets. The boys will not be disappointed by the range of apparel (hats included) and as for the girls, there’s a shoe “closet” and a whole line of outfits not available in the other outlets.

- Miu Miu: Yes girls, Miu Miu has finally arrived in Singapore and it’s even better than we imagined. The store looks great, the staff is friendly and the bags …

- Uniqlo: The one-stop shop for all things comfy and chic. Let the creative juices run free and pick out multi-colored tanks, tees and vest for a funky mix-and-match ensemble.

- Metrox: The multi-label boutique carries casual wear such as retro/vintage garbs from the label Worn Free and glam-rock jeans from True Religion, a cult favourite especially among celebrities.

- T.M.Lewin: This one’s for the dudes — T.M. Lewin helps you look your spiffy best for the corporate world with its range of suits, shirts, ties and accessories. As they say, clothes maketh the man.

3) Recharge by grabbing a bite at basement 4, where you can have your fill from the giant food haven “Food Opera”, which houses over 20 food outlets offering Chinese, Japanese and Italian cuisine, among others. There’s also the popular Marmalade Pantry, a classy café-cum-restaurant favored by those with deeper pockets. Or make a beeline for the new Burger King outlet, where the booths come with individualized speaker systems for you to plug in your iPod for a personalized sound zone.

4) And just for the fun of it (we did tell you we love cheap thrills) … go seek out the V.I.P. toilets located on the top four floors where the more high-end shops are. Specially built to service the needs of dignitaries and celebrities, the toilet bowls come with functions that give new meaning to the term “sitting on the throne”.

5) People watch. The hundreds of people milling around the vicinity are fascinating to watch — what’s unique about the crowd at ION Orchard is that the rich and the wannabe-rich mingle shoulder-to-shoulder.

Our verdict is this: ION Orchard is the summation of the best retail therapy on Orchard Road, with familiar favorites tucked under one roof alongside chi-chi brands like Vivienne Tam, Christian Lacroix and Dsquared2, which will definitely up the couture factor of our local shopping scene.

No one can say that Band.Se7en is boring.

The group is an assembled treasure chest of diverse talents from pop, rock and jazz, with members whose musical resumes are enough to give any purist the chills.

Stellar vocal-trio Allan Moo, Sherlyn Chia and Annabel Soh have each released albums and worked on high-profile performances in their respective genres of Mandarin and English pop. Moo enjoys tenures on Top 10 Charts throughout Asia, while Ocean Butterflies vocal coach Chia counts Taiwan-based actss like By2 as her students.

Add to the fray veteran drummer Daniel Chew, bassist Stanley Chng, guitarist Shadrach Chew and keyboardists Ivan Ong and Estella Sia, and the band’s name seems like an embarrassing miscalculation to anyone with ten fingers. You can almost hear mental lightbulbs clicking on around the room when Moo leans over the mic to announce, “There are eight of us in the band, but we’ve named ourselves after seven, the number of completeness!”

PHOTOS: Gabriel Seow

Band.Se7en may be new on the block, but they have already hit the ground running. Despite grueling individual work schedules and having only three weeks to get their act together, the band debuted to packed bodies and set-long raucous applause. It was on no modest stage either — DXO has played host to music events like the Singapore Battle of The Bands Semi Finals, and famous performers like Boy George and Melanie C (of the Spice Girls).

In the club was a veritable list of who’s who, most of whom were no stranger to the stage themselves — including MediaCorp actress Belinda Lee. The mix of yuppies, youngsters in skinny jeans, as well as the occasional suit, meant the band was serenading an audience as patchwork as themselves.

By 9pm — early for a Friday night — elbow space was a scarcity, and a DXO regular was overheard saying, “It’s very happening tonight! More crowded than usual.” A quick check at the door confirmed that the tickets at $20 were almost sold out.The night truly began when Moo’s warm voice spread over the room like an undulating blanket, bringing in hit after hit of familiar Mandarin numbers.

Chia followed up quickly with her own brand of powerhouse vocals, rousing the audience with deliriously joyful English tunes like ‘I Love You Baby’.

The loudest cheers of the night were saved for Soh, whose sweet, soaring vocals wove prettily around delicate keyboard lines and thumping bass beats.

As any bar lizard familiar with the likes of Crazy Elephant, Blu Jazz and Wala Wala will testify, the acid test of a good live band is how well it manages to engage, long after the audience has peered down the bottoms of countless beer mugs. Band.Se7en suffered few moments of disconnect with its capacity crowd, and in between the pulsating strobe lights and emotive wail of Shadrach’s metal strings, the audience stayed riveted, their arms frequently aloft and waving to the beat.

Taking a breather between sets, keyboardist Sia, 26, was glad of the response and energy from the crowd. “It’s our first performance as a band, and we can’t wait to see what comes out of this,” she added optimistically.

With roars of approval still ringing in his ears, at least one member of the audience has little doubt about the band’s potential. “They were fantastic!” said Benji Goh, 24, “If they wrote original songs I wouldn’t mind buying the album.”

Now that Band.Se7en has successfully fleshed out the unique East-West theme with their complementary musical strengths, that looks like the most rewarding progression to take. The rest of us should stay tuned.

For more info on the band, go to www.bandse7en.com

It was an audition for a competition that makes parents’ hearts burst with pride.

More than 50 children participated at the Miss Cinderella and Little Manhunt 2009 auditions, held on 15 and 16 August at A&J Dance Studio at Chinatown Point.

Beating the heat of the afternoon, many young hopefuls — accompanied by their eager parents — came in colorful outfits to perform song items that wowed the panel of judges, which included Miss Singapore World 2009, Ris Low, 19 and Miss Singapore Model of the World, Oxy Ong, 20.

The two beauties had the tough task of assessing the children,who put on music to dance performances that enthralled despite their tender age.

Tracy Lee, director of ERM Marketing, which holds the franchise rights to this children’s pageant, which is in its 13th year, believes this is a brilliant opportunity for kids to win on their “own merit”.

The kids’ energy and enthusiasm and the fact that each did his and her best, triumphed over any lack of practice.

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

City News went behind the scenes and spoke to a little beauty, Asenath Loh, 6, a St Hilda’s kindergartener — this was her second year taking part in the competition. “I like to make people happy through my performances,” she declared. This little wonder enjoys bowling, drawing, writing and singing.

Asenath’s father, David Loh, 52, a sales supervisor came with his wife to watch their daughter in action. He says, “Since preparing for this audition, I have seen great improvements in my daughter’s Mandarin and confidence.”

From the number of Hannah Montana and High School Musical songs performed, many of these young performers styled their acts after their favorite TV and movie stars, delivering with great aplomb performances that warmed every heart in the room.

The finals will happen on 19 December 2009. Watch this space for updates.

Contributed by Annie Wong

Have power over money, but don’t let money have power over you.

That was the message at the heart of a speech by Dr Che Ahn at the auditorium at Research University for Leadership, at the Riverwalk on 17 July 2009.

About 250 business owners and executives attended this Marketplace Insight session. Dr Ahn is the senior pastor of Harvest Rock Church, California; he is also the founder and president of Harvest International Ministry, a worldwide apostolic network of over 5000 churches in over 35 nations with the common vision of “Changing Lives, Transforming Cities, and Discipling Nations.”

Dr Ahn proposed that the most effective way to change the world is through wealth, and hence it is very important that Christians be wealthy. He told a story of how one missionary started a business in China because it was a pre-requisite for him to remain in China. As his business grew, he invited missionaries to evangelize to his executives, converting many. Further to that, he wined and dined government officials, developing strong relationships with them. This helped him to gain a permit to start a university. The officials even allowed him to use the campus to share the values of the Christian faith after school hours.

Throughout the teaching Dr Ahn provided many anecdotes of how different individuals attained wealth and through that, were able to reach out to many. He also shared that in order to prosper, Christians have to believe that God wants to prosper us. Also, we have to repent from materialism and break the spirit of poverty.

“In this modern world, many also serve a monarchy, with Money being the King!” When he said this, many in the audience nodded their heads and laughed.

It is equally important, said Dr Ahn, to renew our methods, to be current always. “When Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock as instructed by God, he was depending on his old ways. God, through His grace, allowed water to come forth from the rock. However, it is important for us to constantly hear from God and be relevant. We cannot always depend on our old methods.”

At the end of the meeting, Dr Ahn prayed for the congregation, breaking the spirit of poverty, so that this group of Christians would be open to give as well as to receive. This was followed by a time of ministry and the passing on of an apostolic anointing, to make apostles of these leaders in the marketplace, she that they could be godly movers and shakers out in society.

“I received a revelation when Dr Che Ahn said that wealth is like a chameleon. We have to shift according to the situation, to make changes and still prosper!” said Calvin Ho, a sales executive.

David Chiem, founder and CEO of MindChamps, shares from his book on the finer points of communicating with one’s child. Chiem’s revolutionary techniques have made MindChamps a learning experience that enriches not just a child’s intellectual development, but builds strong communication and bonding between parent and child.

Chiem and Brian Caswell, the bestselling authors of Deeper than the Ocean, hailed as ‘the parenting bible of the 21st century’, have written its highly anticipated follow-up The Art of Communicating with Your Child. This book builds on the key concepts introduced in its predecessor; it is a guide to developing the practical skills and techniques for ensuring optimal communication with young people. Key areas examined in the book include:

* Developing Self-Concept and Self-Respect
* Moral and Ethical Maturity
* The ‘Champion Mindset’.

According to educational experts Chiem and Caswell, superior communication between parent and child is one of the key factors for developing a successful citizen of the future — a future-focused individual with the mindset of a champion.

Here is an extract from the book reproduced with kind permission from the authors:

The Art of Communicating with Your Child: Strategies for Inspiring the Champion Mindset in Every Young Person, a book by Chiem and co-author Brian Caswell.

TO LEAD YOUR CHILD’S MIND, BE A GREAT COMMUNICATOR FIRST.

The Four ‘Golden Rules’ for Inspired and Inspiring Communication with Your Child

‘The best brought-up children are those who have seen their parents as they are. Hypocrisy is not the parents’ first duty.(30)’ — George Bernard Shaw

Karl Gustav Jung — one of the Twentieth Century’s most influential and insightful thinkers in the field of developmental psychology — wrote: ‘If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.(31)’

Our role as adults is to inspire and guide — especially in times of high pressure — and we can only achieve this if the channels of communication remain open.

This part of the book looks at the Four Golden Rules of Communication with young people:
1. Be Aware of the Young Person’s ‘Processing Limitations’
2. Give Your Full Attention to All the Possibilities in a Communication Situation — No Matter What the Distractions.
3. Balance Praise and Criticism — Provide Support While Encouraging Independence
4. Develop Strategies for Controlling the Negative Emotion in Any Situation

Mastery of these four ‘golden rules’ can and does open the door to better communication between parents/teachers and the most important people in their lives. How many of them do you follow?

Golden Rule Number One: Be Aware of the Young Person’s ‘Processing Limitations’

When talking with your child or teenager:
i) Ask just one question at a time
ii) Allow the young person to finish speaking, instead of attempting to anticipate his/her answers
iii) Avoid the temptation to interrupt his/her answers, even if the words suggest a response

Young people are not built as well as adults to cope with stress, due to the fact that the pre-frontal cortex of their brain is still developing. They are, therefore, far more likely to respond with their ‘unthinking’ emotions than with their logical faculties, when challenges arise.

This means that you — as the adult — must be the one to ‘control’ the situation, and avoid creating unnecessary frustration. Inspiration is about empowering the young person to achieve and you can only do this if you are communicating effectively — and without emotional misunderstanding.

i) Asking ‘Double-Barrelled’ Questions: If you ask two or more part-questions, you will probably only get the answer to one part — and very likely set up a defensive reaction, which makes even that answer non-productive and uncommunicative. ‘Doubling up’ on questions comes across as aggressive and pressuring, even if that is not the intention. Remember, communication is as much about perception as it is the meaning of the actual words.

But more than that, research at the University of Minnesota shows that adolescents and teenagers, due to the fact that their ‘neural circuitry’ is still in a state of flux, are, under most circumstances, poor at ‘multi-tasking’. The neural connections between brain-cells — especially in the frontal cortex — are not sufficiently refined to process large amounts of information coming in simultaneously and demanding conscious attention. So, pressing them to focus on different aspects of a problem simultaneously can produce an internal tension, resulting in frustration and, on occasions, an almost involuntary anger reaction.

As the leader of the Minnesota study, Professor Monica Luciana said, ‘We need to keep their limitations in mind, especially when adolescents are confronted with demanding situations in the classroom, at home, or in social gatherings.(32)’

This is why your teenager will often react in an inappropriate and ‘extreme’ manner, to what appears to be a quite reasonable request — if that request happens to be made while he/she is concentrating on something else. It’s nothing personal, and it’s not intentional. It’s just what happens when the subconscious sense of ‘overload’ triggers a response in the young-person’s hyper-reactive amygdala (the ‘nonconscious’ seat of our reactive emotions).

When asking questions, you will elicit information better one point at a time.

ii) Interrupting or Anticipating Answers: If you do either of these things, you may be wrong, and even if you are right it will be disempowering for the young person. If you have asked the question, have the courtesy to listen to the answer before commenting.

‘Derailing’ the young person’s train of thought has the same effect as multiple questions — it forces them to consider more than one concept simultaneously, and can create the ‘overload’ effect referred to above. The last thing you need when trying to get to the heart of an issue is that kind of unnecessary tension.

For the other three ‘golden rules’, get your copy of The Art of Communicating with Your Child: Strategies for Inspiring the Champion Mindset in Every Young Person, available at Kinokuniya at S$25.68.

On 25 July 2009, 93 elderly went on a Religious Harmony Tour organized by COPE in conjunction with Racial Harmony Day. In keeping with the theme of the tour, the elderly visited four different places of worship in Singapore.

COPE, which stands for Community Outreach for the Elderly, is a social service that aims to serve the elderly by giving them support, hope and joy for their golden years through the forging of genuine relationships and the organizing of activities.

On early Saturday morning, the elderly who were dressed in their Sunday best, gathered at the rendezvous point. The bus was filled with excited chatter from the elderly who were looking forward to a day of fun and fellowship.

The first stop was Buddha Tooth Relic Temple where it was said that the tooth of Buddha rested in the temple itself. Tour guides Howard and Rebecca brought the elderly around the majestic temple and showed them the intriguing ancient artifacts there.

Next was Sri Mariamman Temple which was a stone’s throw away from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Here, the elderly were educated on the different gods of the Indians and how they all played a part in maintaining order in the world.

The next stop was Jamae Chulia Mosque which was just a street away. The elderly were given a personal tour by a spokesperson of the mosque and were impressed on the fervency of Muslims who prayed at least five times a day.

PHOTOS: Cristopher Teh

The last stop was at St Andrew’s Cathedral where the elderly got to experience the rich culture of the Church in which Sir Stamford Raffles himself reserved the plot of land for the building of the church. After the tour around the magnificent architecture, the elderly were treated to a hearty meal of nasi lemak.

S H Asinudeen commented, “I participated with my wife with the intention to join the crowd. I was not disappointed as the event was very well-organized and also well-explained by the various tour guides. The place of worship that impressed me the most was the majestic Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. I look forward to taking part in more activities in the future.”

Madam Goh Choon Keow, who came to the event with her sister-in-law, youngest sister, neighbor and two granddaughters, was elated to be able to spend the day with her family and friend.

This tour has certainly been successful as the elderly got to understand the different races that form multicultural Singapore. The elderly also had fun being in the company of fellow friends.

At the end of the day, the elderly cheered when Irene Ho, the organizer, announced that the next event would be a scenic tour at the Singapore Flyer. The elderly are certainly looking forward to the next COPE event.

Contributed by Tan Chi Ying

City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA) was conferred the Outstanding Community Partner Award by the People’s Association on 12 August 2009. This is the first time the People’s Association had expanded the PA Community Spirit Awards (PACS) to include partners that have supported grassroots organizations and Community Development Councils’ (CDC) key activities.

President of CHCSA, Eileen Toh, accepted the award for the organization’s support in numerous CDC projects such as the “Go Green” initiative launched by Dr Amy Khor, mayor of the Southwest Community Development Council. Other award recipients included private and public organizations such as Nestle, Credit Suisse, Philips Electronics and Mapletree Investments.

Toh said, “We are happy that community workers have been recognized for their efforts. This event also provides an opportunity for us to get to know fellow community partners, government bodies and business executives who share a similar passion and vision to make a difference in the community.”

PHOTOS: Gay Sen Min

The PACS awards ceremony at Meritus Mandarin Hotel was graced by prominent political figures including Deputy Prime Minister, Teo Chee Hean, the governing People’s Action Party Chairman, Lim Boon Heng, and Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan.

Contributed by Koh Yong Hui

Over the final weekend of July 2009, members of City Harvest Chinese Church (CHCC) were treated to an up-close and personal encounter with pop artists from Taiwan.

Abraham Ku, Senior Pastor of Taipei New Life Church, was invited to preach in CHCC on 24, 26 and 28 July 2009. Not only did he bring along a timely message for the members, he also brought along pop artists and the drama team from his church. Those who attended the sessions were entertained by the drama team with a comedy skit entitled ‘Pure Water’. Simple and entertaining, the skit explained how one can receive the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. The crowd obviously enjoyed the performance as laughter could be heard all throughout the auditorium.

The crowd was also treated to live performances by the various pop artists. Renowned singer, Chen Wei Quan, staged a “mini-concert” of sorts, with the lights dimmed and light sticks waving throughout the packed hall. The crowd cheered and clapped as Chen sang song after song, some self composed originals.

Lin Su Fen, 20, a fresh graduate who joined CHCC for the first time, said “I really enjoyed the event; Chen Wei Quan was very friendly. It is the first time I’ve been to a church that has a concert incorporated into its program. And we were so up close and personal with the artist, it’s so exciting.”

Secular songs were not the only songs heard that afternoon, Chen also sang a worship song, which he says is the one that touches his heart more than any other song. He also sang a birthday song for those whose birthday fell in the month of July, that had members of the congregation smiling from ear to ear.

After listening to Chen’s testimony, Zou Hui, 24, a project engineer, remarked, “After listening to his story about his life journey, I felt very touched by the presence of God.”

Among many of the visitors that came to the Live House, some joined the CHCC the following week at City Harvest Church’s 20th Anniversary celebrations.

When asked if the event was a success, Natalie Teo, 34, administration officer of CHCC, replied, “Yes. Most retention programs display the creativity and talents of our own members. This event, however, involved artists who are already known in the pop arena. And through their involvement, the congregation and especially the new friends are able to see our openness to things which are outside the four walls of our church. The church can be relevant to today’s society.”

PHOTOS: Lam Hui Ching