POD’s mission is to befriend, engage and help youth at risk.

People of Destiny held an open house at its center in February for grassroots leaders and residents of Tampines. POD is a youth-oriented community service started by CHCSA in partnership with Tampines Changkat Citizens’ Consultative Committee and the Ministry of Community Development Youth & Sports. The Guest of Honor was Ms. Irene Ng, Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC.

With a show of statistics, program executive Alvin Low explained the need for youth-centric services, as more youngsters are moving toward a wayward lifestyle, due to an increase in pressure and stress from home and school. POD actively engages these youth with center-based programs as well as workshops conducted in schools.

“We adopt an innovative approach in the way we conduct our programs­—using different teaching tools and methods, such as interactive activities, role play and problem-solving projects,” said Jonathan Goh, 39, POD’s center manager. “Our programs are also very practical; whatever is taught can be applied immediately.”

It hasn’t always been smooth-sailing for POD as not everyone understands what they are trying to do for youth-at-risk. “While some of the feedbacks we’ve received from residents is favorable, others have been negative. It is understandable because there is a lack of sufficient information. So people tend to shun troubled youth and their less-than-desirable behavior,” Goh noted.

Yet, he adds, welcoming troubled youth is the first step toward helping them to change. “We have a very open concept—we welcome any youth, and we always befriend them first.  We want POD to be a place where they can find acceptance, and in time to come, desire for a change in their lives.”

Within POD’s premises, house rules such as “no smoking” and “no vulgarities” apply. In fact, it has become a culture for the youth in POD to monitor themselves and make sure that even new additions to POD adhere to these rules. “Young people today just want someone to hear them out,” says Janet Kong, grassroots leader, acknowledging that centers like POD provide an alternative hang-out place where youth are mentored.

POD’s method of reaching out to youth may be, at times, a misunderstood process. However, staff of POD has seen heartening results. “Changing someone’s life through mentorship might take a long time but it will pay off when these youth are transformed into people of destiny,” said Low.

People’s Association recognizes the organization’s work.

Contributed By Tan Chi Ying

CN FILE PHOTO

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

Said Toh, “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.”

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

The Staff Of CHCSA And The Passion Behind Their Hard Work

“True happiness is being able to touch hearts and change lives.”
Tizanne Koh, CHCSA Administrator

“Ignite passion within a youth to see a vision for his future and he will run with that vision throughout his life.”
Alvin Low, POD Program Executive

“To have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life once in a while is a precious gift; to be given this opportunity to do this every single day is an awesome privilege!”
Darryl Loh, CHCSA Executive Director

“Everyone has a story to tell. I can help others today because somebody extended kindness to me when I needed it.”
Irene Ho, COPE Program Manager

“In a dynamic organization like CHCSA, I’m constantly challenged to see things from a different perspective.”
Victoria Yee, CHCSA Senior Social Worker

“I once received a heart-felt “thank you” note from a dying client. That has been, and will always be one of the biggest motivations for me.”
Jonathan Goh, POD Program Manager

“It’s an honor and a privilege when the youths open up their hearts and look to you for advice. These are the future leaders of society.”
Shalynne Pek, POD Administrator

“What keeps me going is knowing that I am extending God’s love to people in their time of need.”
Grace Lim, POD Operations Supervisor

“I started out as a volunteer with CHCSA. The passion for the underprivileged I’ve witnessed here impacted me and led me to join the organization full-time.”
Eden Sim, CHCSA Assistant Social Worker

“Being in the midst of a loving and dedicated people who strive for excellence, spurs me on to do more for the society.”
Valerie Lim, CHCSA Intern

“Like what Edward Everette Hale says, ‘I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something.”’
Sheryl Lim, CHCSA Social Worker

Phil Pringle offers guidance on this important ministry.

Contributed By Melissa Chen

CN PHOTOS: Elvis Chiu

The Marketplace Ministry elective began powerfully on Wednesday, May 26, opening with the C3 band from Sydney leading the crowd in rousing praise and worship. Phil Pringle spoke at the first of two sessions for this elective.

Pringle explained the importance of having a church ministry dedicated to influencing and leading people in the secular world to God, “We need as many influencers in the church as we can, who have sound and sane business practices.”

He started by challenging pastors attending to embrace these ministries by expanding and enlarging their concept of what a church should be.

“Some people are small-minded. Don’t be small-minded. The walls of the church need to be enlarged so all these ministries can be under the covering of the church. You need to release them into the world, then hold them accountable for growth, and don’t oppress them.”

“Make these ministries responsible for the growth of the church. I tell my ministry leaders that I’m not responsible for growth in the church, they are. I ensure that they can do this by putting round pegs into round holes, not square pegs in round holes.” Even though some businessmen might be too busy to attend church service regularly, Pringle explained, pastors ought to understand and help them get as much as possible out of the few times they do attend.

Every month, Pringle hosts a “Pastor’s Table”, where he gathers the influencers in society— such as the businessmen, the politicians, the media people—and shares his visions, dreams and plans with them. In this way, he explains, he lets the marketplace ministry grow the church through its influence.

“Influence is based on success and integrity,” he described, “it doesn’t work without one or the other.” A successful person without integrity will not be trusted to teach or mentor, while a “truthful person who is always on time and keeps his word,” but who is stagnant and unsuccessful will not be sought after. “If Bill Gates and Bob Lil’ John both came to speak, and tickets were priced at $50 each, I can tell you right now which ticket you’d buy,” he joked.

“The history of the Bible is based on powerful men—they were kings, leaders, businesspeople. It was not written by a holy man, sitting on top of a mountain, writing down good ideas that come into his head.” He gave examples of such leaders, like Abraham, Moses and Solomon who were either businessmen or very prosperous.

Despite the biblical proof, many Christians were raised in a culture that equates holiness with poverty. “The Bible is a rich man’s book!” he retorted, “If you follow what is written in this book, it’s gonna lead you to success, not poverty.”

Pringle encouraged the attendees to become “marketplace ministers” who would “take in the world, and bring it to God.”

“God loves to take what was in the world, sanctify it and use it against the darkness.” Pringle concluded by explaining the four principles of leadership: vision, goals, strategy and team. The four interconnected principles stem one from the other.

“Without a vision, you can’t be a leader. You need a God-vision, not just a good vision; you need a God idea, not just a good idea,” Pringle said.

From the vision, measurable goals are created. “That are some goals that you need, like how to improve the weak areas in your life, and some that you desire, things that would be nice.”

With the goals clearly stated, a strategy can then be formed. “The Bible tells us to see the end from the beginning.”

Lastly, you have to share your vision with your team. “If you’re a boss, then you already have a team that works for you. But some of you run a sole business. ‘I don’t have a team,’ you say. Are you married? If you are, then you have a team! Even if you aren’t, you have a legal person, a banker and an accountant. That’s your team.”

“You need to regularly share your vision with your team. You need to remind them. If you have a vision, and you run with it, people are going to help you on your way.”

The session had a lasting impact on Charles Chee, 29, a career consultant. “Vision is really very important. Very often, teams do not know their leader’s vision. They follow the rules and directions given, but have no idea what the vision actually is. If we can catch this and bring it back to our workplace, the results will be awesome.”

Former Hollywood actress and dancer, Robin Harfouche shared her moving life story at City Harvest.

CN PHOTO: Michael Chan

Despite being born into a normal family, as a child Robin Harfouche grappled with feelings of insecurity and felt unloved. Seeing she could not cope well with life in school and home, her parents moved her to live with her grandmother at the age of 5.

Though her parents meant well for her, it was in her grandmother’s house that Harfouche was sexually abused by her step-grandfather. Being so little and unable to protect herself from him every night, “I would leave my body,” described Harfouche. These out-of-body experiences caused her to open herself up to an unknown spiritual dimension. Harfouche was not aware of it yet, but her ability to enter the spiritual realm took root from a lineage of witchcraft in her family, generations before.

An overachiever in school, Harfouche bagged awards in academics and extra-curricular activities that earned her a spot in the hall of fame. At 18, while studying journalism at university, a spirit appeared to her and told her she was meant to be a prophetess and medium in the New Age. Psychic visions and paranormal encounters followed, causing Harfouche to believe that as long as she followed this spirit’s orders, her dreams and aspirations would become reality.

One day she walked passed a dance class and crossed paths with a professional dancer-choreographer. Harfouche felt her destiny unfolding before her as he affirmed her potential to be a star. He arranged for her to audition, and Harfouche found herself part of the famous Solid Gold dancers. This elite celebrity dance troupe traveled around America and rose in prominence with a weekly music countdown TV show.

Harfouche became a sought-after celebrity and was represented by one of the most coveted agencies in Hollywood. She was enjoying success people could only fantasize about.

But in a flash, the dream she was living in was interrupted by a life-threatening injury. Harfouche was hit by a 24-foot door and fell into a coma for six weeks. She woke up, paralyzed from the neck down. Days after the incident, she sat on a wheelchair and felt like her whole world had collapsed—the 23 different doctors she consulted told her she could not walk any longer.

One dark night as she drowned in despair and deep hopelessness, the thought of ending her life came. Suddenly the phone rang—a friend who was the bass guitarist of a rock band told her, “You need to come to church with me. His voice reached down that telephone line and pulled me right in.” Harfouche agreed to go to the Presbyterian church, wheelchair and all. “It was the first time I had stepped into a church, the very first time I heard about Jesus.” Harfouche felt heat envelope her body, and as the pastor made the altar call, she got up from her wheelchair, completely healed, and received Jesus.

Moving on with a renewed life found in the one true God, she dedicated herself to spiritual growth. Amazingly, as Harfouche walked with God, she received a revelation of the man she was to marry. It was the same person who ministered to her on the day of her salvation, a preacher by the name of Christian Harfouche.

In 1986, a year after her conversion and healing, Harfouche was caught up in heaven and heard God instruct her to cast out the spirit of pain in people. God gave her a vision to train and equip a generation of miracle workers for the final harvest of souls. To date, Robin Harfouche has traveled to more than 50 countries with her husband, Christian Harfouche, literally running to keep that divine mandate. Their children Christie, 23, and John, 22, are also serving actively in the ministry.

Christie plays the keyboard in the worship team, authored a book and wrote 30 songs, preaches and performs in various women’s and youth conferences with her parents. Her first solo album is due to be out this year. John leads a team of youth in the church group Unplug Society: to unplug from the world and connect to God. His ministry helps young Christians to be “not of the world though they may be in the world.”

From a start in life that threatened to destroy her, God redeemed Harfouche in an amazing way. Today, Harfouche has 23 years of ministry behind her. She co-pastors Miracle Faith Center in Pensacola Florida and Christian Harfouche Ministries together with her husband. The Harfouches have planted and established partner ministries in 193 countries worldwide. Harfouche is also the best-selling author of seven books, and hosts a daily television program, Miracles Today.

Last weekend at City Harvest Church’s four services, Harfouche, with her daughter Christie who ministered to the congregation in song, spread the Father’s love and power to heal through the Word and her heartwarming yet powerful life testimony. When she gave an altar call, crowds crammed the front of the stage eager to receive a touch from God.

The School of Theology’s academic dean Tan Kim Hock graduates from Trinity Theological College, ready to strengthen his theological curriculum.

Contributed By Gareth Yeo

For the group of 52 graduating students of Trinity Theological College, May 15 was a day of triumph. For many, the journey had been a long and tiring one.

Among them is the academic dean of School of Theology, Tan Kim Hock. Tan’s motivation for enrolling in the course back in 2006 was simple: he wanted to upgrade his knowledge of theology so that he could strengthen SOT’s curriculum and make it more relevant for students.

“The knowledge I gained from the Masters of Divinity course has helped me look at things from a wider and deeper perspective, and this is helpful to me personally as I am in charge of developing SOT’s curriculum,” said Tan. He is also on the committee of CHC’s Christian Education Department which oversees all the Bible study materials in the church. Tan believes that the insights he has gained from the degree course will allow him to develop the educational framework in CHC.

Trinity Theological College has one of the most comprehensive collections of Christian literature and books in South East Asia. At the same time, students and lecturers in TTC come from different denominational backgrounds, nationalities and cultures.

“The lecturers come from diverse backgrounds and ministries, and were able to impart different revelations and experiences to me,” Tan said. This was one of the main reasons why he chose to study at TTC—it allowed him to be exposed to different denominational practices and cultures. Tan particularly appreciated the unity in the midst of diversity.

The subjects which Tan read varied and ranged from Church History, Homiletics (the art of public preaching), Old and New Testament theology, Missions and Evangelism, to language topics such as Greek and Hebrew. “I was particularly blessed by my lessons on the Greek language, as well as New Testament Theology. It has shed new light on my understanding of the New Testament scriptures, and created a greater passion in me for God’s Word.”

Tan elaborated on other interesting things he picked up in TTC, one of which is the module on New Testament theology where he discovered that there is likely to be a female apostle mentioned in the book of Romans. During his historical theology lessons, he also learned more about the motivation in the writings of many Christian scholars, such as St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

Besides gaining academic knowledge, Tan was blessed by the humility and care showed by the individual lecturers despite their vast experience and theological expertise. They also believed in maintaining openness to new ideas and differing opinions.

The fruits are worth it, but Tan had to admit that academic life at TTC was rigorous and no bed of roses. As a full-time student, the three-year course required students to complete 30 modules—an estimated 5,760 hours worth of lectures, tutorials and assignments.

On top of this, students also had to complete a certain number of practical attachment hours in a ministry or church. For Tan, he was able to do his attachment in some of CHC’s departments, such as the pastoral department, community services, missions and SOT. This provided him with the flexibility to manage his work and study schedule more efficiently.

On top of the practical and theory sessions, Tan also experienced a vibrant student life, attending chapel services and participating in student cell groups in order to foster greater bonding and sharing in the cohort. This was no mean feat for a father of four boys who has had to juggle family, studies, as well as full-time church ministry and mission work.

Throughout this challenging period, Tan leaned on God’s grace, the support of church leadership, and particularly his wife, Lily.

“Very often, I had to do my assignments late into the night after I put my kids to bed, and I would struggle to keep awake in class the following day. Thankfully, the lecturers were very understanding toward full-time students like me who have to juggle work and studies. As such, they gave us more flexibility for assignment deadlines. Many of my classmates also shared notes and knowledge with me, which helped me complete my assignments on time,” said Tan.

Student life was more than just homework and church ministry. Tan recalled an incident which left a deep impression in him. A former TTC graduate had been diagnosed with cancer and returned to the campus for prayer support. Some of Tan’s classmates who knew the graduate immediately rallied around him to provide spiritual and emotional support. Tan saw how these students from different nationalities and backgrounds, united for a common purpose and readily showed their love and care for their friend.

Now that Tan has graduated, he plans to equip his SOT staff with more solid grounding in theology, as well as give a deeper meaning and context to the work which City Harvest Community Services Association does.

“Theology brings out the soul of what we do at CHCSA. It helps us better understand that what we are doing is for the love of God and the love of people, and this understanding will spur us on to do more good works, whether we get recognized or not,” explained Tan.

For church members who have similar inclinations to pursue full-time theological studies, Tan advises them to get enrolled in SOT first. “SOT’s mix of practical and theory, coupled with our emphasis on students’ character development, will provide a firm foundation prior to enrollment in a full-time Bible college like TTC. Most of what was taught here was familiar to me as I already had a basic understanding from my time in SOT,” he said.

On his future plans, Tan says he is keen to pursue a post graduate degree in theology and eventually obtain a doctorate.

The heads of CHC’s Drama Ministry share their experiences.

Contributed by Annabelle Low

Headed by Sandy Yeo and Jaslynn Khoo, who each have more than 10 years of experience in City Harvest Church productions, the City Harvest Church Drama Ministry was officially formed seven years ago with the aim of supporting drama productions in church and to train up a professional, core group of actors. The Drama Ministry puts up at least four productions annually: Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

“People often have this misconception that church dramas are of a very low standard,” said Khoo. “We want to show them that church dramas can be excellent, and comparable to professional theatre.”

“I believe that a picture is worth a thousand words,” added Yeo. “People are able to watch and identify with the characters on stage.”

At the “Drama Production For Your Church” elective session held during the CGI-Asia Conference 2010, Yeo and Khoo shared some elements for a successful church drama production, accompanied by a live demonstration by a group of actors.

A successful production must have a good script, actors who can act, the unexpected “wow” factor, and most important of all, the anointing of God so that the audience’s hearts will be moved. In order to build up this anointing, the drama team prays and fasts for the drama, as well as builds up relationships among members.

The process from page to stage begins with the brainstorming. The drama team must consider how to stay true to the gospel message while putting forth a fresh angle and perspective. It is imperative to work with a good team that can generate innovative ideas. These ideas can be drawn from watching other church performances, secular television shows, professional musicals and films.

After the script is written, the search for actors, make-up artists, music, lighting and stage designers, can proceed. When looking for new recruits, Yeo and Khoo emphasized that drama ministry does not promote talent, but attitude and character. The new recruit must love to serve and be able to put aside his ego to receive constructive criticism. In the weeks that lead up to the day of the actual performance, rehearsals and tech runs are held in the actual performance venue.

For churches with drama ministries that are just starting out, the directors advised that the budget should not pose a constraint. Instead, take it as an opportunity to invest into the actors and the story. It is useful to get secular professionals from the theatre industry to train the budding actors. Above all, the drama team head must constantly ask God for His wisdom and guidance in staging a production.

After the session, Jan Sutanjati, 43, the Creative Director of GBI-PRJ, Indonesia, remarked, “Listening to Sandy and Jaslynn, I realized how important it is to have a good team, and to cultivate your talents slowly. I’ve learned more about the process, from pre-production right up to the actual performance itself.”

The “Drama Production For Your Church” elective will run Thursday and Friday from 2.30 p.m.-3.30 p.m. and 4.00 p.m.- 5.00 p.m. at Meeting Rooms 7, 8 & 9 at Singapore Expo Foyer 1.

Catch the CHC drama team at work! The Asia Conference Drama will be staged on Sunday, May 30 2010, during plenary session 13, and will be broadcast live over the Internet at chc.org.sg.

The pastor shares his insights on leadership excellence.

Contributed by Joshua Chang

Founder and senior pastor of Family Harvest Church, Dr. Robb Thompson is an expert in the area of organization, relationship and leadership. Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading teachers on personal excellence and character development, he has trained and coached business executives and mentored government leaders, heads of state, cabinet members, and royalties in over 40 countries around the world. No stranger to City Harvest Church, Thompson began his elective session on CGI-Asia Conference Day One as the crowd listened intently to his every word.

Thompson began by explaining that leadership is essentially discipleship. To lead, one has to first learn how to follow. He elucidated that this concept has been clearly echoed through Scripture—everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher; the Corinthians were told to imitate the apostle Paul as he imitated Christ.

The goal of leadership is not just to see a change in our lives but most importantly, to have an inward transformation. He further elaborated that the problem was not bringing people into the House of God, but rather ensuring that they receive a special touch to change their lives. There may have been meetings with a million people in attendance, but in such meetings it is very difficult to ascertain whether all will have experienced an authentic inward change.

Thompson then began to share seven traits that true spiritual leaders should have. Firstly, they need to embody courage. Courage, as he defined, is the willingness to stand for what is right in the face of wrong—it is not the same as bravery.

Secondly, leaders need to have a committed life-team around them, as a person’s life is determined by those whom he calls friends; to those whom he grants access to.

Self control is another essential trait. He highlighted how characters in the Bible such as Adam and Samson flirted with the temptation of the forbidden, and as a result, disappointed God.

Leaders also need integrity—the inner strength to choose the rejection of men rather than to disappoint God. People often fail in life because of a fault in character, and a lack of integrity often underlies that problem.

Thompson stated that diligence is a quality that all leaders should strive to have, and that it is the mother of promotion. Quoting from Proverbs, Thompson clearly showed that the scriptures highlight the necessity of hard work for greater success and excellence in life.

The sixth attribute is possessing a successful attitude. This is the different spirit which Joshua and Caleb had that enabled them to enter the Promised Land. It is not the negative circumstances that will determine a person’s future but rather how he responds that will decide his destiny.

Finally, a leader must be a good finisher—to endure to the end regardless of the trials and tribulations that he faces. Dr. Thompson followed by sharing three laws of leadership: Never delay a decision which has to be made eventually; be specific when one has to get something done and to make one’s expectations clear of his followers. He further elaborated on four qualifications to be a leader and ended the message with an altar call for those who had fallen short of certain standards to ask God to make them better leaders.

Thompson ended the session with a short time of Q&A. Financial consultant Mary Tan, 43, asked Thompson how he handles betrayal personally. He answered that no one likes betrayal, that even Jesus was hurt by Judas’ act of disloyalty, but that time is the factor which will cause all evil to eventually reveal itself.

National serviceman Jireh Chew, 20, felt that the session was very ‘enlightening’ and was inspired to be the person that God has called him to be.

CHC member Louis Ling, 51, was deeply impacted by Dr. Thompson’s teaching and was encouraged by a greater understanding of leadership principles.

The session truly left the delegates hungry for more of the truth of God’s word.

At the Worship Leading workshop, Annabel Soh, Alison Yap and Teo Poh Heng shared some helpful tips on becoming an effective worship leader in the church.

CN PHOTOS: Ryan Ng

City Harvest Church’s three worship leaders, Annabel Soh, Alison Yap and Teo Poh Heng, shared their personal insights on leading worship in a church. To kickstart the session, Soh highlighted the importance of the voice; mentioning that it is an essential part of the leader. A worship leader also has to communicate the right emotions, learn to control breathing and vocal interpretation.

Soh also stressed the positive benefits of doing vocal warm-ups. Some examples of warm ups include lip trills where one lifts up the weight of the skin above the lips and blows air; proper breathing techniques where one has to breathe from the diaphragm, not from the lungs; and running vocal scales which help in pitching and vocal arpeggios. She added that warm-ups are especially important in the morning where the voice is fresh and raw.

The worship leader also has to know his or her songs well. Accents and emphasis on certain syllables and consonants are needed as it could express different feelings and emotions. Using two popular melodies, “Nothing is Impossible” by the Planetshakers and “Great is Our God” by Christian City Church as examples, Soh demonstrated the use of anticipated rhythms and accurate time measures to bring out the mood of the song. Another vital skill for a worship leader to have are giving clear hand signals; for example, using “1” to show verse, “2” to show Chorus, “3” to show the Bridge and a clenching of the fist to show the ending are also required.

Teo and Yap then exemplified a subset of worship leading—spontaneous worship. A common chord progression, the use of a “1645” or “6145”, was suggested for free worship. Yap had earlier shared that melancholic progressions are not advised as it is likley to convey a negative feel. To show the use of creative melodies to lead people into deep worship, the song “Sanctuary” by City Harvest Church was used.

“Instead of singing a few notes, we should express our love for God through beautiful melodies. One should also avoid repetition and have a good bank of fill-ins,” added Teo.

The form of a song and dynamics are also essential. An example of a well-planned form would be “Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Chorus”. Yap said that such a plan can vary between churches, depending on the needs of the ministry, and added that this form is subject to change based on the mood and atmosphere of the service.

Coming to the crux of the session, the trio highlighted that capturing the “God-moment” in the middle of worship is the most important aspect of a song. Teo explained, “Pastor Kong sometimes mentions that the longest distance between two points is the line between our mind and our heart. Our mind sometimes moves so quickly that our heart cannot catch up; we need to find rest in God.”

A believer’s feelings also need to be engaged with God in worship, otherwise it would become a religious duty. In 2 Kings 3:5, Elisha called for a musician. Explaining that regardless of one’s gifts, talents and abilities; without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the best that one can do is impress people yet completely miss out on changing and impacting lives.

The session called for an informal Q&A session where pertinent questions included how to motivate an unresponsive congregation. In response, Yap shared that the anointing breaks the yoke and one must try his/her best to bring people into worship. Another question dealt with handling emotions on stage to which Soh mentioned that one has to be concerned about people rather than self when it comes to leading worship.

You Hyun Deok from South Korea, 27, currently enrolled in the School of Theology expressed his thoughts, “I was impacted by the quality of the praise and worship in CHC. I hope to use this opportunity to learn about worship leading and improve my skill.”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” said anthropologist Margaret Mead. City Harvest Community Services Association embodies this.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHCSA

Since its establishment in March 1996, City Harvest Community Services Association has been serving people of all races, backgrounds and religions through eight different arms, catering to the underprivileged in society. A member of the National Council of Social Services, CHCSA is part of the Institute of Public Character and an ISO 9001:2000 certified organization.

Run by Darryl Loh, 29, along with eight full-time staff, CHCSA provided 19,196 services to 14,227 different individuals in 2009. Out of these, 6,369 were assisted on a regular basis.

The association reaches out to groups of people in society that are under-served for, including special needs individuals, abandoned or neglected elderly persons, financially needy families and children, youth at risk, individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis, terminally ill or HIV-positive patients, as well as ex-inmates.

With the whole of Singapore as its potential client base, CHCSA has collaborated with several government and health bodies as well as other religious groups to meet the needs of the community as efficiently as possible.

Take for instance, CHCSA’s blood donation drives. Since 2000, CHCSA has participated in the annual Joo Chiat Blood Donation Drive, jointly organized by Joo Chiat Citizens’ Consultative Committee, Joo Chiat Civil Defence Executive Committee, the Health Science Authority of Singapore and The Red Cross Society of Singapore. More than 13,400 donors have participated in these drives.

In more recent times, CHCSA has co-organized blood mobile exercises with institutes of differing faiths to foster communication and understanding, while contributing positively to the community. Last month on April 17, CHCSA was part of a tripartite collaboration with the Assayafaah Mosque and Jelutong Community Club, where people from different walks of lives streamed into the mosque to donate blood, facilitated by CHCSA.

Another partnered venture that CHCSA is involved in is with Ooosh! Hair Academy, a fashionable hair salon that doubles as an academy where youth at risk can acquire hairstyling skills to help set them on a career path. CHCSA’s role is to conduct job-readiness workshops to impart life skills and provide mentorship.

Events include programs with schools such as Mayflower Secondary, where activities are aimed at building stronger teacher-student bonds to facilitate a conducive learning environment. Another school program was OLE@Ngee Ann Secondary where students joined forces with senior citizens from CHCSA’s Community Outreach Program for the Elderly outreach and broke a national record by having the most number of people making paper lanterns. Out of the 370 students involved, many described the experience as meaningful and enriching, resulting in an increase appreciation toward the elderly.

COPE has been working hand-in-hand with the South East Community Development Council since 1999, making a difference in various housing estates in the Mountbatten and Potong Pasir constituencies, reaching out to close to 1,000 senior citizens.

“COPE is an initiative that was started to befriend the elderly, to raise awareness of elderly healthcare issues, to provide assistance to the elderly in cleaning their homes, to provide medical escort and grocery shopping assistance, as well as  to organize outings for the elderly,” said COPE’s program manager, Irene Ho, highlighting its purpose and vision. Volunteers and staff carry out home and hospital visits, meals and groceries delivery, and organize monthly community events to encourage socializing and interaction among elder citizens.

Events organized are not run-of-the-mill. These include excursions to places of interest in Singapore such as the Singapore Flyer, Night Safari and a religious harmony tour, where the elderly visited a Buddhist temple, a mosque, a Hindu temple and a Protestant church. This year, in honor of Mother’s Day, COPE organized a special Mrs Classic Queen beauty pageant during a luncheon setting for all its clients.

Throughout the year, volunteers of CHCSA visit elderly folk living by themselves, to help them clean up their homes and clear out clutter which might pose safety hazards to these residents who are alone in their twilight years.

CHCSA acknowledges that connecting with other community organizations in Singapore creates a synergy from which the community stands to benefit, citing the example of a recent tie-up with Thomson Medical Centre, a leading healthcare provider for women and children, where COPE beneficiaries received free AH1N1 vaccination as part of TMC’s CSR initiative.

As it continues to grow, CHCSA remains a lean organization to reduce operating costs and to channel as much funds as possible to beneficiaries, so more people can be helped. In many social service organizations, high burn-out rate within the human resource department is one of the key problems faced. “When the economy plunged and many in the workforce got retrenched, many switch career paths and joined community service agencies. Yet, without a genuine compassion and a real passion for the work we do here, it’s difficult for a person to remain in this line of work,” stresses Loh.

Incidentally, Loh herself interned at CHCSA when she was just an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, studying for her degree in social work and psychology. Said Loh, “I joined CHCSA because of the impact it had on my life during the internship. I witnessed the tirelessness of the staff and volunteers born out of true compassion, and decided that this is where I want to be.”

Upon her graduation in 2003, Loh sent out her first and only resume in her working life so far—to CHCSA. “And now, I see it as my role to inspire my staff to have the same genuine love for the community,” adds the soft-spoken mother of a 9-month old girl.

As a beacon of light shining in the community, CHCSA remains resilient in its efforts to bring about a positive change in the community, one life at a time.

Additional reporting by Jeremy Chua, Elizabeth Tan, Valerie Lim, Lau Ber-Nard, Yeo Zhi-Qi.

Kong Hee: “Let us (Christians) be both Savvy in Culture and Serious in the Faith”

Delegates at CGI-AC 2010 who were anticipating an explosive evening plenary session on the first day were not disappointed as founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church, Kong Hee delivered a pulsating message to rouse the faith of Christians and churches alike, in recapturing leadership in influential areas in society by engaging culture effectively.

As the CHC music team led the room in song, the evening opened with an exuberant Parade of Ministries preceded by a video encapsulating the history of City Harvest Church. Members and groups from CHC and its affiliate churches making an impact in the marketplace—from celebrities to top businesspeople—walked the stage as a precursor to Kong’s message that followed that evening. Then, a live showcase of the many ministries in the church—Hokkien, Chinese and Indonesian church, JAMs church, Children’s church and more. Trishaws circled the floor, followed by toy floats and a bevy of girls wearing balloon outfits.

All of it culminated in a brilliant lightshow and the full praise and worship session that brought down an electrifying presence of God. Dr. John Avanzini took the offering with a powerful message about visualizing as one sows, preparing the hearts of the congregation for the night’s main word from Kong Hee.

Before Kong began, he shared what he believed was the battle cry of the Holy Spirit; to raise up a generation of Christians in Asia who would be both savvy in culture and serious in the faith.

Engaging Culture Effectively

“For too long churches have adopted wrong mindsets that had led us in disengaging our culture,” said Kong. “No doubt popular culture has risen but church culture has decreased.”

Citing the story of John Wimber (1934 – 1997) who was a famous producer in the music industry in the early 1960s before he became a pastor as a classic example, Kong revealed how The Beatles had at one time approached Wimber to become their producer. However, due to the advice of the church that Wimber was attending as a young believer, he turned down the offer.

According to Kong, that church was against the association of the secular or popular culture. And he believed that things might have panned out differently if Wimber had accepted that offer as there would have been a high possibility that the members of The Beatles might have converted to Christianity given Wimber’s evangelistic fervour. It might have been that Christianity lost a potentially powerful and influential force in The Beatles.

Kong presented three types of thinking that account for the failure of churches to engage culture effectively. They are:

1. Cocooning—withdrawal and isolation
2. Combating—fight, resist and oppose
3. Conforming—compromise.

Being Culturally Savvy

Kong illustrated how it was possible for the Church to engage culture effectively without compromising the faith through the biblical example of Daniel, who was a highly favored servant of the king of Babylon during Babylonian’s reign over Israel.

The preacher explained that Daniel was successful and experienced upward mobility because of his maturity in learning the Babylonian culture, language and fashion. He even adopted a Babylonian name and took on a job in Babylon. In his time, Daniel was contemporary yet consecrated. He was serious about culture yet serious about his faith.

“When it came to learning the culture, arts, fashion and language of Babylon, Daniel accepted these outward practices. However, when it came to accepting the Babylonian’s diet of food, he rejected it as he understood that that was equivalent to submitting to their pagan idols. Daniel knew where to draw the line and not compromised his faith,” explained Kong.

Calling two-time Oscar winner, actor Denzel Washington a modern day “Daniel”. A Christian, Washington has made no secret of the line he draws—he may play a villain but either redemption or consequence must be communicated by the end of the movie.

In order for Christians to be savvy, Kong listed three things they can do:

1. Counter culture. Be aliens: in the world, but not of it. Look and perform like everyone else but within and in the ways that count, consecrated to the Lord.
2. Communicate in culture. Be ambassadors. Show genuine care and interest for people and their culture.
3. Create culture. Be artists. Be passionate about excellence and creativity in one’s art.

In Kong’s opinion, Denzel epitomised what a culturally savvy Christian ought to be in the entertainment industry—an artist who is deeply Christian.

Building On Spiritual Disciplines

With much of the beginning portion of his message firstly addressing the concerns of the conservative group of Christians, Kong turned his attention to the contemporary group of Christians.

He said, “The only way to become a successful Christian in the marketplace is to build (his or her life) on spiritual disciplines. These spiritual disciplines such as reading the Bible; prayer; fasting; praise and worship and thanksgiving; solitude; confession, repentance, forgiveness; and going to church—these are the spiritual undergirding support of one’s upward mobility.”

According to him, the gap between one’s upward mobility and lack of spiritual disciplines is called character deficit. The wider the gap, the greater the pressure exert on one’s character which will lead to burnout or to moral failure. In other words, failure in character is a failure in maintaining one’s spiritual disciplines.

“If we’re not careful in maintaining our spiritual disciplines, we will start to compromise on the faith,” said Kong. “Instead of us influencing the world, we in turn become vulnerable and get influenced by the world.”

In closing, Kong encouraged conservative Christians to engage the world and contemporary Christians to learn spiritual disciplines. He also explained that the intent of his message was not to undermine either conservative or contemporary Christians, but to marry both of their strengths to produce a successful ministry in bringing the gospel to the world.

“Let’s live in balance,” exhorted Kong, “being culturally savvy Christians who love God and His word.”

Pre-Service Event: Word Power Challenge

In the session leading up to the winning team for the finals of this year’s Word Power Challenge had been decided after emerging among the three teams with the highest scored points.

This year’s winner was an all-Indonesian team: Bernard Ricardo,Yoanna Arlina and Lusiana Saptura from Team 3. They had to pit against two other teams in two rounds of games before clinching the top spot.

The first round was based on memory power which all team members had to memorize a total of 100 Scriptural verses and had to be prepared to recite any three of them. The recital had to be done word for word (including punctuation) with each member taking one word. And the second round was a test of general knowledge of the Bible with 10 multiple choice questions that had to be snatched in order to get a chance to answer.

Leader of Team 3, Ricardo, a 25-year old teacher said, “It was not easy to win this. We had to manage the stress and nervousness competing live on stage and more importantly a lot of preparation was required for the team had to work together to memorize the verses.”

Each member of the winning team walked away with a Hewlett-Packard mini netbook. The other two teams who came in second and third were awarded a Canon digital camera and Apple iPod Touch respectively.