Strikeforce is a 60-strong high-energy gospel percussion group in City Harvest Church that has performed at events locally and overseas.

CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan

The brainchild of City Harvest Church drummer, Tan Boon, Strikeforce is a passionate group of like-minded musicians who share a common goal: to use their talents to serve God through beats and rhythms. To date, the team has performed in several major national events like the National Day Parade as well as the Chingay festival held every February. They have also been invited overseas to perform in music festivals.

All this success did not come without hard work and commitment. Strikeforce started in 2005 with humble beginnings, recruiting individuals (mostly without any drumming background), taking used trash bins and containers and recycling them as portable drums. Their first few gigs were mostly performed in their home church, CHC. As they began to expand their repertoire of percussive performances, their innovative spirit caught the attention of other people and organizations, which soon led to invitations to perform outside the church.

One such innovation was the creation of a portable drumming machine called the Urban Drum Machine. The UDM has automated water dispensers and LEDs attached beneath the drum skins and produces fascinating lighting effects with every hit made by the musicians. The device was entirely invented by Strikeforce members and is a good example of the team’s constant drive to improve their art.

Apart from that, Strikeforce continues to push its boundaries by experimenting with different drumming styles, such as Chinese drums and body percussion. They also use other drumming props, such as household items like frying pans, forks and spoons. Within CHC, Strikeforce members have also recently started to introduce the use of cajóns (percussion boxes) during cell group meetings and zone meetings. The cajóns accompany the worship leader and guitarist or band during the praise and worship segment of these meetings.

Strikeforce training sessions are held weekly on Sunday evenings. At each session, Strikeforce musicians will practice the drumming sequences, rehearse performance routines, and acquire new drumming techniques and rhythms. Training intensifies as upcoming performances or gigs draw close.

Jasmine Liew, 23, a student, recalls, “I first joined Strikeforce five years ago when I witnessed the Strikeforce ministry performing the song ‘Crossing Over’ during Asia Conference 2008. Though I did not have any musical or drumming background, I told myself I wanted to be like them. So I plucked up all my courage and signed up for the ministry. Till this day, I have never regretted that decision. To me, serving with Strikeforce is living out the Cultural Mandate. We have had the opportunity to perform at events, both local and overseas, to showcase the love, creativity and excellence of God,” she recalled.

Even with its string of successes, Strikeforce does not believe in remaining stagnant. Moving forward, Strikeforce aims to further enlarge the target of their ministry to other local and overseas churches to impact congregations.

In fact connections have already been made for “percussion-fueled” mission trips to Indonesia and Malaysia. There are also plans to partner with local charitable organizations to further spread the love and joy of drumming.

To be a part of this exciting ministry, all you need is a pair of drumsticks, tons of commitment and a burning passion to learn. For more information, please email [email protected].

Identifying the root cause of eczema is imperative to effective treatment.

Contributed By Madeline Chua

PHOTO: Shutterstock

While it is not a common topic in our everyday conversations, eczema is a huge concern and source of frustration amongst those suffering from it. It is a chronic skin disorder characterized by itchy, dry, cracked, rough and flaky skin. The rashes may be dry and flaky or wet and weepy.  The commonly affected areas are inside elbow joints, behind the knees, neck, hands, palms and feet. Often, the skin will flare up followed by periods of improvement. The most unbearable aspect of the affliction is the itch—it gets worse at night, to the point that it can interfere with sleep.

Eczema sufferers may be under-nourished as eczema has a high correlation with nutrient imbalance caused by a poor diet and absorption of nutrients. They may also be overweight as those with eczema tend to shy away from exercise due to their tendency to develop rashes when they perspire. It may also be a side effect attributed to the usage of steroid medication in the treatment of eczema. They often suffer from low self-esteem, helplessness and frustration about their condition.

In a series of workshops conducted by Body Inc. on eczema and other skin problems in July, in-house clinical herbalist Alina Uchida shed light on the causes of eczema as well as the treatments available to help rebalance the body’s digestive and immune systems in order to tackle eczema at the root.

Uchida, who holds a degree in Complementary Medicine, Diploma in Botanical Medicine and a Diploma in Aromatherapy, said, “The causes of eczema are often hereditary, dietary or external—like chemical exposure, climate, dust mites or stress. But while you may be unable to control hereditary or external factors, you can control eczema by eating wisely.  Fast food and processed food as well as eggs and diary products are some examples of food to avoid; they aggravate eczema.”

Some of the standard treatments for eczema include corticosteroids, antihistamines, antibiotics and immune suppressants. However, these treatments aim to provide only symptomatic relief, in that they target and minimize flare-ups of symptom such as itching and inflammation. As such, they do not tackle the root problem of eczema, which could be an imbalance in nutrient or body system.

Furthermore, prescription drugs may cause side effects including weight gain and mood swings, or trigger other allergies, explained Uchida. “Prolonged dependence on antibiotics is also not advisable as the antibiotics can destroy the good gut bacteria that are responsible for maintaining a good immune system.”

Uchida concluded the session by recommending seven types of treatments for better skin.  “Eliminating the allergens/irritants, cleansing the internal body systems, restoring the immune system, building up good lymphatic support, maintaining good nutrition, managing stress, and consuming herbs and essential oils are all necessary steps for good skin.”

For more details on eczema and/or other health workshops, contact Body Inc. at +65 6333 5656.  For more health tips, tune in to FM Gold 90.5 between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays.

Preventing ill health from even beginning—that’s the mission of Healthystars, a personal wellness chain of stores.

CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan

John Lynn Chien Yu, 52, is the founder and clinical nutritionist of Healthy-stars, a chain of personal wellness stores that offers diagnostics systems, coupled with the use of preventive solutions.

Lynn has a business degree and a post-diploma in nutrition. He is now pursuing a Masters in Human Nutrition at the Deakin University of Melbourne, renowned for its life sciences and nutrition programs.

Prior to entering the field of nutrition, the fit father of three grown children was in healthcare information technology for two decades, and used to work for multi-national corporations dealing with information systems for hospitals and other organisations.

A turning point of his life came when he got to know Professor Wong P.K., the former dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, who taught him a great deal about nutrition.

Inspired, Lynn traveled to the United States and visited a number of health and nutrition companies. He became acquainted with many nutritionists and elderly professors who were in the pink of health despite their advanced age. They had an innate understanding of the body’s self-healing properties, and Lynn gleaned many valuable insights from them. His orientation of health changed from medicine and intervention to holistic wellness—“The healing of our bodies is innate and problems occur only when there are too many obstacles in its way of healing.”

Lynn’s passion for wellness and nutrition was further solidified when a string of health crises struck his family in the late 1990s. His sister-in-law, auntie and mother were diagnosed with cancer, and it was extremely difficult for him to watch them cope with the ravages of the disease, and the chemotherapy treatment. “It was an extremely stressful period watching them suffer­—I found the treatments to be draconian.”

He began to use his knowledge of nutrition that was gained over the years to help them. His sister-in-law had an egg-sized tumor in her breast, and the cancer spread to her brain. She was given a month to live by her doctors, but is miraculously alive and well today. Another sister-in-law of Lynn accepted his advice on lifestyle changes and was also cured of diabetes.

Despite these successes, Lynn recognizes that disease is the domain of medicine; Healthystars does not deal with disease. Unlike doctors, he does not treat cancer or diabetes, but aims to improve his patients’ eight bodily functions, which include metabolism and circulation. When all these systems are functioning properly, those who are ill are more likely to get well and recover from serious, life-threatening diseases ­—“The solution is to go back to how the health problem came about. We are never medicine deficient, but we commonly eat deficient food.”

He takes heart in knowing that he has made a difference in the lives of others. One particularly memorable example was when a lecturer from a local university was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through one round of chemotherapy and it made her so sick and depressed, she wanted to give up the battle with cancer there and then. She visited Lynn at Healthystars and was certified cancer-free after one year.

“Cancer patients should not just fight the battle at the tumor level, for it is at the end of the production line. The battle must be fought from the beginning to the end. Your mindset and overall well-being also matter. It is also important that we starve the tumor and deplete it of the nutrients that it requires—such as fake estrogen from foods containing animal steroids,” says Lynn.

Having seen countless people suffer from cancer, Lynn is determined to do his part to help cancer patients get better. “Cancer killed seven percent of our population in the 1950s, and now the number has shot up to 30 percent within one generation. This is abnormal. I believe this has to do with the fact that we live in a chemical-laden world, where our food items contain many chemicals­—a fact that is unbeknownst to many. For example, do you know that fishballs contain polymer, a fabric strengthener? Knowledge is very important.”

With his passion for helping as many people as possible regain their health in a holistic way, Lynn established Healthystars three years ago in Plaza Singapura, and opened another outlet in Raffles City Shopping Centre two months ago. He has further plans for expansion in Singapore, and also intends to teach as many people as possible what he knows about health and nutrition.

At Healthystars, Lynn and his team use the latest diagnostics equipment to find out the status of their patients’ health and advise them on how to improve upon it. He spends approximately an hour with each patient trying to find out what lifestyle changes they need to make, to effect positive changes in their health.

Apart from cancer and diabetic patients, Lynn has also treated patients who are obese and cannot lose weight despite exercising and dieting. He regularly organises health talks free-of-charge for organizations such as Seng Kang Secondary School, the Autistics Association of Singapore and OCBC.

• Minimize the use of plastic food/drink containers.

• Eradicate foods with animal steroids, which are commonly fed to farm-bred fish like Pacific Dory and seabass, as well as common livestock like cattle to speed up their growth, from your diet.

• Reduce intake of processed and artificial foods such as Spam, sausages and hamburgers.

• Minimize intake of food chemicals such as preservatives, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium benzoate and nitrates which are commonly found in sauces such as soya sauce and tomato ketchup.

• Incorporate more whole grain foods and real food i.e. non-processed meats and vegetables into your daily diet.

• Take nutritional supplements to ensure your body has enough nutrients.

Healthystars
68 Orchard Road
#B2-04 Plaza Singapura
Tel: +65 6336 3311
www.healthystars.info

The Chinese congregation in City Harvest Church gears up for a season of family-themed events.

Contributed By Koh Yong Hui

CN PHOTO: Kenneth Tan

In 2009, the City Harvest Chinese Church organized five successful weeks of after-church activities for their members and friends. Dubbed “Wu Da Huan Xi” or “Five Weeks of Joy & Fun”, the event was well received and saw maximum participation from people of all ages. As such, the organizers decided to hold another similar event again this year with an emphasis on forging closer relationships among the families and members in their congregation.

The theme for this year revolves around the family—referring to the love that is found within the church as well as in the home. For the next five weeks beginning this Sunday Sep. 19, there will be activities held after the Chinese service where members can participate in together with their families and friends.

According to Natalie Teo, 35, an administration officer for the Chinese Church, these events help the people to interact with others outside a church setting. Through this, “we can introduce CHC as a wholesome place for the family,” she added. With many weeks of planning prior to this, the organizers have looked into the details of the event to ensure that the different activities caters to everyone—from the youngest to the oldest member.

Chinese Church members and their friends can look forward to interesting and enriching weeks ahead. There will be a collage board design contest where individuals will bring their chosen momento that represents their favorite moment with their family during the five weeks. Together with other members from their own cell group, they will then need to piece together these photos or souvenirs as a collage and then create the most meaningful story or testimony from it. To encourage family participation, there will also be games for families.

The cell group led by Kong Sai Kian took part in the most number of events in the 2009 event and emerged as the overall winner in terms of participation. In remembering her experience the previous year, she shared that “winning or losing is not really that important. What matters most is that everyone had fun!” This year, Kong and her members are all geared up again for the coming weeks ahead.

Other activities include a chess match, a mooncake-making demonstration, a fashion design competition, a DIY cake design display, and two contests: Funniest Photograph and Best Home Video. The five weeks will culminate in a gala dinner held at a Chinese restaurant at SAFRA Mount Faber.

Even as the Chinese Church looks forward to five weeks of fun-filled events, organizers hope that many of the members will use the opportunity to invite their non-churched friends and relatives and spend time with them. It is not about scoring the most points or attending as many activities as possible, but the aim is to “focus more on the process of participation where we can help build stronger relationships in the process,” Teo concluded.

The activities will be held every weekend after the Chinese service from Sep. 19 to Oct. 17 at the Jurong West St. 91 church premises.

Youths bond and learn about teamwork during a two-day camp at East Coast Park.

Contributed By Gideon Foo Cechao

On Friday Sep. 10, about 100 youths from the YK zone in City Harvest Church gathered for a two-day camp named Night Out! @ The Beach. The venue of the camp was located along a quiet stretch of East Coast Park near the Outward Bound School. According to Johnson Hay, the camp commandant, East Coast Park was chosen because of the proximity of the beach. Many weeks of preparation preceded, and the camp organizers had a fun and enriching program for everyone.

The wet weather did not dampen the spirits of the campers as they braved the rain to pitch their tents. When the rain subsided, games commenced with the campers in different teams, engaging in challenging tasks—from passing hardboiled eggs with their mouths to sliding through soapy water and flour. After clearing these obstacles, the campers had to further endure a grueling 1.5km run. The teams showed great unity as they encouraged one another and ran together to the finishing line.

That evening, the campers relaxed around the barbecue pits and enjoyed a spread of delicious beef patties, satay and chicken wings. Nearby, a campfire was set up creatively using bamboo poles and colorful lanterns surrounding it to commemorate the Mid-Autumn Festival. There was a sense of camaraderie as people gathered around the fire to sing and play games. At one point, the team leaders taught a “friendship dance” routine to the campers who gleefully and gamely danced around the campfire.

CN PHOTOS: Jere Chong

The camp was not complete without the night adventure game called “Pirates of ECP” where team members had to locate and retrieve all their team flags from a tower filled with booby traps. Two teams showed extraordinary synergy and evaded the ferocious “pirates,” resisting the constant bombardment of water bombs as they bashed through meshes of string to retrieve their flags. On the second day of the camp, beach games were the highlight as teams engaged in physical activities like tug-of-war, and memory games to test their mental prowess.

Camp-goers also shared several moments in prayer and worship throughout the brief overnight stay. On the second day, a shuttle bus was hired to ferry the campers to the Singapore Expo for CHC’s service with Dr. Phil Pringle, after which everyone headed back to camp for the closing ceremony. Prizes were awarded to the winning team and to outstanding campers who showed a great sporting attitude throughout the event.

Yuan Wenling, the zone leader in-charge of the camp, commended everyone for their participation and positive spirit. “Despite the uncomfortable conditions, all of you stayed on and made the camp a memorable one. In the race of life sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. However it is not only about the destination but the journey; about the strong helping the weak, about the friendship ties that we have built and deepened,” she said to the campers, affirming their unity.

Jowell Chua, 20, who was awarded the best female camper said, “I didn’t expect to win the award, it is by God and for Him! Through this camp, I have learned about working together, being united and helping others.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by Roger Sim, 19, a national serviceman who said, “It was an enjoyable experience and I learned about the importance of building team spirit. It is about one for all, and all for one!”

Youth volunteers channel their energy into a home makeover for an underprivileged family.

Contributed By Jamie Koh

Thanks to a joint project between the People Of Destiny youth centre and Glenn Lim Consultancy, an agency which specializes in youth programs, Mrs. Ithnin and her family celebrated their Hari Raya in style this year. Through the Extreme Makeover Home Edition event, nine student volunteers came together in their overalls to give her house a new paint job on Sep. 2.

Turning up at the family’s home in Tampines around noon time, 15-year-old student in-charge Lee Jiacai briefed them on the work that would be carried out. The youths then proceeded to move the furniture around in preparation for the painting works, and divided themselves into three teams to paint the living room, kitchen and the toilet.

Although it was the first time the young volunteers had worked on a project such as this, they set about their task for the day like seasoned workers, under the guidance of a professional painter from social enterprise The New Charis Mission, who had volunteered to coach them. The atmosphere was lively as the volunteers cheerfully went about their work, excited to put their newly acquired skills to use.

After completing the paint job, the youths also helped to clean up the house. The whole task was completed in five and a half hours. It was time well-spent as Ithnin commented with a big smile, “The work done is very good, and the students are very friendly.” Going a step further, the volunteers bought a meal of nasi padang for the family to break fast with that day.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF POD

The change at the end of the day was not only seen within the walls of the house. The students acquired a greater sense of social awareness by stepping into the world of those less privileged, and were grateful for the chance to serve and be empowered to make a change in the lives of others.

POD program executive Alvin Low commented that through meaningful projects such as this, the youth volunteers are able to make a difference in the community one family at a time, and in doing so, catch a vision and a sense of purpose larger than themselves.

Ithnin and her family were selected for this project through Ms. Irene Ng, Member of Parliament for the Tampines GRC and writer-in-residence for the Institute of South-East Asian Studies, who met them during one of her walk-about sessions. Upon seeing the results of the project, Ng commented that she was very proud of the youth volunteers and gave a thumbs-up, as it was an example of the National Pledge put into action—a community reaching out to each other regardless of race, language or religion.

POD is a youth center formed by the City Harvest Community Services Association in 2007 in collaboration with Tampines Changkat Citizen’s Consultative Committee and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. With a mission to tackle youth-related issues while inspiring in youth-at-risk a passion for purposeful living, POD provides holistic youth services for residents of the Tampines GRC through its various workshops, programs and activities.

If you are involved in community work and would like to collaborate with POD on community projects, email them at [email protected] or [email protected].

A gastronomical eye-opener awaits those who venture beyond the familiar pho to other Vietnamese delicacies at Madam Saigon.

One of the pioneers of the Vietnamese dining scene in Singapore, Madam Saigon’s owner Carlene Ng, admits that the cuisine is still pretty much an “alternative” option among diners. After all, cooking methods tend toward the “raw” side, and features a liberal usage of fresh herbs, some of which are admittedly an acquired taste. It is definitely nowhere as mainstream as, say, Thai food, explains the ex-banker, whose grandmother is Vietnamese. These, however, are the characteristics that make Vietnamese food a unique cuisine in itself, one that goes way beyond the more commonplace pho.

On a menu well-balanced with noodle or rice dishes and side bites, the Salad Trio (S$9.50) puts the conventional garden salad to shame, with its well-thought out range of sensations and execution. From the light, refreshing sweet-tangy-salty taste of the Papaya Prawn Salad, the flavor-meter edges upwards with the sharper, more pungent zing of the Mango Shrimp Salad and finally the spicy, laksa-flavored Chicken Salad.

The Net Prawn Roll (S$7.90), a savory cornucopia of minced chicken, fish, carrot, taro and ear mushroom, makes another worthy appetizer. The attention to detail pays off—by using only rice paper imported from Vietnam, the roll soaks up minimal grease when it is fried, so that almost no oil oozes out when bitten into. The Sugarcane Prawn (S$7.90), a mini drumstick of tasty minced prawn meat wrapped around a juicy sugarcane stick, packs an equally appetizing punch, while the quintessential Prawn Summer Roll (S$8.90), a simple wrap of springy fresh rice noodles, mint leaves, prawns and juicy bean sprouts, comes with two dips—a sweet fermented bean paste and a salty fish sauce. We kept alternating between the two as we could not decide which was better. The grilled Betel Leaf Beef (S$9.90), one of the more unique dishes, is another palate pleaser, with the betel leaf infusing the beef rolled inside it with subtle, grassy-peppery flavors.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MADAM SAIGON

Our main dish, the Lemongrass Beef With Vermicelli (S$10.50) is Vietnamese simplicity at its best, comprising cold noodles tossed with fresh basil and mint, strips of cucumber and well-marinated slices of beef, and drizzled with fish sauce. Another signature dish here is the Fish Hotpot (S$19.50). Served with vermicelli, it comprises a bubbling broth of assam skin, pineapple, yam, tomato and lady finger, with its distinctive, heady aroma coming from the saw leaf and mint tree leaf.

As with any respectable Vietnamese dining outlet, you can get a cup of the famed Vietnamese Coffee (S$3.50) here, served in a traditional metal drip filter, no less. The difference, explains Ng, is that the coffee beans are roasted with cocoa beans, rendering a more full-bodied yet not burnt aroma. It’s the perfect cuppa for those who like their coffee thick and sweet.

Despite the fact that the Vietnamese dining scene is not too competitive (yet), Madam Saigon does not let up on its standards, and newly converted fans like us are grateful for that.

Madam Saigon
9 Raffles Boulevard,
#01-26 Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6338 3831

Phil Pringle shares the keys to effective church planting in keeping with the Great Commission.

CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan

Phil Pringle, senior minister of Christian City Church in Oxford Falls, Sydney, returned to City Harvest Church last weekend to preach a message of deliverance from Psalm 27.  “There’s no affliction that the Lord will not deliver us from,” said Pringle. “He always has a solution even before a problem happens.”

C3 is anchored in Australia but has congregations around the world from Africa to The Netherlands to Atlanta, U.S.A.
City News caught up with him for a chat about the C3 Movement.

What is distinctive about C3 as a church planting movement?

The C3 movement started in 1980 when it was not common for churches to be modern, current and relevant to our world. Taking advantage of every modern facility has always been a pursuit of ours.

However, equally distinctive is our pursuit of the various expressions of the Holy Spirit as I believe we must and can be Spirit-filled without looking or being weird as the apostle Paul exhorted the church in Corinthians.

Relationship rates high as well. Instead of feeling being part of an organization, there’s a sense of being part of a family in our movement. The C3 movement is about being a contemporary, soul-winning and disciple-making church that brings hope, faith and love to the world.

What else do you feel is a core attribute of C3 members?

Faith, hope and love are the three core values that we aim to see come alive in our members when they attend our church; that they will become receivers and givers of faith, hope, and love.

The C3 movement presently has 250 churches worldwide with a 2020 vision to reach a total of 1,000 churches. What do you feel is critical in achieving this vision in the next 10 years?

In the next 10 years, we are primarily focusing on the younger generation. It is critical that they can carry on what the movement has been doing into the next era.

We are looking to identify and train 750 pastors, 750 worship leaders, 750 administrators, 750 team players involving children, youth, men and existing ministries. This will partly be achieved with our online C3 college and existing Bible college in Sydney.
In our C3 churches, we have also initiated apprenticeships between older and younger men where they (younger men) can learn how to do church as apprentices. To us, discipleship is the bottomline. Most of the C3 churches planted have been started by people in their 20s and 30s.

And how do you ensure that the movement maintains its distinctiveness as it expands?

Our global movement is divided into nine regions that are respectively pastored by nine directors. We talk regularly, once a week, or at least once a month. We also organize 14 conferences worldwide to gather leaders and members together to impart the C3 vision and values of what we are all about. Though it doesn’t guarantee that things will work the way we hope it would, generally these are what we do to maintain our distinctiveness.

What do you feel are the greatest challenges facing the local C3 churches and the larger network? How are these overcome?

Our greatest challenge is apathy, because as churches get bigger, people get more comfortable. It is a known fact that the fastest growth spurt for a church is when it reaches the region of 150 to 250 people. Therefore, keeping that growth momentum is important. And one of the main growth impediments is when pastors do not delegate their responsibilities upon reaching the 250 mark.

There are several common reasons for this. Pastors may not like delegating their responsibilities as they like what they’re doing or don’t trust and believe in people, or are not prepared to train others because they desire to be the only minister in the church rather than allow others to rise up. Delegation becomes a major sticking point.

In my opinion, small-minded leadership is keeping today’s churches small. The average size of a church today is 70 people when it’s supposed to be 700. There’s a need for bigger-minded leaders with a greater capacity to take the Church into the future.
In our movement, we invite our leaders to our big churches. For instance, one of the requirements for the students on our online C3 college is to be attached with our church for one month. Now, they’re confronted with a budget of a million dollars for a year instead of a budget of a thousand dollars. This helps them to be exposed and develop a mindset of how a big church thinks. So when they go out and start a church, their mind has already been expanded.

“Connection” or being connected (relationship) is one of the core DNA strands running through C3 Global, affecting the individual church member. How is this done and why is it so important?

The base line of being connected in C3 is our connect groups or what you call cell groups at CHC. Generally, our groups are zoned according to these priorities: relationships, age, commonality and geography. We also have homogenous groups such as business people, junior high students, university students and adults. Every C3 church will have these two main types of groups spread out that help in building enriching relationships.

Then in the movement, we have cluster groups that are zoned according to levels that refer to the size of the church they belong to. For instance, we group our people from 100 to 200-sized, 200 to 500-sized and above 1,000-sized churches when we gather for our conferences. And we speak to them accordingly in empowering them to go up to the next level.

A C3 church is about to be unveiled in Hong Kong. What are your thoughts about this new addition to the C3 Global family?
This will be a great church that is starting from nothing with a group that consist primarily of university students and business people. What excites me about this new addition is the potential of touching China.

Asia is becoming a new area for us but also the fastest-growing with the African region. There’s no doubt there’s a move of God in Asia and we are merely attempting to ride that wave. We feel that our C3 churches fit nicely with the progressive nations in Asia.

Dr. Phil, you are such a good friend of CHC. Can you tell us a story about your friendship with Pastor Kong and Sun that few people know?

I first met them at one of our conferences in Sydney. And they were actually on their honeymoon. That really impressed me. Subsequently, they invited me to speak at a CHC event. This was held in a huge warehouse that could possibly sit 10,000.
But at that event, there were at most 200 people. There and then, I was impressed with Kong Hee’s big vision. But more than that, we feel that we share this divine or God connection. Since our first meeting, we have become committed friends who would do anything for each other.

Jackson Yap, founder of web-hosting company APC Hosting, is grabbing a position at the forefront of cloud computing.

CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan

The Internet has seen vast changes and advancement since its inception in the late 1960s. Nowadays, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are everyday “necessities” that the forefathers of Internet could not have dreamed of.

What allows these websites to be accessible via the worldwide web are companies like APC Hosting, which provides services that allow individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible via the Internet, giving them their own web and email address.

APC Hosting had its humble beginnings in 2003 when its founder and managing director, the then-18-year-old Jackson Yap, began his web-hosting interests during his junior college years. In the last seven years, Yap has nurtured APC Hosting from a simple web hosting service provider using purchased hosting packages from another company into a premium and comprehensive web hosting company that uses cutting-edge cloud computing infrastructure.

“Recent developments in IT see a move toward cloud computing, like what Amazon is providing now, and also a move towards Software as a Service (SaaS) as well as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). APC Hosting has moved our hosting platform which was previously on a single server platform to cloud computing, for better scalability, performance control, as well as for greener computing due to a reduction in energy consumption from hardware,” says Yap, explaining this technological trend.

“Unlike some web-hosting companies, APC is totally responsible, that’s why we have been in business for more than seven years. We’ve heard of many orphaned customers whose web hosts just shut down suddenly, leaving their company or business websites stranded,” describes Yap. “We stand out by the quality of the support we provide. It is not just support, but truly caring about our customers and what they have.” The company’s tagline, hence, is “Your Success Is Our Business”.

“It means we care about whether all is going well for them or not,” explains Yap. “We are not just doing this for profit’s sake.”

Some of APC Hosting’s more prominent clientele now include the Ministry Of Education, Abacus Investment Holding Pte Ltd, and Lifeline Heart Centre. But things were not always this smooth sailing for Yap.

“One of the toughest times running the web-hosting service was during national service. As I was posted to a full combat unit, I was training most of the time. I could only pray for the hosting servers to encounter no problems so that hosting services would not be affected,” laughs Yap.

Business aside, this young man takes the time to focus on the spiritual aspects of his life as well. “Being a connect group coordinator, and a cell group leader in training, I do need to glorify God in my business, and also set time aside to sow into the lives of my members without affecting my business operations.”

Yap, a School Of Theology graduate, actively applies teachings of the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, and the Cultural Mandate to his business. “By obeying the Great Commandment, which is to love people, I treat customers and their company with respect and love,” says Yap. “To fulfill the Great Commission in our business, we try to bring our hosting and design services to as many companies and individuals as possible through our reach.”

He concludes, “To fulfill the Cultural Mandate, we’ve been actively involved in corporate social responsibility, providing web hosting sponsorship to non-profit organizations, schools, communities and projects which play a part in benefiting the society.”

Other problems that Yap faced in setting up his own business include having irregular income, no stable job, parental objection, lack of funds and on-the-job learning. Even with all these concerns, Yap still plans to forge ahead and make APC Hosting the leading web-hosting company in Singapore.

Says Yap. “Always seek God for wisdom and direction and lean not on your own understanding.”

On a practical note, Yap adds, “Prepare to work harder than you imagine, but stay passionate in all that you all doing.”

APC Hosting
www.apc.sg

The FIRST Hand ministry looks beyond the daunting challenge of providing palliative care to meet the physical and emotional needs of the terminally-ill.

Contributed By Mavis Toh

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHCSA

He had been a volunteer in the FIRST Hand ministry for barely a year when his first charge passed away. For months, navy specialist Herman Lim had been visiting the HIV patient and at their last meeting, promised to bring him for a walk at East Coast Park the coming weekend. “But the next day I received a call informing me that he had passed away,” recalled Lim. “He had a cardio attack; everything happened so suddenly.”

That was in 2003 when Lim was still a rookie volunteer with City Harvest Community Services Association’s FIRST Hand ministry, which reaches out to HIV/Aids patients by providing them with much-needed palliative care and emotional support. Now a service head of the ministry, Lim has witnessed more than a few deaths but the 35-year-old is not about to quit. “Every patient has taught me something by sharing their life story with me, and I’ve learned to slow down, take stock of my own life and treasure my friends and family,” he said.

At a certificate presentation ceremony on Sep. 4 at the RELC International Hotel, the ministry welcomed 13 new volunteers on board, all of whom have completed four three-hour training sessions conducted by doctors and nurses from Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Through those four sessions, the volunteers not only learned about the medical aspects of HIV and Aids, but also the other scopes of palliative care including nutritional support and counseling, as the patients come face-to-face with end-of-life issues.

To encourage the newcomers, senior volunteers Robin Neo and Serena Ong shared the ups and downs of serving in FIRST Hand. Recounting the heart-wrenching cases they had encountered over their past five years of service, they underscored the importance of the ministry’s work. “There was a patient in his 50s who had been warded for six months, but no friends and family came to visit him. Each time when he saw the volunteers, he would raise his hand and reach out to us,” Ong said. “That was when I realized that although I was not his family, I could still provide him with emotional support.” The man passed away some months later.

One of the 30 senior volunteers presented with a token of appreciation for their years of service, Ong shared that it was her mother’s battle with stomach cancer three years ago that made her realize the importance and value of the volunteers’ support to the terminally-ill. Though her family members rallied around her mother and accompanied her for every treatment session, there were still times when they found her weeping in despair. “I asked myself, ‘If someone with such strong family support can fall into depression, what about those with no family?’ That was what kept me going in this ministry,” said Ong.

Visits are made to the Communicable Disease Centre as well as the patients’ home every week without fail, where besides befriending and providing patients with emotional support, volunteers also provide touch therapy through massage and music therapy to help patients process their emotions.

Since it first began with only a handful of volunteers in 1998, FIRST Hand has grown into an 80-strong team. When asked what keeps him going in this ministry, Lim says, “We may feel like we’re doing something for these patients. But in the process of serving them each week, I feel that I’ve received and learned much more from them than I have given.”