PHOTOS: Tina Ho

Zone Secretary Claire Yeo explained the purpose behind the meetings.

“Tan wanted to equip the members to be more effective in their penetration into the marketplace, living out the message of the cultural mandate and in so doing, winning souls into the Kingdom.” In essence, the purpose of Marketplace Explosion was to inspire the members in CK Zone to explode in evangelism in their campuses and workplaces.

During the meeting, Tan preached about the story of the four men and the paralytic and challenged the members to be like the four men who broke through four barriers to achieve their desired breakthrough — the paralytic’s healing. He also stirred the members and challenged them to think big and not to be restrained in their dreams and visions. The key to the four men’s success was the desperation they had in them. More than dreams, diligence and desire, it was the desperation the four men had in them that propelled them towards their breakthrough.

Indeed, we can only wait with bated breath to see what breakthrough God has in store for the 1,200-strong CK Zone as they cry out in desperation for a Marketplace Explosion.

Lao Beijing

Where: Plaza Singapura #03-01

Nestled in modernity of Plaza Singapura, stepping into Lao Beijing would seem like a journey into the past. Modelled after an ancient inn, the ambience is cozy and makes one feel right at home. The service was also easy going and readied us for a good meal.

Although hardly considered a North Chinese delicacy that the restaurant is famous for, we ordered “popiah” (vegetable and turnip roll in chinese crepe) which stands out as a healthy alternative and were pleasantly surprised. The key ingredients were made to perfection! The turnips were tender and cooked to the right moisture. Also, the chilli served cut right through the mix but was not overwhelming.

Ordering some of their house specials, we were also impressed by the Beijing-style fried shredded pork and leek with the Chef’s special sauce and Fried french beans with ground pork and minced fried shrimp. These dishes were unique and well-done, passing the taste-buds test with flying colors!

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Lao Beijing. However, we do note that the meals were slightly pricey at about S$20 to S$25 per person. Yet, we believe you will nonetheless enjoy this culinary delight.

Rating:

The late Dr Edwin Louis Cole, founder of the Christian Men’s Network, coined the phrase, “You’re a male by birth but a man by choice.”

Following this mantra, the men in City Harvest Chinese Church made a conscious decision to take up their God-given responsibilities and maximize their manhood at a series taught this year, which was open solely to men.

Tan Ye Peng, City Harvest’s deputy senior pastor who also oversees City Harvest’s Chinese Church, taught a series on Maximized Manhood for the male members of the Chinese Church.

PHOTOS: Daniel Poh

Tan talked about the purpose and responsibilities of men, and challenged the men in the audience to take up the role of leader in their families. He also encouraged them to have more fellowship and networking among themselves.

The men rose to the occasion and started to play a more active leadership role as husband and father in the family. Many wives and children testified that this has led to the strengthening of family ties.

To encourage male bonding and networking, an outing was organized. The men took a walk along the Southern Ridges, from Mount Faber Park to West Coast Park. Following the walk, the men shared and networked over dinner. It was a fruitful and enjoyable time for attendees.

The walk was organized by Loke Kit, 46, a construction professional. He said, “Most of the time, even in our own cell groups, we only hang out for half an hour or so after the meeting ends. There is hardly any time for in-depth communication or fellowship. This outing gave us a chance to get to know one another better.” The walk was hailed a success by the men and is the start of more to come.

The Men’s Ministry in the Chinese Church has proved such a hit that even the women in Chinese Church are requesting for a Women’s Ministry to be started!

SINGAPORE, 22 NOVEMBER 2008 — THE INAUGURAL ASIA Conference was not just about power-packed sessions or exciting competitions, it was also about saving lives with practical actions. On 21 and 22 November 2008, a blood donation drive was held at Singapore Expo Hall 10, where a total of more than 200 members of City Harvest Church (CHC) donated one packet of their blood each to help save lives.

Over two days, people of all ages, from all walks of life came together to perform an act that was selfless in every sense of the word. They’d never meet the person who would benefit from their giving, but are content with the knowledge that they are doing something to make another person’s life better.

The idea of blood donation was conceived by founder of CHC Kong Hee some years ago. He felt that blood represents life, and that City Harvest Church should give their lives to help others. Since then, a tithe of the church population has been donating blood each year.

Blood donation drives have become a regular feature in City Harvest Church. The church has worked with organizations like community clubs and mosques to organize the drives. As such, blood donation campaigns have become instrumental for the church to interact with other organizations and faiths.

PHOTOS: Macson Tan

Samantha Tay, 22, told City News, “I donated blood because it can help save lives. It’s always good to do something charitable and it doesn’t take up a lot of your time and energy.”

Tay is no stranger to blood donations. This is the fourth time she is participating in a blood donation drive organized by City Harvest. She added, “It’s pretty cool to know that my packet of blood might go a long way in saving someone else’s life.”

Eight sausages consumed within one minute. That was a feat achieved by Kenneth Liew, the winner of the second round of a hotdog eating competition, held at the roof garden of City Harvest Church (CHC) on Sunday, 26 October 2008. The competition was part of a hotdog party jointly organized by nine cell groups under Pastor Tan Chee Kiang.

Cell group leader Tina Ho, 18, a student at Republic Polytechnic explained, “Since the secondary school examinations are over, we decided to get our members to invite their friends to come for our church service. We thought the hotdog party after service would be a good way of welcoming them to our church.”

Another cell group leader Cheryl Bok, 19, a student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic agreed, “Everyone loves good food! This hotdog party helped us relive the good old days of reaching out with just simple tools.”

Spearheading the food committee was Jason Jiang, 17, who is currently studying to become a chef. Anticipating a good turnout, his team prepared no less than 300 hotdogs. They were not disappointed. More than 120 students of all ages, comprising church members and their friends, showed up to savor the food and enjoy the fellowship.

A queue for hotdogs quickly formed. Unfazed by the crowd, Jason and his team quickly started work. Armed with sausages and buns, paper towels, and a wide range of sauces including chilli, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard, they speedily formed an efficient assembly line to hand out flavorful hotdogs to eager patrons. It was not long before contentment was written on everyone’s faces.

PHOTOS: Shawn Toh / Sara Lee

After the event, Jason told CityNews, “It was a great privilege to be in charge of food. Preparing food for so many people is not easy, but it was really satisfying to see people enjoying themselves.”

At 3.30pm, the hotdog eating competition was held. The rules were simple: Eat as many hotdogs as you can in one minute. Six male contestants stepped forward for the first round. It was an intense 60 seconds as cheers and screams rang throughout the rooftop and the contestants tried to gobble down as many hotdogs as their mouths would allow. Daryl Lee, won the first round with three and a half hotdogs!

From the second round, the organizers decided to streamline the rules. Contestants only needed to eat the sausages and forget about the bun. This caused even more buzz and seven contenders stepped up. Kenneth Liew, 17, easily won this round with a whopping eight sausages.

The organizers declared the third round to be a round of girl power and six enthusiastic girls stepped up to the challenge. Two of them, Ng Lixin, 14, and Li Hui, 20, emerged joint winners, each finishing six sausages.

Ironically, Kenneth did not intend to participate in the contest but was edged on by his friends to do so. He ended up enjoying himself immensely. He said, “I hope this will be the first of many such events, which show that church is the most exciting place to be.”

Overall, the hotdog party was a great success, bringing joy to leaders, members and friends alike. One friend, Wu Jia Ni, 20, a student who hails from China, said, “The hotdog party is a very fresh idea. I had a really good time.”

Cell group leader Louis Tay, 25, a hospitality officer, summed the event up, “I would call the hotdog party a triumph. It was apt that we organized it on the same weekend that Pastor Kong preached about the importance of creativity. We are committed to continually outdoing ourselves in finding more creative ways of reaching out.”