Cranes, water and light make for a magical night for residents from the Moral Welfare Home.

By Joelle Pang

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITYCARE.

The beaming smiles on the faces of the residents from the Moral Welfare Home matched the radiance of the fireworks that concluded the Crane Dance at Resorts World Sentosa.

Driven by a desire to bring delight and joy into the residents’ lives, organizer CityCare worked with a team of volunteers from various schools, organizations and members of City Harvest Church to make the night of Apr. 27 a memorable one for 26 beneficiaries. The volunteers ranged from professionals to secondary school students, each one providing one-on-one attention to their charges.

The Moral Welfare Home, located at Henderson Road, provides holistic care to its residents which includes shelter, assistance with personal hygiene, medical, nursing and pastoral care.

According to staff from the Moral Welfare Home, many of the beneficiaries are destitute, suffer from multiple disabilities and are victims of neglect and abuse. Simple though it might have been, the outing was a rare opportunity for them to be outdoors and enjoy themselves.

The night kick-started with a game of Bingo, which gave the volunteers and beneficiaries an opportunity to get to know each other better. There was also a photo challenge, where each team had to locate the various RWS attractions, such as the Universal Studios Globe, and take a picture of themselves there.

The Crane Dance proved to be the highlight of the night for both beneficiaries and volunteers, with its breath-taking light and water effects that combine creative audio and visual technologies to showcase the graceful courtship ritual of cranes. The towering heights of the steel cranes, the deft “dance” movements and the water illusions all made for a surreal, fantastical sight.

As the evening came to a close, CityCare’s manager for education, Pauline Chong, shared, “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play a small part and see the smile on the faces of these beneficiaries, together with the help of all the wonderful volunteers. Now matter how small our individual efforts may seem, together we can do so much more.”

CityCare is a non-profit organization started in 2007 to promote volunteerism and philanthropy in the local community. Log on to www.citycare.org.sg for more information.

Pop Rock Love combines teenage love and the bustling music scene in Tokyo for a uniquely Singaporean piece of literary art.

By Wendy Chong

Author Raine Koh.

Driven by her passion for writing and love for Japanese music, journalist Raine Koh embarked on a one-year long project that culminated in Pop Rock Love, a young adult fiction novel about teenage love set against the backdrop of music, published last December. “It’s about my personal journey—how I went from liking Japanese rock music to Japanese pop music,” Koh, a City Harvest Church member, explains.

This she executes through the love story of Singaporean rock performer Mimi and Yuki, a mysterious Japanese breakdancer. When Yuki suddenly leaves the island after a month-long whirlwind romance, a love-struck Mimi heads to Tokyo to search for him, only to discover that he belongs to a sugary-pop boyband, the Fire Boys. As she gapes at the huge promotional poster of Fire Boys hanging above the streets of Shibuya, Mimi is hit by a black convertible driven by rock producer, Sato.

Beyond the usual otaku fare, the novel’s exploration of Japanese pop culture derives from Koh’s real-life experiences and her having traveled extensively to Tokyo.

“The first time I went to Tokyo was to watch an Arashi concert in 2006. I was so impressed with Tokyo and its people. Actually, Arashi was one of the reasons I started learning Japanese, because I wanted to be able to read their magazine interviews and know what they were saying in variety shows. I got to know other fans from around the world, and we would travel to Tokyo to watch their concerts together,” the self-confessed J-pop fan recalls of her favorite Japanese boyband. “Pop Rock Love inspires readers to chase after their dreams, no matter how difficult it seems to achieve them.”

Apart from publishing her own works, Koh is also a regular contributor to Teens magazines, specializing in Asian entertainment. She has also written for various other lifestyle magazines. The completion of the novel triggered conflicting sentiments in her. “I was happy because I felt a sense of achievement, yet sad because it was now time to ‘release my baby to the world.’ But it’s an essential step—you are not a writer if you do not have readers.”

The novel took Koh a year to write. Through the process, she learned patience and pliability. “I discovered that writing a book takes a lot of patience and there is a lot of re-drafting and rewrites. You cannot be too egoistic, especially when your editor advises you on how to fine-tune your work,” says Koh. Pop Rock Love is supported by the National Arts Council Singapore, which offers grants for local writers to get their works published.

Pop Rock Love retails at S$15 (before GST) at major local bookstores.

It’s no sin to enjoy Easter bunnies and decorated eggs, but the true cause of celebration is the risen Christ.

By Dr. Larry Keefauver

Easter is surrounded by various traditions like Easter bunnies and Easter eggs. First, let’s see where these came from. Venerable Bede, the Benedictine monk and historian, writes that Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. Of course, Easter corresponds to the time Jesus was crucified at Passover. The Jewish date of Passover changes each year since it is calculated based on a lunar and not solar calendar.

My Orthodox Christians friends in the Middle East and Greece paint eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Hollow eggs are decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious figures in Armenia. Germans give green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday, and hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians place tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants are removed, white patterns are created.

Since Easter happens in spring, hares and rabbits—which have long been symbols of fertility and new life—have been included. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an “Easter hare” that laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America—particularly Pennsylvania—brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs. (Source: www.infoplease.com/spot/easterintro1.html)

WHAT SHOULD BE THE EMPHASIS AT EASTER?

Christos anesti, Christ is risen, has been the Good News declaration from the Gospels through the ages. Jesus Christ died for our sins and God raised Him from the dead. He is the firstfruits of those whom God will raise from the dead who trust Jesus as Lord and Savior (1 Corinthians 15).

The focus of Easter is Resurrection, not bunnies, eggs and other cultural traditions. That’s not to say we can’t enjoy them; rather, we should not be distracted by cultural celebrations. The real gift and tradition we pass on each Easter is the good news that Jesus has conquered death with death and now lives. He died to shed His blood and ransom us from death to life, from sickness to health, and from hell to heaven. Trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior brings us salvation for eternity.

The ancient Orthodox Christian hymn really says it all:

Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών, θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας, και τοις εν τοις μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος.
Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and to those in the tombs,
granting life.

Jesus’ resurrection is the premier event in all history. Only one religious leader in all history was raised from the dead and now sits on the right hand of God—Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth. Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross for our sins, has risen from the dead, destroyed death and gives all those who believe in Him life everlasting.

He is risen!

City Harvest Church’s Uni Campus Ministry offers undergrads opportunities to make new friends and develop support on campus.

By Jonathan Teo and Aaron Neo

CN PHOTOS: Henzy David.

One’s years spent in the university should offer one more than academic knowledge. What graduates mostly remember are the late night supper sessions, that hilarious project-mate who brings laughter to stressful project meetings, the friends who introduced them to a bigger, brighter world than they ever knew. They would recall these better than the facts taught in lectures.

Friends are a big part of campus life. To help undergraduates in the church network forge meaningful friendships with their fellow schoolmates, City Harvest Church started the Uni Campus Ministry.

Ee Zhen Ying, the zone supervisor in charge of the Uni Campus Ministry in Singapore Management University, says, “We want to connect the university students because they can feel quite alone at times. It is always good to take a break from all the mugging and recharge through fellowship and praying together.”

Each tertiary campus has its own fellowship group that meets on a monthly basis for fellowship events, prayer meetings or sharing sessions. The ministry also organizes occasional training workshops to help students develop life skills.

In the month of February, students from the Singapore Institute of Management and National University of Singapore held Valentine’s Day events to celebrating friendship.

SIMply Love

“Simply love friends. Friends make our lives colorful.” was the tag line for SIMply Love, the event organized by SIM students. Forty-one students gathered on Feb. 15 for a time of games and fellowship.

CHC zone supervisor Lee Yi Lun explains, “We hope that through campus events like SIMply Love, meaningful friendships can be forged among the students. Such events are an effective platform for university students to meet and connect with new people in their campus.”

The event started with a few rounds of games to break the ice among the students, most of whom were new to one another. Musical performances created a relaxed atmosphere for everyone to mingle and get to know each other over dinner.

The organizer of the event, Jonathan Ng, 21, told City News that it was great to see his fellow schoolmates having fun. “It was a much needed getaway from exams and deadlines.”

One of the performers, Darren Huang, 26, said, “It was a really good experience performing in a social setting. But more importantly, the event gave me the chance to make new friends.”

NUS Friendship Day

Students from NUS organized a cozy Friendship Day dinner for 15 at K Gourmet Café on Feb. 9.

Dinner, which was followed by games like Human Bingo and a Valentine Day’s version of Taboo, gave the students a chance to bond. After the games, the students, who came from different faculties and countries, shared their experiences of studying in NUS. The seniors took the chance to give their juniors some survival tips and offered to help them with their academic work.

Rhoda Siu, a sociology major, said, “I feel that the party was very relational as we got to mingle around and get to know other NUS students in a comfortable setting. I’m glad that we all took a break from school work. It was good to be able to enjoy myself with my friends instead of only meeting them for project discussions. I enjoyed NUS Friendship Day tremendously and hope to attend similar events in the near future.”

If you are a student in a Singapore university and would like to join the fellowship group in your campus, please email [email protected] for more information.

陈一平牧师在情人节聚会中分享了上帝对婚姻的旨意。

周玲

CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan.

2012年2月的第二个周末，城市丰收华文教会在情人节即将到来之即，在新达新加坡二楼的剧院举行了两场以婚姻关系为主题的主日聚会。11日下午，教会的会友们用玫瑰白与青草绿色的绢花和绸带把剧院装点得既温馨又浪漫，让人仿佛置身于婚礼殿堂般。

聚会的一个亮点是孙爱真传道在台上访问了四对夫妻，分别是两对比较年长的夫妻和两对新婚不久的。风趣幽默的访问，带出了真实又感人的真爱之道。当较年长的两对夫妇被问及“你们如何让婚姻关系至今长久保持美满？”，其中一对回答道；“虽已年近六十，但仍然常常出去约会是一点，互相包容和接纳也很重要。”另一对则说，他们至今仍常常互相简讯甜言蜜语。被问及“信主前与信主后，有神和没有神的婚姻有什么不同？”，其中一对年轻夫妇说道，如果没有认识神，真的不可能知道什么才是真正的爱。

访问之后，陈一平牧师所分享的信息进一步道出了上帝对婚姻的旨意比我们原本所知的更深刻美好！从以弗所书第4章第1节“既然蒙召，行事为人就当与蒙召的恩相称”，牧师一语点出，婚姻是一种呼召！首先神呼召我们个人成为合神心意的人。以弗所书第4章25至32节告诉了我们15点“合神心意之人”的品格—诚实、慢慢动怒、正直、勤劳、造就他人、毫无苦毒、存恩慈怜悯的心、饶恕、满有爱，愿意牺牲、在性方面纯洁、感恩、有智慧、不是酒鬼、敬拜神和顺服。我们应当认清自己首要身份不是任何其他职位，而是神的儿女。我们应该从自己原本没有神的身份中出来，做一个上帝看为喜悦的人—这正是成功婚姻的首要条件！

则二，神呼召我们的婚姻成为耶稣基督爱的见证。以弗所书第5章22至33节写明，丈夫要如何像基督爱教会一样保养顾惜自己的妻子，而妻子又当如何像教会顺服基督一样敬重自己的丈夫。哥林多前书第4章第9节使徒保罗说“我们成了一台戏，给世人和天使观看。”原来敬虔的婚姻关系就是极美妙的福音见证，它可以告诉世界什么是基督耶稣的爱！

聚会临近尾声，陈牧师呼召现场所有已婚夫妇走到台前，更新婚约并再一次为彼此带上婚戒。在充满神同在的敬拜气氛中，当日许多会众都感到自己的心意被上帝的话语豁然更新，也被现场夫妻的真挚感情所打动，更有信心带着基督爱的真理在自己生命中建造更加美好的婚姻。

Five hundred RAYZ volunteers and special needs students gathered to have some hong bao fun during Chinese New Year.

Contributed by Joey Lim

Photo: Jeron Teo.

RAYZ’s Hong Bao Party  on Feb. 5 saw a group of over 500 volunteers and special needs students gathering to usher in the Year of the Dragon. RAYZ is a community arm of City Harvest Community Services Association that caters to individuals with special needs.

The party got off to a rousing start as the hosts gave out angpows to those students who the answers right to simple questions like, “What fruit do you bring when you visit your relatives during the Chinese New Year?”

The atmosphere grew rowdy as students started playing Chinese New Year games. Their first challenge—Count Your Angpows—got the crowd roaring as the contestants on stage grabbed hong baos which filled with money, tore them open one by one to gather as much money as they could.

In the next game, Orange Peel!, contestants went up stage to face the challenge of peeling as many mandarin oranges as they could in the given amount of time. The citrus fragrance filled the auditorium, adding to the festive mood.

To thank and celebrate RAYZ’s tireless volunteers who had worked hard all of last year, the organizers set up a lucky dip just for them. RAYZ manager, Lily Yong, picked out two winners—Yanni Lin and Justin Lee—and presented them with huge hampers.

The exuberant crowd soon quietened down as a heartwarming video on family and love was played. The video showed how three children came to realize the unconditional love that their father had shown towards them since they were little, and they decided to be home for the family’s reunion dinner.

“Indeed, the true meaning of Chinese New Year is not about hong baos or eating goodies, but about coming together as a family in reunion or tuan yuan in Chinese,” said Adiel Choy, an administrator at RAYZ, to the students. She explained that to tuan (which means “gather” in Chinese), members of the family must make a decision to spend time together even when they are busy, to yuan (which means “united”) they must always maintain strong ties with each another, and to foster unity and harmony in all relationships, there must always be love and forgiveness in the hearts of everyone in the family.

The students clapped their hands loudly in agreement at the end of the short sharing. Yong then invited all the volunteers up on stage for the traditional tossing or lo hei, and all celebrated the start of the Dragon year with well-wishes.

“It’s a great experience and an eye-opener for me. I was deeply impacted by how the students responded so spontaneously towards each segment. I totally enjoyed myself!” said Sheila Lau, a first-time RAYZ volunteer.

The party brought smiles and merriment to all the students, who made their way home with a chocolate-filled red packet each.

Early this month, a team of 28 City Harvest Church members, led by their senior pastor Kong Hee, headed to Hong Kong for a time of “Loving God, Loving People”. 

Contributed By Stephanie Chung

PHOTOS: THE PRAISE ASSEMBLY AND GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH.

From Jan.30 to Feb.1, a team from City Harvest Church flew into Hong Kong for a three-day conference—an annual event. Themed “Loving God Loving People, Let’s Arise and Build”, this conference was organized by two churches in Tsuen Wan, New Territories: The Praise Assembly and Grace Community Church. Kong preached six sessions, encouraging the members to build a loving church.

Loving God, Loving People

Kong launched the conference with a powerful message on loving God, drawing from the tabernacle of David. The Bible says that Christians should love God with all of their hearts. Kong shared that it is through worship that love can flow through the heart; loving God with all of one’s soul is done through prayer and loving God with all of one’s mind is through reading and studying the Word of God.

At that evening’s session, Kong capped his day’s work of teaching Christians to love God with a lesson on the Holy Spirit—it is vital for every Christian to love God the Holy Spirit and to be aware of His presence.

The focus of the next day was on “Loving People”. Kong taught attendees how to do outreach to friends and family who were pre-believers, and at a later session, he spoke on the importance of getting to know and bonding with others within the church family.

On the final day of the conference, the members were in for a time of conviction when Kong talked about discipleship and loyalty on the third day of the conference. Kong used the story of Ruth and Naomi to demonstrate to the members what it means to be a loyal Cleaver, not just a Kisser. Because of Ruth’s loyalty to her widowed and childless mother-in-law, she joined the ranks of those whose lineage ultimately brought forth the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Kong ended the conference by encouraging members to stay faithful and loyal to their local church.

The Word was very well-received by the conference attendees. They had a great hunger for the Word and responded enthusiastically at every session. Many of them took time off their work to come for the sessions during the day and spent long hours queuing before the opening of doors. Many members from TPA also availed themselves to serve in the different areas of the conference, and were very hospitable to the team from Singapore.

The Mission Team

The CHC mission team were made up of 28 people who served different needs: some led worship, others helped during altar call. Some of them who are leaders in CHC conducted practical workshops teaching life-skills and imparting know-how for church ministries.

Dean of CHC’s School of Theology, Bobby Chaw conducted two workshops, “Sharing A Message In Cell Group” and “Historical Perspective Regarding Discipleship”; beauty queen and international trainer, Celest Foo taught two classes: “Cultivating People Skills in Your Leadership” and “Leading Different Personalities”; trainer and entrepreneur, Nanz Chong-Komo shared on “How To Share The Gospel Naturally In The Marketplace”; CHC’s worship leader Annabel Soh, and Taiwanese songwriter and artist Chen Wei Quan, who also serves as a cell group leader and in his church’s worship team, shared on “How To Lead Praise And Worship In The Context Of A Cell Group”.

Each day before the conference began, the team held a daily morning prayer meeting, gathering to pray and seek God for the conference.

As each team member availed themselves to serve in the mission trip, every one was in turn blessed by God’s presence during the conference, and touched by the hunger that the local people had. Fanny Tan, 27, a business development manager, said, “I am very grateful and thankful to God and to Pastor Kong. This mission trip was way above and beyond my expectations. The presence of God was so strong and tangible throughout the conferences, and I witnessed many souls being touched by God in TPA. Personally, I received a breakthrough in my walk with God—He renewed my vision. This trip had changed me and brought me to another level with Him. Thank you Pastor Kong for giving me the opportunity to join you for this mission trip!”

Investment consultant Rachel Lim, 30, said, “God is good, He reminded me that as we avail ourselves to serve others, He will water us too. I benefited much from the trip. I had unforgettable encounters with God and His presence was always strong even at times when only a small group of us gathered to pray for the conference in the mornings. I was also very touched when I saw so many people queue for hours outside the hall before the conference started. They had so much hunger for God’s Word! It made me more appreciative of being part of CHC and for having Pastor Kong with us.

“I also made some new meaningful friendships with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The trip was short, but amazingly, I felt God connected many of us together deeply, and it was just as Pastor Kong had been preaching all these months: being a family and being committed to one another, loving one another. I am looking forward to going on another mission trip soon!

Stephanie Chung was a member of the CHC team to Hong Kong.

Since the March earthquake in Japan this year, City Harvest Church has sent six disaster-relief teams to the region. Church members Lee Zhiwei and Evelyn Yong, give City News a firsthand account of their personal experiences during a trip in late October

Contributed By Lee Zhiwei and Evelyn Yong

Members of the disaster relief teams tore up flooring and cleaned up furniture.

This mission trip was different from the one in May. On that first trip, the disaster relief team was based an hour’s drive away from the affected Ishinomaki province. As such, we would travel to the affected areas and work in the day and then go back to our base, which was quite a distance away. This meant that we were always away from the residents and had few opportunities to interact with them.

During this trip however, the team stayed near the residents. The proximity allowed both the Japanese people and the volunteers to interact with one another with greater ease and convenience and created many opportunities to share about each other’s lives. As a result, a closer bond between them and us. Communication was also easier, as practical acts of love and kindness were enough to convey thanks and appreciation between parties, despite the language barrier.

HOPE AMIDST FEAR

Konno is a homeless 56-year-old man whose hometown was in Ishinomaki. At the time of the earthquake, Konno was staying in Tokyo and actually cycled for one month back to Ishinomaki. Along the way, he could only afford to have one meal every two to three days. When he reached his neighborhood, his previous home was in a bad condition but as he had no money, he stayed in the dilapidated home until authorities deemed it too dangerous for habitation. He was then moved to a temporary shelter at the Ochako House, which was the relief base for Hongodai Christ Church in Ishinomaki. This was where our team met him.

We learned that someone had already introduced the gospel to him and had given him some Christian books to read. Mika, our Japanese coordinator, told us that we had one week with Konno as he had to move out again, so we prayed that he would accept Christ before we left. The following day was a Sunday and our team attended a small chapel session. At the end of the meeting, the preacher gave an altar call for salvation and Konno responded. As the days went by, I began to notice changes in him. One obvious difference was his newfound devotion to the Word of God. After work each day, we would see him either reading the Bible or a Christian book, or attending a Bible study organized by Hongodai Church.

Despite the language barrier, our team continued to shower him with loving and caring gestures. Slowly but surely, we began to observe a tangible change in him. His countenance brightened, and he looked happier and hopeful, and smiled more. Our encounter with him reminded us of the verse in Jeremiah 29:11, which says that God has plans to give us a hope and a future. We believe that God will take care of Konno and give him a wonderful future and hope in spite of his present circumstances.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY HARVEST CHURCH.

We helped one family whose kitchen had been badly damaged by the flood. Our team hacked the flooring and removed part of it so that we could remove the sea mud. The work was physically demanding because the space that the men in our team worked in was very tight. But we managed to complete the job in half a day and the family was very grateful to us.

Tomizawa, who was known to be a very quiet and reserved person, started to warm up to us and began to open up and talk to us. Mika was most surprised as she had been in contact with this family for several months and was constantly reaching out to them, yet they were not very open to her. We were very glad that our presence made a difference to him and his family.

The ladies on our team went over to the neighboring house, which belonged to Kamei, a single mother. They helped to wash off the sea mud from her furniture and managed to salvage whatever they could that could still be used. This was important, as it would defray additional expenses on Kamei’s part, as she sought to rebuild her life and home all over again.

Lee Zhiwei (extreme right) and Evelyn Yong (front row, second from left).

Our third experience was with the Murai family. They now live on the second level of their house because the first storey was destroyed by the tsunami. We helped the family to remove the debris and cleaned up the first floor in preparation for renovation works. We spent one and a half days helping to remove plasterboards, nails, insulation sponges, kitchen cabinets—even a toilet bowl and a bathtub. The effect of the tsunami was still evident—the insulation sponges we removed from the ceiling were still dripping with moisture. Before we left one evening, they asked us to pray for them and their house, even though they were not Christians.

When we returned to our base station, we thought this was the last time we would see them but it was not so. We realized they were very moved by our efforts and the time we took to work on their house. They even visited us at our base just so they could spend time with us. Our experience with the Murai family encouraged us. It was evident that we had formed a genuine connection with them and, as a result, their hearts slowly opened up to us. In time to come, we pray that the Murai family will experience the love of God and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Click here to enlarge photo

Cheryl Yeo, 15, a secondary school student and City Harvest Church member is in the main cast of We Not Naughty. City News caught up with her to find out the challenges of being involved in a movie production for the first time.

How does it feel to play one of the main characters?
I thought I would end up acting as an extra so I thank God for this opportunity. At the recent Emerge and 22nd anniversary services, Pastor Kong talked about youth shining in the marketplace; I am very honored to be able to do what I love while shining in the marketplace.

How long did filming take and how did you juggle that with school?
It took a month to film my part; I had to take a few days of leave from school. There was also shooting during some weekends.

What was the most difficult thing to do on set?
Crying on the spot. Sometimes, I would get so stressed that I couldn’t cry on the set, but when I reach home, tears would just pour out. Then I would wonder why I couldn’t cry so much when I was in character.

What is the one thing you learned from this experience?
I learned humility. As a newcomer, I didn’t have much acting experience and did many NGs (“No Good” shots). There were times when I got scolded but I humbled myself and learned to improve my skills.