The youth conference stirred the young people of CHC to rise up with a heart after God.

Contributed By Reuel Eugene Tay & Dawn Seow

The youth media crew with CHC’s senior pastor, Kong Hee. PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY HARVEST CHURCH. CN PHOTOS: GARY SIM, GAY SEN MIN, TAN SONG KOW & MICHAEL CHAN

Last weekend, City Harvest Church held its sixth Emerge youth conference. After a four-year hiatus, the comeback of Emerge was a significant milestone in the history of the church and a celebration of its upcoming generation. Nearly every aspect of the service was run by youth, from the praise and worship to the technical functions of the media and audio. Senior pastor, Kong Hee, announced during the first service on Saturday, July 16, that “nearly everyone you see on stage today is under the age of 25.”

The young people boldly stepped up to the challenge of making the conference their own. Apart from logistics, they also organized the finals of the five Emerge competitions—Live Jam!, Center Stage!, Cut!, Your Best Shot!, and Oh My Word!—which became a showcase of their many talents and creativity.

Preparation for Emerge began during the school holiday camps held in June, which served as a precursor to the actual event.

Two of the bands that played in the youth camps went on to compete in the Emerge Live Jam! competition, and they were given the opportunity to lead the congregation in praise and worship during the main services last weekend. In addition, some of the skits performed as part of the camps were reprised during Emerge, for the drama competition, Center Stage!. The school camps had effectively paved the way for the young people to rise up and stretch their faith in God and glorify Him with their gifts.

Apart from all the activities, the highlight for many was the preaching of the Word by Kong. On both days, Kong shared about being hungry for God and walking with the Holy Spirit. He used the example of Moses. “When God wants to bring a revival to the land, He will always look for a boy, a girl, a man or a woman, who is hungry enough to do His work. While man is always looking for better methods, God is always looking for a better man. And God found such a man in Moses,” Kong told the congregation.

Kong encouraged City Harvesters to learn from Moses who was not content to merely attain the promises of God; he desired the presence of God more than the material possessions he was promised. “Moses was hungry for God,” preached Kong. Even though God spoke to him regularly, he was not satisfied and wanted to see God’s face. Because of Moses, God revealed Himself to mankind for the first time in the history of Man.

At the end of the sermon, Kong gave an altar call for all the youth, and the pastoral team laid hands and prayed for everyone who came forward.

Hearts were renewed and revived as Emerge 2011 came to a close with the youth band leading in the closing song, “Paint The Town Red.” The conference inspired and challenged the youth of CHC to live their lives for God, and encouraged them to unleash their God-given gifts and talents in their schools and the marketplace.

AFTER THE WIN
City News speaks to the winners of the five Emerge competitions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FESTIVAL OF PRAISE

The Festival of Praise is an annual inter-denominational event that gathers Christians from all over Singapore for a time of prayer and worship.

Now in its 25th year running, the festival this year welcomes renowned speaker and acclaimed author, John Bevere, who will be ministering the Word of God each night. Leading the congregation in worship will be the New Life band from the USA, and worship leader Andrew Yeo from The City Church, Singapore.

This August, come and join fellow believers for a time of celebration over two nights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Dates: August 5 and 6
Time: 7:15 p.m.
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
For more information or queries, please email [email protected].

The Dialect Church will be holding its Oldies Concert on July 31, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Jurong West Street 91. The concert, which is in its fourth year running, will feature many talented singers crooning past and present hits including “Won’t Go Home Today” and “This Evening”. For more information, call the Dialect Church hotline +65 9199 5440.

Have a free slice of cheesecake on Bakerzin and donate for a good cause. PHOTO COURTESY OF BAKERZIN

On Saturday, July 30, enjoy a slice of Bakerzin New York or Oreo Cookie Cheesecake in exchange for a donation of any sum to the Children’s Cancer Foundation. The dessert haven is giving away 12,000 slices of its delicious cheesecake (takeaway only) from 2 p.m. onward, at eight Bakerzin outlets: Paragon, Suntec City Mall, VivoCity, United Square, Tampines 1, Jurong Point, North Point and MyVillage in Serangoon Gardens.

“Although a slice of Bakerzin Cheescake retails at S$6.50, we are leaving it to the customer to decide how much they would like to donate. We hope that customers will dig deep into their hearts and pockets to help these kids and their families,” says Daniel Tay, founder of Bakerzin. Proceeds go toward helping children and their family to cope with the high costs of fighting cancer.

Three City News writers are transformed by the renewing of their hair at the hands of Perry Goh of Ooosh!

Contributed By Jeremy Chua, Annabelle Low & Yong Yung Shin

Jeremy Chua: Why it pays to pay more

I’m not exactly the most fashion-forward guy around. I look that way in my “before” picture because I am too darn lazy to cut my hair, and too “plain and simple” to try new styles when I do make the perfunctory trip to the barber’s. Moreover, the pragmatic (read: cheapskate) side of me has never understood the value of going to a nice hair salon.

But two hours in Ooosh!’s posh seat and I am a changed man. Most of my haircuts comprise nothing more than just a light trim. This, however, is an entirely new look; a combination of short and long, and to my surprise, I like it—it’s daring yet versatile and easy to maintain, and according to Leslie, my hairstylist, it brings out the shape of my face.

With the exception of my mother, I have been told that this cut perks up my look: I look younger, more “awake.” And most people don’t recognize me at first glance! So, to all my penny-pinching friends, the adage “you get what you pay for” applies when it comes to getting a quality trim.

Annabelle Low: From bedhead to turning heads

My hair tends to sit on my head like a limp rag. To create volume, I resort to the “bedhead” (i.e. backcombed) look, but more often than not I end up looking dishevelled.

To tame my overgrown hair, Leslie created layers that took the weight off. For this style, maintenance is key—a trim every now and then is recommended to keep it in shape. Also, I happen to have a heart-shaped face. Leslie cut me a fringe to draw attention to my eyes, and to divert attention from my cheeks to my chin. The ultimate result is an illusion of a slimmer face: every girl’s desire.

To finish, Leslie created big, blow-dry curls to pump volume into my cut. I floated out of the salon feeling like a Japanese doll.

Yong Yung Shin: Short and sassy

A lifelong dislike for long, girly tresses (they make my face look long) has consigned me to super-short ‘dos for the past 10 years. This year, however, my hardwired female side insisted that I grow my hair out just a bit.

Perry studies me for a few minutes, and decides on the answer: a chin-length asymmetrical bob to bring out my eyes and cheekbones while making the bottom half of my face look shorter. He would angle it at 45 degrees for a chic silhouette that would make my features look sharper. Because my hair is thick, Perry gave me an inner cut, thinning out the layers underneath so that when the hair grows, the shape will be intact for a longer period.

To add some pizzazz, his colorist added streaks of blond using a silk lift, where the black pigments are removed gradually. It takes a longer time than conventional bleaching, but is milder on the hair. The streaks are placed at three points using a foliage technique for a peekaboo effect: flip it this way and the blond lock frames the left parting, flip it the other and another look appears.

Perry Goh, the award-winning owner of Ooosh! Hair Salon. Make-up by Amy Chow.

Not a day has passed that I haven’t received a compliment for my new look!

Prices at Ooosh! start at S$69 for a haircut and S$139 for coloring.

Ooosh!
Delfi Orchard, 402 Orchard Road
#01-05/06 & #02-10
Singapore 238876
+65 6733 1068/ 6733 6113

Camp STEP 2011 gathered CHC’s university students for an encounter with God.

Contributed By Nicolette Ng

CN PHOTO: Daniel Poh

When the young get going, there’s no stopping them. Following the highly successful youth camps in June, 113 tertiary students gathered from the July 7 to 9 at Jurong West Church for CAMP Step3.

This was the first time all the university students in City Harvest Church—from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Management and other private tertiary institutes—got together to encounter God and to fellowship with one another. Grace Kong Yun Rui, 22, a third-year NTU linguistics student and a camp organizer said, “This camp was for the university students in church o come together to build strong relationships to support each other and make a difference in their campuses together.”

“CAMP Step3—Out. In. Up.” expresses the three-tier vision of the camp. First, to step out of one’s comfort zone, old ways and limitations. Next, to step in to campuses. Finally, to step up to the calling of God in their lives.

The first night’s Alumni Night brought graduates and undergraduates together. It kick-started with a mass dance item, followed by a testimony by Dorcas Xu, 28, an NTU graduate who spoke about campus life and revival. Candice Huang, 22, a freshman at SIM, said, “What impacted me the most was the seniors’ passion for campus revival and how they manage to excel in spite of their busy schedules.” Next, Goh Yock Kiang, a CHC pastor, shared a powerful word about preparing oneself for God’s vision and realizing one’s identity as a child of God. The crowd was inspired by his personal testimony about how he broke through many challenges to grow from a small cell group to a zone of 2,000 people today.

The campers had to perform tasks at various stations. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFFREY WANG

The most exciting point of the camp was a race christened “The Promised Land.”  The campers had to race to seven stations across Singapore: Jurong West, Amber Road, World Trade Centre, Singapore Expo, Suntec City, Tanjong Katong Road and the former Westin Stamford Hotel. The campers “traveled back in time” to see how City Harvest Church started and progressed from place to place. This helped them to visualize how growth could also happen in their schools.

On Day Two, the university students gathered according to their schools to share their revelations and pray. Jonathan Ashley Ng, 21, from SIM said, “When we shared heart to heart our vision for the campus ministry, the presence of God was very strong.” Jeremy Choy, another CHC pastor, spoke on five things that the Holy Spirit has anointed young people to do, and gave an altar call for those who were facing difficult decisions.

The grand finale was conducted by Lee Yi Lun, CHC zone supervisor and organizer of the camp. She preached a message titled, “Building to Last,” about the seven areas that each person needs to develop in order to build a lasting legacy.

The youth left the camp fired up to excel for God in their various institutions. Jeffrey Wang, 23 from NTU, said, “This is the most memorable camp I have been to. I gained friends, faith, memories and love. I am inspired to do great things not just within the four walls of the church but step out!”

A post-camp event will be held on July 21, 7-10pm at Playnation, *Scape. Join us on Facebook Campus Ministry for exciting updates. For more information on campus ministry, email [email protected].

When Winnie Pua was retrenched, she turned her crisis into an opportunity by starting her own integrated marketing company.

Contributed By Billy Ong

CN PHOTO: Michael chan

During the world-shaking financial crisis of 2008, Winnie Pua found herself out of a job when the Dubai market crashed.

While most people in her position would have awarded themselves a few months of wallowing, Pua, now 35, leaped at the chance to start up her own business, something she had always wanted to do.

Pua, who graduated from the National University of Singapore with a degree in political studies, began work in the marketing communications department of Creative Technology. She went on to join Starhub, launching the brand in 2001, before she joined advertising agency O2, and dealt with over 17 markets in her portfolio. Pua’s last job was with the Singapore Tourism Board and Dubai World before she started Antics@Play.

In this fast-moving industry, the boundaries between advertising, marketing, branding, media-buying and social media often merge. Pua positioned Antics@Play to provide integrated marketing solutions to multi-national companies.

Incorporated in April 2009, her company has gained a strong reputation in two short years. Among Antics@Play’s many clients is Johnson & Johnson, which engaged Antics@Play to run several successful campaigns that targeted youths for its Acuvue contact lens products. Whether it is online or offline marketing, Antics@Play offers clients large doses of creativity in their marketing campaigns.

With over 14 years of experience, from consumer technology, entertainment to hospitality, Pua’s experience played a big role in the success of her start-up. Hers being a people-centered industry, she has also built a large network of contacts in the business, and that has helped accelerate the building of her company’s portfolio. When news that she had started Antics@Play went viral in her network, clients quickly came knocking on her door.

Recently, Antics@Play won Marketing Magazine’s award for “Brand Consultancy Of The Year.” To Pua, awards like these motivate her and her team to reach new heights in the competitive field of marketing, though they are a small outfit.

While Pua makes success look easy, truth is that running Antics@Play comes with its own set of challenges. “Finding the right staff, attracting them to join a new start-up, and having the right skills and mix of skills in people—all that remains a challenge,” she says. “With the growth of business, our needs and requirements change constantly.”

There have been times she has struggled not to give up. “In fact, that happens every month!” she admits. “Running a business is rewarding but it requires working on multiple areas of business; whereas as a marketing professional, we can simply focus on honing our marketing skills and knowledge. Having to ensure that all bills are paid and cashflow is properly managed is fairly stressful.”

In such times of stress, Pua is grateful for the support she gets from her church mates. The City Harvest Church member shares that “Pastor Yock Kiang and my cell group members have been a pillar of support to my faith, and guidance to key decisions I make.” As a believer, Pua constantly looks to God for guidance and answers, and draws strength from her church friends who share with her their experiences, particularly on managing people and business.

It is common to hear that business owners struggle to have a personal life beyond working long hours. But Pua believes in striking a balance between the two. She spends time with her friends and family and even attends dance lessons for leisure. At church, she serves in the Marketplace ministry, which provides a platform for business owners and professionals to network. “I am also busy planning for my wedding in November this year,” she reveals.

Today, Antics@Play has a trendy office in Chinatown and Pua is supported by six full-time staff and a part-timer. This boss declares that she loves the supportive and conducive environment that exists in the office. One of her secrets to building a successful marketing company is to focus on nurturing her employees. “Our people and our work represent the company; only when we put our best forward, will we shine.” In the area of hiring, Pua also believes in hiring the right people with passion and the willingness to learn.

The company’s five-year plan involves exponential growth through working with more multi-national companies. Pua also has a vision to bring her brand into the overseas market. “With the right partners, we may even open boutique agencies overseas!” she says.

After a five-year hiatus, Emerge returns to celebrate and inspire young people.

Contributed By Dawn Seow

CN PHOTOS: DANIEL POH Last bands standing. The four finalists for Live Jam: A. AZ/AN/CL/WYZ Zones; B. KEL Zone; C. ET Zone; and AN Zone.

Emerge is a youth movement within City Harvest Church that is in its ninth year running. This year’s event, which happens on July 16 and 17, will gather the talents and memories of all the June youth camps for a grand finale.

Emerge is a CHC trademark, a platform that showcases the many different talents of members under age 25, with powerful messages for the youth that help them to focus on their God-given purpose and passion. The conference has proven to have such positive long-lasting effect that churches in other cities, from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei, have adapted its format to fit their own youth populations to great success.

Next weekend will see the culmination of five exciting competitions: Live Jam!, a Christian youth band competition; Center Stage!, a drama competition; Cut!, a video competition using footage from the June camps; Your Best Shot!, a Youtube talent competition; and Oh My Word!, a Bible knowledge competition.
Be warned: it will be loud and live!

LIVE JAM

The selection round on July 1 saw 10 bands coming together for a tough fight. At the end of the three-hour long praise and worship session, the judges selected the following four: the band from KEL Zone will compete against the band from ET Zone on July 8 during “Your Best Shot” selection night while the band from AN Zone and the band comprising members from AZ, AN, WYZ and CL Zones will be leading worship during the Emerge weekend. Some bands won but every band was unique. City News presents the bands.

KEL Zone
The criterion of the competition was to have a four-piece band, but KEL band exceeded expectations and brought a full band onto stage! Their dance team also had a beat-boxer, adding spice to the hip-hop number,  pumping the atmosphere with “Can’t Stop Praising.”

MJ Zone
Lights flashed as two dancers from the zone led by assistant pastor Lim Meng Chin did a unique dance item with Glosticks. Unbeknownst to many, the dancers and the band only managed to practice a total of two times as a full band in a studio. “Even though we didn’t have much practice, we still want to show God that the youth in the next generation are hungry for Him and we are here to rise up,” said team leader Gerald Chan.

MY & VIC Zone
This band with musicians from zones led by zone supervisors Liang Meiyan and Victor Wong ended their repertoire with a praise song. This unique combination plus an original number gave an element of surprise to their performance.

VER Zone
Choosing congregation favorites, such as “Great Is Our God,” “Nothing Is Impossible” and “Let Your Glory Fall,” the band from the zone led by Veronica Tang, zone supervisor, was out to please God and the crowd. And they succeeded in bringing the house down.

AZ, AN, WYZ & CL Zones
This band combines musicians and song leaders under the pastoral care of pastors Aries Zulkarnain, Wu Yuzhuang, Audrey Ng and zone supervisor Catherine Lee. The challenge was for the members of different zones to come together to practice. Although there wasn’t enough time to practice together, they put up an outstanding performance.

AN Zone
This is the only zone brave and talented enough to bring on a rapper to psych up the crowd during praise. Rapper, Sean Iniyan wrote the rap especially for the praise song “Happy Day.” He said, “Since this is a youth event, we wanted to do something that could interact with the youth, hence, a rap.”

WR Zone
“God is a God of new things, that is why we love to sing new songs,” said Bryna Low, worship leader of the band from the zone led by Ong Weiren, zone supervisor. This band presented three songs from Hillsong that have never been sung at CHC’s services. They had managed to teach them to the youth during their youth camp and believed that the crowd at the selection round would enjoy the songs too.

YL Zone
The band from the zone led by Tan Yah Lan, assistant pastor, surprised the crowd with a lyrical number, accompanying the praise song “I Will Fly.” “The idea was to dance to the lyrics,” shared leader of the dance team Melissa Lim. “We wanted to portray the lyrics of the song with dance steps, as a form of worship to God.”

YK & LEI Zone
The glory of the youth is indeed their strength. The band from zones led by Goh Yock Kiang, pastor, and Leila Tan, zone supervisor, has the youngest drummer (12 years old, inset), a 17-year-old music director and a 16-year-old song leader. They wowed the crowd with their energetic praise and worship.

ET Zone
While the other bands engaged a  dance team each; this band had their zone members dancing with them! The youths under the pastoral care of Edmund Tay, assistant pastor, taught simple dance steps to the crowd. On cue, when the chorus of “One Way” began, the people on the floor started to jump and twirl with the beat.

CENTER STAGE

LEI Zone
The words “think out of the box” spoken to them by zone supervisor, Leila Tan, inspired this drama team to come up with an “art-sy” script for the competition.

The team took the audience by surprise when they went on stage with loud music and no lines. Dramatists expressed emotions without words as dancers took the stage with contemporary dance and ballet, expressing despair, depression and hope.

Peh Jia Yu and Sheila Jang, the scriptwriters and directors of the drama, broke the script up into different scenes and met the dramatists of each scene individually to work on their expression. “It wasn’t easy for them to express themselves without lines so we added in lines for them at the beginning. As they got more familiar with the expression they were supposed to portray, we got them to act without the words,” said Peh. She shared that their strategy was to choose songs that have powerful lyrics and are able to evoke strong feelings.

AZ, WYZ, AN and CL zones.
If you are a fan of the Channel 5 comedy series The Noose, you will definitely enjoy this hilarious drama by the team from the AZ, WYZ, AN and CL zones. Dubbed City Noose, the skit was first performed at the finale night of one of the camps held in June, but adopted a more “CHC” flavor. According to the team, the script for City Noose was initially purely for entertainment purposes but was later changed to suit the “life-changing” theme for the Emerge Center Stage! competition. Shawn Goh, coordinator for the team shared how the inspiration to do City Noose came from the dramatist themselves. “The team members are hardcore fans of The Noose. In fact, the characters they play in this drama are those they portray the best. For example, the dramatists acting as Barbarella and Leticia Bongnino are sisters who love imitating them all the time. So when the time came for casting, we had no doubt who to choose for the roles.”

OH MY WORD

“It is always good to memorize the Word of God. Only when we memorize the Word can we go into the next level of meditation and application,” said Lee Yilun, the zone supervisor in charge of the “Oh My Word!” challenge.

Participants of this year’s “Oh My Word!” challenge will see a change in the way the game is played. Unlike “Word Power,” a similar competition held in previous Emerge conferences, the verses and Bible questions in “Oh My Word!” will be limited to the four Gospels. The number of verses has also been reduced from 60 to 25 verses for the preliminary round.

A total of 77 teams (four members in each team) with over 300 participants have signed up for the challenge.

YOUR BEST SHOT

This is CHC’s Youtube video contest. The Emerge committee has picked out the following 15 contestants based on the quality of their videos as well as the number of views and the number of “Likes” they have garnered. These 15 will compete in a showcase event on July 12, at Jurong West. The final three selected will perform during the Emerge weekend and the winner of the competition will be announced during the service on July 17.

From April to June 2011, Kong Hee, senior pastor of City Harvest Church, visited 13 cities, preaching in churches and conferences, encouraging believers to hold on to the visions and dreams given by God.

Contributed By Dawn Seow

MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur (APRIL 26-27)
This year, Kong had the privilege to be part of the Church Growth International Conference held in Malaysia. Kong shared the stage with Lee Young-Hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, Lee Tae Keun, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church Pundang Ward Satellite Church, Lee Jang Seck, executive director of Korean Church Growth Research Center, and others.

Penang (MAY 27-29)
Over three days, Kong preached four sessions in City Harvest Church, Penang. The members were blessed as they learned about the Holy Spirit, visions and dreams, and the importance of staying faithful and loyal. An evangelistic meeting was also held on the last morning which saw many coming to Christ.

JAPAN

Fukuoka (APRIL 25)
In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, Kong made a trip to Japan to bring a word of encouragement to Christians there. He preached at Fukuoka Harvest Church, ministering to 53 pastors from different parts of Japan and also spoke in a conference for 140 believers.

TAIWAN

Kaohsiung and Ping Tung (MAY 10-12)
Since CHC’s crossover project in early 2000, Kong has been making regular trips to Taiwan every year to minister and plant churches there. On this trip, Kong’s first stop was Kaohsiung where he preached in Wu Chang Church. He then headed to Ping Tung to visit CHC’s affiliate church there, a vibrant congregation pastored by Ge Zhao Xing and his wife Josephine.

Taipei (MAY 13-15)
Kong ended the Taiwan trip in the city of Taipei where the Taiwan revival first began a decade ago.  Apart from preaching in the various CHC affiliate and partner churches (Taipei Revival Church, Grace Church, Passion 99 Harvest Church, Taipei New Life Church, Hsin Tien Covenant Church, Taipei Truth Church), Kong also took some time out to fellowship with the pastors and leaders during the three days he was there.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Chicago and Florida
(JUNE 12 & 15)

In a trip to the US, Kong ministered at Family Harvest Church, Chicago, headed by internationally-renown leadership speaker Robb Thompson. Thompson is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading teachers on personal excellence and character development. He has spoken not only in CHC’s weekend services, but in leadership seminars with the church’s marketplace ministry as well.

Kong later went on to Florida where he ministered at Abundant Life Christian Center, Fort Lauderdale headed by Bishop Rick Thomas.

INDONESIA

Bandung (April 1)
Kong ministered at Apostle Ministry, preaching to a crowd of around 200 people on the importance of walking with the Holy Spirit.

Jakarta (May 16-18, MAY 22 & June 26)
In the month of May and June, Kong spent a total of five days in the capital of Indonesia speaking to seven different churches. Apart from preaching his signature message on Visions and Dreams, Kong also challenged the congregation to live a Spirit-filled life as he preached on Fourth Dimensional Living and the Love of God.

Pekanbaru (APRIL 19-20)
This was the first time Kong visited GBI Pekanbaru in the Riau state of Indonesia. The first meeting was very well-received as the crowd responded to the preaching of the Word with great hunger and excitement. His message titled “What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do?” ministered greatly to the people. In a separate business meeting Kong attended, one of the team members traveling with him, Wahyu Hanafi, a successful businessman, shared his testimony on financial breakthrough.

PHOTOS: Xie Jiahao & Rayvin Hsu

Melbourne (APRIL 16-17)
Kong ministered at CityLife Church pastored by Mark Conner—a regular speaker at CHC and two-time guest speaker at the Festival of Praise in Singapore. In his two days there, Kong preached on the Love of God and the Fatherhood of God.

Sydney (APRIL 11-15 & JUNE 27-29)
Together with his wife, Sun, Kong spent three days at the Presence Conference (April 11-14) organized by Phil Pringle, senior pastor of Christian City Church. Kong preached a heartfelt message on God’s unwavering love as he shared the grim journey he faced the past 11 months, and also spoke on visions and dreams in a subsequent meeting. One of CHC’s worship leaders, Mark Kwan, also served as a backup vocalist in the night sessions.

Sydney Harvest Church, CHC’s affiliate church welcomed Kong during their weekend service from April 14-15 and again for their Transformation Conference, June 27-29.

Volunteers from City Harvest Chinese Church bring the joy of companionship to the elderly at Fei Yue.

Contributed By Dawn Seow

The elderly folk participated enthusiastically in the activities. PHOTOS: Koh Yong Hui

Sixty-five volunteers from City Harvest Chinese Church spent two days celebrating Parents’ Day with the elderly folk in Fei Yue’s Seniors Activity Centres.

“These elderly folks are mostly from low income families and many of them have been abandoned by their children,” explained Lau Lee Pai, a social worker from the center. “The party organized by the volunteers brought warmth to them.”

The CHCC members organized the parties with the aim of bringing some fun into the lives of the elderly, and at the same time, to appreciate them as parents. Even if their own children did not do so, the CHCC team wanted to show these senior citizens that their efforts as parents were not insignificant.

The first party at Fei Yue Seniors Activity Centre on June 16 reached out to 45 elderly folk, while the second event, held at Fei Yue Teck Whye Seniors Activity Center on June 21, brought enjoyment to 38 residents.

Lau also told City News that some elderly live far from the center, but thanks to the volunteers who took the trouble to pick them up from their homes, these individuals did not miss out on a meaningful event.

“It takes me 15 minutes to walk to their homes, so it may take even longer for the elderly to walk to the center. The volunteers not only went to their house to pick them up for the celebration, they also sent them home after the event,” added Lau.

Sun Xiao Yun and Chen Ya Zhi, who hosted the event, led the residents in some simple games to warm the crowd up. The elderly participated enthusiastically during the sing-a-long sessions and was very responsive during the sharing session.

The highlight of the party was a magic show performed by one of the volunteers, Ian Lim. The 15-minute show drew much laughter and gasps as the elderly watched every act in amazement. They were disappointed when the show ended—many exclaimed, “No more?” in Mandarin after Lim’s last act was over.

There were also heartfelt moments when two volunteers presented song items for the elderly. Zhou Ling, a volunteer, sang her original composition about a mother’s love.

Following the entertainment, the elderly folk were treated to some light refreshment and each one brought home a goody bag prepared by the volunteers.

Leong Yan Chee, a pastor of CHCC, said that the elderly were deeply touched by the effort the volunteers made.

“They kept saying thank you and shaking our hands after the event,” he said. “They were very happy and wanted us to come back again.”

While much effort was put into the organization of the party, that was not the secret to the success of these events. Leong noted, “Winning [the elderly’s] trust and showing genuine care and love is the real challenge as many organizations and corporations have held events for them. I am very proud of the Chinese Church volunteers who really demonstrated love to these elderly, and they felt it.”