A Chat with Miki Gavrielov

Miki Gavrielov is one of Israel’s best-loved and popular singers. He performed at City Harvest Church at Singapore Expo Hall 8, on 22 August 2009. “It was such an honor for me to perform here — the energy was simply amazing!” Gavrielov told City News.

“Everyone stood up and clapped along to my music. It was also really impressive the way everyone worshiped — I had only seen such fervent worshiping on TV, of crowds in the US!” Widely acknowledged as one of the founders of Israeli music, Gavrielov’s music is heard in Jewish communities all over the globe, from the Philippines to Sweden and the USA. In recognition of his many contributions to Israeli music, he was presented a Lifetime Achievement in Music award in 2007 by Acum (an organization of Israeli writers and composers).

“My greatest joy in performing is connecting with my audiences all over the world,” he said. “When I visit different countries and audiences immediately know my songs, that feels great and drives me on.” Born into a musical family, Gavrielov gets his inspiration from his loved ones, his country, movies, as well as from books.

While he generally does not write songs about religion, he did garner inspiration from one book in the Bible: Song of Solomon. “I’m a romantic at heart and I just found the verses so beautiful! That song I wrote is a very popular song at weddings in Israel.” Despite having achieved so much in his career, Gavrielov remains grounded and sincere.

PHOTOS: Jayson Lee

“I love how music touches people and brings them together. I’d like to give a big thank you to Pastor Kong for inviting me here to City Harvest, and I send everyone love from Israel! May God bless you and keep doing the beautiful work you are doing!” To read more about Miki Gavrielov, go to http://www.mikigavrielov.com/english/index2.php

Classically Singaporean

On 23 August 2009, the Victoria Concert Hall (VCH) reverberated with sounds uniquely Singaporean as The Millennial Orchestra (TMO) debuted its inaugural public concert.

Entitled “Composers & Talents from Home”, the evening crescendoed beautifully in a selection of compositions by both established and budding local musicians.

While ‘Sketches of Singapore’ and ‘Child of Destiny’ by veteran composers Dr Kelly Tang and Dr Er Yenn Chwen respectively would have aroused patriotic pride in any Singaporean heart, it was the works of debutante score writers Jeanette Teoh and Nathania Chan which proved surprisingly novel.

Teoh’s ‘Sheer Determination’ successfully evoked a sense of perseverance in the face of challenges through its steady, unwavering rhythms, accentuated by strong percussions.

Equally moving was melancholy but graceful ‘Wild Roses’ by Chan. Inspired by the character Zipporah from the movie, Prince of Egypt, her lyrical composition poignantly conveyed both the pain of being the prisoner-bride of Pharaoh’s sons as well as Zipporah’s longing for freedom.

These two pieces certainly left an indelible impression on the orchestra’s musicians. Cellist Janelle Kam, 35, applauded the two composers’ boldness in writing and arranging for a full orchestra, describing it as nothing short of “daring”. For violinist, Eric Tan, 22, the pieces were, “new” and “very refreshing.”

The evening also celebrated a cornucopia of homegrown performers. Amongst them, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts graduate, Sofi Natalia, who delivered an exhilarating piano solo of Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D minor.

PHOTOS: Isiah Nerville Su

Also beaming with pride was Long Soon Luan, 55, whose daughter, soprano soloist, Lim Yan Ting, gave a spirited performance of two arias from Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. Speaking in Mandarin, Long said of her daughter, “She puts in a lot of effort. Our house is constantly filled with her singing.”

For Lim herself, performing at the VCH conjured up mixed emotions of “euphoria” and “anxiety”. After spending many an MRT ride imagining what it would be like to stand on the VCH stage, finally being there was “like a dream come true.”

Indeed, “Composers & Talents from Home” will go down as a milestone not just for Lim, but for TMO itself. If the life of the orchestra were a symphony, this concert would mark the start of a new movement — one in which the tempo is up as TMO matures into a lively hub for aspiring Singaporean classical music talents.

Watch City News’ video coverage of The Millennial Orchestra’s debut concert, coming soon to www.citynews.sg.

Celebrating The Kairos Time

Graduating class waxes nostalgic about time at school over celebration dinner.

Endless chatter, radiant faces and camera flashlights filled the Hall at Keppel Club on 7 August as over 600 students celebrated the end of five life-changing months at City Harvest Church’s (CHC) School of Theology (SOT) Graduation Dinner.

In his speech, Dean of Students, Bobby Chaw, aptly summed up the period at SOT as a “Kairos time” or the opportune moment where 636 people of varying backgrounds made one common decision to enroll and be trained for God’s purposes.

Reflecting on his special time at the school, business owner, Peter Ngion, mischievously described it as the “School of Terror” and “Trials and Tribulations”, which slowly evolved into the “School of Transition” and “Transformation”, before finally becoming the “School of Triumphs”. Ngion was also voted Mr. Charisma during the evening.

For Andrew Tan, graduating from SOT was another significant step in his path from darkness to light having previously “graduated” from a boys’ home and reformative center due to a past of drugs, gangs and violence. To Tan, SOT was not just an ordinary experience, “but really about experiencing God and encountering God at a whole new level.”

Echoing his views was Zhou Sheng Dan, who cited that her most important lesson was the need for fresh revelation from God’s word daily so as not to tire and give up in ministry.

Miss Charisma for the evening, Korean, Bae Jin Hee, shared that the event during SOT that impressed her most was the inaugural International Idol. The student-run talent competition creatively reached out to Singapore’s multicultural community, dispelling notions of church as boring.

In fact, according to SOT Administrator, Cindy Chaw, the creativity of graduates from year to year is growing as each batch of students becomes more bold in shining forth their talents.

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

No surprise then that the dinner itself proved a showcase of creativity — from the rap, dance and song performances to the students’ fashion forward attire.

The evening fittingly concluded with students singing along to evergreen number, ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, as they celebrated the warm camaraderie that would be dearly missed as SOT Class of 2009 comes to a close.

Chong’s Yummy Favorites: Beng Hiang Restaurant

Your favorite reviewer had another “Eureka!” moment when he unearthed this little Hokkien gem amidst the Amoy Street “foodies’ enclave”. Stewing in a stuck-in-the-’60s, down-in-Chinatown atmosphere, Beng Hiang Restaurant certainly made good its traditional appeal.

You can’t really eat Chinese food without having pork, so we pigged out with their fabulous King Pork Ribs and Kong Bak Pao — heaven in a Chinese dish!

King Pork Ribs	Kong Bak Pao

The ribs sizzled with the unique taste of its sauces, while somehow still managing to showcase the natural sweetness of the meat. The Kong Bak Pao completely satisfied our craving: it was yummy, all its meaty gelatinous goodness bathed in dark sauces, then wrapped up in a soft white bun before arriving in your mouth for the ultimate euphoric taste sensation.

Duck Salad	Kailan with Salted Fish

The Duck Salad, the appetizer, did a good job stirring up our stomach juices with its delicious and light flavors. Then came the Kailan with Salted Fish, which went perfectly with white rice.

Fried Oyster Omelette Overall Rating:

Another big hit with this reviewer was the Fried Oyster Omelette. The crispy flour skin at the top had a crispy texture. Artery-clogging, yes, but every bite was oh-so-nice! And the oysters at Beng Hiang are big, fresh and succulent.

One more fabulous thing about this place? At Beng Hiang you’ll find good food that doesn’t cost you an arm or your firstborn. Prices are nice and reasonable; our feast worked out to be less than S$20 per person. We’re sure your financial advisor would approve.

As told to Elizabeth Low

CHC Affiliate Church Luncheon

In Singapore to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of City Harvest Church (CHC) were more than 20 affiliate church pastors of CHC from the nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan as well as Singapore.

A special luncheon was held for pastors and workers of these churches who traveled to Singapore to attend the thanksgiving and celebration services. The luncheon gave CHC’s senior pastor, Kong Hee, the opportunity to catch up with the various affiliate church pastors in a casual and relaxed manner amidst food and fellowship. Roars of laughter and much chatter filled the room as the crowd mingled and ate.

Says Tan Seow How, senior pastor of Heart of God Church (HOGC), Singapore, “What we experienced today was awesome, but of more significance is the sacrifice which Kong and Sun have made over the years to help bring CHC to where it is today. As we in HOGC celebrate our 10th year anniversary at the end of this month, we are very motivated to press on and see how the next ten years will unfold for us.”

When asked about what he took away from CHC’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Kevin Loo, senior pastor of City Harvest Church Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, says, “It is very heartening to see that even though CHC has grown so big, everyone is still one big family, running the same race together.”

The luncheon saw many of the affiliate church pastors up close and personal to Kong, their spiritual leader and mentor.

PHOTOS: Jimmy Yong & Gabriel Seow

CHC 20th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service

For a church that has enjoyed tremendous growth and gained glowing accolades for its accomplishments on a global scale, it is only fitting that at its 20th anniversary, City Harvest Church (CHC) held a prayer service to give thanks to the God who made it all possible.

On the morning of 2 August 2009, more than half an hour before the 9am service begun, queues were already snaking from the Singapore Indoor Stadium (SIS) entrances into the car parks. By 8.50am, the stadium was 95 per cent filled with over 10,000 people.

As always in the past 20 years, the Thanksgiving Service started on time, at 9am sharp, with a rousing praise song led by the full ensemble of worship leaders in CHC. From the praises sung in celebratory fervor to the worship songs lifted to God, the atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying, as everyone came with the same purpose to celebrate — 20 years of challenges overcame, 20 years of transformation, 20 years of impacting lives and loving God.

Founder and senior pastor of CHC, Kong Hee, addressed the congregation, expressing his belief that the next 20 years of CHC will be even more glorious, and for that to be achieved, Kong began to lead in a time of prayer for God to move in a greater and deeper way in the heart of every CHC member.

Following that, some of the pastors and key leaders of CHC took turns to pray for the church and its various zones. Prayers were prayed in English, Mandarin and Tamil; and covered several aspects of CHC, including growth, spiritual atmosphere and a new building as well as success and happiness in the lives of every CHC member. The 25-minute prayer session reflected the heart of the church’s founder and its leaders; echoed in agreement prayerfully and passionately by the congregation.

Rev Alex Abraham Tanuseputra, the senior pastor of Bethany Church Indonesia, one of the largest churches in Indonesia, was specially invited by Kong to speak at the Thanksgiving Service. Tanuseputra preached from Zechariah 2:1-5, about a young man who wanted to measure Jerusalem, but God did not allow him to. Tanuseputra explained to the congregation that the gospel will extend from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world, in accordance to the Word of God. Hence, its size cannot be measured by man. It can only be measured by the faith that comes from God.

Tanuseputra elaborated on when he first started his church with “small faith” — the faith to build 14 small churches. Then he developed “growing faith” — the faith to build a 4,000-seater church building. This graduated to “strong faith” — the faith to build a church with a capacity for 20,000 people in Nginden, Indonesia. Finally, he is now going on to “perfect faith” — which he explained, is required because we cannot overcome by our own faith; this is when God’s perfect faith will come upon us and enable us to “do greater works”.

Tanuseputra shared about his own faith journey in embarking upon the Jakarta Tower project. The tower, currently being built in central Jakarta, is to be one of the tallest structures in the world. This was a project he had refused when God first spoke to him to build it. At an estimated cost of US$350 million, Tanuseputra, at 62 years of age then, thought the project would be too difficult. This was reinforced by discouragement from his friends and family. But with faith, Tanuseputra overcame his doubt and took on the building project. The foundation for Jakarta Tower has since been laid over the past five years, and it will take many more years before the completion of this iconic building for God. As he does his part, Tanuseputra is confident that the Lord will accomplish the rest, because the faith of the Lord is unlimited.

Tanuseputra made his way down to stage toward Kong and prayed a prayer over the younger man of faith. He declared that Kong’s generation will replace his (Tanuseputra) generation, and God will bless Kong to build one of the biggest churches around. Tanuseputra continued to pray over Kong to “do greater works”, and he concluded by leading the entire congregation to shout “Amen!” seven times, bringing the spiritual atmosphere in the hall to a peak.

“I feel proud to know that (Pastor) Kong will someday be the leader of his generation, like many others such as, Dr Alex Tanuseputra and Dr Yonggi Cho,” said Jenny Lim, 37, an office manager who has been in CHC for 8 years.

“Looking back from the first day I attended CHC until today, my life has changed so much. I thank God for giving me wonderful leaders, for establishing CHC in the past twenty years, and for many more years ahead,” said Lim.

Indeed, thankfulness was evidently felt by many CHC members at the church’s 20th anniversary. Adrian Tang, 35, an engineer who joined CHC in 2007, had this to say, “Life used to be all about work, but in these two years of attending CHC, there have been blessings I never expected. My girlfriend and I got married, and both our families have said that they’ve seen a change in the way we live our lives. (Pastor) Kong’s love for God, our cell group’s love and friendship, and the church’s efforts to reach out to the community are heartfelt and inspiring. These are surely worth celebrating and thanking God for.”

More than just giving thanks, the service was also a reminder of the CHC journey thus far, and a conviction that God will bring the church forward to fulfill even greater visions.

PHOTOS: Elvis chiu, Gary Sim, Gloria Wong, Gay Sen Min, Jayson Lee, Yan Juyi, Ryan Ng

Lu Jiahui, 34, a church staff who has been attending CHC for 10 years, puts it best: “The service was really one that reminded all of us of God’s goodness and grace. I’m in awe of the sacrifices the pioneers have made, and what they had to stand up against. I’m so thankful for (Pastor) Kong and Sun, for their faith in God and perseverance to help steer this church to where it is! As a staff, I’m so privileged to be able to represent this church. ”

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