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READY

OUR VISION To be the Bride of Christ ready at His return OUR MISSION We spur one another to grow as disciples of Christ living out fully God’s purposes for our lives OUR CORE FAITH VALUES Rooted in the Living Word Empowered by the Holy Spirit Abiding in Christ only Daring to Hope and to Love Yielding Fruit to God’s Glory

Editor Jimmy Tan Editorial Team Diana Chin, May Wong, Lim Seow Cheng, Hwang Ching Yun Design and Layout Abigail Ng Printer Regent(S) Printing Pte Ltd Cover Illustration Julienne Ng

Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Team or the Church Council. Your contributions to READY are welcome and should be submitted to editor@bfec.org.sg. The Editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any articles submitted for publication. We make no claim of ownership over any images, trademarks, designs, logos, campaigns and other copyrighted materials not originally created by us. They are shown on this publication under the doctrine of fair use and belong to the entities that own them.

Editor Jimmy Tan Editorial Team Diana Chin, May Wong, Lim Seow Cheng, Hwang Ching Yun Design and Layout Abigail Ng Printer Regent(S) Printing Pte Ltd Cover Illustration Julienne Ng

CONTENTS

Chosen Bearing Fruit, Embracing Christ

A Time for Everything

He Prunes

Heart Offerings

His Gracious Hand

Fruitfulness In The In-Between

Unexpected Friends

A Bare Tree Is Not A Barren One

Listen

Encouraged To Encourage Others

Our Lives, An Unfinished Song

一针一线缝出来的恩典百家被 – 华语事工的线上敬拜

A Time To Uproot?

Ripe And Ready

You Crown the Year

Even the Hard Pathways And He Called Him Father Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light In The Darkness

5 7

Give Me A Sign!

When You Can’t Have Your Cake

Working The Ground in God’s Vineyard:Covid-Edition

Not Hidden From The Shepherd

God Met Me In Baal-Zephon There Was A Time Staying Fruitful As A Cell Family Zooming In On The Truth Our “Group Of Five” Overflowing With Abundance

15 16 17 19 20 21

One Stitch At A Time You Are My God

Post Traumatic Growth

Soil, Seeds And Salads

With God, Love Always Finds A Way

BFEC in 2020

CONTENTS

Chosen Bearing Fruit, Embracing Christ

A Time for Everything

He Prunes

Heart Offerings

His Gracious Hand

Fruitfulness In The In-Between

Unexpected Friends

A Bare Tree Is Not A Barren One

Listen

Encouraged To Encourage Others

Our Lives, An Unfinished Song

一针一线缝出来的恩典百家被 – 华语事工的线上敬拜

A Time To Uproot?

Ripe And Ready

You Crown the Year

Even the Hard Pathways And He Called Him Father Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light In The Darkness

5 7

Give Me A Sign!

When You Can’t Have Your Cake

Working The Ground in God’s Vineyard:Covid-Edition

Not Hidden From The Shepherd

God Met Me In Baal-Zephon There Was A Time Staying Fruitful As A Cell Family Zooming In On The Truth Our “Group Of Five” Overflowing With Abundance

15 16 17 19 20 21

One Stitch At A Time You Are My God

Post Traumatic Growth

Soil, Seeds And Salads

With God, Love Always Finds A Way

BFEC in 2020

Everyone has a hobby and mine is to feed my family. It could be going out to the open sea to fish or planting edibles in my garden. Today, these activities are for leisure but during Jesus’ time, if you did not fish nor work in the field, you did not eat. It was that simple. “You did not choose me, but I CHOSE you and appointed you that you should go and BEAR FRUIT and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16 These thoughts weighed on my mind when I selected the theme verse for our Church – John 15:16. My prayer was for the feeding and growth of our church. The Lord’s word is very clear – He chose us to go and bear fruit, fruit that lasts. Bearing fruit starts with planting and caring for the plant till it is ready for harvest. Jesus gave this a huge boost when he said that He is the vine (John 15:5) and that we are the branches. If we do not abide in Him and bear fruit, he will prune us. We do not want to be cut off either as an individual or as a church, that’s why I challenged the church to focus on discipleship and on helping each other grow in Christ. Then COVID-19 happened. Everything changed within weeks. Circuit breaker measures locked us out of church doors. How were we to bear fruit if we could not meet? How would we evangelise or disciple? How would we obey the Lord if we could not even gather?

Chosen

BEARING FRUIT, EMBRACING CHRIST

Elder Alex Lo and wife Corinne

But God always provides a way out. The early Christians had to live in caves and hidden communities away from the authorities who were persecuting them. Epistles and letters were written and hand-carried to encourage and edify the believers. Today, we have it good with technology. With a tap on our phones, we can communicate with someone on the other side of the earth. Our church, like many other churches, started online services and we could still meet through video conferencing platforms. Suddenly, our church multiplied and we had many pockets of believers worshipping together from their different homes. Some even joined us from various locations around the globe. Alpha Online was something we would never imagine organising and yet, praise God, we had many seekers join our weekly messages and discussions, all from the comfort of their homes. I thank God for those who finished the sessions and gave their lives to Jesus. God’s word cannot and must not ever be stopped from being propagated. We need to move with the times in answering that call to bear fruit, whatever the season. In this issue, you will find these and other signs of life and fruitfulness despite the tough year 2020 was. For some, it has meant a time of pruning to overcome personal challenges. Others share how staying faithful in sowing and learning despite not seeing immediate fruit is the key. Dear friends, let us “keep on keeping on” for His glory and for His Name’s sake. Let us always be bearing fruit and embracing Christ! Elder Alex Lo Chairman. BFEC

Chosen

BEARING FRUIT, EMBRACING CHRIST

Elder Alex Lo and wife Corinne

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

Psalm 65:11

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

Psalm 65:11

AND HE CALLED HIM FATHER

By Jimmy Tan

I still recall when Luke Roy waved me over to pray for Lawrence Goh after Good Friday service on 30 March 2018. “This guy sure looks … unfriendly,” I thought.

A breakthrough came when he decided to ferry his mum to our Chinese Ministry’s Evergreen Fellowship meetings on Wednesdays. He said he had two hours to kill over breakfast or kopi.

Surrounded by friends who had brought him to the service, Lawrence asked me to pray for his health and finances. He was a limousine driver struggling to settle his home mortgage. To renew his driver’s licence meant he needed to clear some driving tests but two major strokes had weakened him. He was still limping. I mustered enough faith to pray that the Lord would bless and grant him his requests.

The Navigators basic material is usually covered in six weeks but we took a year to complete three chapters! Post-stroke meant it took more time for him to digest and discuss the questions. As he persevered, I settled for just one key verse to study in our meal together. This left us with ample time to have heartfelt conversations about his life and struggles and address his questions about the verse.

I remember also asking that Lawrence would ultimately experience God’s love. Looking at his face, it was as if all the lights in our church sanctuary had collapsed into an inescapable black hole in his heart. I had not met a more broken man.

As his spiritual hunger grew, the fog in his mind started to clear. Once, he excitedly told me what happened when he took the advice of those who had undergone “Compass your finances, God’s way” courses. Though he was still struggling with his finances, he decided to give God a regular tithe based on his average earnings. He said the Lord sent him even more business! I probed if he would still rejoice if his finances didn’t prosper. He looked me in the eye and emphatically said, “I don’t believe in God for material prosperity, ok!”

For sure he was amazed (as was I, clearly rebuked for my lack of faith) when he later told me he’d cleared the tricky driving reassessment. He started to work and earn. Lawrence soon followed Luke Roy to Elder Joshua’s cell group and subsequently prayed to ask Jesus into his life.

I can only be in awe as I recall my prayer for him the Sunday we first met. No one else could have engineered God’s workings in Lawrence’s life, and how Lawrence responded in ‘working out’ his salvation (Philippians 2:12,13).

The most thrilling spiritual transformation was still to come. He had been bringing his mother to Evergreen Fellowship for many weeks but she was not open to the Gospel. During our lesson on obstacles to answered prayer, I probed if he knew why she was resisting. He candidly told me that he still hated her; he blamed her for her part in the broken marriage to his dad. Right there, I gently challenged him to forgive her, for I sensed that was probably why she wasn’t saved yet.

For sure, there were things Lawrence still struggled with, like smoking. He smilingly told me not to lecture him because that would only make him rebel. But he chuckled and said I could check on his progress anytime. One day he proudly reported he had managed to cut down on his smoking.

I could see in his eyes that the Holy Spirit was again at work, convicting him through the scriptures shared earlier. To his credit, he said that while he honestly struggled, he would consider it seriously.

During the circuit breaker, his income, like all limousine drivers, went south. Yet he never once doubted God or accused Him of wrongdoing.

Before long, he did decide to forgive his mum. And he told her so. When sisters from Evergreen visited her to share the Gospel, she gave her life to Christ. One could see her dour demeanour also change. She would later testify, at her own baptism, that she believed because she had seen the transformation in Lawrence.

Lawrence collapsed at home on the morning of 12 July 2020 from a third stroke, this one so massive he never regained consciousness. And as much as many of us prayed for a miracle, the One whom Lawrence wished “Happy Father’s Day” chose to call his child Home on 22 July. Though Lawrence’s discipleship seemed fast tracked in those two years, I still found myself protesting, “But Lord, we didn’t complete our Bible study!” Yet I sensed the Lord’s gentle, but clear, rebuttal, “Is your Bible ever completely studied before you meet the Author?”

Right after our Father’s Day online service on 21 June 2020, Lawrence texted me saying he felt his heart clearly warmed by God’s love. He sent me a prayer, which he asked me to edit and share with anyone I saw fit. It conveyed, “I never had a father from birth. Never knew his love. Never celebrated Father’s Day. But today at the online service, I felt something change. I experienced my Heavenly Father’s love for me. So... this Father’s Day is for you, God.”

I sensed God was pleased to take him Home, not because Lawrence’s work (and Bible study) on earth was done, but because God’s work in Lawrence here was done. In God’s amazing grace and perfect time, Lawrence had indeed turned from being like “sheep going astray” towards the “Shepherd and Overseer” of his soul (1 Peter 2:25).

Then the Lord challenged him, through Luke Roy, to keep the Sabbath instead of taking jobs on Sunday mornings. Again, he trusted God and came regularly for 8 a.m. service. Once more, he said business flowed his way. He’d insist, “Bro, I just can’t explain it!”

When baptism lessons were announced, he signed up and was baptised on 26 August 2018. Those present saw that God’s light had returned to Lawrence’s face. Around this time, I felt prompted to invite him for weekly one-on-one Bible study. He said yes, but initial meetings were sporadic due to the irregular and long hours he demanded of himself to clear his mortgage.

When the Alpha Course was organised in 2018, he signed up without hesitation on top of weekly commitments at cell and our kopi BS session. The Lord encountered him powerfully at the weekendaway session on the Holy Spirit. He forgave his late father who had divorced his mum when he was born. He said he was compelled to obey during one prayer ministry time. Jimmy and Lawrence at the Frankel coffee shop

AND HE CALLED HIM FATHER

By Jimmy Tan

I still recall when Luke Roy waved me over to pray for Lawrence Goh after Good Friday service on 30 March 2018. “This guy sure looks … unfriendly,” I thought.

A breakthrough came when he decided to ferry his mum to our Chinese Ministry’s Evergreen Fellowship meetings on Wednesdays. He said he had two hours to kill over breakfast or kopi.

During the circuit breaker, his income, like all limousine drivers, went south. Yet he never once doubted God or accused Him of wrongdoing.

WAYMAKER, MIRACLE WORKER, PROMISE KEEPER, LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS!

GIVE ME A SIGN!

By Samuel Ng

“God, if you want me to go to this school, please give me a sign.”

By Linda Pereira (BKK)

I would have loved to tell you that leaving the Air Force was due to a certain and clear sign from God telling me to go from my secure job to a new “land” He was going to show me. And that, along the way, God had led me through spectacular diversions and surprises to where I am now. However, that was not the case. I believe God can communicate and guide us in whatever way he desires, but in my experience, He doesn’t usually lead me with such fanfare. That’s not to say that I have not asked God for “obvious” signs at various decision points in my life, hoping to share the certainty of a certain group of people following a pillar of fire or cloud. I had none this time around, rather similar to many other instances in my past. Wouldn’t it be so much easier to have God give me a dream, or send an angel to tell me something, or speak audibly to me himself?

“God, please give me a sign to confirm that you want me to take this course.”

Olivia Foo praying

I was led to teach the song “Waymaker” to the Bethesda (Katong) Kindergarten (BKK) children at the start of 2020. The year ahead looked promising but little did I know this song was preparing us for what was to come.

As I read their heartfelt prayers, I was overwhelmed by the honesty and simplicity of their words. I was so encouraged to see that their prayers were not limited to themselves and their families, but for people they did not know, such as doctors and our government. I learned much from these dear little ones. Oh, how precious are they!

As the pandemic began, God‘s presence seemed more tangible, especially through this song. Many children were afraid and some went to the extent of washing their hands many times and did not want to come to school for fear of contracting the virus. 2 Timothy 1:7 became a source of hope in the midst of despair - “For God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind.”

I saw how many of these children mature and became more resilient. I attribute this to answered prayer. God is indeed true to His Word. Isaiah 65: 24 says, “Before they call, I will answer; while they are speaking, I will hear”. For me personally, this was a pruning journey, where faith in action produced perseverance and hope in a great and awesome God!

Prayer was the essential tool to get through each day. I told the children to write simple prayers to God on a Post-it note and pinned them on the notice board, together with the Bible verse 1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your cares unto Him for He cares for you”. This gave the children an avenue to express their feelings as they came to grips with the new way of life.

I believe these children have found their anchor in God. Their experience of seeing the signs of fruitfulness despite the “hard pathways” will be one they take into the future, knowing there is hope in God for He is indeed a Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness. To God be the Glory!

In 2020, I decided to leave what friends candidly term an “iron rice bowl” job after 18 years, plunging headfirst into the world of private enterprise. The journey was rather eventful. I left the Air Force to enter the commercial aviation industry. I cleared the interviews and attained the necessary training qualifications. Then, just three days before the official “start date” of my shiny new job, HR called to say my induction into the company would be delayed “by a few weeks”. Those weeks turned into months as the pandemic grew in scope and intensity. In the middle of running around with odd jobs here and there, I decided to embark on a fairly longterm plan that was never meant to take place so soon – try my hand at running my own business. This, while learning the ropes of being a new father to my one-year-old toddler.

If I placed my faith in how God would lead me or what He does for me, then I would be at risk of setting my own expectations and hope on things God had never promised. 8

WAYMAKER, MIRACLE WORKER, PROMISE KEEPER, LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS!

GIVE ME A SIGN!

By Samuel Ng

“God, if you want me to go to this school, please give me a sign.”

By Linda Pereira (BKK)

“God, please give me a sign to confirm that you want me to take this course.”

Olivia Foo praying

If I placed my faith in how God would lead me or what He does for me, then I would be at risk of setting my own expectations and hope on things God had never promised. 8

I couldn’t see Him because I was looking right in front of me, and looking for what I wanted Him to do for me. “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Such a familiar text, yet such a challenge in accepting it when it becomes personal. Frustration, worry and helplessness were all part of the meandering journey I chose to take. The trick for me, however, was what (or who) I had to place my faith in. If I placed my faith in how God would lead me or what He does for me, then I would be at risk of setting my own expectations and hope on things God had never promised. If I had faith in God Himself, however, then that would mean I believe that God can and WILL work things together for the good of those who love Him, no matter how or when He chooses to. I shifted my focus away from what was happening and how I would have liked God to respond, and instead focused on the God who makes things happen and who responds. That gave me the ability to take each setback and each victory to a higher plane – God’s assurance that our current repaired relationship with Him and promise of future glory far outweighs the worry and strife of this life (Rom 8:17-18).

Samuel (center) relaxing with his family

WHEN YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE

By Cheryl Ong

As a home baker, customised cakes are a big part of the business. When COVID-19 and the circuit breaker hit, my cake orders were cancelled one after another. For most people, not being able to visit family meant there would be no birthday celebrations.

That was the breaking point for me. I remember having a huge ugly cry as I faced the possibility of zero income for the next few months. “What do people have against cake?!” I complained to anyone that would read my Whatsapp messages, because of social distancing.

Initially, I took it as a chance to just roll with it. My business model shifted to creating Cheer Boxes indulgent treats that people could send to friends and colleagues who were working from home. Friends from the aviation industry (another hard-hit area) helped with deliveries. It was a period of juggling and tap-dancing for us home bakers as regulations changed every few days! The final blow was when home-based food businesses were asked to cease. Cakes were considered “non-essential”, along with desserts and bubble tea.

Then an opportunity came for me to deliver parcels, which I have never imagined doing. I went into it with the impression that at least it was an honest way to earn money (instead of robbing a bank or running Internet scams). But our God knows me better than I know myself – delivering parcels was a surprisingly good fit. It catered to my organisational skills and sense of direction. As a bonus, I also had really toned arms! Most people I met were nice - I’ll always remember the lovely lady who came to the door holding a prawn she was preparing for dinner and didn’t realise it! Others did not even want to open the door, retrieving their parcels only after I had left and spraying them with copious amounts of disinfectant. It was really a representation of what we were going through: people were scared, and a little stir-crazy. When cake orders (finally!) picked up again, I walked away from the experience humbled and with a newfound appreciation for our delivery personnel.

So was God really invisible to me? On one hand, it does seem that way given that I did not receive any “clear signs” from God throughout the twists and turns of last year. But perhaps I was looking at the wrong frame. God was visible all along. He was there in the Bible when I read it, He was there in my prayers, He was there in the testimonies and lives of other believers I met. I couldn’t see Him because I was looking right in front of me, and looking for what I wanted Him to do for me. Shifting my gaze heaven-ward didn’t automatically solve all my problems, but it did put my present struggles in a new light, a light that made a seemingly invisible God very, very visible.

My biggest lesson from 2020 is how much God takes care of things. I’m a compulsive planner and I like knowing what I’m doing way in advance. Psalm 65:11 shows us how God gives abundance, even when we are out of our comfort zone or when the road ahead is full of potholes. God taught me to slow down and take things as they come. My favourite verse in Jeremiah 29:11 says that He knows the plans He has for us. Even when the world is crazy and we have no idea what is coming, we can find hope in the fact that He does.

Samuel (center) relaxing with his family

WHEN YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE

By Cheryl Ong

Working the Ground in God’s Vineyard: Covid-edition By Elina Lo

A white screen buzzing from the projector. A motley group of hooded young adults hunched over laptops. Keyboards click-clacking away. That’s how it was running camp from the church vineyard— a camp that was happening in various homes with several youth groups all at once. It had travelled down the grapevine that several churches were pausing their camps for the year because of the pandemic. With the five-person restriction, it didn’t seem like camp was going to happen for our youths either. But somehow, a team was formed, a plan sketched for a Youth Service (YS) virtual camp across the island, and the theme selected: “Five Alive”. We had no idea what to expect, but with heads bowed in prayer, we dived right in and trusted that God would come through in our time of need. The following days of camp were a rush of coordinating with gracious parents who had opened their homes for the youths, and pinging messages back and forth to ensure the youths had reached their game checkpoints safely. There was a whole storyline setting the youths in the fictional city of 2035 Leopolis, challenging them to make decisions as a team and to reconsider what being the Church of Christ really means.

I must say, I had a hard time keeping the cords together while communicating with the youths only through phone and text. Had they gotten the message? Were they on the right path? Yet, this reminded me of my own walk with God: communicating through prayer and the Word. It’s difficult to trust in His instruction when I can’t see Him, but His Holy Spirit has shown me more times than I can remember that His Word is trustworthy and true. All I have to do is hold on to Him and keep going— one step at a time. After all, who better to trust than He who knows all things from beginning to end? As the white screen flickered to life, a smiling face popped up. The figure stepped back and waved. It was a video message from our youth groups. “Thank you, Camp Comm. We really had fun and learned a lot...” I sat back and smiled. This camp had taught me plenty— about unity, about serving in humility, about the importance of the church community. I‘d heard this many times, but now I’d really seen: that in order to grow in faith, you have to first go in faith. Now, fellow members on the camp committee have also stepped out to become leaders in the youth ministry, embarking on another fruit-bearing journey in faith, by God’s grace. On our last day in the vineyard, jokes were cracked, laughter was shared and hands were held in prayer, as we praised God for a camp that couldn’t have happened without Him.

, h t i a f n i w o r In order to g . h t i a f n i o g t s r you have to fi 11

Working the Ground in God’s Vineyard: Covid-edition By Elina Lo

, h t i a f n i w o r In order to g . h t i a f n i o g t s r you have to fi 11

Not Hidden from the Shepherd By Esther Cheah

2020 was not a typical year nor was our Youth Camp a typical one. The theme of the camp was “Five Alive”. It was set in a fictional city, Leopolis, year 2035, and the church was in hiding. Instead of the usual worship sessions, messages and nightly suppers I had grown used to having at camp, we were to meet secretly in our individual ‘Churches’, groups of five led by a Shepherd. I was given the responsibility of being the Shepherd for my ‘Church’. At first, I had many doubts: I’m not the most outgoing person, what if I’m not engaging enough as a leader? I had to facilitate Bible study discussions alone, what if no one responded to my questions? What if our group dynamics didn’t work out? What if I’m not a good Shepherd? But God saw me through. In the week leading up to camp, He brought me back to His Word, both for comfort and for wise counsel. As I learnt about Gospel-centered leadership, I realized my incessant worrying was unnecessary. I had no need to doubt God’s ability to use me for His work, in whatever ways He had planned. I had gotten too caught up in the ‘What-if ’s and the ‘How’s, ‘I’ this and ‘I’ that, forgetting I needed only be a willing servant, and God’s good and perfect will would ensure all things fall into place. For it is not by works or results that we determine the value of our service, because God is the Provider of it all. I prayed for Him to teach me to be the Shepherd that Jesus was to His people: loving, caring and kind.

In the end, God blessed our lovely ‘Church’, the Big Friendly Exciting Church: Adrina, Joseph, Luke and Ryane (and sometimes little Luther!) who each have a heart that yearns for Him. Through the tough decisions that we had to make throughout the camp, such as whether to give up our rights to proselytize or risk being persecuted, He gave us a fruitful time of discussion, fellowship and growth. I’m grateful for this chance to lead as a Shepherd, and for all that I’ve learnt in those three days. One of our objectives was to explore what our faith means to us when worldly things change, and I can truthfully say that my faith is secure even in times of testing. I thank God for our wonderful leaders at Youth Service (YS), who willingly took up the challenge of planning and executing a camp amidst a pandemic. God has used each of their incredible gifts for His work and His glory. Thank you leaders for placing us at the heart of your service, we know how much you love us, and we love you too! To my beloved YS, thank you for a most memorable Camp 2020!

n, ee s s i t a h w n o es not y e r u o x i f e w een is s s “So i t a h w r o F nseen. u s i t a h w n o rnal.” te e but s i n ee s n u hat is w t u b , y r a r o p tem - 2 Cor 4:18

Not Hidden from the Shepherd By Esther Cheah

n, ee s s i t a h w n o es not y e r u o x i f e w een is s s “So i t a h w r o F nseen. u s i t a h w n o rnal.” te e but s i n ee s n u hat is w t u b , y r a r o p tem - 2 Cor 4:18

There Was A Time

GOD MET ME IN BAAL-ZEPHON

By Chew Lee Ching

By a Frankelite frontline health worker

There was a time when there was never enough time “Then the Lord said to Moses “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea” Exodus 14:1-2 I started 2020 with a mother and daughter trip to Bangkok, to celebrate E’s 18th birthday. Even then, news about a certain Wuhan virus was gathering steam. I was getting insider emails of emerging infections as I am a frontline worker. Actually, to be accurate, I am a frontline commander. In my job as a senior in an Accident & Emergency department, I manage patient workflow and redirect manpower to areas in need. And when I cannot reallocate manpower, I will move patients. As Singapore battled COVID-19, I found myself entering the fray many times. This is bad planning because as the commander, I needed to stay cool and collected. But when I saw how exhausted my soldiers (fellow medical colleagues) were, I had to pitch in. Resources were stretched so thin that any extra help made a difference. I had grand plans for 2020 - I would go on my first cycling trip in the UK with two friends and I would present a research paper in Japan during the Olympics, so I could soak in the atmosphere. Instead, I now found myself trapped in a COVID-19 rabbit hole, helpless and hopeless. I didn’t feel divinely led, unlike the Israelites when they left Egypt. My journey was fraught with daily uncertainties but like the Israelites, I too had to encamp at Baal-zephon.

and desperate. Some were clearly sick, others were worried sick. I constantly had to make decisions who to swab, who to isolate, who to send home. We also faced some Catch-22 situations. I was notified every few days that I had been in contact with COVID-19 positive patients. Then, we learnt there were asymptomatic carriers. There was no way to be sure if someone was infected. I had to treat every patient as a potential COVID-19 case. COVID-19 certainly didn’t sound like it would pan out like SARS. I had reached my Baal-zephon.

To do the things we want to do and even then in haste;

I isolated myself because I was a risk to everyone at home. It reminded me of SARS all over again. Then, I would bathe after a day’s work before going home to hug E, who was only a year old. Now, my children were older - one was preparing for A levels and the other, for O levels. Both did not seem to understand the gravity of the situation.

That would make a big difference to someone.

I reminded myself that God does not make navigational errors. He would not allow his children, whom he had rescued from 400 years of slavery, to be led into a corner. Similarly, I was not trapped.

And covered us with fear and uncertainty.

I was not led into this situation. I was placed here. This was where God wanted me to be. I didn’t feel particularly heroic but I certainly felt very responsible. If I allowed a positive COVID-19 patient back into the community, it could start another cluster and I would have let many people down. My mission was to guard my land and my loved ones.

Amidst this uneasy restlessness, fears remain.

Were there opportunities to share the gospel? I think so... but I certainly missed them all. I start my day now by signing a declaration of dependence on God and asking Him to deliver me. Strangely, when I become tired, encouragement will pour in. When I don’t feel up to it, a patient will encourage me.

Baal-zephon was a geographical cul-de-sac, a dead-end street. To the north were huge Egyptian fortresses, to the south lay the vast Egyptian desert. Pharaoh and his army were in hot pursuit from the west. To the east was the Red Sea the Israelites had just crossed.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t always the frontline commander I thought I should be. What mattered is that God met me in Baal-zephon.

At the peak of the outbreak in Singapore, I was examining masses of people daily who were worried 15

Meetings and more meetings, events to attend, deadlines to meet, Bottom lines to watch and deals to chase. Busy, busy, every day. So busy that hi and bye replaced time with friends, So busy that there was little time to rest and Time to bond with loved ones. Certainly too busy for little acts of kindness

And then came COVID-19 and turned the world upside down. Businesses shut, borders closed, no travel, no parties But a mad rush to hoard food and toilet rolls. With masked faces, we watched as a silent veil shrouded the city

The home became the office and a crowded battleground To chope a quiet space for online schooling or WFH. Fears of falling sick, worries about business viability and job security Anxieties that rob some of their sleep and others of their sanity. With a troubled mind, I lifted up hapless hands and unmasked my cares Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth Who watches over me - still my fears and keep me calm Who blesses us with wise leaders to steer us out of harm. And now, as conditions improve, I give thanks for His deliverance, For lessons learnt of what’s really important; To count my blessings For family, friends, caring leaders, business associates and co-workers And all relationships that kept me going. 16

There Was A Time

GOD MET ME IN BAAL-ZEPHON

By Chew Lee Ching

By a Frankelite frontline health worker

To do the things we want to do and even then in haste;

That would make a big difference to someone.

I reminded myself that God does not make navigational errors. He would not allow his children, whom he had rescued from 400 years of slavery, to be led into a corner. Similarly, I was not trapped.

And covered us with fear and uncertainty.

Amidst this uneasy restlessness, fears remain.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t always the frontline commander I thought I should be. What mattered is that God met me in Baal-zephon.

At the peak of the outbreak in Singapore, I was examining masses of people daily who were worried 15

STAYING FRUITFUL AS A CELL FAMILY

By William Koh and Low Kok Leong

“The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.” Our Prime Minister described the COVID-19 pandemic as “the crisis of a generation”. Yet, we are reminded that despite fruitless times, the prophet Habakkuk reminds us we are to exult the Lord and rejoice in God. At the start of 2020, our Cell Group (CG) set out to meet fortnightly. We managed to do so for a few meetings but the circuit breaker and other restrictions made it impossible to continue. Undeterred, we switched to using the Zoom platform to meet. We had to quickly learn how to set up and host meetings, work around the 40-minute time limit Zoom imposed on free accounts and find a way to conduct our usual prestudy worship despite the lag imposed by the Zoom platform. With little other social commitments, many of us made it to the fortnightly meetups and we recorded better attendance than we did pre-COVID-19. We covered a good part of the book of John and in greater depth. But we missed our usual catching up over supper after bible study.

“Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NASB 1995) I think many will agree that 2020 was a strange year. It came and went mysteriously and many of us will have issues recording what we had achieved in various facets of our lives. Church activities came to a grinding halt, we were restricted as to how we could visit friends and family, we missed the sight of aircraft taking off and landing at Changi Airport, work projects were cancelled, and many found their incomes reduced.

In response to the lockdowns of the foreign worker dormitories, Crisis Relief Alliance (CRA) made an appeal to raise funds to care for the needs of our foreign worker population. This soon became a cell group effort to pool together some funds which went towards our church’s wider effort to purchase fruits as gifts to the workers who could not leave the dormitories. Some members also volunteered in the distribution of these gift packs to the workers. Phase 3 marked the easing of restrictions and we have started in-person meeting again, limited to eight visitors as per the restrictions. We hope we will still maintain the momentum with CG meetings and this time with live worship! Even as vaccinations commence and the world moves towards more normalcy in time, there will be challenges along the way. As we are reminded by Habakkuk, let us continue to hold on to the promise that “The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.”

STAYING FRUITFUL AS A CELL FAMILY

By William Koh and Low Kok Leong

OUR “GROUP OF FIVE”

by Arene Koh

ZOOMING IN ON THE TRUTH

By Ng Geok Chye

“Just because we can’t meet doesn’t mean we cannot evangelize.”

The course also stirred interest in other guests to find out more. One guest said he will read his Bible, another asked for help to read the Bible while others asked serious questions during the discussions. Some even committed to join a Bible study group or to keep on meeting regularly as friends.

This comment motivated us to organize the Alpha Course online during circuit breaker 2020. The response was very encouraging. We kicked off on 24 July with 156 participants, of which 59 were guests and attendance held steady throughout. We averaged 130 participants per session, 90 Frankelites and 40 guests.

As this was our first time taking the Alpha Course online, we saw how God provided resources by way of emcees who could hold the attention of participants, a good Zoom coordinator who ensured videos were screened smoothly, deft administrators who organized the breakout discussion groups and Frankelites who volunteered to be discussion group hosts. We even held the signature weekend-away on Zoom.

Many guests shared that they gained a better understanding of the Christian faith. One shared, “I’m glad that I decided to make the commitment to become a Christian and I have not looked back.” In a year of gloom and doom, it was a welcome high point as our church endeavoured to be steadfast in sharing the gospel.

To top it off, one guest who accepted Christ was baptized during Easter service in 2021.

We witnessed blessing upon blessing, during and after the course. During the course, nine prayed to receive Christ, three gave their lives to Christ as our Frankelite hosts followed up with them after the course. Truly, the gospel seed planted will yield its fruit in due time and according to God’s timing.

God has proven again the truth of His Word. “The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” - Psalm 118:23 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” - 2 Corinthians 4:7 Thanks be to God! 19

Five became a figure that took on greater prominence right after we emerged from the circuit breaker.

5. God John 15:5 reminds us that we will bear fruit if we remain in Christ. COVID-19 compelled us to hit pause, slow down, and as a result of it, that which used to take prominence dimmed as God became more pronounced. 2020 saw us yielding to, sometimes struggling with, but always endeavouring to keep steadfast to God. This season tested our walk with Him – and we held close to His Word and promise as we took ourselves, our work and our family through. Hebrews 12:1-2 held close to our hearts and reminded us to run this race that God has marked out for us without allowing weights to hold us down, but to keep fixing our eyes on Jesus.

We witnessed a quick dissipation of regular face-to-face meet-ups with extended family and friends because they had to be limited to a party of five. However, subconsciously, and upon reflection, my wife and I witnessed a re-focus on our “group of five”, comprising: 1. Our work and ministry in our work spheres that we have been called to lead and serve Because of the ongoing crisis, we found more opportunities to pray for and work more closely with our colleagues. We navigated through some challenging terrains to keep students and colleagues safe while we stayed on course.

And so, God’s faithful and unwavering love for us despite our failings saw the bearing of fruits in our work, our home and ourselves. By fixing our eyes on the most important area in this “Group of Five” – God, we found the other four aspects falling into place. As 2021 brings on new areas of growth and its challenges, the race is not over, but our hearts are full of joy and thanksgiving for all that He has done, for He has been, and continues to be, the “strength of (our) hearts and (our) portion forever”.

2. Our helper who has been part of the family for close to 16 years With more time spent at home, we found ourselves engaged in deeper dialogue to find out how she is doing, and kept her family in prayer as they grappled with COVID-19 in her home country. 3. Our children We had more time with our children and understood them and their needs better. There was also convergence towards more give-and-take among them. The youngest picked up painting skills and origami from the elder siblings, while as a family, we ventured into board games at home, and watched several comedy sitcoms as a family that brought much humour and laughter. 4. Ourselves My wife and I maintained the equilibrium we have committed ourselves to. Besides setting aside Friday evenings just to ourselves to unlearn and relearn about each other as we approach twenty years of blessed union, we embarked on a new workout routine daily, continued our fortnightly trips to our favourite market to stock up on fresh produce, and renewed building our home that is centred on God and His purpose for our lives. 20

OUR “GROUP OF FIVE”

by Arene Koh

ZOOMING IN ON THE TRUTH

By Ng Geok Chye

“Just because we can’t meet doesn’t mean we cannot evangelize.”

To top it off, one guest who accepted Christ was baptized during Easter service in 2021.

Five became a figure that took on greater prominence right after we emerged from the circuit breaker.

Overflowing with Abundance One of the faith practices disallowed during circuit breaker was water baptism. But as restrictions gradually eased, our church applied for permission to conduct it albeit with safe distancing measures in place. So at two special services on 13 September and 22 November, 15 individuals pledged allegiance to Christ through the waters of baptism. Be encouraged by these excerpts from their heartfelt testimonies.

“I believe God is the one who has been giving me and my family this blessed life. He is the one who loves us and has been giving us protection and taking good care of me and my family. As I make the decision to be baptised, I am very grateful for God’s blessings of love, grace and mercy to me - both in my own family as well as in my church family here. Most of all, I am thankful that God blessed me with eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. And it is my prayer that you too will join me to follow Him. I have had no regrets, and I am sure, neither will you.”

Low Sian Jeng

“I have been blessed by mentors and youth leaders, classmates, those who have grown up with me since I came to BFEC. While these are great gifts from God, they point me to the greatest gift - His Son, my Lord Jesus. As helpful as fellow brothers and sisters are in my faith journey, none of these would matter if not for the One who gave His life for me and who binds all of us together in Christ. And so I chose to be baptised to seal this greatest gift in my life.”

Kung Yen-Fay

“I wandered aimlessly for 40 over years, more years than the Israelites in the Sinai! I had been restlessly searching for peace and tranquility to no avail. I decided to read the Bible again. John 3:16 spoke to me. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And John 14: 6 says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I realised how forgiving and patient my Heavenly Father is and that He had waited 40 years for me. I now return to Jesus Christ as a lost sheep and am making Him the Shepherd of my life.”

Dicky Ong

“At nine, I was diagnosed with self-destructing blood cells that decreased my blood count. It made me extremely weak and ill; I could not attend school and church. During a three-week stay in the hospital, I was scared in that cold and foreign place. My family and friends in school and church prayed. Thanks to God’s mercy, I recovered and was discharged. I thank the Lord for blessing me with health once again! I now understand that my life, my body is His gift to me and so I need to do my part to take care of my body, the temple of the Lord, to further glorify His name.”

“I found myself turning to God more often within the past year than I have had in my entire life. I spent more time with Him and His Word. I have come to experience a relationship like no other. His love warmed me; His peace calmed me. It has been reassuring to know that He watches over me and would catch me should I fall.”

Esther Wong

Amelia Chan

“I have a loving and supportive family but during my teen years, I struggled with depression and started to self-harm and even contemplated suicide. Thoughts such as - “I am worthless” and “I am truly a waste of space” - often came to me. To numb the emotional pain, I picked up vices…. I accepted Christ at a youth camp. My youth pastor prayed for me and told me that I did not need to be a better version of myself to please God and that He wanted me to come back to Him. I cried like I had never cried before and gave the wounded pieces of my heart to God. Now, there are days that I struggle. But if the perfect and Almighty God - who sent His Son to die on the cross for me - says that WHO I AM is enough for him, then who am I to say I am worthless? I do not need to fight for his love and nothing I could do can make Him love me more or less.”

Ethan Lam

“God has opened my eyes to the goodness of those around me, the unconditional love a mom and a godma can show, the emotional support that loved ones can give. I’ve learnt how to count on God with unparalleled faith and trust. There was no mistaking His Hand of love and provision each step of the way He has led me on.”

Chantelle Quek

Low Sian Jeng

Kung Yen-Fay

Dicky Ong

Esther Wong

Amelia Chan

Ethan Lam

Chantelle Quek

“I pray that being baptised will be a first step towards being the salt and light that I should be. It might seem to need a lot of work to try to build up the courage to stop treading water but to dive right in but I believe and trust that as I continue in life’s journey, God, through His Holy Spirit, will put in place the resources and opportunities to teach me and help me grow.”

“One thing I wished for yet never received as a child is a hug. I come from a large and poor family - ten brothers and sisters! My mother loved us but a hug was foreign in my big and bustling family. I was invited to Church Camp 2016 and was asked to be on the forum panel during one of the sessions. After that session, some church members came to thank me and give me a hug. I felt so loved. It was the start of a journey experiencing His love in the church community. And to eventually know this all came from God and was expressed unreservedly when Jesus died on the cross for me.”

Ethan Chang

Neo Bee Tin

“In 2004, something serious happened to my family. Through some friends, my family attended a church service for the first time. At that service, I immediately knew and believed God is REAL. We all surrendered the problem to Him, continued to pray, and things turned around. My son, Zach, was the first to be baptised. I have seen him transformed after his baptism. Initially I wanted to be baptised with my husband and daughter. But I felt I should go ahead because I realised that Jesus is worth following by faith. He is THE answer.”

“...I know I could, with Him, get through anything. The Lord has paved the way through Christ to help me overcome. May He also help me see that in all this, He is ever my reward.”

Ryane Lim

When I was in Primary 4, my uncle suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma. My mother prayed everyday to God. Miraculously, my uncle woke up from his coma after four months; we were all very relieved and thankful to God. My mother wanted to ask my father if she could bring my sister and me to church. But before she could do so, my father surprised her by asking her whether she wanted to bring us to church! She called up BFEC and the next Sunday my sister and I were in JSS!”

Ethan Lim

‘Dear Lord, thank you for giving me comfort, for being my shield and always carrying me through. Thank you, Lord, for supporting me and lifting me up higher even when I turn away from you. Lord, only with you is anything possible. Lord, you are the light and the hope that I will wake up to each day and sing praises to you and fulfill the purpose you have given to me. I love you, Lord, with all my heart and please, never let me forget that. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.’

Sarah Faith Teo

Florence Chia

“Leaving home with a mask became a chore and touching anything brought worry - “What germs am I touching? Will I get sick?” All these brought me stress and anxiety. It was during this period that my journey with God became closer. I started reaching out to God, asking Him for help and guidance. He steadily and gently guided me through the entire circuit breaker. And this faith journey has brought me here, safely, to this baptism day. I know the Lord is real and He is near, and, COVID-19 or not, He is the one I can entrust myself, my hopes and my future to.”

“...it was only this year that I finally understood that God should be first and that only with Him first could I really be happy. And yet through it all, He continues to bless me richly, with peace, with hope, with friends, with family, with purpose - gifts so much more important than the opportunities at school that He might have taken away.”

Luke Tang

Chloe Chua 23

Ethan Chang

Neo Bee Tin

“...I know I could, with Him, get through anything. The Lord has paved the way through Christ to help me overcome. May He also help me see that in all this, He is ever my reward.”

Ryane Lim

Ethan Lim

Sarah Faith Teo

Florence Chia

Luke Tang

Chloe Chua 23

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:1-2

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:1-2

HEART OFFERINGS

By Koh Hwee Lin

My mother’s condition became worse. I poured more effort into helping my family, especially my daughters, cope. I got them to pen their eulogies, so they could process what was happening and deal with their emotions. But I neglected my own.

“How are you, my friend?” a close friend asked me. As we ended our conversation, she commented, “You are not the same Hwee Lin I know from years ago.”

I was hurting inside from unaddressed hurts between my parents and me. I brushed them aside. Not now, I told God. I have to maintain control. I need to care for them. I need to keep my head.

The “old” me would have found excuses to deny what she said. The “new” me was delighted, because her words showed she sensed I now relied on my Saviour’s grace; I had been humbled by His testing and had learnt to surrender my will to His.

Outwardly, I seemed to present the appropriate burnt offerings. I naively thought I had pulled it off - I was the filial daughter, productive mother, contributing spouse and a faithful child of God. The reality was that inside, I was chained to my sinful nature.

I started off 2020 hyped up for another year of PSLE preparation, ready to give undivided attention to my youngest daughter. I was hoping for minimal disruptions and meaningful revision time, so I could savour her last year of childhood.

I kept my head but had lost my heart.

I had gone through this drill twice before, with her older sisters, and was confident that, like them, she would pass with flying colours. I did not know both of us would soon go down a path we could never have imagined.

The Psalmist wrote, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” ~ Psalm 51:16-17

My fiercely independent and healthy mother contracted a rare form of osteosarcoma, with no hope of remission. She was my father’s main caregiver - he had had a stroke and also suffered from dementia. As she could not care for him now, my father moved in with us.

God wanted my heart offering, not my burnt offering. At my lowest, He met me. He reminded me how He took on the form of a servant, sacrificed and died for me.

I had to let God deal with the hurts if I wanted to experience true freedom and restoration. With the power of the Holy Spirit, I surrendered my heart to Him and wiped the slate clean. I reconciled with those I had hurt and those who had hurt me. It was a painful lesson but I passed. Likewise, my PSLE warrior passed, not with flying colours as defined by the world, but in God’s eyes, she had exceeded expectations, and received more than what we could have imagined. Our Father walks alongside us in our journey of faith and our only goal is to achieve what He has set for us; win the grace-testifying race and receive our heavenly crown. My prayer for 2021 is to ask our Father to help me lead a renewed life in the Spirit, not to strive to be perfect by my own effort but to discover the depths of God’s love, which serves as the foundation for mine, and to reflect on His overwhelming grace and mercy. I give thanks for all His blessings upon my family. (Afternote: Hwee Lin’s beloved mother, Madam Helen Lee, was called home on 6 January 2021.)

Hwee Lin’s parents on holiday in 2005

If I continued in unforgiveness, I would be living outside the will of God. It takes courage and strength to offer mercy where it is undeserved but the joy that comes from reconciliation is undeniable. It is the mirror of the gospel. Without forgiveness, I would have brought the Cross of Christ to nothing.

Initially, I was able to cope through sheer adrenaline and positive thinking. Many people prayed for us and many encouraging words flooded in. Both my parents were saved and baptised into the Lord’s kingdom. Hallelujah! My faith soared. But the real challenges were yet to come.

Hwee Lin (right, back row) with parents, daughters and extended family in 2016

HEART OFFERINGS

By Koh Hwee Lin

“How are you, my friend?” a close friend asked me. As we ended our conversation, she commented, “You are not the same Hwee Lin I know from years ago.”

I was hurting inside from unaddressed hurts between my parents and me. I brushed them aside. Not now, I told God. I have to maintain control. I need to care for them. I need to keep my head.

I kept my head but had lost my heart.

God wanted my heart offering, not my burnt offering. At my lowest, He met me. He reminded me how He took on the form of a servant, sacrificed and died for me.

Hwee Lin’s parents on holiday in 2005

Hwee Lin (right, back row) with parents, daughters and extended family in 2016

FRUITFULNESS IN THE IN-BETWEEN

A BARE TREE IS NOT A BARREN ONE

By Kelvin and Julienne Ng

By Jonathan Cho

In the Christian life, we often speak in the language of flourishing and fruitfulness – in our families, workplaces, ministries and gospel communities. We are not wrong. Jesus expresses this clearly in John 15 that His desire is for us to “bear much fruit”, even refining us to “bear more fruit”. Yet, it is also true that we seldom give ourselves room for those seasons where we don’t seem to be bearing any visible fruit. We wonder, “Is there something wrong with me? Is there hidden sin in my life that is preventing me from bearing fruit?”

One of the families in the Philippines who received COVID-19 relief from Dawn for the Poor

Theo in a cardboard castle that we made during circuit breaker

We came back from the Philippines on 28 March 2020, yanked abruptly from a locked-down Manila into Singapore’s circuit breaker. COVID-19 cancelled all our missions plans with Dawn for the Poor. The family reunions we longed for had to wait. The church hall we missed was closed to all. While waiting for new assignments from church and work, we found ourselves asking God, “Is there nothing for us to do?” But God had plans for this in-between time. Ironically, we could do more for our Filipino friends back in Singapore than in locked-down Marilao. Julienne sold T-shirts on Instagram to raise funds for their COVID-19 relief fund, and we told our mission story in BFEC’s Easter video service and in a THIR.ST article. (https://bfec.sg/kjt)

We took the chance to do an online Biblical Marriage Counselling course, and answered the call to lead our cell subgroup for married couples and young parents.

These are good, important questions to ask. Yet if we are not careful, we could come to expect that the Christian life is only about visible fruit. These are good, important questions to ask. Yet if we are not careful, we could come to expect that the Christian life is only about visible fruit. Our longing to yield fruit “in season” (Psalm 1:3) must mean that we remain faithful and persevere through every season, because each one is a necessary and formative part of the pilgrim’s journey. The Lord gives us a clue from nature itself, which goes through spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Another thing that had troubled us over the last year was Theo’s speech development. With no way to start in-clinic consultations during the circuit breaker, we tried online speech therapy instead. This filled our days with interesting mouth-shaping exercises and lots of language homework. Theo started to pronounce more sounds, and we finally felt like there was a guiding light in her speech journey. Phase 2 allowed us to have in-person therapy, and it also saw Theo step into BKK for Nursery 1. We saw Theo blossom through the interactions with her classmates and attentive teachers.

I entered 2020 in eager expectation of visible fruit in three areas of my life: (1) family, with the birth of my second child and a flourishing family life; (2) work, with a growing, developing legal practice; and (3) ministry, with an expanding flock and creative, exciting plans for our young people.

We used to think that a busier schedule meant more fruit. But God showed us that fruitfulness can happen even when all plans are cancelled, if we walk into each day in His Spirit. 29

FRUITFULNESS IN THE IN-BETWEEN

A BARE TREE IS NOT A BARREN ONE

By Kelvin and Julienne Ng

By Jonathan Cho

One of the families in the Philippines who received COVID-19 relief from Dawn for the Poor

Theo in a cardboard castle that we made during circuit breaker

We took the chance to do an online Biblical Marriage Counselling course, and answered the call to lead our cell subgroup for married couples and young parents.

We used to think that a busier schedule meant more fruit. But God showed us that fruitfulness can happen even when all plans are cancelled, if we walk into each day in His Spirit. 29

Enter COVID-19.

Eternal God, lead me now out of the familiar setting of my doubts and fears, beyond my pride and my need to be secure into a strange and graceful ease with my true proportions and with yours; that in boundless silence I may grow strong enough to endure and flexible enough to share your grace.

The world often expects to see fruit – outward appearance, a flourishing life and visibility is glorified in our society. But a deeper life takes place in the disciple. A tree may seem fruitful on the outside, but the true test is in its taste – which may reveal bitterness, resentment, even pride.

As many would identify with, working from home with two young children in the background, while trying to ‘reconfigure’ weekly youth ministry in a virtual setting revealed more ‘weeds’ in my life than fruit. My daily work-life rhythm was in shambles because of the circuit breaker and other restrictions. My legal practice was significantly hit by a standstill of business. Amidst other concerns, the youth and youth leaders were struggling with ‘Zoom fatigue’ and lack-lustre engagement if all activities and meetings could only be virtual.

A tree may seem fruitful on the outside, but the true test is in its taste – which may reveal bitterness, resentment, even pride..

Why do I feel I am letting people down? Why do all my efforts seem fruitless? What fruit is there if I feel I am barely surviving? During this time, my load of roles and responsibilities was more than I could bear. It was difficult to be open with others because of my hidden, and often inaccurate, belief that I had to ‘have it all together’ precisely because of my roles.

In order to bear long-lasting fruit, the roots have to go deep. During such a season, the tree may look bare but its inner life could be deepening in tremendous ways. The world doesn’t know because it doesn’t see. Maybe this is why we are challenged to live by faith and not by sight.

- Ted Loder

Only the strongest trees make it through winter. Their branches are bare in the biting cold but they get through. This is the process of learning to abide. Through my own winter season, I have learnt what it means to “embrace Christ” through the struggle, and experience the fruit of the Spirit that sometimes showcases itself in hiddenness rather than outward appearance. Refinement should be expected. Jesus said that “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Pruning takes time and fruit does not grow overnight. There is no shortcut; just because we don’t see anything does not mean nothing is happening. The Lord is always at work. What fruit are we after?

In those desperate moments, I took my burdens to God repeatedly like David in the Psalms – carrying a depth of brokenness and honesty I had never experienced before. In those moments of solitude, reflection and a complete baring of the soul to God, I heard Him. He spoke into my wrestling and doubts with these words: ‘A bare tree is not a barren one’. And I understood immediately what He meant.

A bare tree is not a barren tree, and he who abides in Jesus, and Jesus in him, can be assured that “he it is that bears much fruit” (John 15:5).

Enter COVID-19.

A tree may seem fruitful on the outside, but the true test is in its taste – which may reveal bitterness, resentment, even pride..

- Ted Loder

A bare tree is not a barren tree, and he who abides in Jesus, and Jesus in him, can be assured that “he it is that bears much fruit” (John 15:5).

ENCOURAGED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS

By Luke Roy Tan

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) My business and income were greatly affected in 2020 due to COVID-19. Initially, I felt anxious and afraid but I decided not to give in. Turning to God, He helped me put my hope in Him rather than in the things of this world. Looking back on hindsight, I can see God had prepared me even before the pandemic. I faced a lot of uncertainty when I could not continue as a driver, a role I took on in November 2019 before the pandemic hit. It was only when COVID-19 surfaced in Singapore in January 2020 did I realise this was God’s plan to stop me from chalking up “vehicle rental” costs which I would not have been able to keep up. My business depended on overseas travellers and was badly impacted. My income dropped drastically. It is still a challenge now to make a living but I thank God I was eligible for the government grants to supplement my reduced income. Some opportunities also opened for contract part-time work in another industry. Since I have experienced God’s blessings, should I just receive and not give? I know God has plans for me. I know God gave me CCsg Limousine Ministry for a reason. God’s heart is in this ministry too. “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 (NIV) I may have no monetary resources to offer, but I reckoned I have other resources to give - the time and talent that God has gifted me! 33

A weekly CCsg Limousine fellowship

My immediate focus was to stay connected with the ministry members as many had lost direction and were in despair. They needed encouragement and friendship during this dark time. My ministry committee members and I stayed in contact with them, helped solve their problems and prayed for them over the phone or in person. We also meet via Zoom every Saturday at 8 a.m. and are still meeting today.

L-R Gary Cheng, Peter Lee, Luke Roy Tan

We trust fully in God because He constantly sent people who needed encouragement to us. I know He has plans for this ministry. All we need to do is to be ready to be used by Him. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) Though we have technology at our disposal, I feel virtual meetings can never replace physical meetings. We have started meeting physically in small groups and I am amazed how God continues to send people who need Him my way so I can encourage and befriend them. God uses broken people like you and me to rescue broken people like you and me. Let us continue to serve God with a ready heart!

ENCOURAGED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS

By Luke Roy Tan

A weekly CCsg Limousine fellowship

L-R Gary Cheng, Peter Lee, Luke Roy Tan

我的执著是因为深信神喜悦人们在危机中接近祂、敬拜祂。所以，就算教会必须停办所有的实体活动，主日敬拜却不可停下来。要如何以最简单的方式，把主日程序“做”出来，再传给我们的会众的每一位呢？这让我大伤脑经了。

我就沉浸在每周的录影制作里。有时因为器材或技术上的限制，同工们只能录音给我。为了让视频在视觉上生动活泼，我加插了动画或一些图片。有一位会众要求我加上字幕，因为她母亲有严重的听觉障碍，又因为常常头晕而无法到教会敬拜。我被她感动了，所以动画和字幕就成为我们的华语敬拜影片的特点。虽然工作因此变得更繁琐费时*，但很感恩，那位姐妹的母亲去年几乎每主日都能看视频敬拜主。（*每一分钟的视频可用到45分钟- 1小时半的制作时间）。

在一个午餐时间，我独自留在办公室内，偶然一边看着一个手工缝成的百布小包一边发呆，突然间得到灵感！我相信那是从神来的，祂给了我“缝纫”的概念。我就马上冲进办公室的一间小房间，拿起手机制作了几段录影样本，然后用笔电上的软件把那几段样本“缝起来”，制出一个简单的敬拜影片样本。我就使用它来说服事工委会，要制作的敬拜录影是如此简单：敬拜主席：15-20分钟敬拜（包括2、3首YouTube 敬拜视频）讲员：20-30分钟中文事工牧者：5-10分钟回应和报告

一针一线缝出来的恩典百家被 – 华语事工的线上敬拜

回顾去年2020年里所做的每一件事时，为许多的不足心感羞愧。可是却只有一件事让我毫无遗憾的，就是在阻断期间开始到年尾居家办公的时候，制作 3月29日至12月22日的中文主日敬拜影片的工作。这为了确保华语事工的弟兄姐妹们每个主日都可以在家看着视频敬拜主。神真是把我全部生命都使用在每一集敬拜影片的制作，平均每周都要花上45-60个小时编辑和制作整个影片。我错过了大家居家流行的嗜好或烘培学习课程。然而我很肯定的说，可以被神如此使用，是非常荣幸啊！我看到神如何亲手指导每一个录影的制作，又经历到祂的恩典是如何的托住我克服每一周的挑战，真是感恩，把所有的荣耀归于神！

ONE STITCH AT A TIME by Kuah Leck Ping

“. . . 我的选民必充分享用他们亲手作工得来的。他们必不徒然劳碌. . .”（以赛亚书65: 22b23a）在教会无法进行实体聚会之前，我一直迫切要为华语事工寻找其它的敬拜途径。二月中还出席了新加坡神学院为本地教会开办的培训，目的要教导教会如何进行线上敬拜。可是，当我把所学的分享给身边的人们时，大家都婉拒了。可能对我们高龄的华语事工来讲，他们无法在短短的时间里掌握所需的技术；不然，我要在时间将近前，必须为他们找一个量身定做的对策。 35

因为连续好几周长时间工作，我开始感到身心疲惫，笔电因为无法负担太大的储量而常常当机，触控盘也被用到断裂了。有些时候，同工们无法按时送来他们的片段，我就得牺牲睡眠，马拉松似的把敬拜影片做好和上载，好让在周末时会众可收到链接。要不是神看顾这制作工作，我是无法持续的。在每一集的制作开始前我都会祷告交托给主。很奇妙的祂给我灵感来配合主题、如何制作封面、图片的设计、动画以及适合的回应诗歌，等等。有一集的证道取自马可福音5章21-43节“不要怕，只要信！” 。神给我灵感去做一个封面，上面不是一只凶猛的狮子，而是一只安静仰望十字架的狮子。因为神教导我，狮子的勇猛也是来自仰望十字架的！每一集我都有类似的感动和体验。

同工们可以在他们自己的地方用手机录制他们的片段，然后把作品发给我“缝纫”成一个一小时的敬拜影片，再上载到YouTube过后，我就把链接由WhatsApp发给会众，让他们可以在每个主日上午9点可以观看敬拜视频，异地同心敬拜主。我的挑战是我们的华语会众们，许多人都没有电邮地址，可是感谢主, 他们都对WhatsApp的使用方法和通过手机看YouTube相当熟悉。不负众望，第一集的华语主日敬拜在2020年3月29日首映了。过后在 40周内，线上播出的华语主日敬拜影片共有38集！因为我们没有想到要等到十月和十一月，试跑每月一次在大礼堂进行实体敬拜过后，从12月27日才可以每周回到教会大礼堂举行敬拜。

制片的繁琐程度成为寻找新同工的拦阻。可是主感动了两位主内姐妹，他们愿意付出时间来与我学习和帮忙制片。现在即使不再需要制作敬拜影片了，可是她们还忠心的服事华语主日敬拜。去年我因为花太多时间在制片上而忽略了我本分的工作，我实在感到亏欠。我所有“缝纫”出来的敬拜影片，水准也说不上什么专业的，每一集还可以看到许多瑕疵和错字呢。但是让我得到安慰的是，当我知道观众里面有一些慕道友，除了来自本地，有的还来自美国、日本和柔佛新山！有一位住在札幌的日本姐妹，她懂得中文，所以她也跟着每周视频在家敬拜，直到去年10月中安息主怀为止。这些都是一针一线缝出来的神恩典百家被吧！目前虽然我还在从疲惫恢复中，但是我可以重复宣告，“是的主！确实很辛苦，可是我为制作这些敬拜影片所付出的，没有懊悔遗憾，因为都是与祢一同完成的。一切都是为了祢的荣耀！”

首映过后，我第一个担心是关于会众们是否真正看到视频来敬拜主。有一位会众反应他看了觉得没有参与感。我才领悟到，单单观看视频是无法帮助会众们成为一个敬拜主的人；一个敬拜的生命需要与基督的肢体连结的。那时，既然华语会众还没有组织好Zoom线上的小组，每周平日如果有人联络会员或他们的照顾者，给他们关怀、祷告、聆听需要和反馈等等，是很重要，是值得去做的事。所以事工们被委托关怀的任务，我就集中在“缝纫”制作影片上。神就带领每一个人去做好每周的本分。当会众在每个主日上线敬拜主的时候，他们可以为自己的参与赞美主。这好像是圣徒在肢体生活中，彼此连结的结果吧？

一针一线缝出来的恩典百家被 – 华语事工的线上敬拜

ONE STITCH AT A TIME by Kuah Leck Ping

Many things I had worked on in 2020 somehow did not seem to turn out well. But one thing I will not forget is making worship videos for our Chinese Ministry for nine months from 29 March to 22 December. How did someone inexperienced as I was in video editing come to ensure that there would be a Chinese worship service video each Sunday for members to tune in to from home? “…my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22b) After the Chinese New Year Sunday worship service in February 2020, as reminders of safe distancing and hand sanitizing measures escalated, the Chinese Ministry Sunday attendance saw a sudden dip. By the end of March, the English Sunday service online was already gearing up for members who could not attend onsite. Yet the Chinese Ministry did not see the need yet but held on to onsite services for whoever would make the effort to worship in church.

prepare local churches for online services. But after sharing with some, what I had learnt, I was met with lukewarm responses at best. They felt it was too technically daunting for our Chinese speaking congregation and that I should look for more tailormade solutions.

The co-workers would do their respective recordings at home using their handphone, which I would “stitch” into an hour-long video, upload it to Youtube, and send a link to the Chinese members via WhatsApp to watch from home every Sunday at 9 a.m.

We all acknowledged God wants people to draw near to Him and even more, worship Him in times of crisis. So, even if all church activities had to stop, Sunday worship service must somehow go on. But how could we conduct our service and get it to our elderly Chinese congregation in the simplest way?

You see, most of our Chinese members do not have an email, but they are familiar with Whatsapp and Youtube. So, the Chinese Ministry’s first Sunday Worship@home debuted on 29 March 2020.

During a lunch break alone in the office, I believe God inspired me with the word “Stitch” as I was looking at my patchwork pouch. A plan birthed. Immediately I went into one of the counting rooms and recorded some demo videos using my handphone, and then stitched them into a video project using Microsoft Photo App on my notebook. I used that to persuade the Chinese Ministry committee how simple it was to produce a video for worship service, using a formula like this:

Interestingly, before the circuit breaker closed down all onsite services, I had been prompted and burdened to look for alternatives for the Chinese Sunday service. In February, I attended a session conducted by the Singapore Bible College to

Worship Coordinator: 15 to 20 minutes worship (including two to three songs from Youtube) Speaker: 20 to 30 minutes message Chinese Ministry Leader: 5 to 10 minutes response and announcements.

After weeks of such intense and long hours, fatigue set in. Even my laptop froze frequently from overloaded memory space while the touchpad fractured from overuse. There were some weeks that co-workers sent in their projects late, leaving me little time to sleep in order to meet the deadline so that members could receive their video notices by the weekend. What kept me going was the fact that God was involved in the project. I would commit the project to the Lord at the start of each week and amazingly He inspires me unfailingly with a picture to suit the theme, design of slides, animation and the right choice of response music. There was not a video that I had not been ministered by personally. One sermon was based on Mark 5:21-43, “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. God inspired me to make a cover page not merely of a roaring lion, but one that was looking up at a Cross. God taught me personally that even the bravest lion gets its courage by looking up at the cross!

In all, 38 videos over 40 weeks were produced - as we did not know then that the weekly onsite service would resume only from 27 December, starting with once a month onsite worship in October and November. I was nervous after the debut because I did not know whether our members had actually watched it. A committee member said he could not feel any involvement from watching the video. I realised a video alone would not help members become worshippers; it is living in the body of Christ that makes it possible. Since the Chinese Ministry had not yet been organized into zoom cell groups, it was important that someone contacted the members or their caregivers during the week - especially during the circuit breaker - to show care, pray with them and listen to their needs and feedback.

While the nature of the work hindered most from helping in the video project, the Lord called two sisters-in-Christ to offer their time to learn and help. (They are now faithfully serving in the Chinese Sunday service even after Phase 3 when the video project ceased.) With this time-consuming video production, I often felt bad that my core pastoral work was affected though others were sharing in the ministry burden.

So the committee members gladly took on the role of such pastoral care while I concentrated on stitching the video projects. God led everybody to play a part during the week. And when members could access the worship videos every Sunday, they knew they could praise God in their involved participation. What a tapestry of the different parts of the Body ministering together!

The stitched videos are by no means professionally done; there are flaws in every episode. But I was encouraged when I learnt that they have reached people who have yet to know Christ, and are also watched by some in the USA, Japan and in JB! A Japanese friend in Sapporo who understands Chinese accessed most of them before she was called Home in October last year. How wonderful are the stitches and threads of ministry woven in the tapestry of God’s grace!

Sometimes due to the limitation of equipment, co-workers could only produce audio clips, so I would use animation or illustrations to make the video more lively. One member requested to have Chinese subtitles for her mother with hearing difficulties and had not been able to attend church services due to vertigo. I was moved by her plight and so subtitling and animation became a signature on the projects despite the tediousness. (Every 1 minute of the video takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours of work) That member’s mother accessed almost all the worship videos last year.

Tapestry of all the video opening screens

Though it took a while to recover from such fatigue, I will still say it was all worthwhile - “Yes Lord, it has been hard but I have no regrets stitching these videos, as they were done for and with YOU. All for your Glory!”

You see, most of our Chinese members do not have an email, but they are familiar with Whatsapp and Youtube. So, the Chinese Ministry’s first Sunday Worship@home debuted on 29 March 2020.

Worship Coordinator: 15 to 20 minutes worship (including two to three songs from Youtube) Speaker: 20 to 30 minutes message Chinese Ministry Leader: 5 to 10 minutes response and announcements.

Tapestry of all the video opening screens

YOU ARE MY GOD

By Dr Cherlyn Ong

When we were studying the Gospel of John, I was reminded that God, in His love for us, came to dwell among us, pay the price of sin and restore our relationship with Him. He doesn’t love us from a distance; He’s right here. He’s a majestic God, full of splendour but He hears even the quietest prayer.

You Are My God

Jesus demonstrated all these during His ministry and many people witnessed them. But what struck me was the question Jesus asked His disciples when they faced difficult situations, “Do you still not have faith?” If the Lord asked me this question today, I think I would have a sheepish look on my face, and then have to look away, because I know all God has done and the God He continues to be, and yet... I wrote this song as a response to my reflection of who God is. It’s a reminder to fix my eyes on HIm and put my hope in Him always. May it bless your heart, no matter what place or circumstances you are in.

Verse: I can do nothing On my own strength I’m overwhelmed by mysteries I can’t understand But you hold me in your embrace I don’t know about tomorrow What lies ahead Every worry and trouble That keeps me awake But you hold me in your embrace You’re the God of wonders and majesty But you lead me and call me by name Chorus: So I’ll wait on you, Lord And I’ll rest Rest in your promises I will trust Trust in your goodness For you are my God

POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH

I am a little embarrassed to tell you that I found the past year intermittently distressing and sorrowful. I am embarrassed mainly because, compared to the suffering of many, mine appears so small and trivial. But as I tell others in workshops on Biblical counselling, I am so grateful we do not have a God who compares our present suffering to another’s or to the worst-case scenario. Instead, He approaches us individually and knows the particular tears we shed.

By Tan Fang Fang

Bridge: You’re my Shepherd, Healer, Light to my path You’re the Alpha, Omega, Ruler of all You’re a holy, righteous, merciful King You’re the Living Water In You I put my hope

Scan code to listen to the song or visit https://bfec.sg/URmyGod

Since this distressing circumstance has yet to be resolved, I am unable to go into details. I will only say that I found one early morning (it was 1 a.m., our house phone was ringing incessantly and someone was banging hard on our door) a little traumatic. Since that dramatic event, whenever our phones ring past 11 p.m., my heart lurches a little and I find myself anticipating a potentially emotionally draining night ahead for my family and I.

YOU ARE MY GOD

By Dr Cherlyn Ong

You Are My God

POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH

By Tan Fang Fang

Bridge: You’re my Shepherd, Healer, Light to my path You’re the Alpha, Omega, Ruler of all You’re a holy, righteous, merciful King You’re the Living Water In You I put my hope

Scan code to listen to the song or visit https://bfec.sg/URmyGod

And yet, here is where I hope to pleasantly surprise you. Perhaps you thought I would say that due to that eventful night, I have developed post-traumatic stress, or even a posttraumatic disorder. We often hear of the phenomenon known as post-traumatic disorder (or PTSD), but have you heard of post-traumatic growth? Researchers of PTSD, Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun, coined the term to describe the positive transformation that takes place due to a struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. Specifically, the seven areas of transformative growth reported to have sprung from adversity include, a) a greater appreciation of life b) a greater appreciation and strengthening of close relationships c) increased compassion and altruism d) the identification of new possibilities or a purpose in life e) a greater awareness and utilization of personal strengths f ) an enhanced spiritual development g) and creative growth So here’s the bitter-sweet surprise. Deep has cried out to deep and the fruit born of this on-going distress is a) the wondrous realization that I have not had to “clean up my act” before I am permitted to run to my loving Shepherd b) the amazing approval of the protective Shepherd in running to Him because His deepest desire is to see me, in my confusion, distress and sinfulness, come to Him for mercy and help and consolation c) the daily forgiveness from the righteous Shepherd every time I have willfully reacted to my distress sinfully d) the warm compassion of the tender-hearted Shepherd who never holds back His love for His distressed sheep e) the insurmountable security when walking through the valley the strong Shepherd is leading me through because He is walking with me f ) and the breath-taking beauty of the Shepherd of shepherds whatever may befall me. So have you experienced any post-traumatic growth lately?

One of Fang Fang’s paintings

SOIL, SEEDS AND SALADS

We need to do the hard work of listening to each other. Let us be diligent to understand each other with the mind of Christ.

By Dr Tan Lai Yong

A few months ago it was just two patches of grass. Over the weeks, I have watched and admired Frankelites as they worked under the hot sun to create a vegetable garden at the Kampung Siglap Lifeskills and Retreat Centre. At times, I saw Tony, muscles straining under a heavy-duty hoe. Sometimes, the whole team would be squatting or seated on low stools - digging and planting. At other times, they are huddled in discussion. Sheer hard work. There would be times when Donna would guide newcomers. On a “non-gardening” day, Vanessa came by with tools and equipment. Thus the beauty and miracle of growth and growing together. From out of the scattered chaos of stones, weeds, gravel, sand and clay, the farmers grew beautiful lettuce, kale and bok-choy; neat rows of lovely greens. I often think of unity in organisational and procedural terms. Over these weeks, I am learning that unity is investing in the creation and in growth of new life.

These days, we hear of polarisation, online rebukes and the cancel culture. We get individuals and groups, even in Christian circles, taking sides of an issue rather quickly and quite harshly. Our polarised views on one or two matters divide us and prevent growth.

I imagine seeds sprouting, roots growing out to absorb precious molecules of water and minerals. Magnesium and salts flowing through the stems. Chlorophyll making sugars powered by sunlight. So the plant grows and matures – a living community of diverse cells, a thing of beauty and function.

“But I, brothers, cannot address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ … for you are still of the flesh,... while there is jealousy and strife among you... For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? … I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (excerpts from 1 Corinthians 3:1-7, ESV)

And I pray that the good LORD will give our church good growth. We need to do the hard work of listening to each other. Let us be diligent to understand each other with the mind of Christ. Check our hands before we forward a frivolous or untested phone message. Check that our ears are tuned to hear. It is hard work to grow our unity in Christ but we are promised that we with renewed minds will reflect His glory (and not our vested opinions).

The Apostle Paul rebuked the church at Corinth for taking sides and digging in behind proud fences.

Note: Dr Tan adapted this article from his “Closing Thoughts” in Impact Magazine Volume 45 No. 3 (Jun-Jul 2021)

Frankelites working on the vegetable garden at KS

SOIL, SEEDS AND SALADS

We need to do the hard work of listening to each other. Let us be diligent to understand each other with the mind of Christ.

By Dr Tan Lai Yong

The Apostle Paul rebuked the church at Corinth for taking sides and digging in behind proud fences.

Note: Dr Tan adapted this article from his “Closing Thoughts” in Impact Magazine Volume 45 No. 3 (Jun-Jul 2021)

Frankelites working on the vegetable garden at KS

WITH GOD, LOVE ALWAYS FINDS A WAY

By See Toh Hui Ing

Finally, one month into the circuit breaker on 19 April 2020, and certainly by God’s grace, we launched our first IF Zoom on a Sunday at 2.30 p.m. It was down time in households and, guess what, it worked for everyone!

As our church leadership grappled with the implications of circuit breaker last year, we in the International Fellowship ministry found ourselves challenged too. What next? How were we to reach out to care for our members, internationals working in Singapore? A few were frontline medical workers but many were domestic helpers serving in the homes of Frankelites. For most locals, it was Work From Home, but for them, it was Work At Home. How could we best minister to them?

Running weekly Zoom meetings proved daunting initially. To get past the time limit for free usage, one of us subscribed to Zoom. Then, by trial and error, we guided our members - most of whom were using their mobile phones - to get into our Zoom gatherings. We are especially heartened by employers who willingly permitted Wifi access and those who even helped set up IF Zoom on their family computers so their helpers could fellowship and learn with others Sunday after Sunday.

Other questions followed: could we get the tech and equipment set up for everyone to be on Zoom? And if so, when should we schedule our sessions? We used to meet on Sundays at 10.00 a.m. But this had understandably become crunch time in households already coming online for Sunday service or Sunday school. And there was also Sunday brunch or lunch to prepare since everyone was stuck at home.

The best part was seeing everyone who attended the weekly Zoom sessions commit to gathering, caring and growing. We were able to complete our study of John with the rest of the church. During this time, we were also prompted to step up memorizing of Bible verses, which members reviewed conscientiously.

As we also wanted our time together to be a respite, games became a weekly feature. I never thought we could have fun like this on Zoom!

Even before COVID-19, International Fellowship was blessed with the fellowship of brothers in our midst. Two, of different nationalities but united by their love for God, served selflessly and infected many with their enthusiasm for the Lord. With others in the core leadership team, they led small groups for more intentional discipling and care. Interestingly, as they gave to the Lord, the Lord also brought mentors from the BFEC congregation to journey with them.

It was encouraging to see our core team of leaders (chosen from amongst them) taking turns to prepare and lead the sessions, all with the goal to spur and disciple members in their faith amid global and personal uncertainty. One member stood out in my mind as an overcomer. Despite her difficulties with English, she memorised the verses in both her native tongue and English. Her desire to know the one true God really motivated us to seek Him more too.

We are indeed thankful that we can once again meet in BFEC for onsite meetings (10.15 a.m. at the Chapel). There is much to learn and discover, with and from one another, about the amazing God who loves us so much. Were it not for the power and love in God’s barrier-breaking gospel, I believe we could not have penned all this.

Till today, she spends her evenings reading her Bible, reflecting on what she has read and journaling about what God is teaching her. It turns out she has had many questions about God since young but nobody had been able to give her the answers, until she read the Bible for herself. She felt His peace and love - that the God of the Bible indeed hears and answers her prayers. We witnessed her growth blossoming week by week, thanks too to another member who encouraged her to persevere in pursuing the one true God. We were all encouraged by her enthusiasm; she even used her talent to draw or copy beautiful sketches with verses to encourage herself and others. The worldwide pandemic prevented our members from returning home for urgent matters. Tears flowed as some spoke of very difficult family situations back home, situations they felt very helpless about. A few members bid farewell to ailing parents from a distance. One such sister sang and recorded messages to comfort her mum. She shared with us that she found solace in her IF family who stood with her in prayers and tears. Her mourning turned into words of encouragement for others going through similar pain. Only one who walks closely with her Heavenly Father will have such strength.

WITH GOD, LOVE ALWAYS FINDS A WAY

By See Toh Hui Ing

As we also wanted our time together to be a respite, games became a weekly feature. I never thought we could have fun like this on Zoom!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

HIS GRACIOUS HAND

By Irene Lim

July 2020. It came out of the blue. Mind-numbing headaches, not once but twice a week. As I had no history of headaches or migraines, I brushed it off. I had been due to have my annual blood test, which I would schedule routinely. But with our country and the world in the throes of COVID-19, I recall telling my friends that I did not want to risk catching the virus by going to the polyclinic unnecessarily. Reasonable decision, right? Shortly after I made this comment, the unusual headaches started. They would strike once on a weekday and another starting precisely at 5pm on Sunday. The latter was so intense, I would skip dinner and go directly to bed after taking a quick shower. By Monday morning, everything would be back to normal. After three weeks of repeated headaches, I started to be concerned if my ailment had any spiritual connection. Thinking over what I had often heard as a child, I wondered if I had trespassed some unclean or ungodly territory by accident. I knew I am His and am protected, and His Spirit in me is greater than the evil one in the world (1 John 4:4). So why was I experiencing these blinding headaches at the same time every Sunday?

As I prayed and brought the matter to the Lord, I heard a prompting to go for my blood test. It was strange because I had convinced myself I was not going to do so, that it was alright to delay it till the pandemic was over. Again, I sensed the Lord strongly nudging me to take the blood test. Subsequently, I spoke with my son Ian and a friend. Was the Lord sending these headaches to alert me to something more concerning? And why these promptings to reconsider taking the blood test? I decided to make an appointment. Mysteriously, after I went for my annual blood test, the headaches completely stopped. I have not experienced such headaches ever since. A week later, the blood test result came back. It was unfavourable. The report revealed that my cancer markers were slightly high. The doctor suspected that the abnormalities originated from the stomach region. She told me to monitor my bowel movements and that if there was any pain, to come back to see her. However, I did not want to wait. With the report, I went to the polyclinic to get a referral letter to Singapore General Hospital. From there, I did more tests and, finally, from a CT scan, the doctor discovered a lump measuring 2 cm by 3.6 cm in my left lung. I was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer.

Though shocked, I could not but thank God that He got my attention to go for the blood test. I would never have discovered the lump otherwise and the cancer would have possibly spread undetected to other areas of my body. On 21 October 2020, I was operated on and the lump was removed from my left lung. Due to the awkward position of the lump, the surgeon warned me beforehand that there was a high chance my entire left lung would have to be removed. However, after the surgery, I found out that half of my left lung was preserved; the surgeon was able to extract the lump without removing the entire lung. This was yet another reason to praise God. I have been recovering well since my operation and during this time, despite experiencing some highs and lows from other follow-up treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, I find that I have His peace in my soul. I praise God for His faithfulness towards me and I remind myself that if God had cared enough to prompt me to go for my blood test, then He will surely see me through it all. I am also genuinely grateful for many fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have kept me and my family in their prayers. Truly, I give glory to God for His kindness and faithfulness to me

Irene with her son Ian

HIS GRACIOUS HAND

By Irene Lim

Irene with her son Ian

UNEXPECTED FRIENDS

By Lim Siew Gek

Kampung Siglap is a heart-warming project our church embarked on, a faith journey in partnership with New Hope Community Service (NHCS) to help less privileged families break out from the poverty cycle. I applaud our church’s decision and effort and give thanks to God for His provision, the many willing hearts that give and serve in paving the way to build up KampUng Siglap. I remembered how when the church leaders asked for more volunteers to serve, I procrastinated and found reasons not to respond. Time, family commitments, that someone else was better suited and even my service in KSS seemed good reasons to hold back.

It is one thing to say I love Jesus, but the real test comes when He prompts me to step out in faith from my comfort zone to serve. How ready and willing am I to do so? Do I hold back because of the fear and worry of not being capable or even of not having enough?

I reflected on that experience and asked myself what I have learnt. It is the building of friendships with others different from my race, culture and family background. It is not about bringing the community into the church building but being the church in the community. The sharing through the interactive activities enabled me to somehow have a better feel for the needs in our society.

“Making Prata - Making Friends” held on 19 December 2020 was the first event I signed up for as a befriender from BFEC to reach out to the New Hope community. It was not what I thought it would be. The prata making was not for real. There was no learning recipe or piping hot curry to feast on after the prata making. Yet, amazingly, I had a good time with new friends, kneading (or should I say, playing) with prata dough. It was a humbling experience for me, as I got to know a young couple and their adorable child, as well as Uncle P from New Hope.

John 21:17 “Jesus said to him the third time…do you love me?” Three times, Peter answered, “Yes Lord” and Jesus replied “Feed my sheep”. Peter had to face his true feelings and motives when Jesus repeatedly asked him. How would I respond if Jesus asked me “Do you truly love me?” Would I say, “Yes Lord, here I am.” Or would I say “Yes Lord, BUT wait…”

It is not about bringing the community into the church building but being the church in the community.

I have a small home garden and it requires hard labour of land ploughing, seeds sowing, daily watering and watchful days of cultivation to reap the harvest. I am often intimidated by the process of how to start a garden and care for it diligently. After all, there is a lot involved to learn and know, to transform a small piece of bare land into a garden of your dream. I do not have green fingers, nor do I have a vast knowledge of gardening tips but I am thankful to God that every step I take in faith, God enables me to enjoy the fruits of the harvest. In Kampung Siglap, God planted a seed of faith, so all we need to do is to water it with prayer, fertilise it with words and cultivate it with lots of love. God is the ultimate giver of all growth. I should not worry about not having enough to give. Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The little girl was smiling and laughing all the way as she tried kneading the dough with us. They were very enthusiastic and fun-loving people, especially Uncle P who tried to make the “best and roundest prata”. When we went to the garden to have a picnic, Uncle P made the effort to decorate the garden with Christmas decorations so we could take beautiful pictures. His positive attitude towards life and wanting to help others warmed my heart. As we sat on the picnic mat sharing food together, we shared our life stories and our struggles. As a befriender, I was happy to be able to share my experiences as a working mother with three young children with Madam H; how I struggled to work and care for them at the same time. That sharing helped us become friends.

As Mother Teresa said, “Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light into the hearts of others.” Let us not be weary in sowing the seed of love into Kampung Siglap and the New Hope community we serve. Sometimes our little encouragement, love or service can brighten their days.

Recently, Madam H sent me a short New Year’s greeting, wishing me well. She remembers me!

UNEXPECTED FRIENDS

By Lim Siew Gek

It is not about bringing the community into the church building but being the church in the community.

Recently, Madam H sent me a short New Year’s greeting, wishing me well. She remembers me!

LISTEN

By Lee Yen Yee

It wasn’t difficult to hear the pain as the world around me started to disintegrate. People faced retrenchment, others had pay cuts or found it hard to cope with a shortage of necessities. Then, there were the non-visible struggles - parents trying to put up a strong front as they juggled working from home and their childrens’ home-based learning; the demands of being a front-line worker; domestic violence escalating in the confines of the home or the stress of having to adapt to technology as an older person.

Almost a year has passed since I started this role. I have learnt there is nothing I can say to make everything better. When I hear the caller’s struggles, I tend to become anxious, thinking what is the best advice to give, or what to say next. I often wrestle with the temptation to measure my own (in)adequacy by my ability to make someone feel better. It is easy to slip into this frame of mind, especially when my job is to provide emotional support. But time and time again, I had to listen to God’s reminder that my worth is not based on my perceived competency. My worth is in Christ! And truly, nothing I say will replace the hope and comfort that only God can give.

During this period, as part of my work as an associate psychologist, God blessed me with the opportunity to work for a crisis hotline, supporting the emotional needs of people in distress. It was a time of pruning and challenge for me. It seemed God was opening my eyes and ears to the brokenness of the world. My comfortable bubble burst as I struggled to listen to the grim realities unfolding in the lives of fellow Singaporeans.

At the same time, I have learnt that there is much power in listening, and to empathise and meet people where they are. Finally, emotional and mental struggles are not a sign of weakness. These are perfectly normal in times of stress. Dear friend, if you are struggling, please know you are not alone. There is strength in seeking help. Let someone you trust listen to you and so bring you His healing grace.

Due to the crisis nature of the hotline, we had to de-escalate many callers at the height of their emotions. I frequently found myself at a loss for words – what words of comfort could I offer to someone who had just lost her job? What should I say to a married caller asking for advice to salvage his marriage? What could I say to make it all better, when their situation seemed so bleak?

Photo by Lee Yen Yee

LISTEN

By Lee Yen Yee

Photo by Lee Yen Yee

OUR LIVES, AN UNFINISHED SONG

Even This, Even Now By Sharon Ngoo

By Sharon Ngoo

Even this, even now Lord of all, You did allow In everything, even me You work for our good, for your glory In the early part of 2020, a dear sister-in-Christ told me God would give me a new song this year. And when we first went into lockdown, I managed to write something which got me really excited. I had been hearing stories of struggles from brothers and sisters in Christ and out of a desire to assure them of God’s truth in Romans 8:28, I penned down a verse and chorus.

How wonderful our God is! How kind and gently persistent in restoring us! As the months crept by, He taught me bit by bit to learn how to seek and enjoy His presence again - in the quiet of my own home, just the two of us - Him speaking through the Word and me, learning to listen and to enjoy singing just to Him by myself again as I used to do before leading worship became my job. And in one of those times, He assured me that He still had “good work” prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10) - yes, me, with all my flaws and my emptiness. And the following Sunday, in the middle of the 10 a.m. service, the rest of the song came, all in a rush. But now, it wasn’t a song written out of trying to help others, but one that came out of recognising my own constant need for God’s grace in every situation.

I shared this snippet as part of the 2020 prayer hour and invited others in BFEC to contribute their ideas - fully expecting that the song would be finished quickly and I would be able to share it with the congregation, along with the testimony of a prophecy fulfilled. But God had better things in mind. In the months that followed, I found myself caught up in technical meetings and operations and finding new ways to lead worship in song online. And in the midst of my operational pre-occupations, God was at work in my heart - uncovering cherished sins, my dependence on external things and the shallowness of my own personal worship. The unfinished song was abandoned. I couldn’t finish it. It felt fake because the lyrics didn’t match the thoughts that were driving me on the inside. Looking at the unfinished song and the lyrics others had kindly sent in just reminded me of how I was hollow and empty and couldn’t achieve anything on my own without God - not even a song.

Along with the finished song, God provided many gifted and sacrificial hands and hearts to come alongside and complete the recording which you can listen to at https://bfec.sg/song I pray it will be a reminder of the richness and depth of love that we can experience in Christ in all seasons - even this, even now.

And I will rise, I will sing And give to You, this offering To Christ alone, I will bow Giving thanks for even this, even now Step by step, time after time My heart must learn, Your will not mine When walls press in, and courage breaks Even on my knees you lift my head And in the questions, keep me from the despair When fears consume me, Lord, hear my prayer That I will find You, and You will be enough O Christ my rock, guard of my soul, strength of my heart And I will rise, I will sing And give to You, this offering O Lord, my God, here I bow Giving thanks for even this, even now No mountain height, no ocean depth No trial in life, not even death Not the past, today, tomorrow Loudest laughter, silent sorrow No fate, no destiny Can take Your love away from me O God At the cross, help me see Boundless love, poured out for me

Scan code to listen to the song or visit https://bfec.sg/song 55

And hear Your voice rise above the crowd Giving strength for even this even now And I will rest in even this even now

OUR LIVES, AN UNFINISHED SONG

Even This, Even Now By Sharon Ngoo

By Sharon Ngoo

Scan code to listen to the song or visit https://bfec.sg/song 55

And hear Your voice rise above the crowd Giving strength for even this even now And I will rest in even this even now

A TIME TO UPROOT? Digital media is here to stay. It is the lingua franca by which most of the world connects. During 2020, it helped churches to reach out and friends to stay connected. But like every good thing, there is opportunity for misuse or overuse. In one sermon, we asked Reverend Lewis Winkler (EAST) to share his thoughts why digital media may give us cause to pause and rethink its use in our lives. Here is a summary.

There is “a time to plant, and a time to uproot” Ecclesiastes 3:2 (NIV)

How do I know if I have a problem?

Why do you uproot something rather than let it remain as it is? Perhaps because it is rotten, diseased or ugly. Or maybe you simply want to make space for something else.

We may plant to provide shade and shelter, to beautify or bring about a harvest. This reminds us we plant not only for the moment but also for the future. In short, uprooting relates to recognizing the need for making necessary changes in our lives.

Double-edged Digital Media

The temptations to distraction are endless. To avoid being sucked in, we must be vigilant in using digital technology, as misuse can lead to serious sin issues. For example, when digital media becomes your primary means of communication, it leads to feelings of isolation, insecurity and not measuring up. We feel nervous and cut off if we are not constantly plugged in and informed of everything our family, friends and celebrities are thinking and doing—which is probably thinking about and watching what other people are thinking about and doing on social media.

1. Pray and humbly ask God if there is a problem. 2. Honestly ask yourself if you: a) spend more, or even most, of your time texting, tweeting, or emailing instead of talking to people face-to-face? b) regularly sleep with your smartphone? c) view and answer texts, tweets, and emails at all hours, even if it interrupts other things you are doing? d) find it impossible to take extended time away from your smartphone and the internet? e) feel anger, anxiety, or depression if you are away from your smartphone and the internet for any length of time? f ) have family and friends express concern over your excessive and/or inappropriate use of digital technologies? 3. Invite feedback from those you love and trust - “A friend’s advice is sweet to the soul” Proverbs 27:9

So if you have a problem, or are doing okay but want to avoid getting sucked in, what should you do? A) Uproot and Replant: Reorder Your Priorities “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” Matthew 6:33

Often, we are not aware how we are being harmed and harming others until we experience serious health or relational problems. God often needs to get our attention in a painful way before we realize i) there is a problem and ii) we have to do something about it.

Put your daily habits in a more biblically ordered frame and reprioritize your activities. Like those who uproot and replant rice, you may only need to put good things in their proper place.

It is far wiser to decide in advance how we will use, B) Uproot and Plant: Remove and Replace and even limit use of digital and social media. Due to But many of us require more than reordering our the addictive nature of digital and social media, we lives. If you find important relationships with family must keep them in check. and friends, and especially with God, are hindered, you must make difficult spiritual decisions. 57

Here, uprooting involves removal and planting involves replacement. You give something up (uproot) and actively replace it (plant) with something better.

3. Get help from God

1. Pursue God

Look to Him for strength to effect real and lasting change. He alone can give the desire and ability to change and experience victory over sin and transform you to be more like Jesus. God will also provide godly friends and family to help you.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1

Commit to enact an intentional set of practices because the default will always push us to be passive and moulded by the ways of the world (Romans 12:1-2).

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12

“It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you” Deuteronomy 6:13-14. How? Talk to Him in prayer—it’s not a chore, it’s a privilege! Listen to worship music and sing along. Play the “thankful game”—list the things you are thankful to God for. Remind yourself of God’s attributes and nature. Take a walk and marvel at His creation. Reflect on what God has done to forgive your sin and give you eternal life.

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” 2 Timothy 2:22 Journeying with someone, or even better, a group of like-minded people, will aid you through the early days when the changes you are trying to make will be most difficult.

Worship takes time and effort. It requires you to consciously stop doing something and focus wholly on the person of God.

Do not expect perfection. Most of us struggle to find the proper limits and allowances and have to keep assessing where we are at and if more changes are needed.

Prioritize God’s word. Set aside specific times to read, think about, and memorize scripture. “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:2-3

Conclusion and Application: In closing, answer these questions honestly. With respect to digital media and your walk with Jesus: 1. What do I need to remove/uproot in my life? 2. What am I going to replace/plant instead? 3. How am I going to accomplish this?

2. Be still “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 In our noisy and busy world, we have a hard time being still and listening to God and therefore, we have a hard time knowing and trusting God.

Next draw up a plan for making specific and reasonable changes. For this, I recommend you read and apply The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley.

Stop playing the video game. Turn off the news. Fast from social media. Find a quiet place and remain there for an extended period of time.

Finally, find someone, or a like-minded group, who will help you on your journey toward greater godliness.

There is “a time to plant, and a time to uproot” Ecclesiastes 3:2 (NIV)

How do I know if I have a problem?

Why do you uproot something rather than let it remain as it is? Perhaps because it is rotten, diseased or ugly. Or maybe you simply want to make space for something else.

Double-edged Digital Media

Put your daily habits in a more biblically ordered frame and reprioritize your activities. Like those who uproot and replant rice, you may only need to put good things in their proper place.

Here, uprooting involves removal and planting involves replacement. You give something up (uproot) and actively replace it (plant) with something better.

3. Get help from God

1. Pursue God

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1

Commit to enact an intentional set of practices because the default will always push us to be passive and moulded by the ways of the world (Romans 12:1-2).

Worship takes time and effort. It requires you to consciously stop doing something and focus wholly on the person of God.

Do not expect perfection. Most of us struggle to find the proper limits and allowances and have to keep assessing where we are at and if more changes are needed.

Next draw up a plan for making specific and reasonable changes. For this, I recommend you read and apply The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley.

Stop playing the video game. Turn off the news. Fast from social media. Find a quiet place and remain there for an extended period of time.

Finally, find someone, or a like-minded group, who will help you on your journey toward greater godliness.

RIPE AND READY Bethesda Katong Kindergarten (BKK) was not exempt from the restrictions imposed during the circuit breaker. As challenging as it was for the teachers and assistants to continue imparting lessons and values to these little ones, it seems the core values of BKK, spelled RIPE (i.e. Respect, Independent, Passionate and Empathy), still took root in these preschoolers. Here, some parents share the fruit they’ve seen in the lives of their children and why they think BKK has continued to inspire and impact students, COVID-19 or no COVID-19.

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I am so glad BKK took the opportunity to raise awareness of what it means to be living in a time like this, in turn building up our K2 children’s social and mental resilience. I also appreciate how the teachers reminded the children of God’s promises and how He will never forsake us. As a result, I found Olivia emerging stronger, more resilient, more empathetic in understanding why things are now done differently. All this contributed to such a smooth transition when she entered Primary 1. Not only did she settle in very quickly to school, she was even asked by her teacher to encourage her friends who were having difficulty adjusting. Olivia even made a card to encourage her new school friend. - By Mrs Sherri Foo, Olivia’s mother

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I remember especially an episode during the COVID-19 fears. Alanna came home singing “I cast all my cares upon You” which her teacher has taught her. At that moment, tears came to my eyes. As a frontliner, I have my own fears to face – for my patients, myself and my family. As Alanna sang, I wrote the lyrics of the song immediately. “I cast all of my cares upon You I lay all of my burdens down at your feet And any time I don’t know what to do I will cast all of my cares upon You” The words lifted me up! Thank you BKK for all the precious years. -By Dr Kasendra Laura Wong, Alanna’s mother

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When we were sourcing for a preschool, apart from the academic curriculum, we were also looking for a centre that will mirror our values and develop our children’s character. BKK has done that and so much more! Our children have since graduated and grown to become students with confidence, mutual respect and a sense of responsibility towards the country, their schools, family, teachers, friends and their academic work.

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- By Mr and Mrs Rajarajeshwaran, parents of Nivaethan and Vismayashree

As parents, we have observed that Nathanael was given many opportunities to help his teachers and classmates and that helped to build up his confidence to show empathy for friends in need and enlarged his willingness to help others. We saw how BKK teachers gave the children space to grow and nurture them at their own pace. We also like the way the teachers spoke gently yet firmly to the children, correctly them along the way and not put them down. - By Mr and Mrs Edward Tan, parents of Nathanael

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I too studied in BKK (as did my uncle, my two older children and my nephews) – and throughout the generations, the constant has been the absolute love and care shown by all the dedicated staff, with a strong personal touch just like that accorded to a family member. Just an example - as parents were not allowed to be physically present for the graduation ceremony last year, BKK organised a live zoom session so parents could join in virtually, and allowed the graduation robes to be brought home so that Kaira can excitedly take pictures with the whole family.

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In the Pre-Nursery and Nursery years, what Erin learnt was mostly through play and interactions and simple skills eg telling the time, basic counting. When Erin was in K1 and K2, there was a shift in focus to numeracy, reading and learning the world around them, to prepare her for Primary 1. More importantly, the Christian values, shared through stories and songs, and demonstrated in the loving interactions with the teachers, helped to ground her as she entered Primary school. Though excited about Primary 1, Erin still misses her BKK teachers very much and speaks often of the interactive and engaging lessons.

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- By Mr and Mrs Aaron Tan, parents of Erin

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-By Mr Parag Pushkarrai Desai, Kaira’s father

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- By Mr and Mrs Rajarajeshwaran, parents of Nivaethan and Vismayashree

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- By Mr and Mrs Aaron Tan, parents of Erin

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-By Mr Parag Pushkarrai Desai, Kaira’s father

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YOU CROWN THE YEAR

BFEC in 2020

YOU CROWN THE YEAR

BFEC in 2020

When God told the leadership to focus on fruitfulness in 2020, we never imagined it would coincide with COVID-19. We were a church dispersed (as though persecuted by an unseen enemy virus) and we were a community tested. We each had to look to God to learn what it meant to depend on Him amidst fears of the unknown. For one, how do we go on fulfilling our mission, that we spur one another to grow as disciples of Christ living out fully God’s purposes for our lives? Looking back, we can see His unmistakable hand in what became a season of pruning, sowing and also of reaping. Here is a snapshot of how BFEC seeks to walk in obedience and dependence to our Lord to be the Bride of Christ Ready at His Return. Can you see His hand at work? How would you respond in turn?

SHEPHERDS We are a brethren church in fellowship with other churches in the Brethren Networking Fellowship (BNF). We are led by a Council of Executive Elders and Deacons, partnering with a team of full-time Discipleship and Operations Staff and Missionaries. In 2019 we had three Co-opted Elders (Ethan Pang, Daryl Liu and Jonathan Cho). In 2020, another, Derek Pang, was similarly appointed. They serve alongside the elders, although in a reduced capacity. We thank God too for Advisory Elders as well as the cell leaders and ministry heads who come alongside as fellow under-shepherds of God’s flock (1 Peter 5:2). Our current Council Chairman is Elder Alex Lo; Deputy Chairmen Elder Jimmy Tan and Elder Danny Chua; Secretary - Lim Seow Cheng; Registrar - John Teo; Treasurer - Joseph Oh (Michael Mak stepped down at our AGM in August 2020).

Within the Council is an EXCO comprising a smaller group of Elders and Deacons serving a term to expedite decision- making, within the Delegation of Authority framework approved by Council. Two committees are appointed by the Executive Elders:- the Finance Committee, chaired by our Treasurer, and the Personnel Committee, chaired by Vincent Lim. These ensure that our finance and personnel policies are not just framed by established governance guidelines but instructed first by careful application of biblical stewardship principles.

NUMBERS

16 Baptised 7 4 1318 9

Transferred In

Transferred Out

Members as at end 2020 (Nett increase of 10)

Called Home

WORSHIP & PRAYER Worship Ministry is always heart before art, individual before corporate, always to the audience of One. During the year where most gathered digitally for worship services, some from amongst our 60-strong team were deployed to record simple but heartfelt worship in music and song. Our tech crew worked even harder to bring services online. Masks and “no singing” restrictions meant the church had to relearn this - How to worship our Heavenly Father with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? Church Prayer Ministry exists to remind us we can do nothing apart from Him, especially as a church (John 15:5). We expressed our corporate dependence on Him in new ways like Shalom Sessions (weekly oasis of prayer and worship for 19 Wednesdays) and five months of daily BFEC Prayer Hours held on Facebook. We also held a Power Praise Sunday for the church to gather on zoom to pray. We have seen breakthroughs when prayer emails alert those listed in FIRE (Frankel Intercessors Ready Everywhere, Everytime). Have you considered not just the power but the loving encouragement you give when you commit to show up to pray with and for one another? 68

NUMBERS

16 Baptised 7 4 1318 9

Transferred In

Transferred Out

Members as at end 2020 (Nett increase of 10)

Called Home

DISCIPLESHIP & PASTORAL We aim to make disciples following our W.A.T.Ch. framework. It is important to ‘Win’ by connecting to Christ and His cause, ‘Anchor’ by being taught and equipped to grow in Christlikeness, ‘Team’ up with others in authentic community and mentoring relationships, and ‘Charge’ by yielding fruitful works for Him.

We also heed the call of the Faith@Home movement to re-establish the home as a place where faith is authentically nurtured and lived out. The daily outworking of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 in homes, as compared to the once a week encounters in Sunday School, are where true spiritual foundations are built. How are you as a parent discipling your loved ones in word and deed?

Our READY Basic Discipleship materials continue to be used for one-on-one discipling.

BFEC Cares fills in the gap for more attentive care when members go through difficult seasons in life. Inspired by Galatians 6:2, we have equipped more than 100 Frankelites (even now through ZOOM) to be more confident caregivers, widening our pastoral reach beyond cell leaders and pastoral staff. Four other churches have signed up members and leaders to learn how they can also implement this. COVID-19 has seen a nation wide surge in mental health and other pastoral issues. Why not be better equipped in caring for another and so build up the Body of Christ?

Our 41 Cell Groups continue to be the primary conduit of pastoral care, discipleship and mobilization for service, led by mature and caring individuals accountable to Elders and Deacons and other appointed under-shepherds. Groups reported better than usual attendance on virtual platforms like ZOOM as they met to study God’s word and pray for one another. Some cells rallied to serve foreign workers quarantined in dorms while others invited and saw friends saved through Alpha Online. As this is how we live biblically and authentically as a church, we urge every member to belong in a cell to give of themselves to each other in mutual love, sacrificial service and outreach (Acts 2:42-47).

Finally, we are grateful to our pastoral staff as well as committed leaders and members who minister to our members, be it in personal discipleship, mentoring, and in times of need - conducting visits, home communions, baptisms as well as helping members in times of grief by facilitating wakes and funerals. Would you pray with us to challenge suitable ones to serve as some staff members approach retirement?

Our READY Basic Discipleship materials continue to be used for one-on-one discipling.

CHILDREN Before BFEC, there was already Bethesda (Katong) Kindergarten or BKK. Started in 1955, it touched the lives of 274 children last year with blessings of a strong leadership team, dedicated teachers and supportive parents despite the challenges. Children are precious to our Lord (Matthew 19:14), yet these are perilous times so we are thankful for the many faithful ones who come alongside parents to co-disciple the little ones from the Creche (8 children; pre-COVID-19) to Kindergarten Sunday School (27 children - from 40 in previous years due to declining birth rates) and Junior Sunday School (70 children - from 90 in 2019) ministries. Is God calling you to minister to our children?

SENIORS & SPECIAL INTERESTS As a 62-year-old church, many seniors amongst our Frankelites have spurred us on by their passion and devotion for Christ. When COVID-19 struck, it was the church’s duty to ensure this vulnerable group did not feel isolated. Three ministries, 9214, Frankel Lights and WAG took the opportunity to reorganize themselves as a new 40:31 Ministry when gatherings resumed in 2021. The Chinese Ministry’s Evergreen Fellowship and the Ladies’ Group also managed to resume gatherings to meet the needs of their members.

YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS Our Youth Service was formed in 2020 bringing together both the Grow@Noon (Youth) and Young Adults ministries. Some 86 are accounted for here from ages 13 to 22. Their leaders continue to invest time, love and resources to disciple them intentionally (2 Timothy 2:2) not just during Sunday services but throughout the week. Would you be willing to also befriend one of them to help them navigate critical transitions and grow in spiritual maturity?

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Initiatives like Ukulele For Christ, Table Tennis fellowship, Jesus Club and Limousine Christcentred Support Group - though affected in 2020 - will continue to be conduits for discipleship and outreach. Is the Lord birthing other new initiatives even as former ones close and consolidate for growth? How would you respond to His leading?

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LANGUAGE MINISTRIES

COMMUNITY & SOCIAL OUTREACH

Our Chinese Ministry has faithfully continued to disciple and reach out through calls, visits, online services and physical services. Our church has also been blessed by other language ministries like Peranakan Ministry (paused, for a season) and the International Fellowship (IF) Ministry (with Filipinos, Indonesians, Myanmarese, Cambodians). The Foreign Indian Workers Fellowship officially ceased at the end of 2020 after a faithful season of sowing and reaping. With the opportunities before us, would you consider being part of the teams to join in the harvest right before our eyes (Matthew 9:38)?

A Frankelite believes that good works flow from genuine faith in Christ, and are both sides of the same coin (James 2:17). We cannot be impactful in society if we do not express our faith through acts of love. To this end, we have been privileged to partner with New Hope Community Services to launch Kampung Siglap Lifeskills Training and Retreat Centre or Kampung Siglap in short. It is right next to us at 10, La Salle Street. In 2020, after some unforeseen renovation delays, it was finally launched. Now is the time to rise up to serve as befrienders in the weekly retreats or in community engagement initiatives. Let us heed the timeless call to love our neighbours (Luke 10:37). How will you serve in this groundbreaking opportunity to fulfil His purposes? This will doubtless see a more concerted Social Action Ministry where each Frankelite serves the more vulnerable in our society, be it by acts of service or befriending. There is also a small group administered by our pastoral staff called the Social Concern committee that facilitates the disbursement of financial aid to needy individuals and families, including some outside our church who come our way. This important list is constantly being refreshed.

In Japan - Daniel and Joylyn Lau with Grace, Faith and Samuel.

MISSIONS & EVANGELISM

OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

BFEC has been traditionally strong in missions because we believe it comes from the heart of God. If we do not participate in joining Him on His mission (i.e. not missional), we will wilt instead of grow. Hence, we are privileged to be sending out some Frankelites and their families called into focus fields like Japan and East Asia for long term ministry. How might you join them in this work, in prayer, giving and going?

Our church’s Operations Team serves to plan and execute many aspects of church life connecting all Frankelites by the gifts of administration to further the mission of the church. On the surface they oversee key aspects of Membership (Registrar, Baptisms), Estate Management and Facilities, Tech and IT support (Sunday services and staff support), and ongoing aspects of Finance (Accounts, Offerings), Communications (Web, FB, e-Bulletin, notices) and Logistics (e.g. layout of chairs, sanitizing of premises). Behind the scenes, they also equipped the leadership by organizing the shepherd-leaders to appreciate every cell and ministry leader, and also to honour senior members aged 80 and above at their homes. 2020 being what it was, many staff members took on new roles to ensure members were connected or contacted. This team also saw to the safe and smooth transition back to onsite worship services.

Our Missions Board also strategizes support for special project workers and missions agencies. It is our goal that every Frankelite and cell group is involved in some way in missions. How are you responding to so great a commission (Matthew 28:18-20)?

Finally, we are thankful for the many other hands that complete the mission of the church. Areas of service like Café Leaf, flower arrangement, stewardship duties, READY magazine and the Library may have either evolved or been put on hold since 2020. But behind each are ever willing hands that contribute to our journey together as One church. How are you using your spiritual gifts and specific skills to serve God and His people?

Our Evangelism Committee was inspired to seize the opportunity to organize Alpha Online, seeing unprecedented responses, new friendships forged and several salvation decisions. A team reaching out through Street Evangelism continues to sow seeds of spiritual conversations and bear fruit too. How are you bearing witness faithfully in word and deed? (Acts 1:8)? 75

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

LANGUAGE MINISTRIES

COMMUNITY & SOCIAL OUTREACH

In Japan - Daniel and Joylyn Lau with Grace, Faith and Samuel.

MISSIONS & EVANGELISM

OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

SUNDAY Worship Services: (onsite & online) English - 8 am & 10 am * Youth Service: 12 pm Chinese: 2 pm KSS & JSS (Children): 9.45 am * International Fellowship: 10.15 am * MONDAY Seniors 40:31 Ministry: 10 am to 3 p.m (Lunch Provided) Banyan Rooms 3 & 4 (Level 3) @ Kampung Siglap TUESDAY Ladies Group: 8 pm

4 La Salle Street Singapore 456930 Tel: 6448 1800 Fax: 6448 0831 Email: bfec@bfec.org.sg Web:www.bfec.org.sg Facebook: facebook.com/bfecsg

WEDNESDAY Evergreen (Chinese Seniors’ Fellowship): 3 - 4 pm Jesus Club (Special Needs): 7.30 pm Alternate weeks’ meeting virtually over zoom FRIDAY Church Prayer Meeting: 8 pm SATURDAY CCsg Limousine: 8 am (outside location) Peranakan: Suspended till further notice Our Cell Groups (for Adults & Young Adults) meet in church and members’ homes throughout the week.

* Register at https://bfec.sg/service to book a seat Registration closes Saturday 6 p.m. If you are unable to come to our physical service, you can join our live stream by using one of the options below: Using this link https://bfec.sg/sermons Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://bfec.sg/youtube Our Facebook page https://bfec.sg/facebook

4 La Salle Street Singapore 456930 Tel: 6448 1800 Fax: 6448 0831 Email: bfec@bfec.org.sg Web:www.bfec.org.sg Facebook: facebook.com/bfecsg

READY N0.10 May 2021 A publication of Bethesda Frankel Estate Church | MCI (P) 048/01/2021