We just returned last week from our biennial Church Camp, where we all had a wonderful time of fellowship, feasting (both spiritual and physical!) and reflection. This year's church camp had several significant milestones and in many ways reflected how the church is experiencing God's blessings in ways both big and small.
This is the largest church camp we have ever seen, where the final number of campers was 175(!!!). In fact the camp was so full that The Legends Resort was filled to overflowing, such that special arrangements needed to be made to house everyone, including converting some of the VIP changing rooms into dormitories for the boys and girls, and also taking rooms at the Rider's Lodge about 500m away. Rooms were at such a premium that the married couples without kids had to be split up to allow triple sharing!
For the first time, we held a marriage enrichment workshop. Conducted by Rev Dr Danny Goh, the married couples were highly encouraged to attend, and over the course of two 2.5 hour sessions, in his inimitable style of humour mixed with seriousness, took us through ways to rejuvenate our marriages, remembering how and when to respect each other, and generally teaching us again how to be good husbands and wife to glorify our God.
The camp speaker was Pastor Chia Boon Beng, who shared with us on the theme One Step Closer. In the course of 4 theme talks, he walked us through steps to draw closer to God, both individually and as a congregation, even down to examining the kind of church we were as a body. We were truly blessed to have him and his wife with us to enjoy their insight and passion for God over the 4 days.
Of course there were also fantastic games planned with great care by Micky (and Sandra, who unfortunately could not join us due to work commitments). The fun element of the camp culminated in a wonderful musical extravaganza which had everybody in gales of laughter. Some of the more notable moments included Dn Vincent in an Indian dance, Reagan as "The Smiling Bandit", and the star of the show....Ansel Ong as the Baby Incredible!!! Of course, taking nothing away from our best male and female actors and actresses, Takahiro Ueki and Stephanie Tan respectively. All in, it was a wonderful night showcasing the multitude of talent that AMKPC have in our midst!
For me, the biggest thing I take away from the camp is exactly what CK, our camp director shared with us. That we leave the camp, not experiencing a high, but rather, that we each and every one of us experience a conscious desire to take One Step Closer to God, and that this will be the first of many to come. There is so much to thank God for in this camp, from each of the speakers to the committee who have worked tirelessly for the last six months or so, to each and every person who went to the camp and made it possible.
Looking back at the church camp, I get the very strong sense that AMKPC has, in many ways come of age, and we are so thankful for the multitude of blessings that God showers upon us as a church.
Lighter moments during the church camp? We are especially glad for the drivers, in particular Melvin and David who have an unerring nose for the best durian (both on the way THERE and BACK). At RM6 per kg, it was definitely a steal....
We have also realised that the current timings of church camps every two years are definite clashes with football season, as was evident during the camp with the huge turnout of football fans (20+) to watch the midnight Brazil vs Australia game! We foresee another clash with the next European Championship in 2008. One suggestion was that we might then change church camp to next year...then again, perhaps not, the fellowship in the dining hall during the game was actually very good! :-)
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Global Day of Prayer-4 June 2006
Last Sunday, 4 June 2006 was Pentecost Sunday. It was also the Global Day of Prayer.
Begun in South Africa as a Day of Repentance, it has very quickly spread like wildfire to cover churches of every tribe, nation and tongue. Uniting Christians all around the world, it has sparked prayer revival across the globe. For more details on background and history, visit http://www.prayforsingapore.org.sg/.
Although the event had not been widely publicised in AMKPC, I was very heartened to find that several of us (about 10) were going, and almost exclusively all were members of the youth ministry. I was very deeply encouraged to learn that our youth are very committed to praying for the church and the nation as a corporate body! We arranged to meet at 6.45pm at the National Stadium, as they were meeting at Plaza Singapura to go together.
As Elena and I drove past Kallang MRT we were astounded to see the queue that snaked around the station, as hordes of people queued for the free buses to take them to the stadium. We were estimating how many people would turn up, and wondering why the event wasn't held in the Indoor Stadium instead, which could hold up to 12,000 people. When we arrived at the National Stadium we found out why; because God had given the committee a GREAT vision. By the end of the evening, close to 25,000 Christians were gathered in the stadium, praying for the church, our nation, ourselves and our community. It was an amazing site to see so many gathered together to PRAY.
The prayers and exhortations were conducted in English, Mandarin, Tamil, Hokkien, and at one stage in Bahasa Indonesia. It was an amazing site to behold, and truly, as we sat there, at times hearing the echoes of the translations in other languages, it really brought home to me what it must have felt like on Pentecost as the early church was suddenly filled with the sounds of multiple languages proclaiming the glory of God. It reminded me of how our God is far bigger than any nation, and how He is Lord over all.
A most humbling sight was when in front of the gathered crowd, the Rev Rick Seaward, on behalf of the charismatic pentecostals (comprising the Assemblies of God, the charismatic Anglicans, and other denominations which embrace the public manifestation of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues etc) publicly asked for forgiveness from the conservative evangelicals, represented by the Methodists, Presbyterians and all other denominations which do not practice the public demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. The apology was accepted, and reciprocated by the conservatives, who also admitted that they too had been wrong. It was a wonderful site to see the church leaders embracing each other and washing each other's feet.
It was something perhaps closest to my heart among our group of church mates, because I come from a charismatic Anglican background, and having been baptised in the Holy Spirit and beginning my Christian life in a charismatic church, and subsequently moving to what to many would seem to be almost the other end of the spectrum as a Presbyterian, I found it uniquely moving to see that rift closed and healed. How appropriate to see God working in such a wonderful way on Pentecost Sunday!
What was also meaningful to me was the fact that this event was held at the National Stadium, which will very soon be torn down to make way for a bigger and more modern sports facility. 30 something years ago, one of the first events to be held at the National Stadium was the Billy Graham crusade, at which thousands heard the Good News and received Christ. Over the years, many other Christian events have seen thousands of others blessed in the same way. How fitting then, that one of the last events held at this grand venue should be the largest prayer meeting ever witnessed in Singapore where the universal church comes together to PRAY for the WORLD. What a privilege to have been part of this global intercession for our fellow men.
We will certainly be back next year. Where will you be on 27 May 2007?
Begun in South Africa as a Day of Repentance, it has very quickly spread like wildfire to cover churches of every tribe, nation and tongue. Uniting Christians all around the world, it has sparked prayer revival across the globe. For more details on background and history, visit http://www.prayforsingapore.org.sg/.
Although the event had not been widely publicised in AMKPC, I was very heartened to find that several of us (about 10) were going, and almost exclusively all were members of the youth ministry. I was very deeply encouraged to learn that our youth are very committed to praying for the church and the nation as a corporate body! We arranged to meet at 6.45pm at the National Stadium, as they were meeting at Plaza Singapura to go together.
As Elena and I drove past Kallang MRT we were astounded to see the queue that snaked around the station, as hordes of people queued for the free buses to take them to the stadium. We were estimating how many people would turn up, and wondering why the event wasn't held in the Indoor Stadium instead, which could hold up to 12,000 people. When we arrived at the National Stadium we found out why; because God had given the committee a GREAT vision. By the end of the evening, close to 25,000 Christians were gathered in the stadium, praying for the church, our nation, ourselves and our community. It was an amazing site to see so many gathered together to PRAY.
The prayers and exhortations were conducted in English, Mandarin, Tamil, Hokkien, and at one stage in Bahasa Indonesia. It was an amazing site to behold, and truly, as we sat there, at times hearing the echoes of the translations in other languages, it really brought home to me what it must have felt like on Pentecost as the early church was suddenly filled with the sounds of multiple languages proclaiming the glory of God. It reminded me of how our God is far bigger than any nation, and how He is Lord over all.
A most humbling sight was when in front of the gathered crowd, the Rev Rick Seaward, on behalf of the charismatic pentecostals (comprising the Assemblies of God, the charismatic Anglicans, and other denominations which embrace the public manifestation of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues etc) publicly asked for forgiveness from the conservative evangelicals, represented by the Methodists, Presbyterians and all other denominations which do not practice the public demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. The apology was accepted, and reciprocated by the conservatives, who also admitted that they too had been wrong. It was a wonderful site to see the church leaders embracing each other and washing each other's feet.
It was something perhaps closest to my heart among our group of church mates, because I come from a charismatic Anglican background, and having been baptised in the Holy Spirit and beginning my Christian life in a charismatic church, and subsequently moving to what to many would seem to be almost the other end of the spectrum as a Presbyterian, I found it uniquely moving to see that rift closed and healed. How appropriate to see God working in such a wonderful way on Pentecost Sunday!
What was also meaningful to me was the fact that this event was held at the National Stadium, which will very soon be torn down to make way for a bigger and more modern sports facility. 30 something years ago, one of the first events to be held at the National Stadium was the Billy Graham crusade, at which thousands heard the Good News and received Christ. Over the years, many other Christian events have seen thousands of others blessed in the same way. How fitting then, that one of the last events held at this grand venue should be the largest prayer meeting ever witnessed in Singapore where the universal church comes together to PRAY for the WORLD. What a privilege to have been part of this global intercession for our fellow men.
We will certainly be back next year. Where will you be on 27 May 2007?
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