Pastor Francis Ng from the Tabernacle of Christ gave me a complimentary book that celebrated the church’s 30th anniversary. I was surprised at the book’s quality when I took it out of the brown envelope. My wife took it and read it. Later, my wife and I could not remember where it was placed until I searched a bookshelf for something else and found it stuck on top of other books.
I opened the book, began reading and could not put it down. I finished reading it in a day. What is it about the book that kept my eyes glued to it?
The design is superb: the size, the colours, the typography, the paper, the size of the book and the lovely portraits of the members whose stories were told. The book looks classy and expensive.
I also liked the subtle and smart presence of coffee and teacups in many pictures – an allusion to the theme: “Sip. Drink. Be Blessed.”
The book is square (reminds me of Instagram) and the way its content was arranged and the length of each faith story is directed at a modern audience with an increasingly shorter attention span. I wish they had an electronic version for digital natives, and for members to forward the e-book version to friends and colleagues.
I liked how the church’s history was limited to eight pages. It described the few changes in location that the church made: from a Horne Road warehouse to its final building in Yishun, its present location.
The bulk of the book was devoted to faith stories and testimonies of thirty members. This is the real history of what God has done for the church: stories of healing, salvation, God’s provision, life transformation, and acts of kindness. Each story inspired my faith, hope and love for the Lord. God is good. God is faithful.
It would make the book complete if it had a gospel presentation at the end but I am sure they have some reasons not to do so. Other than this, I would warmly recommend this book to Christians and non-Christians. It inspires hope at a time when all around us we see broken lives, marriages, families and nations.
If you wish to know more about this church go HERE. If you want to read more about my visit as a guest preacher to the Tabernacle of Christ, go HERE.