This past two weeks were like a packed luggage bag.
There were the preparations and co-ordination for the Annual General Meeting that ended this afternoon. We wanted to amend some parts of the church constitution. The meeting was peaceful and there were good questions raised that needed to be raised. It went well. The constitution amendments proposed were accepted by the general body.
I had to catch up with my pre-campus readings for my MTh program under AGST Alliance. This particular module on Educational Leadership required me to read two books. One is the Kouzes & Posner’s classic, “The Leadership Challenge”. The other is “Leading Congregational Change” (Herrington, Bonem and Furr). Not exactly books I would read had it not been for the course. I had to hand in some reflection papers and so I tried to complete the required readings for the two weeks when I would be away in the western part of China to visit some friends of the church. There are two more readings to do and it should not be hurried and they are meant to be reflected upon for application. I have brought them with me in my Galaxy Tab, now a cannot- live- without item in my life. Four hours flights and transits are good reading and reflection periods.
The sermon this Sunday morning also needed to be worked on and I could only complete it on Saturday evening. Missed my Saturday morning trek this time round.
Due to this trip and the 10 days I would be away, I needed to clear stuff and do some work ahead of time. No complaints. This is part and parcel of the Singapore life. Still some stuff left undone.
Then there is packing. I hate packing. Somehow this time the grace was present to get it done.
So tomorrow at 5.30 am I leave for Changi International Airport bound for Kunming.
This church is a model of hope for small churches. Two small churches merged into a unified larger body and out of that union, a new fellowship emerged, aptly re-named, the New Horizon Church.
Ministry at New Horizon
I was invited to preach at their facility at Wing Fong Building, Guillemard Road. It was a mere 10 minutes drive from the church where I serve. Euclid Tan, who spent a year in Bill Johnson’s School of the Supernatural in Redding, accompanied me. Extra firepower! The worship hall was pleasant, and the congregation looked about 200. The worship leader led with enthusiasm, and the receptiveness of the congregation was gracious, and they warmed up as the message developed. I preached about the characteristics of God’s love. Yes, I added some ingredients to a used message. I micro-waved “God’s Love Tattoo”, and served the Word with a fresh spirit. Then we prayed for the sick and released prophetic words. The Spirit manifested himself and we were all blessed.
How the two churches merged
What happened? How did the two churches get together? I see the finger of God and the wisdom of seasoned ministers at work in the merger. The Herald Assembly of God church pastor was retiring. Out of discussions with Rev Lawrence Koo, then senior pastor of Agape Community Church, emerged the possibility of a church merger.
What followed were many meetings and a master plan that stretched to a year or more. Planned discussions by pastors and key leaders of both groups were held. They organized a combined church camp, many joint services and church events where they got to know each other, like in dating and courtship.
They allowed a lot of internal discussions and time for each group to process the idea of a merger, to envisage what it would look like, and to imagine and live in the new feelings in the new state. Perhaps it was at the same time a necessary period to surrender preferences, grieve and say goodbye to their respective former histories and identities. Thankfully, the decision over who would be the senior pastor was a no-brainer. The tough call was probably the name and the place of worship and the new identity and vision of the unified body.
In the end, all ended well, and they got married, and I wish I can say, and they had lots of children and lived happily ever after. I cannot so all readers are urged to lift up a prayer that this new entity will move from strength to strength; and is able to fulfill its new destiny; and provide a beacon of hope for small churches.
Rev Lawrence Koo
I first heard of this process of merger from Rev Lawrence Koo, a veteran pastor with the Assemblies of God. Besides being the senior pastor of Agape Community Church, he is a council member, a respected minister in his denomination, and the founding chairman of Global Leadership Summit. Together with his wife, Nettie, during their Bible college days, they actually planted what is now a dynamic church in Seremban . Lawrence made regular trips to USA, particularly to Willow Creek Community Church. I got to know him when I joined him in one of those trips. During that trip, we also attended the Toronto Airport Church for a conference, and visited Jim Cybala’s Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. Occasionally he took my pulpit.
Tough to be small church
This promising merger will be a great hope for small churches because it’s tough to be small in Singapore. We are a well-connected tiny little red dot of an island. People are educated, exposed, sophisticated and want the best for their families. They are more consumer-oriented in their decisions than they realize. They compare; they shop; they look for what meets their needs best. The small church, like the old provision shop, finds itself marginalized by the large church “shopping mall experience”. A small church of below 30-60 finds it tough going. But if they go over 100, they struggle less financially and are more stable. Closer to 200, there is even better synergy and resources. Anything above that is a good size to be in: good for disciple making, strong community, and having sufficient resources for resilience and advancement. It’s tough to be small in Singapore but if small churches can merge like what New Horizon Church has done, there is great hope for helping small churches to move ahead in the Lord.
Help!
Perhaps larger fellowships (denominations) like the Assemblies of God have the resources and experience to make available and encourage and facilitate the merger of small churches. There are wise spiritual fathers and mothers respected by younger pastors and the many small churches. These veterans can help prod, probe, explore such mergers without trampling on the dignity or passion of small church pastors and their dedicated, battle-hardened troopers. Maybe this is apostolic work too.
There is always a new horizon when small churches dare to risk an intentional merger.
The former Keat Hong Camp was where national servicemen collected their soldier uniforms, caps, socks, belts and boots. As I stood at the worship hall of Christian Gospel Mission and looked out across Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1, I saw a large spacious bare land. Keat Hong Camp had been flattened. In its place, the Housing Development Board will be building thousands of apartment units. The harvest is coming to where the church is.
The Christian Gospel Mission, which first began in Jalan Cheng Hwa in Bukit Panjang, had relocated here, and has remained here for decades now. It is part of a stretch of shop-houses opposite what was once Keat Hong Camp. They are a church, a kindergarten and a student care center. They are Mandarin-speaking but the children of the original church congregation, have grown up and are mostly effectively bi-lingual. They are about 70 members and with a good mix of young and old and middle-aged. They have a new pastor, a former teacher, and he has taken over from his father, Choo Fah Chong. He is pastor Kevin Choo and he preaches the message of radical grace. The church is currently adjusting well as they sit under teachings that bring a new perspective to the outworking of the Christian life.
Grace-based, bi-lingual, interesting service
The unique thing about this church is that besides being “grace-based” and bi-lingual, the church’s Sunday service has an interesting format that my Christian education director would have been proud of. After the singing, the offering and announcements, the church would break into discussion groups after the pastor gave them some directions. The fruit of the discussions of each group would then be shared, and the pastor would teach the word, using and referring to the input as he delivered the message. This is learning that is interesting, engaging, interactive and dynamic.
Teochew muay
Since I was a guest preacher they did the usual traditional order of service. I had an interpreter Joseph, who translated my message for the congregation. I spoke about “God’s Love Tattoo”. One of the sermon illustrations I used was about Teochew muay. It tickled them so much that I heard this Easter service they had that after the service. They have a retired hotel chef, so their Teochew muay must have been plus, plus. I brought along a friend, Euclid, who had been trained for a year in the School of the Supernatural in Bethel. He was a great help during ministry time when we prayed and prophesied over people who came forward with needs.They were friendly and hospitable and after the service, we lunched at a coffee shop nearby: Teochew muay…well almost.
Being equipped for a great mission
I left the place thinking of its potential: the congregation experiencing new beginnings in the gospel of grace; the vast numbers of new families that will have new beginnings in the apartment blocks that will be built within four years. For such a time as this, the congregation is being tutored and equipped in the truths of grace, and I pray the Lord’s word will prosper and bear fruit through their faithful stewardship of the gospel to the new harvest field in front of them.
