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Ministers Fellowship International, Singapore (MFIS): How it is Different

2 August 2024 blogpastor 2 Comments

I became part of MFIS after my retirement in 2020. My retirement opened a new chapter in my life and ministry. I gave God an open page to start writing whatever he wished. I was open to God and whatever he brought my way. MFIS is one of the new things.

I have attended several of their organized seminars, conferences, and fellowship group meetings. I have met with many pastors, particularly pastor Gabriel Han (the lead apostolic elder) and pastor Chua Hock Lin (former Chairman of MFIS). Their care and prayers warmed my heart. I felt blessed.

Different Christian bodies

I have come to see that MFIS is different from other organizations. For instance, the church I serve is a member of the National Council of Churches (NCCS). This council is recognized by the Singapore government as the representative of Singapore Protestant churches. It is an association of churches and other Christian organizations. Membership is by a church not by an individual. Their main aim is to unite churches and to represent their concerns with the government.

Another association of churches is the Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore (EFOS). This group was formed after the historic 1978 Billy Graham Crusade in Singapore. EFOS aims include upholding the evangelical faith and fostering the cooperation of churches and Christian organizations.

The Love Singapore movement is a network of about 150 churches. These churches are galvanized to pray for Singapore and reach out to the lost. They are known for their annual Prayer Summit for pastors and ministry leaders. Another regular program is the 40 Days prayer season which culminates in a city-wide concert of prayer in conjunction with the National Day.

The Alliance of Pentecostal & Charismatic Churches of Singapore (APCCS) is a network of churches, Christian organizations, and pastors. They want to serve pastors and leaders by representing their interests as advocates and help with resourcing churches.

How is MFIS different?

The MFIS is different from the organizations described above. It is strictly a fellowship of pastors and not of churches and Christian organizations. It does not try to represent the church’s views to the government. It is more people-oriented than program-oriented and is focused on the pastors’ well-being. Their goal is to connect pastors to facilitate their growth and develop the five-fold gifts of Ephesians 5:11. Pastors are placed in different fellowship teams that meet quarterly to share and pray together over a meal. They encourage the development of the five-fold gifts through seminars and its annual conference.

Here is the official mission statement of MFIS: “Ministers Fellowship International Singapore is a ministerial community rather than a church association. Our focus is on nurturing genuine relationships, connecting the generations and growing together in the 5-fold gifts according to Ephesians 4:11.”

I believe it is vital for all pastors to develop friendships with pastors from other churches. All pastors need a safe place to share their victories and failings. Everyone needs to receive prayer and to share resources. The MFIS provides a platform for such relationships to be nurtured. This is what makes MFIS unique among the Christian associations.

Sip. Drink. Be Blessed

1 August 2024 blogpastor Leave a comment

Pastor Francis Ng from the Tabernacle of Christ gave me a complimentary book that celebrated the church’s 30^th 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.

An interview with me

20 July 2024 blogpastor 4 Comments

Christina Siew is a God-seeker and blogger who writes about family and baby matters. I got to know her through blogging. Interestingly, I have gotten to know many acquaintances (some became friends) through this ministry of writing. Occasionally, as a guest preacher, I would meet some appreciative Christians who have been reading my blog posts. I have always been surprised that the Lord has used my writing to bless and edify the body of Christ. My articles are not particularly thorough or interesting. They are an editor’s nightmare. I simply plod on despite this because people seem to like them and the search engine has been partial and merciful to me. Christina runs two websites, one of which about travel, family and baby: go HERE. The other one has an interesting blog title: “Shema-rhema” (shema=hear/rhema=spoken word), which together means hearing the spoken word of the Lord. This is a lovely rhyming and memorable name for a website about spiritual growth and insights. Once she had the idea of including interviews with people on her website. She asked if I was willing. I said, Sure, pass me the questions. Bloggers are an endangered breed and should support each other! The questions motivated me to reflect on what’s been happening to me and proved to be a fruitful exercise for me. The result is HERE, a lovely interview titled “RETIRED SENIOR PASTOR, NOW RE-TYRED” thanks to her skilful editing. Visit her blog and be blessed by this and her other posts.