Pastoral ministry – Page 53

Category: Pastoral ministry

Yangon assault

23 March 2010 blogpastor 1 Comment

Yangon assaulted me in broad daylight. The dry heat and dust of March just punched me up. I felt uncomfortable, sweaty, uncooperative and ever-eager to get back to that pocket of civilization called hotel.

“I am not cut out to be a missionary,” I told pastor Thomas. I know His grace is sufficient for all situations but it is packaged with the specific calling.

It was four days of meetings with pastors and workers we have supported in the past and present. We heard from our local mission partners of the progress and challenges of their work. We saw what progress was made and refreshed them with encouragement and resources.

How do you help poor people and instill the “can do” dignity in them? We have bought piglets for families. After 9 months the families can sell the grown pigs for a profit, a part of which is kept to buy another piglet, and the remainder used for education or other needs.

We explored the idea of alleviating the poverty of the ordinary, long-suffering Myanmese via micro-loans.

The schedule was not as punishing as previous trips I have made. The commutes in dirty bone-shaker cabs and trucks, with hot dusty air and sunshine beating on me sapped my energy.

The churches we visited were only an hour or more away but our butts were shaken sore and our faces were layered with dirt. Thank God the buses were required to use CNG as fuel or the pollution in our lungs would be as bad as China’s cities.

I came home on Monday night more drained than I had expected.

Three weddings and a funeral

3 January 2010 blogpastor 4 Comments

It began with my son listening to his Japanese love albums. Overhearing, I found them catchy despite not understanding the lyrics. It sort of grows on you. I have watched many episodes of Japan hour and even caught some J movies and serials. Lately, I have used Japanese tracks for some of my slides in YouTube and videos. And I have been hearing them on and off. Subconcious decisions. Even now, with the cool of afternoon drizzle outside my window, Japanese songs are blaring in my bedroom and I am happily writing my blogposts for the week. Maybe its the J pop that stoked my creativity and lightness of being as reflected in my blogpost today.

I have conducted three weddings and a funeral in recent months. Interesting and very different ones.

The first was at an award-winning restaurant along Clarke Quay just before the lunch crowd. It was a small intimate family affair. A ceremony for registration of the marriage of Nat and Janice. The HDB required proof of marriage but wedding plans was later. It reminded me of my own situation in 1980. I did the registration of my marriage to satisfy HDB requirements, and later did the church marriage solemnization. It was not uncommon in my days and quite a number of couples landed in the same quandary. So I conducted the marriage registration as deputy registrar of marriage for Nat and Janice, and after that they continue to live separately until their actual church marriage ceremony. Umm…..never mind if you don’t understand. Anyway I enjoyed the ambience, and the sumptuous leisurely lunch in a restaurant that overlooked the Singapore river.

The second wedding was the marriage of my god-daughter Eunice and Colin. I was of course happy to see their relationship blossom into a covenant before God and man. An answered prayer for me. The wedding was elegance in full bloom. Well dressed good-looking young men and women of the entourage, as well as family, guests and well wishers. The location was unique and understatedly grand: the Asian Civilization Museum, with its old Brit colonial swagger. The ceremony went smoothly, everyone was relaxed despite the formality of dress, and the hall and reception area was tastefully decorated with elegant design touches that drew out the oohs and aahhs and phone cameras from aesthetes. Later they had a tea ceremony in the hall itself. Eunice has uploaded early pics on her blog, Memoire of Eunice. The next evening was a dinner at the Tanglin Club with close family members and friends. It was like being in a movie as couples took to the dance floor and danced to live music….including novices like me and my wife, a first for us. 🙂

On New Year’s day, which was yesterday, I did another kind of wedding. This one was done at home in a five room HDB flat. Stephen Koh and Lily Lim. It was surprisingly refreshing, free from the burden of dress and formality of the usual weddings. We were all dressed smart casual, and I could see the power of community of the small church, as the friends from the cell group went all out to help make the wedding special. From photo taking, to decor, to whatever else was needed that kept them at work until 4 am on the wedding day itself. The groom was so touched he choked while saying a heartfelt thanks to the cell group and helpers. I did the solemnization next to the LCD TV and the signing in the balcony, and we had excellent food from Four Seasons outside the larger than normal lift landing. The couple hosted their reception with two groups: one over lunch and one over dinner.

All three were so special. I like weddings. More Lord, more.

Now that I have written about three weddings, I have no heart to write about a special funeral I witnessed and participated in. The mood is just not right. Perhaps another time. But I will not change the catchy title for obvious reasons. 🙂

Raphael Samuel goes back to Bolivian missions

29 November 2009 blogpastor 3 Comments

Lord let the bonds of love continue till kingdom come, for friendships are your gifts to us.

We had a nice lunch at the Bukit Gombak CDANS restuarant to say goodbye to Archdeacon Raphael Samuel, Anglican priest and missionary. My good friend and classmate is flying back to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Back to his missions field. He goes with his wife and son but the son will return later to study business in the Nanyang Technological University. He’s been here for two years and during that time he was ministering in Christchurch Anglican Church, a Tamil congregation near Kandang Kerbau Hospital. During the two years we have had several occasions to fellowship and support each other and to have those reunions with bible school classmates whenever Rev. Benedict Muthusamy, a Malaysian Presbyterian minister and moderator, or Dr TanYak Hwee, a seminary lecturer in Taiwan drops over. We have been meeting like that for over 20 years, since we all graduated in 1985 from Trinity Theological College. Goon Heo and myself are the ever-present core in this group. I wonder if other cohorts and classes have this kind of regular enduring get-togethers. So much strength and sharpening can be gained from such friendships.