CONNECT Issue15 (October 2013) by Covenant EFC

“One often sees a call only in retrospect. This too is God’s design. God often reinforces our faith after we trust him, not before.”

W I T H

G O D

W I T H

O N E

Ravi Zacharias

A N O T H E R

The Newsletter of Covenant Evangelical Free Church

IDMC 2013: Coming Home to the Love of God

OCTOBER – DECEmber 2013 ISSUE NUMBER 15 MICA (P) 147/09/2013

page

Held from 5-7 September at the Singapore Expo, IDMC 2013 was well attended by more than 3,500 delegates from both Covenant EFC and beyond. Irwin See reports. Ps Valerie Chan

Contents IDMC 2013: Coming Home to the Love of God 1 Moving Ahead: The IDMC Global Alliance

Young Hearts for Missions

Gallery: CEFC’s 35th Anniversary

Japan for Jesus Konnichiwa!

A Trip Unlike Any Other

Moving Beyond “GOT to” to “GET to”

Close Up

A Woman of Depth

RECENT & upcoming events

God At Work

Words of Love

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IDMC 2013 CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Plenary Speaker Rev Edmund Chan; A warm welcome to our delegates; Ps Ann Chan speaking on “The Art of Forgiving” at the third plenary session; Learning Ps Ed’s hand gestures to help remember the sub-themes; Volunteer ushers being briefed bright and early in the morning; A time of prayer and reflection; Soaking in God’s presence; Conference delegates lifting hands and hearts to worship the Lover of our souls

hat is the first thing you would associate with the Garden of Gethsemane? Decision? Agony? Submission? For Rev Edmund Chan (more affectionately known as Ps Ed), the word is ‘romance’. And that set the stage for the entire IDMC 2013—that the deep roots of discipleship-making are to be found in the love of God and the redemption of Christ. On the opening night, Ps Ed reminded us first and foremost that ‘Starting Over’ is all about the divine initiative of God’s love towards us. As Andrew Koh, a newlycommissioned CGL, recounted, “Ps Ed’s call to a redemptive approach towards discipleship instead of a regimental approach means I need to recalibrate my entire approach toward discipleship.” In order to make the sub-themes stick in our minds, Ps Ed made us repeat the associated actions throughout the conference, and this also nicely provided a neat framework for the other plenary sessions. The second plenary session on ‘Breaking Free’ struck Jaslyn Tan, a delegate from Chapel of the Resurrection, because she found herself questioning if she had really believed in the destiny God has prepared for

her. As she said, “God showed me I have a purpose and destiny in Him, not because of who I am or what I do, but simply because I have a loving Father who has great plans for me.” For 22 year-old Covenanter Sarah Leong, the third and fourth plenary sessions on ‘Looking Up’ and ‘Letting Go’ presented her with a choice: “God desires for me to start over, but He is waiting for me to choose it for myself.” Indeed, starting over can only begin with recognition of God’s immense love, coupled with our own choice to surrender to His will for our lives. Plenary sessions 5 and 6 on ‘Drawing Near’ and ‘Staying True’ touched on the daily living-out of our discipleship, which Junichi Haitaka, a 30-year-old intern from Hiroshima Evangelical Free Church, found especially apt. Having just resigned from his job in March to go into full-time ministry, he disclosed, “I was able to realise that I am still tied to the

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The deep roots of discipleship-making are to be found in the love of God and the redemption of Christ.”

past, and I feel deeply that God is giving me freedom, and that God would show his new work from now on.” In the last plenary session on ‘Moving On’, Neeven Subramaniam, a Zone Mentor within the Horizon District, was touched when Ps Ed said that only God could redeem our past as it could not be reversed, replaced or redeemed by ourselves. When challenged that God has a new vision and a new summit for us to scale, Neveen said, “I stood up at the end of the conference to re-commit my life to the Lord and say, ‘Yes Lord I will follow and move on with you!’”

Apart from the seven plenary sessions, we were also blessed with six insightful and practical workshops conducted by our pastors in the Senior Pastors’ Office. I personally attended Ps Tony Yeo’s workshop on redemptive leadership and building an IDMC church, and came out of the workshop refreshed and realigned with the vision that God has graciously given to us. I was also greatly encouraged by the fact that amongst the conference delegates were many TNG (The Next Generation) youth and young adults! Oliver Loke, who works at the National Council of Social Service, recounted how “the clarion call to ‘start over’, similar to the Jubilee year in Israel, reminded me of living a life for Christ and the magnificent call that we have as Christians: to love the Lord our God all over again in every area of our lives!” Last but not least, the conference would not have been possible if not for the many

Covenant volunteers who stepped forward to avail their time, talents and service. As Li Meiyi, who has served in the past eight IDMCs, cheerfully recounted, “Getting stuck with people from church for three whole days and an evening was really fun. And getting to know more people helps reduce the ‘big-ness’ of the church.” At the final plenary session, Ps Ed ended with reminding us once again that the starting point of our redemptive discipleship journey is the love of God which draws us like a magnet. Ultimately, starting over is really all about coming home to the love of God. Will you come home today?

“It’s not enough to rage against the lie...you’ve got to replace it with the truth.” BONO

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The deep roots of discipleship-making are to be found in the love of God and the redemption of Christ.”

“It’s not enough to rage against the lie...you’ve got to replace it with the truth.” BONO

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IDMC Global Alliance

Moving Ahead: The IDMC Global Alliance

outdated BUILT TO LAST: Towards A Disciplemaking Church. 3. To enlarge the Singapore IDMC Conference In the home-base, we will strengthen the impact and reach of our annual Singapore IDMC conference. I am thankful to the Lord that in spite of GDC 2013, our Singapore IDMC conference nonetheless had a record registration of over 3,500 participants. Until the Lord clearly leads us towards another GDC, our mission-minded church has set Ps Ann and I apart to be engaged in regional, national or city-wide IDMC Conferences, leadership consultations and pastors’ conferences to promote the IDMC (Intentional Disciple-Making Church) vision.

Rev Edmund Chan shares his heart on the IDMC Global Alliance, post GDC 2013, and how Covenanters can be a part of it.

“To leave a legacy of a movement; not a monument.” Edmund Chan (2001)

n Covenant EFC, a new day for MISSIONS has dawned. The Global Discipleship Congress (GDC) in May 2013 has ”opened up the playing field” dramatically. It is no longer just about the ”local church”. In these last days, we must set our sights on discipling the ”global Church” to meet global needs! In this regard, we thank the Lord for opening strategic doors of unprecedented opportunities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Japan, China, Africa, Australia, Brazil, Britain, USA and other countries. The call to return the global Church to CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013 • 4

her disciple-making roots has never been more urgent. The need has never been more critically felt. Many things are up for grabs. And the critical time is NOW! There are three pertinent questions before us. The first is “What’s after GDC 2013?” The second is “Why is Covenant EFC involved in the IDMC Global Alliance?” and the third, “How can Covenant EFC be a part of the global vision of the IDMC Global Alliance?” What’s Next After GDC 2013? In response to the growing needs, I have made three strategic IDMC commitments:

1. To train the IDMC trainers The first batch of IDMC Trainers (our senior pastor, his SPO team and Dr Albert Ting, the principal of Singapore Bible College) were trained and certified on 20 September 2013 by Pastor Ann and I to conduct the core IDMC conference, A CERTAIN KIND. 2. To write a new IDMC book At GDC, I decided to write A CERTAIN KIND: Intentional Disciplemaking That Redefines Success In Ministry, launched at our recent IDMC Conference, to promote the IDMC vision. This new book replaces the

Why is Covenant EFC involved in the Global Alliance? The Global Alliance seeks to promote disciple-making in local churches. That’s at the heart of Covenant EFC’s mission statement! Thus on 23 August 2008, the Global Alliance of Intentional DiscipleMaking Churches (IDMC Global Alliance or GA) was launched at the IDMC Conference in Singapore, before more than 2,000 conference delegates from 180 churches in 23 countries. There are four primary reasons for Covenant’s involvement in the GA: 1. To be true to our mission statement The GA is a strategic fulfilment of our mission statement of “returning the Church to its disciple-making roots”. 2. To be strong as a missional IDMC Our involvement in the GA helps us to establish and empower Covenant EFC as an outward-looking missional IDMC. 3. To be faithful to the call of God Launching a GA is a clear leading of God, as one of the five things the Lord has asked me to do, to fulfill the mission (the story of this calling is written in Growing Deep In Faith). 4. To be wise in our stewardship God has bestowed upon Covenant rich resources to bless the body of Christ at large. The GA is a leverage to maximise this God-given stewardship.

Youth leading in bilingual worship at the Family Missions Evening

How Can Covenant EFC Be A Part of the GA Movement? We are giving ourselves to a greater cause, a higher purpose, a worthy vision and a deeper walk. There are two levels of involvement for Covenant EFC: at the institutional level and at the personal level.

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The Global Alliance seeks to promote disciplemaking in local churches. That’s at the heart of Covenant EFC’s mission statement!”

At The Institutional Level Other churches and church leaders have enthusiastically indicated that they have been impacted by our Breakthrough Weekends, Intentional Discipleship Training, IDMC conferences, Internship programmes, etc. Thus, we will continue to serve the body of Christ in these ways and to mobilise our members towards serving the body of Christ at large! The Global IDMC Centre (GIC) is Covenant’s own in-house leadership training arm for developing IDMC leaders and leadership. When the GA is in full swing, more churches would be sending their leaders here. Thus, the GIC will run in tandem with the GA with her vital contribution to the wider body of Christ. Your giving to the ACKCentre also contributes to this. At The Personal Level Here are at least seven practical suggestions on how you can be a part of the global vision in Covenant EFC:

1. Join IDT Join our Intentional Discipleship Training. Grow as a disciple of Christ. We don’t want to be merely a church with a disciple-making emphasis. We want to be a church of disciples! 2. Support the annual IDMC Conference as a volunteer Many IDMC participants have expressed their admiration for our cheerful volunteers! Also, you can personally help us to invite friends (local and overseas) to join the annual IDMC conference! 3. Support the Breakthrough Weekends Even when you’ve been to one before, be a part of it again as a volunteer! Many pastors and leaders from other churches been blessed immensely by it! 4. Join our IDMC mission trips I love to see the young get involved in mission trips. It fires them up! But mission trips are not for the young only! Get involved. I envisage our IDMC Trainers moving into different cities for IDMC conferences and mission trips. Join them! 5. Pray for and give to GA Pray that the Lord will grant open doors and divine appointments; and that pastors and church leaders will own the IDMC vision! As the Lord leads, you might consider giving to GA to support third-world leaders for IDMC trainings. 6. Host overseas guests Open your homes. Moving forward, I envisage many overseas guests needing temporary accommodations for their internships. Also, open your CGs. Visiting overseas guests might like to join a CG as part of their exposure and internship with us. 7. Make disciples There are many ways in which you can personally participate in the global vision of the IDMC Global Alliance. It is by doing your part to build Covenant EFC as a strong intentional disciplemaking church. And the BEST way to do that is to make disciples. Multiply yourself spiritually. Be discipled and in turn, disciple others! So what are you waiting for? LET’S GO MAKE DISCIPLES!!! 5 • CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013

IDMC Global Alliance

Moving Ahead: The IDMC Global Alliance

Rev Edmund Chan shares his heart on the IDMC Global Alliance, post GDC 2013, and how Covenanters can be a part of it.

“To leave a legacy of a movement; not a monument.” Edmund Chan (2001)

Youth leading in bilingual worship at the Family Missions Evening

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The Global Alliance seeks to promote disciplemaking in local churches. That’s at the heart of Covenant EFC’s mission statement!”

FUNival 2013 Youth leading in bilingual worship at the Family Missions Evening

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The popular balloon sculpting booth; Plain pebbles transformed into ‘art’ pieces; A youth explaining how the game works; Family fun at FUNival’s photo booth; “Will I hit all the cans?”

Rah-rah teams welcoming the crowds

Young Hearts for Missions Place a bunch of young people with a heart for missions and the needy in a fair, and what do we get? FUNival! Dorothy Phua zooms in on the action.

n line with Missions Week, FUNival was jointly held at both Bukit Panjang and Woodlands Centres on 21 July 2013. Brought to life by the combined efforts of different groups of the TNG family, FUNival sought to raise funds for the needy children of Indonesia. Youths and young adults involved were inspired and challenged by their rallying figure, Pastor Katherine Chan, with the ultimate vision to “put a T-shirt on each needy child out there”. The organisation of FUNival was spearheaded by members of the newly-formed district, HORIZON, and SPIDERS who took the younger youths under their wings. Making up the bulk of manpower, WEBs and MOMENTUMs armed themselves with loud-hailers and CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013 • 6

publicity boards to form “rah-rah” teams that enthusiastically drew the crowds in. They also ran and manned the various booths set up, each of which offered different treats to the crowd. The Balloon Sculpting booth proved to be a huge hit with little ones, who happily walked away with colourful, inflatable swords, animals and even fancy headwear. For many older folks on the other hand, simple yet fun games like knocking over a pyramid of cans with a baseball, or tossing rubber bands at soldier figurines, revived fond memories of their good old childhood days. At FUNival’s Photo booth, friends and families gathered and flashed wide smiles as they gamely posed with props for the camera. An assortment of photos was also on display at the Photo Auction

“Look how tall this is!”

booth. They offered viewers glimpses of Covenant’s short-term mission trippers in action and captured poignant moments of their time spent. Over at the Woodlands Centre, auction excitement peaked when a single “God Is Love” photo was sold for a generous $1200! The sale of hand-made mementos further boosted fund-raising. SUNBEAM children and WEBs, who had worked hard at transforming plain pebbles into miniature “art” pieces, had their works proudly put up for sale at the Pebble stall. Also in demand at the stall were laminated cards with inspirational quotes that were beautifully hand-drawn and kindly donated to FUNival sales by a Covenant member. For TNG, this event went beyond an expression of unity and fellowship as they served alongside one another; it was their testimony that with the simple posture of willingness and faith, even the littlest of ones can serve in God’s kingdom and reach out to nations for Christ!

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Even the littlest of ones can serve in God’s kingdom and reach out to nations for Christ!” 7 • CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013

FUNival 2013 Youth leading in bilingual worship at the Family Missions Evening

Rah-rah teams welcoming the crowds

Young Hearts for Missions Place a bunch of young people with a heart for missions and the needy in a fair, and what do we get? FUNival! Dorothy Phua zooms in on the action.

“Look how tall this is!”

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Even the littlest of ones can serve in God’s kingdom and reach out to nations for Christ!” 7 • CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013

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Japan for Jesus

Getting to know one another and pre-believers at a social gathering

Japan for Jesus Konnichiwa! Covenant EFC’s ministry to foreigners in Singapore now includes a Japanese fellowship. Sylvia Huang shares more.

Ministry at Bukit Merah Office

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he Japanese community in Singapore number approximately 28,000. About 99% of them do not know Christ. In our efforts to win the Japanese community over for Christ, Covenant EFC established our very own Japanese fellowship team this year. Better known as Japan for Jesus (JFJ), the Japanese fellowship was officially started in June 2013, and currently consists of 12-15 Japanese and local members. JFJ meets every Saturday at Covenant’s Bukit Merah office. Led by Takashi Funatogawa, and his wife Suzuko, the group members would share about their lives through casual conversations and encourage one another in their walk with God. Once a month, the group plans an outreach activity that gives them the opportunity

to befriend and get to know Japanese pre-believers. The most recent activity was a barbeque held in June where believers and pre-believers alike got together for a fun time of worship, sharing and bonding over food. I had the privilege of meeting Takashi Funatogawa himself to learn more. According to Takashi, it was a ‘chance’ meeting with Rev Edmund Chan during Japan EFC’s anniversay celebrations, that led him to Singapore. At that time, Takashi was searching for a seminary training programme and bible school when he met Ps Ed, who suggested that Takashi consider moving to Singapore for his seminary training. The rest, as they say, is history. Together with his wife Suzuko, Takashi moved to Singapore in May last year, joined the ETC programme (now known as the IDMC Institute), and has since

completed a year of service. The couple has also started full time seminary training at the East Asia School of Theology in June this year. Takashi says one of the main challenges in sharing Christ with Japanese pre-believers is that most Japanese see Christianity as a ‘Western’ religion. Moreover, Shinto and Buddhist practices are deeply rooted in Japanese culture. As a result, most Japanese are not very open to hearing the gospel. This is why being a friend first is often the most effective approach for sharing the gospel with the Japanese. “Many Japanese people have a hard time understanding what it means to be loved or how to love as the Japanese culture is one that does not encourage outward expression of love,” explains Takashi. “Simply taking an interest in their lives and showing love for them helps break down initial barriers and reservations about Christianity. Through getting to know the Japanese nonbelievers on a deep, personal level, we can then share God’s love and what it means to be a Christian with them.” Jean Luah, who has been serving in JFJ since June shares, “I believe being able to gain trust and access to another person’s life is the greatest privilege in ministry. Being involved in JFJ has allowed me to witness and share in the struggles of the Japanese community when it comes to issues of faith. This has allowed me to grow in compassion for the Japanese and I am honoured to be given this opportunity to help address these issues and challenges.” JFJ covets your prayer support. Being a relatively new endeavour, the group is praying for a core team to be established and for more Japanese pre-believers to attend their outreach activities and

Youth leading in bilingual worship Bonding time at the Family Missions Evening

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The ultimate goal would be for this fellowship to grow into a Japanese Intentional DiscipleshipMaking Church in Singapore.”

weekly meetings. One such outreach activity would be an evangelistic concert in November. Beyond winning over Japanese for Christ, JFJ hopes to instil a strong foundation for Japanese disciples so that they will continue to be disciplemakers when they return home to Japan. The ultimate goal would be for this fellowship to grow into a Japanese Intentional Discipleship-Making Church in Singapore. Let’s continue to uphold JFJ in prayer!

At a recent barbeque

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Japan for Jesus

Getting to know one another and pre-believers at a social gathering

Japan for Jesus Konnichiwa! Covenant EFC’s ministry to foreigners in Singapore now includes a Japanese fellowship. Sylvia Huang shares more.

Ministry at Bukit Merah Office

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Youth leading in bilingual worship Bonding time at the Family Missions Evening

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The ultimate goal would be for this fellowship to grow into a Japanese Intentional DiscipleshipMaking Church in Singapore.”

At a recent barbeque

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Missions

Wide Angle

A Trip Unlike Any Other

Timorese child ren learning Engli sh

In June this year, a team of six youths embarked on a remarkable faith journey – a week-long mission trip to Timor Leste as part of the More4Timor movement. Sarah Chan shares what made this trip so different and special for them.

The team with Timorese kids in Manatutu

Moving Beyond “GOT to” to “GET to” et

The beautiful Timor suns

Pastor Edmund Wong shares his heart and offers a paradigm shift in the way we approach prayer as children of God.

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We prayed. We trusted. He swept away every doubt over the two-day conference.”

steps towards seeing DCPs in Timor at the same time. We trusted God for divine appointments at the conference, and He blessed us with many. Not only were we the youngest at the conference, but for half our team members, it was their first trip to Timor too. Put the two together, it was a feat for all of us. Who were we to network with such experienced leaders? What if CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013 • 12

no one wanted to meet us – what were we to do for the five days there after the conference? What if we didn’t have the answers? We prayed. We trusted. He swept away every doubt over the two-day conference. Our schedule was packed for the rest of the trip – we even had to decline some appointments! He gave us opportunities to share testimonies in two

“Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.”

Having interaction with a Timorese youth

churches and brought us to meet likeminded individuals. We thank God especially for courage, unity and divine appointments. What truly blessed my heart was hearing team members seriously considering doing long-term missions. God truly gave us a glimpse of His redemptive plan for global transformation!

IMAGE: © CreationSwap/Kevin Carden

ost mission trips have an itinerary – we didn’t. That caused some uneasiness amongst us, as being Singaporeans, we had a slight obsession with schedules! But we had a clear agenda. To prayerfully seek partners we could work with, so as to bring us a step closer to seeing Disciple-making Church Plants (DCPs) in Timor Leste. This was different from a typical mission trip running programmes in schools, churches and villages. We attended a conference organised by an NGO that brought together missionaries and representatives from social organisations and churches across Timor. We were inspired as we attended various workshops on social humanitarian projects. Our team also had the privilege to talk to these leaders to find out about their work, sharing with them our small

Rev 8:3-5 (NLT)

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Prayer is INDESPENSABLE, even for God.”

ecently at a CGL training session I conducted, participants were asked to complete the sentence: “Without prayer, my CG will ….”. Some of their answers included “be dead/lifeless”, “become just a social club”, “have no impact”, etc. One participant said cheekily, “Without prayer, my CG will … end early!” Prayer is absolutely indispensable for our spiritual life as an individual, CG and church. Without prayer, we cannot survive, much less thrive the way God intends. Seen in this light, we have to pray and we’ve got to pray. At the same time, I want to suggest something which may shock our theological circuits: PRAYER IS INDISPENSABLE EVEN FOR GOD. How so? God often waits for us to pray before He acts and performs earthshaking things that bring Himself glory. That doesn’t seem to make sense, if we think about it. Could God have worked

without our prayers? Of course! In fact, He would have done things faster and better and greater – without us. But somehow God has chosen prayer, even our feeble prayers, to be the avenue through which He acts. This is the privilege we have as His covenant people – we get to partner with Him in His kingdom’s advance, even though He doesn’t need us. So much so that John Wesley believed that “God does nothing except in answer to prayer”[1]. Prayer is the original Voice-Activated Technology that disciples of Christ get to use, because we are His! While it is true that we HAVE TO pray or we’ve GOT TO pray, let’s also pray not just because we have to or we’ve got to, but because we GET TO! The quote, of course, is a pendulum statement. There are instances when God acted even without His people praying. E.g. God formed Eve without Adam asking for it (Genesis 2:18-22).

[1]

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Missions

Wide Angle

A Trip Unlike Any Other

Timorese child ren learning Engli sh

The team with Timorese kids in Manatutu

Moving Beyond “GOT to” to “GET to” et

The beautiful Timor suns

Pastor Edmund Wong shares his heart and offers a paradigm shift in the way we approach prayer as children of God.

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We prayed. We trusted. He swept away every doubt over the two-day conference.”

Having interaction with a Timorese youth

Rev 8:3-5 (NLT)

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Prayer is INDESPENSABLE, even for God.”

[1]

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Close Up CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: With her family after she was installed as a pastor; The day she said “I do” to Ps David; A family portrait taken about 10 years ago; Ps Valerie with her district - BPJ Fields - at Day with Jesus; Her signature broad smile and warm hug; Ministering to a lady during an altar call

“ A Woman of Depth Pastor-in-charge of the Women’s Ministry in Covenant, Ps Valerie Chan shares valuable lessons she has learnt in life and in her walk with God. By Caroline Sin.

hat is immediately striking about Ps Valerie Chan is her wide, beaming smile as she welcomes you to church – a well-known trademark that reflects her bright, jovial disposition. But her cheerful countenance belies the challenging experiences that have shaped the contours of her life and moulded her into the steely, resilient woman of God she is today. Born into a typical Chinese household where “girls should be seen and not heard”, Ps Valerie was the third of four children in a family that held fast to traditional Asian values of obedience to authority and female subservience. She recounts spending her childhood in a three-room HDB flat in Tanjong Rhu, a neighbourhood where gang fights were rife, and where she spent her time helping her Chinese physician father run his clinic from their home. While growing up in a Chinese culture taught

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her important values of integrity, respect and filial piety, Ps Valerie admits to a rebellious streak as she struggled to gain the acceptance of family members who favoured boys over girls. Her teenage years were fraught with trials and hardship, as her father, who was the sole breadwinner of the family, fell gravely ill with cancer. Witnessing her father’s agonising battle with the illness and her mother’s helplessness placed a crushing burden upon her to “grow up very quickly” in order to support her family and act as her father’s primary caregiver. Her earnest struggle to be an ideal daughter, along with unpleasant encounters in school and the absence of people to confide in, left her feeling empty, downcast and withdrawn while growing up. Her unexpected turning point came about during her first year of junior college, when a friend shared Christ with her. She recounts experiencing an inexplicable sense of peace upon

accepting Christ as a Saviour, a peace that always painfully eluded her, and was convicted of the reality of God. It was then that she started to grow by leaps and bounds – she joined Temasek Junior College’s Youth for Christ (YFC) club and immersed herself into a community of believers who supported her growth. After her father’s passing, her younger sister, mother, and brothers gradually came to know the Lord in spite of their initial opposition. In fact, it was the nature of Ps Valerie’s own spiritual growth that indelibly shaped her mother’s convictions. Witnessing the deeply wrought changes within her daughter’s new Christian life made her convinced of the intricate work of a living Saviour. Ps Valerie shares that her involvement in the music ministry at her former church made her want to be a “singing missionary”, as she often led and sang with much gusto at mission trips. Just as she was convicted of remaining single

God never gives up on her, and in the same spirit, she does not give up on others.”

in order to pursue God wholeheartedly, her friendship with Ps David Chan grew while they were both staff members at their former church, and she felt God nudging them towards marriage. While Ps Valerie, the more extroverted of the two, admits that they were both as different as night and day on the outside, they shared fundamental similarities on the inside. They both felt a deep calling to grow as believers, and most importantly, to disciple others in their life’s journey. She saw in Ps David a stable and committed man who would be a good life partner. When asked if Ps David swept her off her feet, her candid reply was, “No, but he certainly anchored me to the ground.” Their strong relationship today provides the foundation of their parenting journey with their children, Hsien Rong, 15, and Sze Huei, 11. Ps Valerie shares that some of her deepest spiritual lessons are learnt as a parent. It is through her parenting experiences that she is compelled to live out 2 Corinthians 7:1, a life of constant purification. She shares, “Just as I think I am spiritual, my children will reveal to me that I am not. Children are

God’s guiding posts to us – they mirror our weaknesses and show us the areas we still need to grow in.” In fact, her parenting experiences have cultivated in her the wisdom of being slow to speak and quick to listen. Being at the helm of the women’s ministry at church, Ps Valerie shares that her greatest joy in working with women is seeing them live out Ephesians 5 – being godly women regardless of marital status, and throughout their different stations in life. She sees each woman as a precious child in God’s sight, and thrives at the opportunity of working with them, helping them chart their emotional growth and realise their spiritual potential. While she admits to a multitude of challenges in her ministry, she also shares that she draws her strength ultimately from God. She reflects on how God never gives up on her, and in the same spirit, she does not give up on others. “God never gets tired of us,” she proclaims, sharing a profound and personal lesson learnt from her experiences, that which inspires the life of her ministry today.

“Those who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls.” Charles Spurgeon

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“ A Woman of Depth Pastor-in-charge of the Women’s Ministry in Covenant, Ps Valerie Chan shares valuable lessons she has learnt in life and in her walk with God. By Caroline Sin.

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God never gives up on her, and in the same spirit, she does not give up on others.”

“Those who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls.” Charles Spurgeon

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Recent & Upcoming Events

Date

Event

Venue

15-16 Nov

Alpha Get-Away

TBC

17 Nov

Gathering of Multitudes (GOM)

BPJ

20-22 Dec

Christmas Outreach

WDL

29 Nov-1 Dec

Men’s and Marriage Breakthrough Weekends

Johor Bahru

6-8 Dec

Women’s Breakthrough Weekend

Johor Bahru

31 Dec

Watch Night Service

WDL

God At Work

Words of Love On TNG Sunday, the adults were asked to write words of love and encouragement to the youths. Here’s what some of them wrote.

You live in a challenging world, one that is different from my generation. The temptation to sin is far greater and more pervasive. I’m sorry my generation left you with this rut. So I pray for your generation to grow in faith in the Lord, make a change for the better, and may God guard your heart and mind as you walk with Him. I pray God’s love in your life and that He will use you mightily!

When I was younger and on fire for God, I prayed with all my heart that he will never let me go. Somewhere along the line, I backslided. But by the mercy of God, somehow He brought me back to Him. Tell God what you desire. He’ll remember it.

CONNECT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2013 • 16

You are more than a succession plan for the next generation of leadership in church. God loves you and cares deeply for you.

Everyone makes mistakes, but no one is a mistake.

Credits executive Editor Joice Toh MANAGING Editor Chan Sue Ming COPY editors Alythea Ho, Katie Chung, Silas Wee, Sylvia Huang writers Caroline Sin, Dorothy Phua, Rev Edmund Chan, Ps Edmund Wong, Irwin See, Sarah Chan, Sylvia Huang PHOTOGRAPHERS Adeline Koh, Almeo Tan, Brian Dalby, Cheong Yian Ling, Kevin Kwok, Linus Mak, Paul Liew, Stanley Eo, Tan Eng Keng ART DIRECTION & DESIGN Christian Subrata CONTACT US publications@cefc.org.sg our office 167 Jalan Bukit Merah Tower 5, #17-10 Singapore 150167 T. +65 6892 6811 F. +65 6892 1502 www.cefc.org.sg PRINTER Yung Shung Printrade Pte Ltd CONNECT is a quarterly newsletter of Covenant Evangelical Free Church. Scriptural references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

You will make mistakes in your life ahead. Lots of them. Sometimes even to the point where you don’t think you deserve God’s love and the love of others. When you’re there, hang in there. Nothing is further from the truth – that’s a lie that you’re beyond redemption, or that you’re unlovable. God knows and loves you so much that every mistake you make has been worked into your life, to make you more like Jesus. Yes, He is THAT sovereign. Hang on to Psalm 37:23-24, put your hand in His and keep walking. Your future is bright and secured in Him.

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