6 minute read
serving as one faMiLY
On Sunday, 6 May, the Level 3 carpark at 400 Commonwealth Drive was transformed into a bustling centrepiece of activity for the Faith congregation. The Ministry Fair 2018 took off with excitement, and with close to 1,500 people attending and participating in various booth activities and events from 9am to 2pm.
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By Khoo Tse Horng
After a hiatus for several years, the “Return of the Ministry Fair” in 2018 brought bigger and better offerings for everyone. Apart from championing the cause of volunteerism within the church, the Ministry Fair also underscored the efforts of those who had contributed towards the day-to-day functions and growth of Faith. It reminded everyone that we should encourage appreciation for one another as much as possible.
A Place For Every Ministry
A total of 19 Ministries participated in the fair, with some new Ministries making their appearance for the first time. These included the Community Youth Family (CYF), and the newly-formed Family Life Ministry. Many interested visitors stopped by these booths to chat with the volunteers to find out more about their strategies and opportunities to serve.
Anna Tan, Chairperson of CYF, aptly noted, “The Fair has helped raise awareness of our Ministry because we are new. We not only hope for more people to join us, but pray that the youth will come forward to serve as well.”
Other new Ministries that were featured included the Language Ministries (Filipino and Indonesian), the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades, and even Faith Kindergarten. Alpha Butaca has been attending Faith for two years and she is the current chairperson of the Filipino Ministry. She shared, “It was a great opportunity to tell church members about our Ministry, so that they can pray and serve with us. It also showed that we are One Family!”
Serving As One Family
The theme of Ministry Fair 2018 was “Serving as One Family”, which was a clear call for the entire church to step up and get involved in serving as a church family, and even with their own biological families.
Leading up to the Fair were several publicity efforts, including a corporate video featuring individuals, couples, and families of varying age groups from selected Ministries. The video raised awareness to the many serving opportunities at Faith,
and emphasised how serving is for everyone, irrespective of one’s age.
The Ministry Fair also created excitement amongst volunteers as it offered a creative and effective platform for them to share their experiences with others. For some Ministries, it was their first time meeting other Ministry volunteers under the same pillar.
For instance, the Worship and Music (W&M) Ministry oversees the Sunday worship teams and Choir, as well as the Genesis Dance Ministry and the Revelation Shofar team. Hence, the fair brought together the W&M volunteers from the various creative disciplines under one roof.
An Adventure Of Faith
One important objective of the Ministry Fair was to inculcate an appreciation of what serving God is all about.
Rev Raymond Fong, PIC of Faith, preached that Sunday morning about discipleship involving the sacrifice of normality, where discipleship is a faith adventure. Therefore, serving God becomes an adventure of faith.
Mr Albert Lim, our Lay Leader, echoed PIC’s message when he shared that “everyone will heed the call for family to serve sacrificially, to seek the Lord on where to serve and start the journey of serving and growing”.
The message definitely made some impact on the congregation. We praise God that many heeded the call to serve and there were close to 400 sign-ups by the end of the day! Extending Christian Hospitality
For most Ministries, it was not just reaching out and encouraging others to serve alongside them, but also a time of extending hospitality. One Ministry offered churros and kacang puteh, while another booth served icecream rolls. For the Indonesian Ministry, true to their hospitable culture, the team decided to bless others with their culinary
~ Alpha Butaca, Chairperson of Filipino Ministry
skills and introduced visitors to their cuisine.
Juliana Punusingon, chairperson of the Indonesian Ministry, shared how excited and grateful she was to be part of the Ministry Fair. This was the first time she had the opportunity to share about the Indonesian Ministry as well as the chance to fellowship with the rest of the Faith church family. She added, “We were so happy that we could cook and share our food and culture from different parts of Indonesia!”
Taking The First Step
beyond. Serving God is part of discipleship, where the person who serves is being transformed into Christlikeness.
The Ministry Fair may have been a one-day event but it is certainly not a one-off initiative.
Mr Lee Gee Aik, LCEC Chairman, aptly summed up the whole Ministry Fair, “Indeed we rejoice that all parts come to work for His Glory. It has been a great opportunity for our congregation to get to know more about each Ministry. Even if some didn’t sign up, the seed has been sowed.”
To all the existing and new volunteers, let’s strive towards having our lives transformed through service to God and in doing so, change the world one step at a time.
At Faith, we believe that our vision of ‘Transforming Lives, Changing The World’ requires the first step of serving God, the Faith family, the community and
Tse Horng is Chairman of the Discipleship and Nurture (D&N) Committee. He has been blessed by the ministry of Faith’s people and his Small Group Barnabus since 1982. He attends the 11am service with his wife, Bee Leng, while his daughter, Eliora joins the SUN JAM children’s programme, and his older kids, Zuriel and Karis, are part of The TackleBox Youth Ministry (TTB). Share your comments with him at tsehorng@gmail.com.
If you have yet to sign up or missed the Ministry Fair, what are you waiting for? Visit faithmc.sg/serve today!
