2021 ISSUE
01
PARTNERS in MISSIONS
HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
Partners in Missions W
e all know the familiar story of Jesus calling his first disciples in Luke 5:1-11. There, Jesus performed a miraculous catch of fish and afterwards called Simon Peter to catch people instead. Simon had to call his fishing partners to come and help him pull in the great catch of fish (v7). Jesus’ call to mission did not come about only for Simon alone; many other people were mobilised. So who are these partners? In the said story, these partners were ordinary fishermen who were simply doing their mundane daily tasks of washing their fishing nets after a long and discouraging night of work. But Jesus came along and changed everything. You see, a missionary or a missions agency does not and cannot work alone. In the work of catching men for Christ, partnership is essential. And for most of us, we are regular people with ordinary lives tinted with inadequacy, flaws, and failure. But God still calls us imperfect people to do His missions. We can come together with our unique strengths and offer our skills, talents, expertise, knowledge, and experiences. On page 2, Rev Derrick Lau writes on the strategy of partnership. We hope to enlarge our scope of mission and engage the churches, individuals, and Annual Conferences. Bishop Dr Gordon Wong exhorts us on page 32 to work together and give thanks to God for the partnership we have in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. From page 6 to 13, read about the views of partnership and encouraging testimonies by Charis MC, Grace MC, and Toa Payoh MC. Dr Stanley Ling expounds on the meaning of partnership and believed that partnership must be strategic for synergistic results on page 30. Each of us is responsible for the catch. And we must work together to bring in the catch. As fishers of men and partners in missions, we hope that our nets will be so full of fish that they begin to break, and our boats so full of fish that they begin to sink.
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CONTENTS
02
FIRST WORD • The Challenge of Missions Partnership
04 Methodist Missions Society (MMS) is the missions agency of The Methodist Church in Singapore. MMS is given the mandate to establish indigenous churches supported by mission endeavours in communities across this region where there is no Methodist presence. Harvest Force is published three times annually and distributed free. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. All information published is correct at time of writing and may subject to change. All Scripture quoted is based on the English Standard Version, unless
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FEATURE STORY • We Are Not Alone • Partnerships in Missions • Tripartite Relationship • Partnerships for Kingdom Work
otherwise stated.
PERMIT NUMBER
ADVISOR Rev Derrick Lau
14
036/01/2021
MARCH 2021
EDITOR
Leongheng PROOFREADER
Wendy Tan CHINESE PROOFREADER Goh Tuan Gee
WAZZUP! • HF Survey • Opportunities to Serve
FIELD FEATURE CAMBODIA • The reason for this season THAILAND • Crafting Communities
2021 ISSUE
01
TRANSLATORS Henry Wang, Thng Pheng Soon PHOTO CREDITS Puhada, Watit Kwanreun, Loh Han Chew, Barker Road MC, Charis MC, Grace MC, Toa Payoh MC DISTRIBUTION & SUPPORT Eileen Lim, Helen Tan, Tan Poh Ling & Volunteers DESIGNER SNAP! Creative Pte Ltd PRINTER Print & Print Pte Ltd PUBLISHER Rev Derrick Lau 70 Barker Road #06-01, The Methodist Centre Singapore 309936 Tel: 6478 4818
MMS IS SOCIAL! Connect with us and never miss an update
mms@methodist.org.sg
www.mms.org.sg mms.org.sg
IN ON... • RESTing in the Lord! 21 HOME • Kids Missions Adventures
25
IN OTHER WORDS • COVID-19 and missions • Riding the COVID-19 Wave with HOPE!
30 32
HF SPECIAL • True Partnership
mms.org.sg
t.me/mmsorgsg
mms_org_sg
COVER: Group photo of Charis Methodist Church mission trippers with the Thai children in Phrao. Photo credit: Charis MC
CLOSING THOTS • Working together is success
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HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
THE CHALLENGE of MISSIONS PARTNERSHIP T
Rev Derrick Lau 刘作丰牧师
卫宣执行主 Executive Director of MMS. He likes to work on Raspberry Pi projects.
he Methodist Missions Society (MMS) was established in 1991 as the missions agency of The Methodist Church in Singapore. MMS seeks to establish indigenous churches supported by mission endeavours in our region. We are committed towards encouraging, enlisting, engaging, and empowering Methodists to serve in missions by partnering, praying for, and participating with MMS to reach those whom Jesus died to redeem. We believe God has called us to help rebuild, restore, and reconcile people to Christ. MMS provides opportunities in the harvest fields in terms of evangelising; equipping and nurturing new believers; making disciples; planting churches; and expressing love through social concerns, healthcare, education, livelihood projects, and practical assistance. As at 31 January 2021, we have 38 Missionaries serving in 7 countries and 4 Home-based Missionaries, and 22 local Methodist Churches and Conferences engaged in some form of partnership with us. The Mandate of the Great Commission The Great Commission was given to the apostles by our Lord Jesus Christ before He ascended to heaven (cf. Matthew 28:18-20). They went about proclaiming the Good News throughout the region. Consequently, many professed faith in the Risen Christ! The apostles recruited and equipped new converts to partner them in spreading the Good News. According to 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul advocated the principle of disciple multiplication where faithful men were to teach other faithful men, who then extended the spread of the Gospel through that multiplication process. From the period of the Early Church to the Medieval Period and up to the present day Church, the strategy of multiplying disciples has remained unchanged though the methodologies have been adjusted to address varying socio-political and religious issues. Since the 1st century, the Gospel has reached almost every nation of the world. Today, the priority is to reach to the 49.2% of the least reached 17,439 people groups of the world. (Source: joshuaproject.net) The Strategy of Partnership We have developed a Church Engagement Roadmap. This is an important initiative to engage, excite, encourage, equip and establish mission interest, involvement and partnerships in all our Methodist Churches. We believe there is great value in strengthening and expanding collaboration and partnership with our local churches and Annual Conferences in reaching the unreached peoples in our region. Individuals and local churches who seek to partner MMS in fulfilling the mandate of Christ
FIRSTWORD 03
宣教伙伴关系的挑战 卫
理宣教会成立于1991年，是新加坡 卫理公会的宣教机构。卫宣竭力支 持宣教区域植立本土教会，也致力鼓励、 召募、委任、赋权予信徒，一起同工及藉 代祷支援参与宣教服侍，与卫宣一起关 怀、帮助那些需要救恩的人群。我们相 信上帝呼召我们去修复、重建人与神的 关系，使人与神和好。 卫宣提供许多禾场传福音的机会; 也 在禾场上装备、培育初信者，塑造门徒 和植立本土教会; 此外，还通过社会关 怀，医疗保健，教育，维生项目和务实 援助等方式向当地人民传递爱心。截至 2020年12月31日，我们拥有4位驻在本 地的宣教士，38名在籍宣教士在7个国家 服侍；21间本地教会和三个年议会也通 过不同的合作与卫宣结成伙伴。
那忠心能教导别人的人”，可以看出保罗 倡导门徒倍增，通过倍增的过程将福音 广传。 从早期教会到中世纪，直到现今的教 会，门徒倍增策略一直没多大的改变，只 是随着不同的社会政治和宗教问题而调 整方法。从公元一世纪至今，福音几乎传 遍世界上各国各地。今天，我们首要的使 命是把福音带给全球17,439个群体中那 49.2%鲜少听闻福音的群体。(资料来源 : 约书亚计划joshuaproject.net) 伙伴关系策略
主耶稣基督升天之前，把大使命托付给 使徒(马太福音28:18-20)。使徒们随后 到各处传讲福音。因此，许多人公开声称 信仰复活的基督! 使徒招募并装备初信者一起宣讲福 音。从保罗在提摩太后书2:2给予提摩 太的嘱咐:“听见他所教训的，也要交托
我们制定了教会参与的行动路线图。这 个重要的举措，旨在激励、鼓励、提升卫 理教会的宣教意识与认知，从而投入宣 教并结为伙伴。我们相信，加强和壮大 卫宣与本地教会及年议会的合作及伙伴 关系，对接触我们区域中的未得之民有 很大的帮助。 寻求与卫宣携手实践基督托付的个 人及本地教会，无论他们是圣职人员或 平信徒，卫宣将为他们提供结合禾场的 情景,因地制宜的培训，通过与相关方的 接触与合作，增强其自身能力和可持续 性的发展, 卫宣因此能更好地回应神的
together, will be provided with appropriate Training contextualised to each field. We seek to empower by building capacity and developing self-sustainability via engaging with relevant stakeholders whether they be clergy or laity, so that MMS can better fulfil her call and purpose. MMS VISION 2025 serves as the framework for the new quadrennium (2021-2024). The thrust is “Enlarge the Tent, O Lord” (cf. www.mms.org.sg). MMS Vision 2025 seeks to: 1 Enlarge the scope of mission. We envisioned the expansion of
our capacities beyond our current commitments in the seven countries. We shall focus primarily on the vast unreached people groups in our region. 2 Engage churches, individuals and Annual Conferences to fulfil the prophetic call to “fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters covers the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9, NIV). It includes the raising of missionaries, developing strategic partnerships with local churches, enlarging the pool of prayer intercessors, and increasing financial resources and support.
神托付我们的大使命
呼召，完成神赋予我们的使命。 异象2025是卫理宣教会这四年 (2021-2024)的宣道框架，主旨源自以赛 亚书52:2“耶和华啊，求你扩大帐幕”。 异象2025寻求： 1 扩大宣教范围。展望未来，扩展、超 越现有在7个国家委身服侍的事工范围。 我们有必要聚焦关注本区域广大未得的 群体。 2 邀请教会、个人及年议会参与实现|知 以赛亚的预言： “让上帝的知识充满大 地，就像水充满海洋一样。”(以赛亚书 11:9)。这包括培育、兴起更多宣教士，稳 定发展及加强与本地教会的战略伙伴关 系，扩大代祷勇士的队伍，并增加财政资 源和经济支持。 感谢神！本地教会、弟兄姐妹及三个 年议会持续为我们本地及海外禾场的 营运需要提供祷告及财务的支援。大型 的筹款活动如两年一度的筹款晚宴，对 资助海外宣教项目(尤其是新项目)和填 补我们运作費的不足起着举足轻重的作 用。 让我们一起携手在上帝托付我们 的宣教使命中同工，让万民都能听到福 音!
We praise God that local churches, individuals, and Annual Conferences continue to provide the much-needed prayer and financial support for our office and field operations. Major fund-raising events such as the biennial banquet are nevertheless necessary for funding field projects (especially new projects) and for replenishing our General Fund. Come and serve the Missio Dei together! Let the earth hear the Good News!
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HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
HARVESTFORCE A
Quick Survey
Harvest Force connects you with the Methodist Missions Society. We appreciate your support in terms of reading, praying, and supporting the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us. It is published three times a year. We request your assistance in indicating your preference for: (a) Printed hard copy (by post or collected at church) (b) Electronic soft copy in pdf format (received by email) (c) Online (www.mms.org.sg/harvestforce)
Ways to submit your answer: • Email to mms@methodist.org.sg • Go to https://tinyurl.com/HarvestForceSurvey • Scan the QR code
Opportunities to Serve IN THE FIELD The fields are ready for harvesting – but there are so few labourers. In the seven countries that MMS is serving, we continue to be needful for the following: • Full-time missionaries. We are asking the Lord to send pastors, church planters, ministry workers, mentors, and teachers. • Short-term workers who are able to spend between two weeks and six months to help our missionaries. Please raise your own financial support. • Prayer partners to pray for our ministries and missionaries. What to do if you sense the LORD calling you into His mission field: 1. Speak with your pastor and ask him/her to help examine your calling to missions.
For more information about these opportunities, kindly email mms@methodist.org.sg. Be in prayer with us as we seek God’s direction to challenge and mobilise our Methodist community to serve Christ.
2. If your church pastor and leaders affirm your calling and are prepared to support – praise the Lord! Call MMS straight away.
3. If your church pastor and leaders affirm your calling but are unable to provide full financial support for you – call MMS anyway! Some of our missionaries are supported by the combined efforts of multiple Methodist churches, agencies, and individuals.
WAZZUP! 05
Cambodia • Secondary and primary school teachers to teach at as well as empower teachers at the Methodist School of Cambodia especially in Science, Mathematics, etc. • Human Resource, Admin and Finance Personnel to serve at the school. • Prayer and financial supporters for pastors of the Methodist Church of Cambodia, who are receiving below the national minimum wage. • Trainers and volunteers to support market place and livelihood development ministries. • Missionaries who seek to be disciple makers. East Asia • Professional trainers to conduct enrichment courses, leadership development, young adult counselling. • Partners to support social work and community development programme, especially for medical services. Laos • Fulltime personnel to help oversee Singapore Mission School (SMS) and develop partnerships for community development. • Kindergarten and Primary teachers familiar with the Singapore curriculum to teach at SMS. Teachers can opt to serve a one-year term or longer. Nepal • Ministry staff to serve as a spiritual counsellor and mentor for Sophia’s Home on short field assignments. • Trainers to conduct online training on Discipleship, Financial Stewardships and Spiritual Leadership. • Missionary to serve in Nepal. Thailand • Short-term helpers to organise programmes and activities for BB, GB, and Children’s Ministry at Rangsit and Song-Roi Phee tuition centres. • Qualified Kindergarten and Primary levels teachers to conduct teachers’ training at Vineyard Methodist School and Little Candles School. • Mission teams to conduct evangelistic events, community services, etc at our Methodist churches. Timor-Leste • Teachers to volunteer for one year to provide instruction for students in Grades 7 to 12 at the St Paul Methodist School (SPMS), or mentor local teachers in basic curriculum design and instructional strategies for at least a month. • Short-term volunteers to provide English, Science or
Mathematics tuition for Grade 10-12 students in the Sundermeier Home. • More sponsors are needed for students enrolled at SPMS and high school residents at Sundermeier Home. Please support the MMS Student Sponsorship Scheme (SSS) for children and youth from poor families. Vietnam • An Assistant Pastor (with theological qualifications, with at least a Diploma in Bible and Christian Ministries); Pastoral Assistant; and Ministry Staff (experienced Bible Study group leader without theological qualifications) with a willing heart to learn and understudy to serve in International Christian Fellowship (ICF) and MMS-International NGO. • Tentmakers; Business People; Social Entrepreneurs; English and/or Chinese Language Teachers qualified to teach TEFL/ TESOL; and Professionals to worship and serve in ICF while working in HCMC.
Exploration of New Geographical Missions Partnerships (NewGMP) • MMS is exploring collaborative partnership with local Methodist churches in countries such as Indonesia and Myanmar. • If the Lord is leading you to serve in places beyond the seven countries where MMS has some form of ministry, please get in touch with us.
AT HOME You can also come alongside as Mission Partners and Volunteers (MPV) at home to encourage and empower God’s work and workers to incarnate the love of Jesus Christ and to make a difference in the mission fields. Communications & Publications • Be an English-Chinese translator. • Be a photographer or videographer. • Be a graphic designer. • Be a web designer. Office Assistance • Be our MMS Event Coordinator. • Be part of our Fund Raising Team. • Be our Fellowship Mailer Team. Financial Assistance • Be a sponsor through the Student Sponsorship Scheme. Please refer to page 19.
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HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
WE are NOT ALONE This article was jointly written by:
Col (Ret) Quek Koh Eng Church Engagement Director
Grace Chung Church Engagement Manager
M
MS was officially established on 30 September 1991 to become a missions agency of the Methodist Church of Singapore. Its primarily mission is to establish indigenous churches where none currently exists and aims to be a disciple-making movement that touches and transforms lives. Church Planting and Community Development are the integrated strategies that aim to transform lives and communities1. This mission comes alive as a testament as shown in the past 29 years of mission partnerships with the Annual Conferences, Methodist churches, and donors in Singapore, together with missionaries and hundreds of national pastors and colabourers serving in Cambodia, East Asia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Col (Ret) Quek Koh Eng, Field/Church Engagement Director, emphasised “MMS does not and cannot work alone” as of vital importance to develop the Church Engagement Strategy2. We are encouraged that God has seen MMS through the years by bringing together faithful men and women to fervently contribute and carry out God’s mission work. We are also blessed by the Methodist churches and communities that have come alongside MMS to pray, to love, and to contribute generously their time, efforts, and resources toward our ministries and missionaries. Moving forward, as a denominational missions agency, MMS endeavours to be an agency of choice amongst the Methodist community in Singapore. While we have come some way in establishing our work in seven countries over the past 29 years, we are nevertheless mindful of our inadequacies as we journey on. However, by the grace of God, we believe we are now at a point where we need to expand our partnership, enrich our collective call, and energise our congregations in the area of missions. The MMS Church Engagement Team (CET) desires to build capacity by enhancing stakeholder and partnership relations strategically, managing expectations, and engaging churches in a meaningful way to deepen the partnership with all three Annual Conferences—Chinese Annual Conference (CAC), Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference (ETAC), and Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC)—, all local Methodist churches, and missions committees. This can be achieved through a 3-phase framework of conducting a missions pulse survey, dialogues, and forums with the following key outcomes: • Deepen the relationship and partnership with the Annual Conferences and all local Methodist churches in Singapore.
Book of Discipline, para 371. 2 Col (Ret) Quek Koh Eng, Field/Church Engagement and Area Director’s Report, MMS Strategy for Church Engagement. 3 Rev Derrick Lau, Strategic Directions 2025, dated 2019. 1
• Receive valuable and meaningful feedback to customise and realign action plans for the collaboration in mission and ministries initiatives. • Have a greater clarity of what is expected of MMS as a denominational missions agency, and a more coherent understanding between the roles of local Methodist churches and the missions agency, and its relationship to them. • Enhance partner relationship, improve partnership retention, and form new partnerships. Rev Derrick Lau, MMS Executive Director, sets out one of the Strategic Direction 2025 goals as having Church Engagement as an essential initiative of MMS to engage, excite, encourage, equip, and establish mission interest, involvement, and partnership in all our Methodist churches from CAC, ETAC, and TRAC3.
FEATURESTORY 07
Aldersgate Methodist Church mission team members visiting the children at Hope House, Cambodia in 2018.
A child learning to type bible verses on one of the laptops donated by Living Hope Methodist Church. This was a community outreach computer programme by the Song-Roi Phee Methodist Church, Thailand in 2020.
Barker Road Methodist Church medical mission team members praying for missionaries in Nepal in 2018.
This initiative provides a clear sense of direction to collaborate, encourage strategic partnerships, and establish long-lasting relationships; these are fundamentals to pave the way in achieving the God-given mission. There are still much to be done in our fields to equip, nurture, train, and strengthen the pastoral and lay leaderships to
become self-sustainable one day and fulfil the call God has placed on their hearts. As MMS enters into the new year, it is our hope that this initiative will invigorate and deepen relationships and collaborations with existing partner churches. Also, we hope to begin new dialogues with churches that have yet to become partners, to come alongside to intercede, contribute, and support MMS in big or small ways. With one goal, one mind, and one heart, let us push forth in living out the mandate given to us: to love God, to love our neighbours, and to make disciples of all nation. Get in touch with us now; every partnership and contribution counts towards touching and transforming lives for God.
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HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
PARTNERSHIPS in MISSIONS O
Chue Yuin Cheong Missions Chairman of Charis Methodist Church
ur partnership with MMS has gone back a long way back to the 1990s. We are blessed to have been able to witness the growth of Sanphranet Methodist Church in Chiang Mai in our years of partnership. Our regular mission trips there not only helped us to discover and appreciate the diverse gifts and talents of our mission trippers, they also uncovered precious lessons for different individuals. Some of our adult members have very fond memories of our twice-a-year trips to Sanphranet to help with the Sunday School, English camps, and Christmas outreach. These adult members were then youth, and they connected very well with the youth of Sanphranet Church. Even with the language barrier (as almost all of them could not speak Thai), their interactions brought forth spontaneous joy and laughter as they communicated through gestures and a smattering of Thai and English. The love of God transcends all language barriers indeed. Our regular mission trippers had the privilege of seeing, with each trip they made, the children of Sanphranet Methodist Church Sunday School grow physically and spiritually. Photographs taken over many trips showed the children develop gradually into youth. We thank God for keeping watch over their faith in their growing years. A special bond was also forged over time with one key Thai youth leader, and to have a few of our by-then young adults fly over to attend her wedding is testament to the wonderful friendship that blossomed out of the many years of partnership. God has blessed Charis with a special outcome through our partnership with MMS. We are heartened to see one of our regular mission trippers heeded the call of God to serve Him in Thailand and Nepal. The seed was sown through the mission trips to Thailand while she was a teenager. Today, she is still faithfully serving God as an MMS missionary. We believe our current partnership with Little Candle Methodist Church in Phrao, Chiang Mai will also bring forth fruit. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, God’s work is undeterred. In fact, it has paved the way for online English lessons for Thai students. This started during their lockdown period, lessons are still on-going and our teachers are encouraged by the students’ enthusiasm. We pray that God will allow more church members to discover they can be involved in missions in different ways. In addition to our partnership with MMS, Charis also partners with other mission organisations such as Cru and Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) International. This gives our church a broad spectrum of outreach to focus on, as the missionaries are involved in different areas such as medical ministry, mercy relief, and leadership training for country leaders in African states. Charis’ support has also been long standing as two of our church members have served as missionaries with these
FEATURESTORY 09
ABOVE Gloria Khoo (in pink wig) in a mission trip to Sanphranet, Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1999. After many trips, she became a missionary herself. LEFT There is a growing interest among the young and old in our congregation in our new partnership with Little Candles Methodist Church in Phrao, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
organisations for more than 30 years. In addition to prayer and financial support, we also visit our missionaries to give practical support in their ministry where possible. Charis counts it a great privilege indeed to be able to participate in the Great Commission and be a blessing to others through our partnership with MMS and other mission agencies. These partnerships have opened our eyes to God’s amazing work in many parts of the world.
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TRIPARTITE Relationship H Servant of the Lord in the Missions Committee of Grace Methodist Church.
G
od has called his Church to participate in the Missio Dei – God’s mission to establish His kingdom on earth. To do so, it is necessary for the local church to look beyond its walls and examine how it could serve the community through acts of witnessing, justice, and mercy. This includes the realm of cross-cultural missions, in support of missionaries who often serve in places where Christian witness is scarce and people have not experienced the love of Christ. Grace Methodist Church (GMC) is a mid-sized church in the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC) which recently celebrated its 50th birthday (Jubilee year) in November 2020. GMC prides itself on being a missions-minded church which has sent out many long-term missionaries in the past. We are also the home church of Rev Cassandra Lee, who has been serving in full-time ministry in Chiang Mai under the auspices of MMS since 2011. Rev Cassandra’s ministry areas include supporting the Pastor-in-Charge of Thung Yao Preaching Point, as well as outreach ministries to children and youth. GMC has partnered Cassandra and MMS in various ways, including the following: Short-term mission teams
Regular teams have been sent to support the running of educational workshops for Thai students during their school breaks. In addition to conversational English lessons, Cassandra has taken the opportunity to share the Christian worldview and present
FEATURESTORY 11
the message of the Gospel to the children (with the approval of the school authorities). These teams have also encouraged church members and provided manpower to support the church’s activities, especially during the Christmas season. Mission projects With the growth of the ministry in Thung Yao Preaching Point, plans have been made for the church to have its own building. Following the sharing of the church’s needs by MMS, GMC agreed to fund the landfill cost of converting an existing rice field into land suitable for constructing a new church building. In doing all of the above, GMC strives to achieve a mutually beneficial tripartite relationship among the missionary, the missions agency, and our own church. We hope to encourage and support Cassandra’s ministry in tangible ways; partner the missions agency in vital field projects; and provide opportunities for church members to see the mission field, deepen prayer for the needs of the field, and progress in the discipleship journey of all those involved. In all of these, we work for the extension of God’s Kingdom both within our church community and abroad. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought traditional missions involvement models to a halt; nonetheless, we believe God is directing our church to explore new ways through which we are to participate in the Missio Dei. We look forward to further partnerships with Rev Cassandra and the ministry in Thung Yao Preaching Point, as well as with MMS.
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FEATURESTORY 13
PARTNERSHIPS for KINGDOM WORK I
Audrey Ong Pastoral staff for Missions at Toa Payoh Methodist Church.
n Toa Payoh Methodist Church (TPMC), we understand and believe in partnerships for Kingdom Work. For the past 20 years, TPMC has partnered with various missions agencies including MMS to send missionaries to different parts of Southeast Asia to minister and reach out to the local communities. Through MMS, we first sent our missionary, Carol Ong, to Cambodia and some years later, we sent Angela Sng to minister among the Shan people in Northern Thailand. Working with missions agencies ensures that our missionaries are connected and taken care of when they are in the field. Over the years, we have also been able to see that our missionaries have developed and extended their ministries with the help of the missions agencies. Angela and her husband, John Preedakasemrung, started their ministry among Shan children, providing a safe and nurturing environment to disciple the children at Term Fun Home. With guidance from the Pastor-in-Charge of the local Methodist church (Shineforth Methodist Church) they were serving in, they have also gathered and made disciples in a Shan congregation. Since 2018, the Shan congregation, now known as Mittaphab Methodist Church, has officially been recognised as a local conference in the Methodist Church in Thailand. Carol has also been able to start a new ministry in the last two years, reaching out to the local community where the residents work in the nearby factories in Odem, Phnom Penh. She has been able to tap on the resources including those of the Methodist churches in Cambodia and the COSI alumni as she started work at the Third Place Ministry. In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak when the situation was uncertain and overseas travel was restricted, their work did not have to come to a complete halt. There was the network of missionaries to lend a hand where needed and to provide continued leadership to the ministries and the local churches. Partnering with missions agencies such as MMS has also meant that missionaries could tap on the resources and support of other churches and organisations within the Methodist network. It takes the larger community to advance of the Kingdom of God.
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CAMBODIA
THE REASON for THIS SEASON 2
Benjamin Lee Country Director of Cambodia. He is a member of Trinity Methodist Church.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in the December 2020 issue of Methodist Message.
020 has been a year of the unexpected. At the beginning of the year, many of us may have made a lot of plans and looked forward to entering a new decade. But many of our plans were dashed. We grappled with many questions: Was it going to be only for a few months? When would things get better and life get back to normal again? Now, the end of 2020 is fast approaching. What is happening here? “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19 At the end of 2019, as I was doing my personal devotion, God showed me these verses. At that point, I did not fully understand what they were about. I thought that perhaps the message involved new projects we were about to embark on, new involvement with the Methodist Church in Cambodia, or new development plans for the Methodist School of Cambodia. I felt a sense of excitement and anticipation. In March 2020, when the COVID-19 situation began to unfold, many of the ministries here in Cambodia had to be approached in whole new way. Previously, many of the ministries depended heavily on foreigners for leadership and, to a certain extent, funding. The pandemic meant that the local leadership had to take the lead as many missionaries had to return to their home countries. I was privileged to witness first-hand how the local leadership stepped up and navigated the challenging times. They also undertook responsibility to
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organise the distribution of relief packages to families affected by the economic fallout of the coronavirus. This created opportunities to show the love of God in action and has caused the community to ask, “Why are they doing this to help us?” Another area of opportunity I witnessed was the sharing of God’s Word where we had thought impossible to penetrate—families with elderly members. In the past, the Word could be heard only in the churches or in seminars and training sessions. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gospel was heard in the homes through online services which the local church leadership quickly adapted to. The online preaching of the Gospel aroused curiosity amongst the community and created opportunities to share personal stories with non-believing relatives. I have seen Isaiah 43:18–19 coming to pass. God’s promises will never fail. He will make a way even where we may see it as impossible, in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. With this pandemic, I have begun to ask myself, “As a missionary, what then is my role?” After more than eight years in the field with my family, I am seeing that God does not really need us for the spread of the Gospel. It has caused me to re-think my posture toward missions. The insight I have gained this year is “to be where God wants me to be”—to be used by Him as an instrument to encourage the people I work with. It is not to show that I am superior or more knowledgeable, but rather to share the “burdens” of the Gospel with the people in the field and to walk alongside to cheer them on. It is truly humbling for me as I partner the pastors, church leaders, and even with the youth and children, and see that there is so much to learn from them. 2020 has been a year when God in His sovereignty showed me that “for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9). It has been a year of just walking the path which God has crafted for me. And this is the reason for the season.
Photo: Artush@istockphoto
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My name is Mae Pon, and I have been a seamstress with Puhada since 2015. I am a single mother with two sons, and have an elderly mother at home whom I have to take care of. As I have to be home all the time, it is difficult for me to find a suitable job, hence leading to some financial difficulties. Thank God for the consistent work from Puhada, which has helped my family in the past several years. I also give thanks for this period of time, where the stresses of life are gradually being lifted from me. My elder son has graduated and is now serving God in church. My second son’s health has not been good in the past year, but he’s stronger now, and is entering University next year.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in the February 2021 issue of Methodist Message.
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THAILAND
CRAFTING Communities Team Puhada
P
uhada began by the grace of God—it has never been about our human abilities. Conceptualised in 2008 as a means for Thai women to earn muchneeded income for their families in Chiang Mai, Puhada supports mainly single mothers who face difficulties in making ends meet. In particular, they struggle to find work that pays a decent wage, while at the same time allowing them to take care of their children and household needs. In fact, many of their incomes fall well below the minimum wage set by the Thai government—a paltry 320 baht (roughly S$14) per day. Beyond just encouraging and praying for these women in need, the primary aim was to help them out practically by finding jobs for them. Initially, jobs were sought for and recommended to these ladies on several occasions, but not many were suitable for them because of the family circumstances they were in. Another alternative was to buy food for them or give them some money, but that was unsustainable in the long run. Yet, the burden that God had placed on our hearts was too great to ignore. Hence, we thought that if they could be provided with jobs, they would be able to earn their own income and take care of their families more sustainably. In return, they would also be able to bless those around them. Having learned to sew at a young age, many of these women are already skilled in the art of embroidery and stitching, and were delighted to be able to put their talents to good use at Puhada. By the grace of God, He has continued to pave the way for Puhada on both the production front and the customers’ end, enabling us to offer highquality products based on our customers’ needs. We thank God for all our
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customers, and brothers and sisters in Christ, for supporting Puhada since the very beginning. It humbles us to know that God multiplies the little that we have for His people and His ministries, and all we have to do is to continue to be faithful with the little that we have. May God continue to encourage us to spur one another on to love and good deeds. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 My name is Puu. I am a part-time seamstress with Puhada, as well as a housekeeper for families. I thank God for being able to earn extra income from Puhada, especially in the early days when I separated from my husband, who was abusive and adulterous. My son has also been accepted into the foundation’s hostel, and is able to study in a better environment now. My worries have lessened and I am beginning to be able to deal with my problems better, holding on to the hope I have in Christ.
ABOUT PUHADA
THANK GOD • for sustaining us through difficult times
PRAY • for perseverance and faithfulness in the work we have been given to do. • that our ladies and community will see and experience daily the genuine love and touch from God through working with us. • that each of us in the team will be able to discern God’s direction, and walk in it together.
Puhada was started as a way for Thai women to earn much-needed income for their families in Chiang Mai, many of whom are single mothers who face difficulties in making ends meet. Visit puhada.com to view the products made by our ladies!
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OUR GIFTS FOR MISSIONS
We would like to support MMS so that the Good News of Jesus Christ can be proclaimed to the ethnic Cambodians, Lahus, Laotians, Nepalese, Thais, Timorese and Vietnamese, by giving to:
GIFT DETAILS General Donation (where it is most needed)
$
Crisis Relief Fund (General)
$
Rev Dr Clarence Lim Missionary Development Fund $
Student Sponsorship Scheme (Non-Residential)* General $ @ S$45 per month Cambodia / Laos / Nepal / Thailand / Timor-Leste
Student Sponsorship Scheme (Residential)* General @ S$110 per month
[ [ [ [ [
East Asia
Ministry Support Staff & Ministry Support Community Development
] COSI (Cambodia) ] Sophia’s Home (Nepal) ] Mettakij Hostel (Thailand) ] Term Fun Home (Thailand) ] Sundermeier Home (Timor-Leste)
Cambodia
$ $ $ $ $
Church Planting Ministry Staff & Ministry Support Post COSI Integration Programme Hope House National Pastor Support
$ $ $
Community Development Staff & Ministry Support Sponsorship for Pastor Lay Leader Training at Caleb Bible Institute Education
$ $
Nepal
$
$
Laos
$
Thailand
$
Staff & Ministry Support
Timor-Leste
$ $
Staff & Ministry Support St Paul Methodist School Building Fund
Vietnam
$
V ietnam Children’s Fund
Printing And Postage Cost
$
Harvest Force, PrayerConnect, etc.
Others (please specify):
$
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PDPA MMS is committed to ensuring the security of all personal data she collects. MMS shall use and disclose such data only for her necessary purposes and if so, shall adhere to the guidelines of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). All personal data shall be kept strictly confidential at all times. If ever MMS has to disclose any personal data to any third party, she shall do so only with the prior consent of the owner of the personal data. To withdraw or limit consent, please email to mms@methodist.org.sg.
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
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OUR GIFTS FOR MISSIONS “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing” 2 Samuel 24:24
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MMS Executive Director Methodist Missions Society 70 Barker Road #06-01 The Methodist Centre Singapore 309936
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RESTing IN THE LORD! “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Grace Chung Grace Chung serves as MMS Church Engagement Manager. She chaired the Task Force that planned and conducted the Virtual Missionaries’ Retreat 2020.
E
very two years, MMS invites all our missionaries and their families to our Missionaries’ Retreat, normally held in a hotel in West Malaysia. With the COVID-19 travel restrictions, we had to leverage on technology to continue to have our 2020 Retreat, albeit in the virtual realm. There were challenges in bringing 57 participants—our missionaries from our seven mission fields and our home staff—together in a virtual environment, as well as in deciding on a timing for the retreat that worked for everyone. But none of these challenges deterred us from having our first virtual Missionaries’ Retreat on 25 and 26 September. We believe in God’s faithfulness and promises, that all things will become good when we focus on His plans, and not ours. After much deliberation, our team and our Personnel Committee (PC) established our retreat’s theme: “Refresh, Engage, Share, Touch”. The objective was to uplift our missionaries spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. In these challenging times, it is imperative that we care for the holistic well-being of our missionaries and their families. To achieve this, the programme included sessions by Daniel Wong, Minister-at-Large of OMF, on the topics of missionary self-care in areas including re-entry, engagement, strengthening relationships, and transformation. The participants were then provided with updates on the proposed amendments to the personnel policy for missionaries. These sessions were discussed in breakout sessions, facilitated by MMS leadership and PC members. Alvin Tan, MMS Chairman, shared about MMS’ Strategic Overview. And Col (Ret) Quek Koh Eng, MMS Field and Church Engagement Director, shared on Post COVID-19 Relevancy—the Implications of COVID-19 (read about this on page 25). It was not all serious work as our missionaries had a great and fun time with specially-chosen online games. They also had virtual meals together with their breakout group members. A segment on our missionary kids was also part of the programme. Fellowshipping and engaging our Home staff and PC members were also well-received.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in the November 2020 issue of Methodist Message.
To end the retreat, we had a Closing and Affirmation Service to affirm our Timor-Leste missionary, Rasanya Gnasegaran, as an MMS missionary as she had completed her internship. Throughout the two days, we were privileged to have Bishop Emeritus Dr Chong Chin Chung; Bishop Dr Gordon Wong; Rev Dr Gregory Goh Nai Lat, CAC President; Rev James Nagulan, former ETAC President, to encourage, inspire, and pray for our missionaries and mission fields. This has been a momentous retreat—the first time one to be conducted in a virtual environment. The theme and objectives set were met in a
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wonderful and exuberant atmosphere. The organising task force has been blessed by the success of the retreat, and we give thanks to our Almighty God for the privilege to serve not just our missionaries, but also our Lord. We have been humbled by His faithfulness. Our missionaries shared that they were greatly blessed by the experience. • “The retreat was a wonderful time of sharing, learning and fellowship. I learnt about our missionary kids too! And importantly, about praying for one another and our mission fields.” • “My expectations were more than met, and I could experience the presence of the Holy Spirit as we shared and prayed together for MMS.”
Dear Lord, we pray for Your protection over all our missionaries, national pastors, leaders, as well as their families in the mission fields as they share Your love and ensure ministry continuity in their respective churches as they fulfil the Great Commission. Please provide for our General Fund, which will enable us to meet our ministry needs in our mission fields. Amen.
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KIDS Missions Adventures
Juliette Arulrajah Chairman of the Training Committee, and Area Director for Cambodia and Laos.
“D
ream from young to discover how God is calling us!” excitedly shared a Lower Primary participant in Kids Missions Adventures (KMA) after “travelling” to Timor-Leste on the zoom digital platform and “interacting” with Rita, a young student at St Paul Methodist School. Rita has a dream to make a difference in her community by becoming an educator and is currently taking little practical steps to fulfil that dream. In response to how God was calling us to reach out to children during the year-end school holidays, KMA was organised by MMS in partnership with the Boards of Missions of the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC), Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference (ETAC), and Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC), as well as the CAC Board of Family Life and TRAC Board of Children Ministry. A first for Singapore Methodists, KMA was an engaging and hands-on programme where 321 children (170 in Lower Primary and 151 in Upper Primary) from the 46 churches of our three Annual Conferences had mission adventures in three different countries (Cambodia, Nepal, and Timor-Leste), moving seamlessly from one to another from 10am to noon on 14 November 2020. KMA kicked off with creative investigative icebreakers and worship led by children from Grace Methodist Church. The children were then prepared to go on their own mission adventures with the stirring “live” testimony of Thav Veasna. Veasna grew up at COSI, a children’s home in Cambodia, where he met Jesus. He saw God’s intervention in his life and his family, which included the miraculous healing of his terminally ill mother. He graduated to fulfil his dream of becoming a civil engineer, and then heard God’s call to serve as a Methodist pastor in Cambodia. God led him to Singapore and Trinity Theological College, where he is currently studying. “My daughter had such an interesting and fun-filled time with the other 10 children in her breakout group,” said a mother after the event. Working in pairs, 72 facilitators (aged between 20 and 70 from different churches) provided a meaningful God-centred time for the children in their breakout groups. In these small groups, the children shared their impressions about life in other nations and how they had impacted them. They prayed, learnt a Nepali song, and penned encouragement notes to a missionary of their choice or to someone of a different culture.
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Sharing their “takeaways” readily and joyously after their return from the breakout sessions, the children were inspired collectively by a short video to go, share, pray, and give. After this came a spiritually empowering time when they committed themselves afresh to Jesus, covenanted with God to try to discover and follow His dream for their lives even as they were commissioned to go forth in the Wesleyan fashion as the world is our parish. Indeed, God moved far beyond our expectations and imaginations! Many facilitators shared how they were blessed by the children’s passion and insights even as they themselves learnt new things about missions and made friends with facilitators from different churches and Annual Conferences. When they received the post-event follow-up materials for their children, parents shared that their children had a positive experience at KMA! Veasna was touched by the encouragement and well wishes he received through photos of the children’s messages sent by some facilitators via WhatsApp and several the children themselves mailed to him. In addition, Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church WSCS was spurred further into missions caring and giving. Barker Road Methodist Church also ran a contextualised adapted KMA with MMS resources just before Christmas 2020 for their Primary Sunday School, again with positive outcomes. “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Psalm 25:4–5
Dear Lord, may these children continue to grow deeply in You. And may they become future partners in missions. Amen.
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COVID-19 and MISSIONS I
t is folly at this early stage to discuss a subject as complex as the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on missions, while events are still unfolding and the reactions by governments, churches and missions are still evolving. However, because a tiny virus has become the vehicle by which a great shake-up has been delivered to our world, it still warrants a thoughtful examination and prayer-filled response. Socio-economic impact and implications
Col (Ret) Quek Koh Eng Field & Church Engagement Director in MMS, and MMS Area Director for Thailand and Vietnam. He is a member of Charis Methodist Church.
The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the gaps in the world’s economic and social systems and structures. Many have lost their jobs and many have been forced into starvation and deep poverty. There is also a significant increase in the number of people struggling with mental health issues due to job losses, economic crises, struggles to cope with lockdown, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, panic and depression—all these require compassionate and effective responses. The Church needs to be where people who are suffering can find love, care, support and acceptance. Over time, a global economic recession is expected to unfold into a full-blown financial crisis. The World Bank suggests things will get worse before they get better. In the meantime, countries, societies and organisations will need to invest in new capabilities and capacities in order to rapidly adapt, anticipate change, manage risks and implement solutions to build a better normal. Impact and implications on mission agencies, organisations and churches Firstly, as church members suffered job losses and incomes, the churches’ incomes from tithings and offerings reciprocally declined and there were less funds available for missions. At the same time, austerity measures will be put in place to cope with many uncertainties in the horizon. Hence, the support for cross-cultural missions may be affected, but we hope in God’s grace that it will not be drastic. Secondly, global geopolitics and ensuing economics have affected global missions. Seasons of global conflict and economic upheaval have caused countries to look inwardly rather than globally, and there are more difficulties with obtaining visas and travelling outside of the country. The Church’s capacity to send missionaries to other nations has been greatly reduced. However, within weeks of COVID-19 causing quarantines and lockdowns, we saw accelerated changes in training. Churches and organisations had no choice but to move quickly into the digital age. Findings indicate that during lockdown, more people watched and listened to online religious services, and missionary trainers are appreciating the breadth of digital technologies available to support and enhance training. Correspondingly, more people have turned to faith in the midst of uncertainty and despair. MMS will continue to enhance itself using reliable, secure technology and digital means to do mission work. Innovation should be another area that needs to be reinforced using audio technology and smartphones to evangelise to people groups that rely more on hearing in their own language than on reading.
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Impact on church life COVID-19 will by no means be the end of the Church. Christianity has endured countless plagues and pandemics, survived fire and flood, economic and natural disasters and systematic persecution, and has become stronger through these. History has showed that when missionaries have been forced out of a nation or region, the indigenous church grows under persecution or hardship. This is all the more true when the gospel seeds have been planted and intentional training and equipping were actively implemented. Matthew 24:13-14 is a promise that the gospel will be proclaimed throughout the world to encourage believers to endure the hardship that was to come. And in Acts 1:8, Jesus declaring that God will give us power to be His witnesses. The urgency of human needs due to COVID-19 and its effects gives believers a platform to demonstrate the relevance of the gospel in every aspect of life, and the desire of God to bring healing and wholeness to every aspect of human activity. How mission agencies, organisations and churches should respond to the COVID-19 crisis No one knows how long the COVID-19 pandemic is going to last—what is certain is that there is likely no return to normalcy. And when we discuss new ways to do crosscultural ministry, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are certain fundamental cross-cultural principles that we need to maintain and continue to reinforce: The Church is the body of Christ, made of people and not buildings. Churches that are growing healthily are those that focus on small-group ministry and discipleship, where transformation of lives take place and disciples are
made most effectively. Our emphasis must therefore be to enhance small group ministry, and discipleship training and equipping. MMS has established a proper structure and institutions that are operationally effective and self-reliant over our 29 years in most of our seven mission fields. Intentional training and leadership development have been the hallmark of equipping the indigenous leadership so that they can stand on their own in time to come. Even during this COVID season, the MMS mandate of church-planting and community development is still being effectively executed by the indigenous leadership supported by our missionaries. MMS needs to adopt a holistic approach that should not just be practised during a season of global pandemic and economic crisis, but rightly placed where it belongs at the heart of mission. Mission work should minister the gospel to the whole person and community, and manifest God’s heart for the vulnerable (the poor; widows; orphans; and refugees), the spiritual gift of hospitality and Christianity’s foundational values of generosity and compassion. Outreach and Evangelism mission must continue to be empowered, such as through the countless digital outreach resources that are available for churches and Christians who want to share their faith, such as inspiring stories, songs or films. Such resources when tailored to the local context can be more effective. This is where our Methodist churches and MMS can work together to enhance God’s mandate and fulfil the Great Commandment. Integrated mission also includes the powerful combination of the church-planting movement with community development that helps to uplift the livelihoods and transform the lives of those in indigenous communities. A senior pastor from the Sri Lankan Evangelism Alliance lamented that “COVID-19 is teaching [indigenous churches] that the more dependent they are, the more they are going to suffer”. We need to help the indigenous churches and
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Editor’s note: This article was first published in the November 2020 issue of Methodist Message. This is an edited version of the talk that he gave during the MMS Virtual Missionary Retreat in September 2020. Read about the retreat on page 21. EXTREME LEFT The “new normal” at St Paul Methodist School in Timor-Leste, where the missionaries have to take temperature of their students before school every day.. MIDDLE Missionary teacher reading to her student at St Paul Methodist School in Timor-Leste (2019). LEFT Rev Leslie Lim, MMS missionary pastor to Vietnam, connecting with his congregation via Zoom.
the communities they are in to first consider what they have available within their communities. We are to provide solutions to their communal problems and needs without creating too much dependence on outside resourcing, and instead build their financial capabilities and capacities to be self-reliant and self-sustainable.
Conclusion While COVID-19 presented an unprecedented challenge, it has spotlighted numerous gaps in society and opened up many inroads for evangelism, outreach, care and comfort of the people. In addition, it has forced a rethink in the way churches can maintain viable communication and discipleship, and the care and nurture of its members. From a missions perspective, the work is cut out for us to drive a holistic, sustainable approach to nurture self-sufficient churches and communities in the field.
Missionary praying with her church members at Roi-et Methodist Church in Thailand. (2018)
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RIDING the COVID-19 H
Juliette Arulrajah Chairman of the Training Committee, and Area Director for Cambodia and Laos.
ow do we continue to be bringers of hope when it appears that COVID-19 seems to have dashed just that for individuals, communities, nations, regions and the world? And when this pandemic has had octopus-like implications on so many aspects of life? We ourselves would have been affected at a personal level. It is already challenging to be cross-cultural witnesses locally, what more now when we cannot be physically present with those overseas. It seems a long time ago when we could cross geographical borders with just a flight, when we could journey onsite with old and new friends of different ethnicities, faiths and cultures! So how then do we realistically arise as bearers of God’s hope, - a hope that anchors and strengthens us all to navigate through the unchartered waters of a world with COVID-19? The most important aspect of the ‘new normal’ is a truth that is not new: Jesus being our unchanging anchor of hope, Who creatively inspires His children and followers to discover new, out-of-the-box ways to meet contemporary needs today, to empower others near and far. Critical principles and handles to bring hope are rooted in the mnemonic of HOPE, describing four tangible steps we can take: H ONEST Without exception, we would do well to start with some healthy introspection, where we honestly examine before God our personal priorities, perspectives, dreams and desires against today’s backdrop. In choosing to acknowledge our limitations and face our fears, rather than run from or be paralysed by them, we resolve to be resilient and in a state of readiness for the new things God brings our way.
Editor’s note: This is an abridged version of the original article that was first published in the November 2020 issue of Perspective (https://fellowship. sg/resources/ fes-publications/ newsletter/ perspective).
O PEN Creativity and innovativeness flow not only when we are open to new ideas and to people who are totally different from us, but exponentially so when we are open to laying down our prejudices, perspectives and pet agendas. We declutter ourselves and are better prepared for whatever God wants to birth and germinate through and with us. P ONDER Reflecting on the positive aspects of each situation certainly creates the right ethos for building hope. And Philippians 4:7-9 emphasises that the peace of God and the God of peace are with us when first we think about ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—excellent or praiseworthy’, and secondly when we carry out godly and righteous practical actions. E NDURE It is so very important to keep in step with God’s unchanging purposes as we practise endurance through the adversities of life, however they are experienced through changing contexts and confusing times. We need to know, deep in our hearts and firmly in our minds, that His unchanging love and faithfulness are the very foundation stones of hope. As He has promised in Ephesians 3:19, He is sure to carry us through and empower us as we move in the fullness of God.
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WAVE WITH HOPE! Capitalising on the digital platform more than ever before, some simple steps with long-lasting impact that we could take as individuals and in community include being: E Care Pals An example of this was seen when a group of Christian Junior College students in Singapore volunteered during this pandemic to become E-Care Pals of students a little younger than themselves from a school in Timor-Leste. These Singapore students cared enough to carve out time to journey one-on-one with their cross-cultural pals with regards to situations their pals faced, whether academic lessons, family struggles, dreams and so forth. They may not have had all the solutions to life’s problems, nor were they required to do so, but they simply acted as God’s channels of friendship and hope. In similar vein, some local mission agencies and churches have begun to more intentionally develop e-caring with missionaries, national workers and leaders overseas, encouraging them to be steadfast and strong amidst constantly changing circumstances. E Creative Innovators Singapore’s role as a hub of innovation is underscored as more than 3,400 start-up companies across an array of 50 different sectors, and many more still, are being incubated today under the umbrella of the government’s Start-Up ecosystem. I dare say a high percentage of those involved are creative innovators from Generations Y, Z and beyond. Together with Christian leaders in the marketplace who are strategically placed to mentor them, some of these younger Christian innovators can be tasked to work with local leaders in foreign fields to build new platforms there, effectively expanding cross-cultural witness in the coming years. E Content Empowerers Whilst many parts of the world are already on digital platforms, nations made up of vast rural areas struggle to access stable Wi-Fi connectivity. To equip large numbers of local leaders scattered throughout them then, a wiser approach be to take ‘small bites’, -where key local leaders receive focused and regular workshop-style training. The training programme could incorporate coaching opportunities to build up the leaders’ confidence to a stage where they themselves could mentor others in their home countries. This strategy is already being used by a Singaporean NGO in the area of social service skills; the NGO’s constituents are being positively impacted by the monitoring of their emotional and mental health.
E Collaborative Funders The most needed help in the nations around us is economic. That said, financial help needs to be thoughtfully disbursed as the overarching aim would be the eventual financial independence of its recipients. Acting in collaboration with trustworthy local leaders and by utilizing a private but transparent digital platform, donors could invest towards income-generating proposals which have reasonable prospects to secure long term financial self-sufficiency for churches and communities. E Christ Warriors Many deeper and more extensive prayer meetings, spiritual conversations and discipleship coaching sessions are now enabled by much content and resources being easily shared in digital format. Individuals, mission organizations and churches can better join hands as God’s warriors of hope by using digital platforms as yet another means to support one another to fulfil God’s purposes. I would like to invite each one of you to pray the following prayer: Because I am uniquely and wonderfully made by God the Father for purposes prepared for me before I was born, and because I am called to live for God’s mission rather than my own ambitions, and because Christ commands us to take the good news of His liberating love and empowering hope to all peoples in all the nations of the world, I commit my entire life to obey the Lord of love and the Lord of the nations wherever and however He leads me. I count it an honour to be part of the God of Hope’s global plan. I consecrate my life to be a crosscultural witness for You, Lord, whether it be for business or education, or for leisure or ministry, or across the seas. Anoint me to be Your love letter every day, everywhere, through the unconventional and unfamiliar. Thank you for blessing me with access to different nations, divine appointments and opening doors that no man can shut. I will put my trust in You, our God Who is faithful, and Who is able to do great and mighty things through me, according to the power of the Holy Spirit that is at work within me. To God be the Glory!
Background photo: Rich Carey@www.bigstock.com
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Partnership must be strategic and result in synergy with a multiplied effect My advice to many churches and agencies is: don’t partner merely for the sake of partnership. There must be a strategic reason, and synergy in a partnership must lead to a multiplied impact on the proclamation of the Gospel. If there is no synergy and no strategic reason for the partnership, it is best to go solo because partnership does mean we have to take the other partners’ views seriously. It means we have to slow down and journey with others. It also means we do need to work on the relationship which is timeconsuming and not always easy! In conclusion, consider carefully the strategic reasons and commitment required before you undertake any partnerships.
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HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
WORKING TOGETHER is SUCCESS T
he missionary apostle, Paul, begins his letter to the disciples in Philippi by thanking God for their “partnership in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5, NIV). We at MMS follow Paul’s example, and also thank God for the partnership we have in the wonderful work of sharing the Good News of God’s love to the regions around us. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. This is Max Lucado’s paraphrase of clergyman Edward Everett Hale’s exhortation:
Rev Dr Gordon Wong
黄昌荣牧师（博士） 新加坡卫理公会 会督 Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore. He can live without durians, does not take spicy food, but loves desserts that are cool and creamy.
I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. When we think about the problems that confront us, and our world, it is easy to lose heart and give up. We become paralysed by despair. “What’s the use? I am only one person in a world of seven billion. Even if I try to do something, it won’t change anything.” I confess I feel like that very often. But Edward Hale’s words spur me on. I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
That is the beauty and power of partnership. I may be only one person, but if I partner with you, we are more than one. If we each do what little we can, we can do much more together. Not all of us have the aptitude or availability to be a missionary in a foreign country. But some of us do. And each of us can partner with those who are able to be missionaries. Not every local church has the budget to finance a missionary, but other churches do. And if we partner with one another, we together contribute to the wonderful work of the Gospel. MMS would love to partner with you, and help you partner with other churches. Whether you are a local church, or an individual, there are many different possible ways in which we can be partners in the wonderful work of the Good News of God’s love in Christ Jesus. Please get in touch with MMS and explore these many different possibilities. I was asked recently to define my understanding of success in ministry. Let me offer you an answer from Edward Hale again. Together — one of the most inspiring words in the English language. Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. Working together is success. Let’s work together and give thanks to God for the partnership we have in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
成功在于同心合意 成功 同心合意 使
徒保罗在写给腓立比门徒的信中，一开头就为他们“同心合意兴旺福 音” （腓1：5） 感谢上帝。卫理宣教会也以保罗为榜样，为我们能同心 参与在周围区域分享上帝大爱的好消息，献上感恩的心。 我不能做所有的事，但我仍然可以有所作为。 这是美国畅销童书作家陆可铎（Max Lucado）对美国牧师兼作家爱德华· 埃弗雷特·黑尔（Edward Everett Hale, 1822-1909）提出的劝诫作出的解 读：
我只是一个人，但我仍有一份力量。我不能做所有的事，但我仍然可以有所 作为；正因为我不能做所有的事，我不会拒绝做自己能力可及的事。 每当我们想起摆在面前及世界面临的诸多问题时，就很容易失去信心，感到 绝望而陷入瘫痪状态。 “有什么用？我只是世界上七十亿人口中的一个，就算我尝试做点什么，对 大局也无济于事。” 我承认我也常有同感。然而爱德华·黑尔的话却激励我。我只是一个人，但 我仍有一份力量。我不能做所有的事，但我仍然可以有所作为；正因为我不能 做所有的事，我不会拒绝做自己能力可及的事。
这就是合作大能的妙谛所在。别看我不过单身一人，身边只要多了一个伙 伴，转眼就如虎添翼，只要各尽所能，必将事半功倍。并不是每个人都具备 能力或条件，远赴他乡担任宣教工作，然而，周围就是有人符合条件，这一 来，我们就可以相互配搭，与有能力成为宣教士的人建立伙伴关系。 并非每间本地教会都有足够的资源支援一名海外宣教士，但确实也有其 他教会有这份能力。若彼此合作，就能对传福音的圣工作出贡献。 卫理宣教会盼望和您同工，并协助您与其他教会配搭。无论是本地教会、 或是个人，我们都能通过多种不同的方式在基督耶稣里成为事工伙伴，传递 神是爱的好消息。您可以联系卫宣以了解更多详情。 最近有人问我如何界定“成功的事工”。让我再次引述爱德华-黑尔的语 录作回应。 “同心”是最鼓舞人心的词汇：同心相聚是开始，同心扶持是进展，同心事工 就是成功。 成功在于同心合意。让我们一起努力，同心兴旺福音，为我们在主耶稣基 督福音里的伙伴合作向上帝感恩。阿们。
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HARVESTFORCE 2021 • 1
