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MMS Celebrates 30 YEARS of GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
from Harvest Force 2021 issue 3
by MMS1
Dr Christopher Cheah, MMS ExCo Member and Chairman of 30th Anniversary Taskforce.
"In My faithfulness, I will reward My people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” (Isaiah 61:8b-9, NIV)
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These words of the prophet Isaiah written almost 3,000 years ago are being fulfilled among the peoples and nations that MMS has been working with over the past 30 years, since it was established on 30 September 1991 as the missions agency of the Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS).
MMS currently works in Cambodia, East Asia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. We praise God for peoples brought to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, pastors trained, churches planted, schools established, and community development projects started in these nations.
We also praise Him for mobilising our local Methodist churches to pray, give, and send short- and long-term missionaries and volunteers to these peoples and nations. Looking back over the past 30 years, the Lord has indeed blessed MCS through MMS, and in turn allowed His blessings to also flow to these peoples and nations. They are truly a people the Lord has blessed!
In gratitude for His blessings and to celebrate our 30th Anniversary this year, a Taskforce comprising MMS staff and ExCo members has been formed to plan a year-long celebration from September 2021 to August 2022.
30th Anniversary Testimonies Project
To kick off the celebration, 30 testimonies and stories from retired MMS missionaries and long-time volunteers will be compiled into a Singaporean picture of God’s faithfulness in missions over the past 30 years. Many of these are untold stories of how MMS started, and the pioneering works of MMS in these nations. We have started interviewing some of them and the articles will appear on the MMS website over the next few months and be compiled into a book or in a digital format later. Do look out for these inspiring and heart-warming stories!
30th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service
In place of a Fund-Raising Banquet in view of COVID-19 restrictions, a Thanksgiving Service will be held at Faith Methodist Church on the first Sunday in Advent, 28 November 2021 to celebrate God’s faithfulness to MMS over the past 30 years. Bishop Dr Gordon Wong will bring words of exhortation at the service, and the three Annual Conferences will be invited to present items to celebrate the partnership of their local churches with MMS over the years. There will also be sharing from the mission fields to testify to His goodness and faithfulness. There will be an opportunity to give towards the Little Candles School Building Project and MMS General Fund. Join us at this celebration. Register for the online service via https://tinyurl.com/MMSis30-online, scan the QR code or email mms@methodist.org.sg.
30th Anniversary Leaders’ Summit
And to end the year-long celebration, key leaders of MMS including staff, ExCo Members, Chairpersons, and representatives of Sub-committees will come together in August 2022 for a time of retreat and vision casting as we look back on what the Lord has done and look forward to what He will do in MMS over the next 10 years and more. We pray for a fruitful time of worship, prayer, sharing, and planning as we spend time hearing from the Lord of the Harvest on His heart for MMS and the nations.
Prophet Isaiah concluded Chapter 61 with these words: “the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” As we remember His blessings on the nations through MMS in the past 30 years, may this be our prayer for the nations where MMS will be involved in for the next 30 years and beyond!
