ISSUE ONE 2014 l MCI(P) 097/11/2013 HARVEST FORCE CONNECTS YOU WITH THE METHODIST MISSIONS SOCIETY www.mms.org.sg l www.facebook.com/mms.org.sg l www.twitter.com/MMS_Tweets
Furtherance of the Gospel Focus: Vietnam MMS ministry in Vietnam l 卫理宣 教会越南事工一瞥
Vietnam: The Agriculture of Love l 爱心的 耕耘
Bringing LOVE to Sunrise and Sunlight Shelters l 让爱住入收容所
Missio Dei l 上帝的宣教
Contents Furtherance of the Gospel
But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJV) Street food vendors in Vietnam. Photo taken by Yvonne Yong, Singapore Bible Baptist Church
OTHER 44 INWORDS
• Into The Lord’s Harvest
47 PROFILE
• Interview with Kok Liang and Lesley Yeow
01EDITORIAL 10
FIELD FEATURES
• Adversity to Opportunity
VIETNAM
WORD 02 FIRST
• Vietnam: The Agriculture of Love • Come and Worship in ICF • Ladies Bible Study – An Oasis of Love and Support • Christmas Celebration in ICF • Bringing LOVE to Sunrise and Sunlight Shelters • GO to GOVAP
• MMS ministry in Vietnam
04
WATZ UP!
• MMS Missions Rally • MMS Photo Contest II • Mission Trips • Opportunities to Serve
06
DO YOU KNOW?
• Do You Know… Vietnam Ministry
REPORT 48 MITE
LAOS • Singapore Mission School in Laos
NEPAL • Mountain Top Experience
HAPPENINGS 40 HOME
• MMS Family
• Mission Awareness
CAMBODIA • A Day of Answered Prayers • COSY time with God • What Christmas Means To Me • Never Too Small
EAST ASIA • Vacation with a Mission to NL and SD
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Knowing God Better
FEATURE 50 SPECIAL
• Exploring Innovations, Impacts, and Implications of New Communications and Media Development (Part 1)
CLOSING 54 ATHOUGHT • Missio Dei
• MMS Photo Contest • MMS Staff Retreat 2013 • Country Review and Budget Meeting • Building, Construction and Maintenance Committee Artwork on Back Page by Asher Kam, Charis Methodist Church
If you have a testimony or a lesson learnt regarding missions, why not send it to us so that we can share it in the Harvest Force. We welcome your letters, photos, news of mission-related events, testimonies, comments, feedback and suggestion. Please email or send them to 70 Barker Road #06-01 The Methodist Centre Singapore 309936, together with your name, church name, email address and contact number. To share your mission trip experiences in Harvest Force, just use this simple approach – Less Words, More Photos. For more details, please email mms@methodist.org.sg. Please note that your articles may be edited for length, style and clarity. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16
EDITORIAL | 1
Adversity to Opportunity I am at a loss. Tadd, my three-year-old, does not seem to be able to surrender his security blanket – literally. He has been holding on to this “blankie” for a long time. He brings it everywhere especially to his bed. On the one hand, I am wondering how to wean him off this attachment. That is because I have to carry it with me everywhere and be careful not to lose it. And the situation can become pretty awful especially when he resists it when I want it washed. On the other hand, I am questioning if I am being too anxious to remove it. This blanket sooths and comforts him. And it may represent the bond with my wife and I as the parents, especially when we are not around him. Well, it looks like although some circumstances may appear bad, we may see some good in it if we look at it in a different perspective. When news broke that one of our national leaders was detained by the authorities, we did not know what we should do – except to pray for him, his family and teammates. Even at the point of this writing, he is still not due to be released for although it has been about two months already. In a recent update, we were told that he remains joyful and still continues to evangelise in prison. The most unexpected happened: he converted two prisoners sentenced to death. I was immediately reminded of the Apostle Paul’s imprisonment. It is likely that during Paul’s captivity, he would have been chained
to a Roman guard while writing his letter to the Philippians (Philippians 1: 12-14). And it is easy to imagine him having great influence upon those guards he was chained to. They would probably have seen his attitude and character, and even his love for Jesus. We could imagine him preaching to this “captive” audience. Paul’s chains not only gave contact with the lost, they also gave courage to the saved. Instead of being an obstacle, the dreaded chain was a springboard to spread the gospel. What would you do if you are in Paul’s circumstances? Instead of complaining, he was rejoicing. Instead of wallowing, he was boldly proclaiming his faith. Paul’s circumstances did not only not curtail his missionary work, they advanced it! Paul saw how adversity can lead to opportunity. As a result, people were preaching the gospel as a result of Paul’s imprisonment – whether out of good will and love or out of envy and selfish ambition. Sometimes God put “chains” on His people so that we can
accomplish something greater that we never imagine can happen. This issue focuses on our work in Vietnam. We may be restricted in the ways we can openly share the gospel, but we are touching so many lives through our Community Development projects. So, it looks like the “blankie” may be here to stay for a little while longer…
MARCH 2014
Methodist Missions Society (MMS) is the mission agency
ADVISOR
Rev Philip Lim
EDITOR
Kam Leong Heng
CHINESE EDITORIAL
Goh Tuan Gee
TRANSLATORS
Leidia Tan, Licia Yeo, Ng Hsu-Fen, Thng Pheng Soon
PROOFREADER
Wendy Tan
PHOTO CREDITS
Aaron Lim, Benedict Ooi, Clara Toh, Daniel Ng, David Khew, Esther Sio, Jean Chen, Josephine Lim, Leong Chin Yee, Lesley Yeow, LHC, Michael Chung, Phoon Kok Kwong, Rachel Jang, Sea Khemra, Sharon Goh, Simon Chong, Teresa Wilborn, Violet Khor, Yeow Kok Liang, Yvonne Yong, and Teams from Barker Road MC and International Christian Fellowship
DISTRIBUTION & SUPPORT
Eileen Lim, Helen Tan, John Seet & Volunteers
DESIGNER
SNAP! Creative Pte Ltd
PRINTER
Print & Print Pte Ltd
PUBLISHER
Rev Philip Lim 70 Barker Road #06-01, The Methodist Centre Singapore 309936 Tel: 6478 4818 • Fax: 6478 4817 Email: mms@methodist.org.sg www.mms.org.sg
of The Methodist Church in Singapore. In 1997, MMS was 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.
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MMS ministry in Vietnam “Our work in Vietnam is a good example of the implementation of Community Development as our overall strategy.” An important part of MMS’s
expanding collaboration. MMS was requested to
strategy is Community
help organise a seminar on Teaching Methodology
Development. In this,
for English language teachers in Ho Chi Minh City.
we help the poor, bring
This was a joint effort with another organisation.
healthcare to those in need, start schools to
Later, MMS provided monthly scholarships to street
promote education,
kids of Bang Tree Class to help combat illiteracy
assist in disaster relief, and
amongst these children.
start income-generating projects. Our work in
Similarly, medical work started after a high-level
Vietnam is a good example
visit, comprising our then Bishop, the three Annual
of the implementation of
Conference Presidents and MMS Chairman, Andrew
Community Development
Tay and Finance Chairman, Stanley Tan. A decision
as our overall strategy.
was taken to support the building of a 70-bed children’s wing of the Ho Chi Minh City Cancer
In response to the social
Centre. In addition, there was to be provision of
condition and local
expertise and training in the area of paediatric
needs, we started with
oncology. This took place in 1995.
educational and medical initiatives. According to our records, our education initiative started
Another worthwhile project was the development
with an invitation by the University of Agriculture
of the Love Child Charity Clinic in mid-1997. This was
and Forestry’s (UAF) Centre for Foreign Languages
a collaborative effort with the Ho Chi Minh City
was received in 1994. A visit was organised to the
Committee of Population, Family and Children.
University and MMS decided to conduct English-
This project became the first licensed humanitarian
language training for Vietnamese teachers. This
project in Vietnam by a Singapore organisation
training was so very well received that the leaders
which gained accolades from the Vietnamese
of the Vietnam National University initiated a
authorities and media.
second meeting with MMS leaders for dialogue on
FIRST WORD | 3
理宣教会越 卫 南事工一瞥 The high point of our medical work was the opening of the Hope Paediatric Oncology Ward. This became a means for MMS missions to support and encourage sick children and their families which often came to live with their children on the hospital grounds. This ministry was accentuated by training offered by our doctors from the Methodist Church in Singapore, to Vietnamese doctors on paediatric oncology. About 400 Vietnamese doctors and medical personnel came for the training in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2010, MMS Vietnam achieved another milestone with the founding of the International Christian Fellowship (ICF) by Albert Low, a business man. It meets in the premises of the Hoa Hung Tinh Lanh church (an official Protestant church) and is the only officially recognised church for Singaporean expatriates and their friends in Vietnam. The church continues to grow with a weekly worship attendance of about 100 adults. ICF seeks to testify of God’s love, grace and faithfulness by relationship building through the various social projects that MMS has spearheaded and supported. Indeed we praise God for His goodness and faithfulness! Rev Philip Lim MMS Executive Director
卫理宣教会其中一个重要的策略是社区发展。我们向贫困者伸出援手，把医 疗保健带给有需要的人，设立学校以推广教育，协助救灾，并开发创收项目。 在越南的工作是我们总策略中实施社区发展的最好例子。 针对当地的社会情况与需求，我们着手推行教育和医疗措施。根据记录，我 们开始教育措施是因着农业与林业大学外语中心在1994年所发出的一封邀 请函。在参观该大学后，卫理宣教会决定为越南老师开办英语培训班。这项培 训深受越南国立大学的领导层的欢迎，因此主动要求与卫理宣教会洽谈扩大 合作。卫理宣教会过后还应另一个机构的邀请，在胡志明市为英语教师举办 英语教学研讨会。 过后，卫理宣教会每月给在Bang Tree Class上课的街童提供奖学金，避免这 些孩子成为文盲。 医疗事工是在一次1995年领导层的访问后展开。当时的访问团成员包括前会 督，三个年议会会长和卫理宣教会主席郑锦泉及财务主席陈宝能 。这次访问 后卫理宣教会决定资助胡志明市癌症中心装修一个70个床位的儿童癌症病 楼。此外，也为医院提供儿童肿瘤的专业知识与医疗技能的培训。 另一项有意义的事工是在1997年年中所拓展的爱儿童慈善诊所。这是与胡志 明市人口，家庭与儿童委员会协手合作的项目。该项目也成为新加坡机构在 越南获得特许的第一个人道主义项目，获得当局及媒体的盛赞。 希望儿科癌症病楼的开幕把我们在越南的医疗服侍推向高峰。由于患病儿童 的家属常陪伴他们留医的孩子寄宿在医院，病房便成了卫理宣教会给病童和 家属提供支持及鼓励的管道。这个事工后来提升到培训，并由新加坡卫理公 会的医生给越南医生提供儿科肿瘤方面的医疗培训。约有400名越南医生和 医务人员到胡志明接受培训。 2010年，商人刘承泉成立了国际基督徒团契（ ICF ），使卫理宣教会在胡志 明市的事工迈入另一个里程碑。国际基督徒团契假Hoa Hung Tinh Lanh 教 会（新教教会）聚会。那也是新加坡侨民及他们的朋友在越南的唯一官方认可 的教会。教会崇拜人数继续成长，每周约100名成人出席。 国际基督徒团契期望能通过卫理宣教会所创启及支持的各项社会服务项目 建立关系，在越南见证上帝的爱，恩典及信实。 我们的神是良善与信实的，配得我们的颂赞！
林建隆牧师
卫宣主任
4 | HARVEST FORCE
MMS Missions Rally MMS is planning for a Missions Rally from 5 to 6 September 2014. The aims are to engage and challenge young people in our Methodist churches and communities to be involved in God’s mission, as well as to inform and recruit more volunteers. There will be notable speakers and performances by international singers. Please mark the dates in your calendar. More information will be provided soon.
MMS Photo Contest II Thanks for participating in the last MMS Photo Contest (Theme: Essence of Missions). The results can be found on page 42. We are now organising a second one. So keep taking lots of creative photographs in the mission fields. And you may stand a chance to win cash prizes. The new theme is “Youth in Missions”. Send in your photos to mms@methodist.org.sg by 31 July 2014. Check out MMS website and Facebook page for more information.
MISSION Trips If you are interested to organise or join a mission trip, or simply to find out more, please email to the respective Country Coordinating Officers at these email addresses: Cambodia East Asia Nepal Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam Laos
teresa.wilborn@gmail.com koheng.quek@methodist.org.sg noel.tam@methodist.org.sg david.khew@methodist.org.sg noel.tam@methodist.org.sg teresa.wilborn@gmail.com philipkl.lim@methodist.org.sg
Opportunities to SERVE IN THE FIELD The fields are ready for harvesting
willing to leave the comforts of
equipped as trainers for church-
Singapore and base themselves in
planting and disciple-making.
– but there are so few labourers.
the region. We would like to train
In all six countries that MMS has
you to coach national pastors
What to do if you sense the LORD
chosen, our missionaries in the
and co-workers in the market place.
calling you into His mission field:
field are asking for assistance.
1. Tell your pastor and ask him/her
Our first request is for more full-
Our third request is for short term
to help check your calling to
time missionaries to join them!
workers who are willing to spend
missions.
They are asking the Lord to send
between two weeks to six months
pastors, church planters, school
at their own expenses helping
leaders affirm your calling and
principals, administrators and
one of our missionaries.
are prepared to provide full
2. If your church pastor and
financial support – praise the
English language teachers. Our last request is to raise
Lord! Call MMS
Our second prayer is for business
passionate volunteers to be
straight away.
people and professional who are
part of our training team to be Continue next page...
WATZ UP! | 5
3. If your church pastor and leaders affirm
• A school principal to oversee
you your calling but are unable to provide
the staffing needs, proficiency,
full financial support for you – call MMS
curriculum and development
anyway! Some of our missionaries are
at Vineyard Methodist School.
supported by the combined efforts of
• A local church to partner and
multiple Methodist Churches and Agencies.
support new MOT candidates
• Help to set up MMS mission exhibition booth. OFFICE ASSISTANCE • Be our MMS Trainer and Event Coordinator.
and newly established CAMBODIA
preaching points in
MISSION-TRIP COORDINATOR
• An ordained pastor to mentor and to
Central Thailand.
• Be a Mission-Trip Coordinator to
provide pastoral care, support and
assist in briefing and debriefing
leadership to the Cambodian pastors,
VIETNAM
the mission teams to achieve
ministry works and missionaries serving in
• Mission teams to visit the
optimal preparations and
Cambodia. • A married couple or mature female
Sunlight Shelter and
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
missionary to support the COSI Children’s Village.
LAOS
• Volunteers to teach English for three months,
• Two experienced teachers
six months or one year, and work alongside
to serve as missionaries in
the Khmer English teachers in the Methodist
Singapore Mission School.
School of Cambodia.
• Volunteer architect to supervise the school building project.
EAST ASIA • Qualified English teacher to conduct and teach English classes, and organise English camps in Nanchang. • Church leaders and trainers to train and equip National Workers on church planting and discipleship training in Henan,
direction to challenge and mobilise Methodist people to
especially to provide training
serve with MMS.
seminars for Timorese doctors. • Full-time missionaries or
community development. AT HOME You can also come alongside as Mission Partners and Volunteers (MPV) at home to encourage
NEPAL
and empower God’s work and
• A missionary pastor to serve as Country
workers to incarnate the love of
Director and teaching staff at Caleb Bible
Jesus Christ to make a difference
Institute in East Nepal and equipping
in the mission fields.
ministry for National leaders and workers. planting and community development
PRAYER COMMITTEE • Be our MMS Prayer Country
work and assist in administration
Coordinator, intercessors and
and finance matters in the
supporter to intercede for
field office.
missionaries and mission work
• Ministry staff to serve as spiritual counsellors and trainers for Sophia’s Home on short field assignments.
in various fields. • Assist to plan and lead in prayer session in various Country Prayer & Praise Nights.
THAILAND • Full-time teachers with teaching degree
these opportunities, kindly email
ministry in Ermera District,
conducting English classes in Stamford
• Full time missionaries to support the church
For more information about all
• Medical teams to support
support disciple training and
newly established preaching points.
Please refer to page 45.
prayer with us as we seek God’s
missionary couples to
Consultancy.
Student Sponsorship Schemes.
mms@methodist.org.sg. Be in
training centres.
• A local church to partner and support the
• Be a sponsor through the
TIMOR-LESTE
Fujian, Shanghai, Nanchang and Xiamen • A full-time missionary to help out in
mission fulfilment and benefits.
Sunrise Shelter.
COMMUNICATIONS AND
or diploma who are interested in teaching
PUBLICATIONS
Mandarin at Vineyard Methodist School.
• Be an English-Chinese translator. • Be a photographer.
6 | HARVEST FORCE
Do You Know… Vietnam Min The Vision of Vietnam Ministry is to be instrumental in developing God’s love. Our mission is to UNITE the Christian Community in Vietnam to MINISTER in His Grace and IMPACT with His Love to bless the greater community around us. Since 1995, MMS (Vietnam) has been reaching out to the Vietnamese through Community Development works. There are currently four ministries to support the poor and needy children. In 2010, International Christian Fellowship – HCMC had its inaugural service for expatriates. MMS (Vietnam) used to support other works like 15 May Love School, Love Child Charity Clinic, and Linh Nam Polyclinic.
DO YOU KNOW? | 7
nistry Pray with us… • God’s continuous protection and provision for our presence in Vietnam. • Good relationship with municipal and local authorities. • Wisdom and strength for Country Coordinator, Project Coordinator and Field Staff. • Unity among leaders, field staff and volunteers. • Continuous supply of workers, volunteers and succession. • Authorities to stimulate the ailing Vietnam Economy. Good governance and determination to grow business opportunities. UNIQUE FUN FACTS about Vietnam • Vietnam is a long, narrow nation shaped like the letter S. It is in Southeast Asia on the eastern edge of the peninsula known as Indochina. Its neighbours include China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. To the east and south lies the South China Sea, which is called Biển Đông in Vietnamese, meaning “East Sea”. • Vietnamese language uses the script that has 29 characters, and most of them are identical to those used in English. The language has six different tones. The meaning of a word can change with the tone used to utter it. This factor makes it pretty difficult to learn the language. • Approximately 40% of all Vietnamese, or more than 30 million people, share the same family name, Nguyen. • The conical hat dance is one of the most visually stunning folk dances around the world. A group of women wearing ao dai (the national dress of Vietnam) dance and spin around, whirling their classic conical hats.
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Summary of Vietnam Ministry International Christian
A legally approved church for
Fellowship expatriate family and friends to worship God in Vietnam. It provides an opportunity for believers to serve, grow and encourage. Hope Paediatric
To work together with the cancer
Oncology Ward ward and to provide training from local professional doctors to enhance cancer care. To visit and organise two-hour activities at the ward for the children so as to bring cheer and joy, times of reprieve during an otherwise painful stay for treatment. GoVap’s Centre for
To visit and organise activities for
Orphans and Disabled
the children at the centre. Financially
Children support the therapist who helps improve the mobility of the disabled children. Sunlight Shelter To provide shelter for 25 boys who are mostly orphans or from very poor single-parent families who cannot afford to take care of them. Sunrise Shelter To provide shelter for 17 girls who are mostly orphans or from very poor single-parent families who cannot afford to take care of them. Crisis Relief Assistance To work with local authorities and organisations to bring about relief for people affected by natural disasters.
DO YOU KNOW? | 9
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Vietnam: The Agriculture of Lo “The seedlings which had amazingly become a strong and sturdy tree to provide even more unconditional love to those that will take refuge in it!”
Turning the Soil Vietnam was one of the first few countries that MMS adopted when it was formed in the early 1990s. In those days, the “sleeping dragon” was just gradually awakening to the economic revival that was occurring in South East Asia, and opening up to foreign investment. At that point, the leadership received the “Macedonian call” for a different kind of investment that hoped to bring a supernatural love and peace to a people who have only known wars for a large part of their civilization. The suspicion and animosity to foreigners ran deep behind a cold and steely though civil exterior. The questions plaguing MMS then were, “What are we to do?” The cherry was ripe for the picking; the soil had been turned for the sowing but we asked, “How are we to start?” Sowing the first Seeds As we sought the Lord and discerned His will, the “sowing” came in an interesting way of sorts. A Singaporean Methodist surgeon who was a regular visiting consultant to the Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Centre (HCMCCC) brought a need of the hospital to the Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) and this was referred to MMS to follow through. And the need was a “call” to help refurbish and renovate a rather old and run-down Children’s Cancer Ward at the centre. Was this the answer to our “What” and “Why” questions? The MMS leadership visited the place, received the confirmation they had asked for, and began to raise funds for it by challenging the churches in MCS to give to the “sowing”. Soon the MOU for this project was signed in the mid-90s and by 1998, the ward was refurbished. It was named the Hope Paediatric Oncology
Sunlight Shelter
Ward, as it began to bring about healing and hope to the countless children receiving treatment for their diseases. And even in the midst of the first seed being sown, as we faithfully did the “little” we had been tasked to do, another opportunity to bless came our way. The Committee for the Protection and Care of Children (CPCC), a government ministry in HCMC Vietnam (which later expanded to include the population and families and was thus renamed the Children, Population and Family Committee (CPFC)) approached us to start a clinic catering to the acute medical needs of the underprivileged children of the city. In this, we worked jointly with the government ministry to run a clinic with both medical and dental services, including maternal and
GoVap’s Centre for Orphans and Disabled Children
FIELD FEATURE • VIETNAM | 11
ove child healthcare. Regularly, mobile medical teams from the clinic would be deployed to serve communities that did not have easy access to good medical care so as to ensure that as many as possible would not be left out. This clinic was officially opened in 1997 and aptly named Love Child Charity Clinic as it was motivated purely by His love, and that was to love unconditionally. The Fledgling Seedlings and the Storm “Where do we move from here?” was the question that
Linh Nam Polyclinic
many impatient hearts would wonder aloud. Was this all
of the early years, now flickering in the face of the howling
we were to do here? The books were telling us that it was
winds of adversity, was all but about to be snuffed out. But
all not quite right, as this was not what was usually done.
in the face of struggle and despair, that still small voice
And then the assuring hands of God would calm our
came through the storm. “My grace is sufficient for you for
restless hearts, and His voice would whisper, “In My time,
My strength will be made perfect in your weaknesses. Just
not yours. For My ways are higher than your ways – those
be faithful to your calling and I will carry you through.”
tried and perceived ways.” With our hands together on the plough and our faces The Asian crisis came and soon it became a challenge
towards the Son, we pushed on, and the storm soon
to raise those funds to sustain the ministry of love. The
abated. We were greeted by a calm warmth of the sun
proclamation of “Unconditional Love” to those we were
as it peeked over the horizon, shining brightly upon the
reaching out to, became a stern test in the face of
seedlings which had amazingly become a strong and
dwindling resources. Doubts began to swirl as to whether
sturdy tree to provide even more unconditional love to
we even sowed the right seeds in the right field. The
those that will take refuge in it!
seedlings did not seem to be growing as we wished they would and were just so fragile. And now the storms were
The Season of Harvest
rising, of discouragement, of great odds, and of isolation.
Teams from churches began to bring laughter and joy to
“Shall we abandon and uproot?” was the searing
the suffering children in the Hope Paediatric Oncology
question cutting through to the heart of the matter.
Ward through timely gifts and games and puppet shows.
“Should not love be conditional, at least somewhat?”
Holding hands, embracing and praying healing for
Self-doubt – the flame that was left from the fiery bravado
them… Jesus walked amongst them!
Sunrise Shelter
12 | HARVEST FORCE
爱心的耕耘
Love Child Charity Clinic
15 May School
For 10 years we honoured our partnership with CPFC,
松土的工作
bringing relief to the thousands of needy recipients of
上个世纪九十年代初期，越南是卫理宣教会成立后认领的少数 国家中的一个。当时，东南亚地区的经济正在复兴，对外资也逐 渐打开大门。越南这个号称“沉睡小龙” 的国家正张开朦胧的 睡眼。那时刻，卫宣的领导层听到 “马其顿呼声”，呼吁他们进 行与众不同的投资，为这个遭受连年战火、腥风血雨蹂躏的民 族，带来超凡的大爱和平安。历尽苦难的越南人民，外表上看起 来冷峻、倔强、斯文，内心却是对外国人隐藏着深深的疑惑和敌 意。这时候困扰着卫宣的首要问题是，“该做什么？”。树上的果 实熟了，也该收割了，脚下的土壤翻松了，也可以撒种了，可是，“ 如何开始” 却是一个恼人的问题。
medical aid through the Love Child Charity Clinic, having stepped into a gap many of the poor would otherwise have fallen through in getting quality healthcare. The poor, the orphans, the sick and the widowed mothers were cared for… Jesus touched and healed them! And we have as yet not mentioned the financial aid that was given towards the education of Street Children, and disaster-relief aid provided to the provinces ravaged by the regular typhoons and flooding all year round… Jesus comforted and loved them! Faithful to our task, fervent to His calling despite the storms, we were indeed carried by Him through to a new season. In the eyes of the government, MMS-Vietnam is a trusted and responsible Christian NGO (we were recognised officially as one of the top 10 foreign NGO’s in Vietnam). In the eyes of the local Christian community, MMS-Vietnam is a steadfast partner in loving the people of Vietnam. In the eyes of God, it is my prayer that we will always be His faithful servants to the very end, in all He calls us to do through the International Christian Fellowship (ICF), the orphanages (Sunlight Shelter, Sunrise Shelter and GoVap’s
撒下第一把种籽
就在我们仰望上帝，寻求祂旨意的时候，“播种”工作却以出人 意表的形式拉开了帷幕。本地卫理宗的一名外科医生，担任胡 志明市癌症中心的客座顾问，定期到该中心提供咨询服务。这 名基督徒医生向新加坡卫理公会提出当地社会对医疗的迫切需 要，这个需要于是提到卫宣的议程上讨论。具体来说，这个“呼 声”就是为该癌症中心多年失修、状况欠佳的儿童癌症病房，进 行装修更新。啊，难道这个要求，就是对 “该做什么？”、“如何 开始”的提问， 作出回应吗？ 卫宣领导层于是到当地进行实地 考察，确认当地需要，回国后向各卫理堂会发出挑战，发起筹款 运动，展开“播种”工作。1990年代中期，双方签署了合作备忘 录，来到1998年，新病房竣工启用，并命名为“希望儿童癌症病 楼 ”，开始为无数孩童病患带来了治疗，也带来了希望。
Centre for Orphans and Disabled Children) and the genuine relationships we have built thus far and those that is to come. Truly that would be Christ in us, the Hope of glory, and a shining testimony for all to see! Simon Chong Vietnam Country Coordinator
正当我们凭着信心略尽绵力播撒第一把种籽的时候，另一个 祝福他人的机会又出现了。越南胡志明市属下的一个政府部门 CPCC —保护及关爱儿童委员会找上了门（CPCC后来扩展服 务对象，包括了人口、家庭各方面的工作，并且改称为CPFC—— 儿童、人口与家庭委员会)。要求我们创办一所专门照顾有医药 需要的弱势儿童。我们和相关政府部门携手合作，开办诊疗所，
FIELD FEATURE • VIETNAM | 13
Hope Paediatric Oncology Ward
International Christian Fellowship
提供了医药、牙科方面的服务，其中也包含了妇孺保健工作。我 们还定期派遣流动医疗队到一些不容易获得医药服务的社区 里，尽量扩大服务的层面。诊疗所在1997年正式开幕，名为“爱 儿童慈善诊所”，它表达了我们工作的推动力：主的大爱—— 一个没有附带任何条件的爱。
收割时节
风暴里的幼苗
十年来，我们和CPFC的伙伴关系不曾中断，透过为爱儿童慈善 诊所的几千名有需要的孩童提供医药支援，传达关心爱护，让他 们得到和别人一样的照顾。贫穷的、孤寡的、有病痛的——个 个都得到照顾……我看到主耶稣触摸他们，也医治了他们！
“我们接下去的路该怎样走下去呢？” 这是一些人经常挂在嘴 边的问题。我们需要做的难道就只是这些吗？这样做，会偏离 常理吗？这时刻，只感觉到上帝安慰的双手抚摸着我们蠢蠢欲 动的心，祂慈祥柔和的声音在我们耳边响起，“行动的时机在于 我，不在于你。因为我的道路高过你们的道路 。” 不久，亚洲金融风暴从天而降，这一来，筹募基金以维持爱的事 工成为一项极大的挑战。前一阵子，我们向这些社群宣告“无 条件的爱”，眼看要面临资源日益短缺的严峻考验了。有人心中 浮起了疑问，说，我们有没有用了对的种籽、选对了撒种的目标 呢？幼苗似乎不能如愿茁壮成长，看它们随风摇曳，是那么脆弱 不堪！面对连夜风雨，处处碰壁，困难重重，孤军作战，不免心灰 气馁。于是有人开口了，“我们不如拔队离开吧！”，真是让人心 痛如绞！“爱，果然是没有条件，一点也没有吗？” 这时候，自 我怀疑的思绪不免油然升起。早年的火热，如今面对寒风阵阵， 怒风萧萧，犹如风中残烛，随时等着熄灭的命运。然而，就在山 穷水尽的绝境里，我听到了一个平静微小的声音在耳边响起，“ 我的恩典够你用，因为我的能力是在人的软弱上显得完全。当对 你的呼召保持信心，我就搀扶你们度过难关！”
许多教会或为希望儿童癌症病房送来应时礼物，或到那里和小 病人玩游戏、或排演木偶戏，給癌症病房带来阵阵欢声笑语。访 客拉着小朋友的手，拥抱他们，为他们得医治祷告，啊，我看到 了主耶稣在他们当中行走!
我们也为街童提供经济上的援助，让他们有机会学习，还为饱受 台风洪水肆虐省份的灾民进行赈灾工作……我看到主耶稣安慰 他们，疼爱他们！ 在风浪中，我们对肩负的任务坚守不渝，对主的呼召热情如初， 主也引领我们更上一层楼。在当地政府眼里，越南卫理宣教会 是一个可靠、负责任的基督教非政府机构，我们更列入越南境 内十大非政府机构之一。在当地基督社区的眼里，越南卫理宣 教会是一个关爱越南民众的忠实伙伴。我经常向上帝祷告，愿 我们在神的眼里，永远是祂最忠诚的仆人，竭力在国际基督徒 团契、阳光庇护所、朝阳庇护所以及鹅邑护残育孤中心完成祂 托付的使命，同时也加强多年来双方所建立的真诚关系，众人 就在我们身上，看到在我们里面的基督，荣耀的希望，美好的见 证！ 钟光辉
我们手扶犁具朝向圣子，义无反顾，勇往直前，不久，风消雨歇， 天边露出了曙光，和暖的太阳正朝着我们微笑， 金碧辉煌的阳 光撒向大地上的幼苗。啊，它们已经成为郁郁葱葱的乔木，向周 围寻求庇护者提供奇妙、无条件的爱！
越南协调员
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Come and Worship in ICF This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NIV) When we praise God, we proclaim who He is. And when we declare His mighty works, we affirm our faith in Him. God delights in us whenever we do these things, no matter what culture or background we come from. Being an international church made up mainly of foreigners, members of the International Christian Fellowship tend to be around for only a limited period of time. For this reason, we encourage newcomers to integrate into church life as quickly as possible. Those who wish to serve in the music ministry will readily find a role to play, no matter how little or small our musical ability, as long as we are willing to surrender it to God. After all, it is through serving regularly that we become better in what we do. God’s gift of music is truly remarkable. Those who use this gift to serve Him and His people will not only receive the promise of a reward in heaven, but also experience the immediate joy and fellowship from making a joyful noise together to the Lord.
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Have we ever wondered why God does not send angels to lead us in worship? Surely there are plenty of them and they must sound excellent. It is because God desires the sincere offering of those whom He loves. The humble voices of His own children can touch His heart far deeper than a heavenly choir of angels. Not only that, He also wants us to sing to one another to encourage and comfort each other, as loving members of a family should. While we live in this world, we want to obey the Lord and take every care to walk in His will. Let us also not forget to regularly gather together to invite Him into our presence with our offerings of praise. Until the day we shall see Him face to face. Our God inhabits praise. Hallelujah, praise the Lord! Aaron Lim International Christian Fellowship
“We encourage newcomers to integrate into church life as quickly as possible.”
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Ladies Bible Study – An Oasis of Love and Support “LBS is an oasis of love and support for ladies.” Ladies Bible Study (LBS) is a women’s multi-cultural group under International Christian Fellowship (ICF) with around 20 members of many nationalities from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, Germany, China, Korea and the Czech Republic, among others. We meet every Thursday at 10am to have fellowship and study the Bible. In LBS, we uphold the 3Cs: Christ centred, Commitment and Confidentiality. Firstly, all our hearts and activities are for Christ and from Christ. Secondly, members are encouraged to commit themselves to study God’s word faithfully and encourage one another by attending LBS meetings regularly. Lastly, whatever is shared in LBS will stay within LBS and not to be divulged outside of the group. For the last 2 years, we have been studying the book of “Boundaries” by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend led by Christine Peh, a founding member. We shared our own experiences to have insights and practical wisdom. We also learned how to set healthy boundaries which is God’s gift for our lives. From September 2013, we started on our next book “Women of the Bible” by Jean E. Syswerda, which is a study of 52 women who had encountered the living God – from Eve to Priscilla. Through understanding their lives, we can be challenged and changed. After the Bible study, we will give thanks to the Lord for the past week and pray for one another, for ICF, for our family and friends, in smaller groups of three to four ladies. This is followed by a potluck feast and fellowship. With so many nationalities, we often have delectable cuisines from all over the world.
FIELD FEATURE • VIETNAM | 17
The bond among the ladies is strong. We encourage one another through prayer and offer support whenever someone needs help. Other group activities include learning to cook, exercising, having quarterly birthday celebrations, and having farewell lunches for ladies whose families are being posted out of the country upon the completion of their work tenure. We do farewell sessions quite often since most of us are expatriates in Vietnam. We cry when we part but we know for sure that we will meet together one day at Jesus’ feet. And if it is His good will, we will meet again some place and some time in this world. In addition to the Thursday’s Bible study, some LBS members meet on Fridays at 10.30am to pray. Any LBS member can join this prayer group, which is called the Praying Wives Ministry (PWM) to pray for their husbands and children, for current issues and for the leaders of ICF. PWM uses the books – “The Power of a Praying Parent” and “The Power of a Praying Wife” – written by Stormie Omartian. LBS is an oasis of love and support for ladies, where they can share, find comfort and refreshment, and grow in the LORD. Rachel Jang International Christian Fellowship
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Christmas Celebration in ICF Christmas came early for International Christian Fellowship (ICF) on 8 December 2013 with 178 church members and their friends joining in the celebration. As part of the celebration, our very own talented youths and children from Sunday School put up a wonderful performance during service to the theme Sing We Now of Christmas. ICF was also honoured to have Pastor Ong Swee Geok, who specially flew in from Singapore, to grace the celebration and preach the day’s sermon. The celebration would not have been complete without songs of praise. A short skit on the birth of Jesus Christ was played out as the children sang a medley of four beautiful songs, including a solo of “The Little Drummer Boy” sang by Benjamin. The angelic voices of the children were accompanied by the fantastic instrumental playing by the youth. A dance routine choreographed to the song “Joy To The World” was presented by four Sunday School children. The performance was a great success and applause was heard throughout the entire congregation! Good food always makes an awesome finale to a wonderful performance. A buffet was provided by the church and everyone
Children singing with youth playing at the background
had a great fellowship over the scrumptious lunch. Jean Chen International Christian Fellowship Sunday School Teacher
Church-goers reaction
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Ben performance of The Little Drummer Boy
Dance performance
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Bringing LOVE to Sunrise and Sunlight Shelters “With constant love, encouragement and guidance from those who love them with the love of Jesus, they too can have a breakthrough in their lives.”
Minutes felt like hours when our chartered mini-bus did not arrive as promised. Not to be obstructed by the anxious situation and as time was running out, we hailed two 7-seater taxis to bring us to our first destination, Sunrise Shelter, an orphanage for girls. The girls greeted us excitedly when we appeared at the gate of their small two-storey terrace house. Within minutes, another group of seven friends from International Christian Fellowship, armed with a guitar, joined us too. After a short introduction, everyone comfortably roamed about their small premises and chatted with the girls. Soon after, the shelter burst forth with familiar Christmas choruses and then the festivities began. Gifts were given individually to every child as well as the shelter’s volunteers. Uncle Dennis from Faith Methodist Church shared about how Christmas was especially dear to him, and how he was lovingly delivered from his wayward teenage years. From being a delinquent, Jesus guided him back to school and eventually to a good career and a happy family. At our second destination, Sunlight Shelter, a home for boys, the
atmosphere was even noisier and merrier. Ms Thanh, the spritely 81-year-old Vice President of the Women’s Charity Association, was also there to welcome us. It was encouraging to hear that many of the girls and boys aspire to be teachers, doctors, actors and sportsman, amongst other professions, when asked about their ambitions. One of the boys stood up to thank their visitors with a heart-warming speech on behalf of the group. The journey of these 18 girls and 25 boys may be tougher than those with less complicated family backgrounds, but their desire and aspiration to be successful in the future must be encouraged and made accessible to them. With constant love, encouragement and guidance from those who love them with the love of Jesus, they too can have a breakthrough in their lives so as to experience success in their future careers and joy in having a family of their own. All they simply want for Christmas is LOVE. LHC International Christian Fellowship
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让爱住入收容所 望穿秋水都不见预定的迷你巴士出现，每一分一秒对我们都是煎 熬。眼见时间就在这般无奈中飞逝，为了避免大家陷入忐忑不安 中，我们赶紧租用两辆7个座位的出租车，将大伙送到第一个目的 地——朝阳收容所，一个收容女孩子的孤儿院。 抵达一间小小的两层楼排屋时，看到好些女孩子已经聚集在大门 口等着迎接我们。才刚落脚，国际基督徒团契的另外7名成员也带 着一把吉打到来。通过简短的介绍后，大家自由自在地随意参观， 和女孩们交谈。接着，一首首大家熟悉的圣诞歌声响彻房间的各 脚落，我们的节目开始了。我们将一份份精美的圣诞礼物送到每个 孩子和义工手中。思珍堂的丹尼斯叔叔向孩子们分享圣诞节在他 心里的意义。 他述说耶稣如何将他由一个任性的问题少年带回正 途，使他后来能拥有好的事业和一个美满的家庭。 接着我们抵达第二个目的地——阳光收容所，一个收容男孩子的 孤儿院。此处的气氛和刚才完全不一样，一片闹哄哄的，充满欢乐 的声音。汤女士 是妇女慈善协会的副主席，81岁的她，还是精神亦 亦地接待我们。当我们问起这些孩子们的志向时，好多孩子都立 志长大后要成为教师，医生，演员，运动健将等等。他们当中有一 个男孩子站起来，代表全体成员致谢，衷感谢我们去关怀，探访他 们。 对于这18 个女孩子和25个男孩子来说，他们的前途肯定比其他同 龄的孩子会更艰辛，但是他们渴望成功的意志是值得鼓励并且可 以在辅助下达成目的。只要关爱他们的人以耶稣的爱去爱他们，鼓 励和引导他们，他们必会在人生路途中突跛困境，拥有成功的事业 和健全完美的家庭。在圣诞节，他们心里渴望的就是爱。 LHC
国际基督徒团契
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GO to GOVAP “The children are well taken care of by their kind and cheerful caregivers who are like angels from heaven.” Located at 45 Nguyen Van Bao Street, Ward 4, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, GoVap’s Centre For Orphans and Disabled Children (GoVap in short) is a home for some 200 Vietnamese children. Most of them have various physical or mental disabilities, some with life-threatening illnesses. Madam Loan, Director of GoVap, and her staff have the awesome responsibilities of managing, nourishing, nurturing and educating these orphans, with ages ranging from new born to 18 years old. Most of the orphans are transferred from hospitals and the Labour Social Welfare. They arrive undernourished and suffering from different kinds of diseases and malformations. MMS and ICF (International Christian Fellowship) contribute in a small way to GoVap with our gifts of Pediasure milk, rice, bee hoon, eggs, biscuits and other foodstuffs. As we walked around GoVap, we were most impressed by the clean, spacious and airy environment that the children enjoyed. We laughed, clapped hands and had little sign language conversations with the children who look contented, well fed and were well behaved despite their disabilities. The most heart wrenching sight were the children with water logged brains, or born with Down’s syndrome and congenital diseases. There is no sophisticated intervention being practised but the children are well taken care of by their kind and cheerful caregivers who are like angels from heaven. Their dedicated devotion is so deep and loving that it took our breath away. God’s loving-kindness has swept over the children. The Lord has not forgotten or abandoned them. And we see joy, warmth and exuberance in their shiny faces. We were informed by the staff that a few of the grown up orphans have returned to serve or work in GoVap. It is encouraging and heart-warming that they remember their roots and return to make their contributions. Likewise MMS and ICF will also make meaningful visits and gifts to GoVap and serve God’s little children. Praise the Lord. Esther Sio Aldersgate Methodist Church
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A Day of Answered Prayers
“With this new and bigger building, the church will grow to bring the light of salvation to all in Prek Ompel and spread the light to villages beyond.” 24 November 2013 was a day of answered prayers for Prek Ompel Methodist Church (POMC) in Cambodia. The morning sun broke through heavy clouds and shone brightly over the village as church members made final preparations for the consecration service of the newlycompleted church building. It had been raining so heavily that some claimed to have seen fish jumping out of mud puddles in the churchyard! But prayers for clear weather were finally answered. Excess rainwater was pumped out and fill dirt was hauled in, while tents were erected and tables set for the thanksgiving meal.
Sunday School children used to have their classes out in the open due to the lack of space. Now, they can use classrooms in the new building.
Prek Ompel Methodist Church’s new building.
FIELD FEATURE • CAMBODIA | 25
The new tile floors were given a final sweep
and conducted church programmes in a
just in time to welcome church members and
rented, shed-like structure with a metal roof
guests. 40 brothers and sisters from Aldersgate
and unfinished concrete floor.
Methodist Church (AMC) travelled from Singapore to celebrate the occasion. By 9
With support from AMC, land was purchased
am, nearly 300 people had joined together in
two years ago and construction of the new
praise and worship.
church began last year. Retired architects Eric and Cheryl Chan designed this church to
Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup led the consecration
reflect Khmer tradition and village life.
service, assisted by Rev Dr Lorna Khoo from AMC, Pastor Ouk Ratana from POMC, and
POMC is the first church to be built in Prek
leaders from throughout the Methodist
Ompel Commune, located in Kandal
Church in Cambodia.
Province. In addition to the light-filled sanctuary, there are classrooms for teaching
Special items in the programme included a
English and computer skills, rooms for visiting
traditional Cambodian blessing dance, an
mission teams, and a small apartment for the
English song presented by the children, and
pastor’s family.
a Khmer hymn sung by the church leaders. Following the service, Bishop Dr Wee and
Dr Seet Ai Mee from AMC observed that,
Village Chief Leav Vorn unveiled a marble
“with this new and bigger building, the church
plaque dedicating POMC to the glory of God.
will grow to bring the light of salvation to all in Prek Ompel and spread the light to villages
The completion and consecration of this
beyond.” Amen!
church building marked 10 years of prayer by Methodists in Cambodia and Singapore.
Rev Teresa Wilborn
During that time, POMC members worshipped
Assistant Director of Community Development
Editor’s Note: This article was earlier published in Methodist Message, January 2014
Bishop Dr Wee’s (right) unveiling of commemorative plaque with the Village Chief, Leav Vorn.
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COSY time with God
Reflections by COSY youth TONG HAV MOT (18 years old) In CMBS, I met new friends and pastors. I went through Master Life training and felt very touched to know more about Jesus and to worship Him. A friend prayed when I was sick, and I felt the Holy Spirit touch my head and I was
Community Outreach Service – Youth Hostel, also known as COSY, is a hostel for students in Grades 10 to 12. It is located within walking distance of their public high school. Here in COSY, the students continue to grow spiritually and academically. They even learn to cook, clean and market on their own. From August to October 2013, one youth from Grade 11 and 16 youth from Grade 12 had the opportunity to attend a one-and-a-half-month Bible training, a Master Life Course in our Cambodian Methodist Bible School (CMBS). Every weekend, they were divided into smaller groups to do outreach programmes at several Methodist Churches in Phnom Penh. Everyone was also taught how to share and lead worship individually.
healed. Spending time there has brought me much closer with God and made me become a better person. I thank God for the opportunity to stay in COSI and COSY, as well as for my education. LEAKENA KHUT (19 years old) Thank God for the chance to study at CMBS where I learnt a lot from Master Life, spending quiet time with God, faith, priorities, and leadership. God gave me confidence and faith in Him, and He answered my prayer and dream to be a part of the youth worship service in COSI. SOMNANG SOM (18 years old) Thank God for the privilege to attend
The youth also had a chance to visit the International
Bible training in CMBS. I have learnt more
Christian Assembly Church (ICA) in Phnom Penh for a
from Master Life, especially on spending
three-day Revival Youth Conference. At ICA, they learnt
time with God. It really touched my heart to have
more about worshipping God, praising Him with their
fellowship with my new friends.
heart, and praying for the sick. They witnessed many miracles of the Holy Spirit. And some of them even
SOPHEALIN OUK (18 years old)
received healing from God for the problems they were encountering. In the name of Jesus, they received love,
After my final examination, I went to
peace and comfort. They were humbled but very glad
CMBS. I thank God so much for the
for the chance to learn so many things that they did not know. With God, all things are possible!
privilege to study Master Life, in Sunday School, and the New Testament and Old Testament. I had fellowship with friends and teachers, and learnt
Josephine Lim
about family, youth, faith, priorities, and even how to
MMS Missionary in Cambodia
repair a motorcycle. Learning Master Life has changed me to draw close to God. Thank God and CMBS. SOCHEA PO (21 years old) Thank God for CMBS. The six points taught in Master Life touched my heart. The teachers were very good especially teacher Narain. We were shown a video about a man who had cancer and was healed after a pastor prayed for him. The testimony strengthened my faith in God and gave me more confidence to face people. Thank God.
FIELD FEATURE • CAMBODIA | 27
POLLEANG KIM (18 years old)
KOSAL EANG (19 years old)
My life was changed during training in
I really thank God for bringing me to CMBS. I really
CMBS. It has given me joy to love more
learnt a lot about the Bible and how to worship
now. Knowing more clearly about God’s
God. CMBS has connected me to God. From then
word, I am not too worried about everything in this
on, God has changed my life to be a good Christian and I
world because I have offered my life to God; knowing
need not worry about anything that is going to happen to me
that God is the One who prepares the way for my life
because I know Jesus is always with me.
in the future. Thank God. LINNA SEANGLY (19 years old) CHANPHEAKEANG (21 years old) I was touched by the miracles that God had done in my life. He has given me more confidence and taught me how to pray for others. When my mother was very sick, I prayed for her and she was healed by the mercy of God. Thank God for this miracle. SOPHEAK KONG (18 years old) When I was in CMBS, God changed my life a lot. I can worship God with my heart, fear the Lord more than before, and have more self-confidence. After going through Master Life training, I now love to read the Bible and pray to God. LEAP TAN (21 years old) When I was in CMBS, I spent more time with God. It taught me a lot about God’s word, knowing Him, praising Him with my heart, and trusting Him more. I also received love from teachers and friends. Thank God. RATANAK CHHIM (19 years old) When I went to study in CMBS, I drew close to God and knew how to worship God. The pastors shared their testimonies which really touched my heart. Thank God. DARA MAO (20 years old) During class in CMBS, there were many lessons that touched my heart and the Holy Spirit worked in me each day. I have experienced change in my past bad habits, character, words, activities and my faith. I learnt how to meet God, worship Him from my heart, know God more, and do outreach on Sunday. I also learnt about leadership at Toul Kork Methodist Church. I thank God for the chance to study there. And thanks to mummy and daddy for the encouragement and for sending me to CMBS. I thank God for always loving and watching over me. He makes the way for me so I can have my new life in Christ. From now on, I can be the salt and the light of the world.
Thank God for the chance to attend CMBS, where I learnt a lot especially through Master Life. My first priority is God, and not my studies. I used to be worried about my future and to wonder what I should do. Sometimes I asked if my suffering and difficult times meant that God had abandoned me. But after spending time in the Bible school, God has answered my prayer. He does not leave me alone but He is always with me, in me and beside me in all circumstances. I am now at peace because I have offered my life to God. PHANIT RE0UM (20 years old) In CMBS, I have learnt a lot, like spending time with God, and having fellowship with one another. I am more confident of myself and want to know God more and more. Thank You God for giving me this privilege, and thank You for Your Love. VANNARY NOP (18 years old) I have learnt a lot at CMBS like leading the youth to worship, spending time with God, praying and fasting, having more faith, and having confidence in myself. One thing that really touched my heart was spending time with God. I could feel His presence in my heart. Thank God that He has and will always love and care for me – no matter who I am. And He still forgives and gives me chances. God is so gracious and I love Him. SREYMICHCHEA (18 years old) I really thank God for the chance to join the shortterm programme in CMBS. I was reluctant to go because I thought I would miss my families in the Hostel. But I stayed there for about two weeks, and I went through Master Life training and learnt more about God’s word, my priorities and my faith. The lessons changed me. Now I know that Jesus is my first priority, and I dare to raise up my hands to praise Him. I learnt how to spend time with Him every day and to love Him and my friends too. Thank God for His great compassion for me. DIMONG DOH – Grade 11 In CMBS, I felt alone and missed my friends in the Hostel. I wanted to go back. But a few days later, I felt touched by the lessons learnt in CMBS. It has changed my life. Thank God for the privilege to study at the Bible school.
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What Christmas Means To Me “Christmas gives me an opportunity to share about Jesus to my friends.”
Shopping centres are brightly lighted up. Streets are beautifully decorated with colourful lights. Christmas is a time of celebration, a time of giving and receiving gifts, a time to party, a time to relax, and a time for reflection and meditation. Christmas means many things to many people. How is Christmas celebrated at the Methodist School of Cambodia? About a week before the school’s Christmas Service, Christmas trees were set up with light bulbs that glowed at night. Students made
Christmas cards for their families, friends, teachers, the Principal and Vice-principal, and hung them on the Christmas trees for all to read. Students from each class also thought of creative ways to decorate their classrooms. One class even used a branch to be a Christmas tree in the classroom. Other classrooms used cut-out snowflakes to decorate the windows. At the Christmas Service on 20 December 2013, the parents were invited. And Pastor Khemra preached on the message “Fear Not” with the bible verses taken from Luke 1:26-38. A parent was invited to do the Scripture Reading. And the teachers presented a song. A teacher and three students shared on “What Christmas Means To Me”. These are the thoughts of the three students: Ros Reaksmey Teavy (Grade 10A) Christmas is always celebrated on 25 December every year. If you ask 100 people what Christmas means to them, you will get 100 different responses. To some, Christmas means presenting gifts to one another; or meeting and having fellowship with friends or family; or even Santa Claus. Personally, Christmas means to rejoice in the truth in history that Jesus was born as a human being in order to save people from sin. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world….” The holy Word was revealed so that all people may know how much God loves them, and know the true meaning of Christmas. Are we glad to know that God is with us? Some people thought that Christmas is all about receiving. Instead of receiving anything from us, Jesus came to earth to offer eternal life to us. The Bible says He will save His people from their sin, including you and me. When I was a kid, I thought that Christmas was just a gift-giving event to show each other’s love. At the same time, I believed in Santa Claus too. But when I was introduced to Christ later on, I began to understand the real meaning of Christmas. Christmas is God’s gift of His Son – to be born and to die – for us. The most valuable gift that God has given us is eternal life through trust in Him. Christmas is not about packaging presents for my family but about Jesus who packed Himself as a gift for us. Christmas is not about a tree full of decorations but about Jesus who died on the cross for a world full of pain. Jesus is the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season. Christmas is about God and through Him I can say Merry Christmas to everyone.
FIELD FEATURE • CAMBODIA | 29
Norng Sereyratana (Grade 6A)
Christmas gives me an opportunity to share
I celebrate Christmas to remember Jesus
about Jesus to my friends when they are
who was born in Israel. Jesus came to save
watching the Jesus story and I can read to
the earth and heal those with diseases. He
them Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest,
also helps the good people no matter how
and Peace on earth to people who enjoy
rich or poor they are. God is good to all and
His favour!” I do not mean to force them to
loves His people. God sent His Son to be
accept Jesus but I just want to share about
born and later to die on the cross. Jesus was
the Good News of our Lord to them. To
resurrected on the third day. I thank God for
believe or not is their choice.
His love. I thank God for helping my family and the people who are victims of the flood. May God continue to
Moreover, Christmas is like receiving joy from
bless us with good health and better living.
God. God sent His only Son to come and have fellowship with us. Forgiveness makes
Phoung Sereycheat (Grade 9B)
us live in peace and helps us get over hatred
Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’
and revenge. Love has more influence than
birthday. I do not know the exact date of
hatred. Kindness is better than being greedy.
Jesus’ birthday but according to Christian tradition, everyone assumes that it is 25
There are still others who think that Christmas
December. Christmas in Cambodia is mostly
has no meaning at all for them. I hope that
celebrated in churches.
by sharing about Jesus, they will understand better about God and seek Him personally.
Christmas is very important to me although I realise that it may not be so to others. I
Compiled by Violet Khor
get to know Jesus better because during Christmas, as we are always
Principal of The Methodist School of
shown and told about the life of Jesus.
Cambodia
Teachers presenting a song item
Creative Christmas decorations
Pastor Khemra preaching
30 | HARVEST FORCE
Never Too Small “Do not feel disheartened by the “small” impact we are making on the lives of the people we meet on mission trips.”
I have always been sceptical about the impact short-term missions have on the targeted recipients. Questions such as, “Do they really need our help?” and “Are we building a wall or toilet for them again?”, would always crop up in my mind whenever I think about short-term missions. Thankfully, these pessimistic and immature thoughts were put to an end when I went on a mission trip to Cambodia. In mid-December, after a few weeks of preparation and meetings, a group of us from Barker Road Methodist Church set out on a trip to the Takeo province of Cambodia to run some workshops at a youth camp for about 100 local youths there. The theme given to us by the pastor was “The Disciple’s Victory – Spiritual Warfare” and the theme verse was Ephesians 6:10-18 (the armour of God). During the camp, we conducted workshops that touched on topics like temptation, bondage, accusation and deception; common weapons that the devil uses against every believer. We also shared with them how prayer and worship can be used against the devil’s attacks. Throughout the whole duration of the camp, we had the opportunity to meet with many youth from the different churches in Takeo province. Despite their current struggles and difficulties with studies and living, the fact that they still chose to attend the camp encouraged me greatly. The camp lasted for three days, and I believe that all of us learnt a lot from the workshops and theme talks given by the pastors at the camp. After the camp, we met up with our adult team to run medical clinics at three locations. Throughout this period, our four doctors and the team saw and attended to about 1050 patients! At these clinics, we
FIELD FEATURE • CAMBODIA | 31
had the opportunity to pray for the patients as we wanted to share that as much as we try to bring physical healing through the medicines dispensed, God is the one that will bring spiritual healing and give peace and hope in their lives. We believe that in some way, we had shared the love of God through our prayers and interactions with them. In conclusion, this Cambodia trip has been a very good learning experience for me. God has opened my eyes to so many things that I have yet to know or see. I guess that in mission trips, we often make the mistake of losing sight of God’s heart in the things that we do; be it giving medicine, teaching youths or even menial tasks like cleaning the toilets. If we lack the spirit of service in Galatians 5:13, everything we do – no matter how great the act of service is – is meaningless because it is devoid of God’s love. So may I encourage everyone not to lose sight of God’s purposes while doing missions. Last but not least, fellow mission trippers or folks considering short-term missions, please do not feel disheartened by the “small” impact we are making on the lives of the people we meet on mission trips. No matter how “small” the seed we plant, God will water it and let it bloom into a beautiful flower! Daniel Ng Barker Road Methodist Church
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Vacation with a Mission to NL and SD “We could interact with From 13 to 22 September 2013, a group of eight went on
fellow local Christians on a deeper level.”
a Vacation with a Mission trip to central East Asia. Besides sightseeing and visiting places, our aim for this trip was to raise funds for a new church building in NL. And prior to the trip, we managed to raise over S$20,000 for the church! Upon arrival at the airport at around 7am, SJ (the church elder and our guide) picked us up in his mini-bus and drove more than 600km to NL where we stayed for the next three days at the hostel. On the first night, we were hosted to dinner by the hospitable church at the training centre. While we ate, the senior female church members entertained us with their traditional dances and songs. While we could not understand what they sung, we were warmed by their sincerity and enthusiasm. The next morning, we visited a house church for Sunday worship. Holy Communion was served with rice wine and unleavened bread. The fragrance of the rice wine was unforgettable. Our next stop was PY where we met up with some of our group leader MS’s choral students. We had watermelon for fellowship and some sisters even gave us a much-needed massage to relieve our aching shoulders and backs. For dinner, they treated us to a 27-dish meal! Talk about being well-fed! We had the opportunity to pluck pear at an orchard in WX.
Mid-Autumn festival break. Indeed this was God’s answer
Of course, we could not resist consuming the juicy pears
to MS’s prayer to have 11 members on the trip. God, in His
straightaway but were cautioned not to eat more than two
wisdom, knew we needed the luggage space in the mini
to avoid diarrhoea.
bus to NL, so he limited the number first to 8 passengers. However after we off-loaded some items, He prompted the
A prayer walk was organised to the site where the new NL
3 ladies to join us!
church building is to be built on a 20-acre land. Opposite the church site is new public housing in progress with some
In the early evening, we arrived at QF just in time to witness
new commercial buildings sprouting up. The government
the gate closing ceremony of Confucius’ temple. QF is the
has granted approval for the land to be used for a church,
hometown of Confucius (551–479 BC) who was a politician
school and training centre.
and philosopher. We had a 73rd grandson of Confucius as our tour guide who enthusiastically showed us around
We left NL for SD with additional passengers – three
the temple grounds, mansion and the cemetery where all
sisters-in-Christ from PY decided to join us as it was their
Confucius’ descendants are buried.
FIELD FEATURE • EAST ASIA | 33
The following evening we went to TA, to catch a 3-hour night performance on the mount of TS. It was an eyecatching show that chronologically told of the key events of history revolving round Mount T. Climbing TS was another memorable experience. We took a cable car to the South Heaven Gate of Mount T before proceeding on foot to the summit, some 1000 steps away. That evening was the second day of Mid-Autumn festival. We celebrated in the hotel room, feasting on fruits and local moon cakes. XH, one of our local sisters encouraged and inspired us with her testimony on how the Lord provided for her, helping us to appreciate once again God’s goodness and faithfulness. In JN, we gamely took public transport to visit a landscaped park that features 72 springs. When it was time to bid our hosts farewell, we took a high-speed train to BJ to catch our flight back to Singapore in the late evening. This trip was planned in such a way that we could experience many things that a typical tourist on a group tour would not have. We could interact with fellow local Christians on a deeper level, and had the chance to mingle with locals on the public transport. Michael and Lili Chung Christ Methodist Church
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Singapore Mission School in L Singapore Mission School in Laos, or SMS Laos for short, was started by Kok Liang and Lesley Yeow, a husband-and-wife team, who have been in Laos since January 2005. It is aimed to provide holistic education in English and Lao for the coming generations of Lao people who will possess the right moral, mental and educational upbringing to positively influence their community and country through excellent service in all sectors of society. SMS Laos is a bilingual but largely English-medium school that caters mainly for the Laotian, starting from Nursery, Kindergarten and Primary School, and eventually going to High School (Pre-University). It is modelled after the mission schools in Singapore and offering a Singapore and Lao curriculum. The current 29 students (as of November 2013) are from middleclass families. They are two to nine years old. And there is a team of international and local staff: Foreign staff (using English as the medium of instruction) Director, Acting Principal and Head Teacher: Lesley Yeow (Singapore) Consultant and Kindergarten 2 and 3 and Primary 2 teacher: Ms Wong Peck San (Singapore) Nursery and Kindergarten 1 teacher: Ms Maricar Perez Sahu (Philippines) Part-time Projects staff and PE teacher: Mr Aloke Sahu (India) Part-time Art & Craft teacher: Ms Karin Jungmann (Austria) Part-time PE teacher and Projects staff: Mr Meinhard Ossberger (Austria) Local staff (using Lao as the medium of instruction) Upper Primary Lao teacher: Mrs Tingkham Chinda Lower Primary Lao teacher: Miss Soyphet Thepphithack Kindergarten 2 and 3 Lao teacher: Ms Khonesaly Phengsesana Nursery and Kindergarten 1 Lao teacher: Miss Douangkham Latsakoummane
FIELD FEATURE • LAOS | 35
aos Support staff Part-time Interpreter: Miss Thipphachanh Sisoukhalath Part-time Interpreter: Ms Fongsy Lakongseng Child-minder: Mrs Syphet Sisombath Housekeeper and Cook: Ms Viengmone Vangxay Gardener: Mr Suan Thilath (Note: The above list does not include the staff for INSPIRE and the Chinese programme.) The school is located at Unit 12, House no. 202, Km 2 Thadeua Road, Ban Beunkayong Neua (Beungkayong North Village), Sisattanak District, PO Box 11027, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Mission teams with matching skill sets are encouraged to visit SMS Laos. Small teams of two or three, and individuals would be preferred at this stage, and preferably trained pre-school or primary school teachers who have good English to help read to and with the children. A good time to come help would be during Summer School (from latter half of July to end of August), but we can do with help most times of the year. Other things that visiting teams or individuals can do can be inferred from the prayer list on page 37. Yeow Kok Liang Singapore Mission School in Laos
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TIME LINE of SMS Laos
FUTURE PLANS of SMS Laos
January 2005 – Started INSPIRE Centre for Higher
Phase 1 (2013 to 2015)
Development, a small private centre for English
- Raising funds for a new building.
language teaching to adults. The centre trains Lao
- Strengthening the teaching staff, syllabus and
- Planning for secondary level classes.
government officials on special courses arranged by the Singapore Embassy, as well as working adults from
curriculum.
NGOs and other companies and organisations. Soon after starting INSPIRE, it became obvious that good schools were needed in Laos so that the country could develop and progress. Encouraged by some of their Lao government students, including leaders in Lao society, and by like-minded Singaporean
Phase 2 (2016 – 2018)
- Developing building plan for the new school.
- Constructing Phase 1 of the building for
- Managing a student hostel adjacent to the
kindergarten and primary school. school.
friends in Vientiane, including the then Ambassador H E Benjamin Jeyaraj William, Kok Liang and Lesley embarked on starting the Singapore Mission School
Phase 3 (2019 to 2020)
- Implementing Phase 2 of the building for
- Forming a Board of Governors.
in Laos (SMS Laos). A further source of inspiration were Jackie and Richard Chung of St James’ Church
secondary school.
Kindergarten, who gave valuable advice and assistance. January to June 2010 – The play-and-learn English enrichment classes started for about 20 children, aged 3 to 5 years, for two hours a day. July and August 2010 – The 1½ months of full-day summer term enrichment classes for K2 (“Preparatory Year”) and Primary 1 started for children, aged 3 to 7 (one child was aged 9). There were 10 children. 1 September 2010 – The full-day school started for children, aged 3 to 9. We had 3 to 4 children in our first year, 15 to 16 in our second year, 19 in our third year, and currently 29 in our fourth year. 30 September 2013 – INSPIRE began offering Chinese classes as well.
Phase 4 (2021 onwards)
- Upgrading the existing facilities as a premier school complex with proper facilities.
FIELD FEATURE • LAOS | 37
Pray alongside SMS Laos Pray for the children in the Singapore Mission School in Laos (SMS Laos) to grow up with good values, a thirst for learning and the fear of the Lord. Pray for protection for the work of the school and the sharing of the Word to continue unhindered. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel with the parents and families. Pray for the Education Licence and Building Approval for SMS Laos, and the Re-registration of INSPIRE and the Chinese work to be granted soon. Pray for daily strength and passion for the teachers to be good models to the children and to teach them well. Pray for a harmonious work environment, and for those of our Lao staff who are non-believers to come to know Him soon. Pray for more funds and partners to help support SMS Laos which is running at a monthly loss of about US$1000, excluding the cost of utilities, maintenance, equipment and materials. Pray for more English and Chinese teachers. Pray for bookkeepers, business developers and designers to help manage and promote the school. And school administrators to document curriculum, and establish assessment systems and criteria. Pray for educationists to draw up the secondary and high school curricula and help us get accredited so our students can sit for international examinations and qualify for schools overseas. Pray for teacher trainers to provide sustained input and guidance to improve the teaching skills and pedagogy of the local and foreign staff. Pray for planners and building consultants to work on the building plans for the school complex and hostel. Pray for parents and pastoral staff for the hostel. Career guidance counsellors to advise students and parents. Pastors and Bible teachers to strength the local believers.
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Mountain Top Experience “Even if there is no Everest to take our breath away, God still teaches us – as long as we are tuned in to Him.”
Mission trips always present opportunities for God to teach us precious lessons. Our November 2013 trip to Nepal was no exception. This time, God taught us through the beauty of His creation. We had finished our medical and dental clinics and started our R & R which included catching the sunrise over the Annapurna Ranges at Sarangkot. But I was already feeling the strain from the last two days of climbing over 500 steps to get to our resort at Begnas Lake. So when we were told to wake up early to head up the mountains to catch the sunrise, I asked, “How far do we have to walk?”
It was an arduous climb for me but thankfully I made it to the top. It was still dark at just after 5am. There was a light mist and we prayed that the skies would clear just like two days before when trekkers sighted the full mountain range. After our sunrise devotion, there was still little semblance of a glorious sunrise. We continued to wait even as the weather turned chilly. Finally, a faint orange circle appeared and started to climb over the mountains. Cameras and smartphones snapped away at whatever semblance of a nice sunrise there was. But we were quickly disappointed when the sun began to sneak back into the clouds as fast as it appeared. After close to two hours, our Missionary, GS, figured that we were unlikely to view the mountain ranges. So he ordered one more round of chai (tea) to warm us up before heading down. Most of us were a little disappointed.
FIELD FEATURE • NEPAL | 39
In his disappointment, GS shared with a team member
appeared, it was like an unveiling of the stage curtains
that we were unable to see the magnificent view of
to reveal the centrepiece – the legendary “Fishtail”
Annapurna Ranges. Then, he realised that maybe God
mountain. This was special!
wanted him to learn to have such deep disappointment when someone missed the view of God, in just the same
Even as I look back at that special moment, I have learnt
way as our missing the view of the Himalayas. “Would I be
that in life, if we can look towards the end goal of the glory
as disappointed and anguished when someone missed a
of heaven and of seeing God face-to-face, then every
view of God?” GS asked.
heartache, trial and challenge is worth as much worth as the trek uphill to the lookout at Sarangkot that morning of
However, immediately after he shared this, the clouds
5 November 2013! It is always easier to have mountain-top
began to clear. Like an excited kid, he shouted and
high experiences on mission trips, especially to places
thanked God, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” We stopped in our tracks
where we have nature all around to remind us of the
and just stood in awe and wonder as God peeled away
presence of God. For me, the challenge of coming back
the clouds inch by inch, literally like the curtains unrolling!
to Singapore, where we are thrown back into the busyness
As God “teased” us, we got all excited and also shouted
and routine of life, would be to remember the lessons
to our team members to view the beautiful canvas that
learnt on the mountaintop and persevere in serving God
was unveiling right before our eyes!
in wherever He leads us! Even if there is no Everest to take our breath away, God still teaches us – as long as we are
Upon reflection, now we know why some feathered
tuned in to Him.
friends were fluttering in our path and making a lot of noise. Little did we know then that God had already sent
Leong Chin Yee
His “messengers” to alert us to stop and look up to enjoy
Barker Road Methodist Church
the masterpiece unveiling before us. As the lower ranges
40 | HARVEST FORCE
MMS Family Rev Lee Shuit Kuin took up her new appointment as Training Director on 1 January 2014. She is no stranger to MMS as she was serving as an MMS missionary for seven years. May God continue to use her to help our national workers to be great disciples who disciple others. With effect from 1 January 2014, Jacob Cheng has been appointed by TRAC President, Rev Dr Gordon With the concurrence from the Chinese Annual
Wong, to serve as Country Director
Conference President, Rev Dr Chong Chin Chung, Rev
for Cambodia. We are encouraged
Gideon Choi has been appointed by Bishop Dr Wee Boon
by the support from Trinity MC. May
Hup, as a Missionary Pastor with effect from 1 December
God guard and keep him as he serve the people in
2013. He is serving in the Central North-Eastern District
Cambodia.
in Thailand. We are grateful for the support from Bukit Panjang MC, Foochow MC, Hakka MC, Paya Lebar
Noel Tam, from Pentecost MC, has
Chinese MC, Queenstown Chinese MC, and Telok
been appointed as MMS Home
Ayer Chinese MC. May he be a blessing to the church,
Missionary for three years with effect
community and people there.
from January 2014. He now serves as the Country Coordinating Officer for
We thank God for the faithful service of Rev Lawrence Chua, whose passion is in the area of training. In the last
Nepal (since 2013) and Timor-Leste, and is based in MMS Office.
few years, he faithfully travelled to our mission fields to conduct training to help our national workers grow as
Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup commissioned Mildred Goh,
disciples. He returns to serve as a Pastor at Barker Road
MMS Missionary in Thailand, on 5 January 2014 at Bukit
MC from 1 January 2014. We wish him God’s blessings
Panjang MC, and Chen Qiu Luan, MMS Missionary in
as he returns to pastoral ministry. We also pray for God’s
Cambodia, on 26 January 2014 at Aldersgate MC. May
healing for all his bodily ailments.
God grant them strength and protection as they continue
their journey as Missionaries. We welcome Rev Dianna Khoo to MMS. From 1 January 2014, she is the Area Director looking after Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Rev Khoo comes to MMS with a wealth of pastoral experience, which is going to be very useful especially when
we are building up the church in the countries. She was the Pastor-in-charge of Trinity MC and our MMS EXCO member. She is still the Chairperson of the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) Board of Missions.
HOME HAPPENINGS | 41
Mission Awareness MMS was invited to the Grace MC on 27 October 2014 to set up a mission booth. Contact MMS if you want us to set up a booth in your church.
Memorandum of Understanding • An MOU was signed with Christ MC to extend an additional year of support to Krang Svay MC in Cambodia from 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2014.
• MMS entered into an MOU with Ang Mo Kio MC in support of Toul Kork MC in Cambodia for three years with effect from 1 September 2013.
• On 15 November 2013, an MOU was made with Kampong Kapor MC to partner with Santi MC, Payakorngdee MC and Water of Life MC in Thailand for five years.
• Faith MC signed an MOU with MMS and
• An MOU was made with Aldersgate MC for the
Rangsit MC to support the work in Don
Methodist Hostel ministry in Cambodia for five
Tanin in Thailand, for two years
years from 1 January 2014.
from 1 January 2014.
• An MOU was made between MMS and Hakka MC to support Missionaries Asnah and Susanto for two years from 1 January 2014.
42 | HARVEST FORCE
MMS Photo Contest Thanks to everyone who participated in our very first MMS Photo Contest. The aim of the contest was to encourage mission trippers to share their photos and interpret the “Essence of Missions”. Congratulations to Song Tao, Ian Ho and Leong Chin Yee. All three winners of S$100 have been contacted. We would like to invite you to check out the next MMS Photo Contest on MMS website and Facebook page. You may be the next top winners!
Our team went to the Lahu tribe in Thailand to assist the ministry there in the day to day activities, mostly for the children and youths of the village. To us, the essence of missions was to reflect God’s love and in the process, witness God’s reconciliation with his people. Photographer: Song Tao. Photo taken: Chiang Mai, Thailand in late December 2013.
The goal of missions is to be the salt and light in the darkness. Youths releasing a sky lantern with their prayers written on it. Photographer: Ian Ho. Photo taken: COSY Youth Hostel, Cambodia in August 2012.
Dr Jimmy Tang has been a regular dentist that goes to Nepal with BRMC and Richard Lepcha, son of Rev Sabastain Lepcha was his dental assistant and translator as he hopes to be a dentist when he grows up. Missions is not just about providing and meeting needs but also inspiring the younger generation to rise up to be useful citizens that can contribute back to their society. Photographer: Leong Chin Yee. Photo taken: Nepal in November 2013.
HOME HAPPENINGS | 43
MMS Staff Retreat 2013 On 18 October 2014, MMS Home Office staff went for a retreat at Changi Golf Club to pray and plan for 2014 and beyond. After the meeting, the staff took a stroll around the beach to enjoy God’s wonderful and beautiful creation.
Country Review and Budget Meeting MMS had our annual Country Review and Budget Meeting from 27 to 29 January 2014. These sessions were for all the country and home leaders to review their missions, goals and challenges faced in 2013, as well as their goals and budget requirements for 2014/15.
Building, Construction and Maintenance Committee A pro-temp Building, Construction and Maintenance
for effective and efficient planning, construction and
(BCM) Committee was formed in December 2013, and our
maintenance of infrastructure. The committee will
long-time volunteer Robert Chew has kindly agreed to be
provide professional and specialist expertise to assist our
the Chairman. The other recruited committee members
Missionaries and national leaders in the areas of finance,
are Joseph Lau, Lim Chwee Hock, Andrew Loh, Ho Lip Jin
legal matters, building design, materials, engineering,
and Teo Khoon Seng.
construction, furnishing, compliance and documentation. If you are keen to be a part of this team to bless the
BCM is an important component of our ministry in the
people in our mission fields, please contact
mission field which is every-growing. There is a need
us immediately.
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Into The Lord’s Harvest Then He said to His disciples,
For “whoever calls upon
“The harvest is truly plentiful,
the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
but the labourers are few.
How then shall they call on Him
“Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest
in whom they have not believed?
to send out labourers into His harvest.”
And how shall they believe in Him
(Matthew 9:37-38)
of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10:13-15)
God’s task for all of us, Who love and follow Jesus; Is to spread His joyous word, To all who have never heard; That there is no condemnation, When they accept His salvation.
But how will they know; Unless we go and show God’s love by how we live; Unless we pray and give; Unless we bear the cost Of reaching out to the lost?
The task is truly fruitful, As the harvest is plentiful; For in every race and creed, There are many who need To know that God does care; And can lift them from despair.
Lord, give us a heart to care; And a desire to share Your love with those unseen, In lands we’ve never been; As in the sight of Jesus, They are as precious as us.
Leong Kwok Thye Kampong Kapor Methodist Church
the KKMC Newsletter.
Photo © Shipov | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
Editor’s Note: This poem was published in the September-November 2013 issue of FOCUS,
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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, Chinese, Lahus, Laotian, Nepalese, Thais, Timorese and Vietnamese, by giving to:
Gift Details General Donations (where it is most needed)
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Student Sponsorship Scheme (Non-Residential)*
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Nepal Mission
@ S$30 per month (minimum commitment of 12 months) – Cambodia/Nepal/Thailand
Student Sponsorship Scheme (Residential)*
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Income Generating Project Fund
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Caleb Bible Institute Trainee Sponsorship @ S$80 per month
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Church Ministry Support
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Youth Ministry / Hub
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@ S$90 per month (minimum commitment of 12 months) [ [ [ [ [ [
Timor-Leste Mission
] COSI (Cambodia) ] Emmaus Women’s Centre (Cambodia) ] Sophia’s Home (Nepal) ] Mettakij Hostel (Thailand) ] Term Fun Home (Thailand) ] Taiping Children’s Home (East Asia)
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Vietnam Mission
Emmaus Women’s Centre – operational expenses
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Training of Pastors and National Workers
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Post COSI Integration Programme
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Laos Mission
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OUR GIFTS FOR MISSIONS mission Supporters
Our Mission is to fulfil MMS encourages, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD myenlists, God which cost meengages nothing” Christ’s Great Commission2 Samuel 24:24 and empowers Methodists to serve in to make disciples of all nations. missions, by praying for, participating in and giving financially to reach those vision 2020 whom Jesus died to redeem. Our Vision is to unite the Methodist Community in Team Singapore to plant 800 new, Together with our Partner Churches, indigenous, financially Volunteers, Mobilisers, Donors, self-supporting, disciple-making and Prayer Partners, Mission Teams multiplying churches by 2020. and Missionaries, we form the team involving in Church Planting, our core values Discipling,Teaching, Evangelising, Accountability, Integrity, Compassion, Healthcare, Education, Sponsorship Perseverance, Cultural Sensitivity, Unity and Livelihood Projects. and Excellence. our main strategies Church Planting and Community Development MinistriesPlease fold here MMS is dedicated to addressing the real-life needs of the communities and churches, so as to rebuild, restore and reconcile people and communities back to Him.
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MMS Executive Director Methodist Missions Society 70 Barker Road #06-01 The Methodist Centre Singapore 309936
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PROFILES | 47
Interview with Kok Liang and Lesley Yeow MMS has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore Mission School in Laos (SMS Laos). Read more about SMS Laos on page 34. This partnership marks a significant milestone for MMS in reaching the Laotians through
“The needs in education, health care, social and economic development are immense.”
Community Development. Let’s get to know the founders
What kind of challenges do you face?
of SMS Laos – Kok Liang and Lesley Yeow.
Keeping the school and centre going, which includes maintaining a proper set of accounts; dealing with the
Tell us a little about yourselves.
Lao authorities and trying to understand the requirements
We’re a couple that the Lord has led to Laos to live here
of the bureaucracy; finding ways to make our teaching
and help establish a work, evidently that of a language
more effective; and maintaining a witness before
centre which has become the launch pad for a mission
our students.
school. Both of us are NUS graduates, Lesley in English Literature and Kok Liang in English Language. Lesley
How do you recharge?
worked with the Graduates Christian Fellowship and then
Friday evenings will see us going to town with Mia and the
as an editor with Landmark Books, while Kok Liang worked
team for a simple dinner and some window shopping and
with the Fellowship of Evangelical Students and then as
relaxation. On weekends, we try to catch up with family
a lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic. We left Singapore for
and friends, get some rest and have a time to pray about
Laos in January 2005.
our concerns. We are also refreshed by the international church service that we go to once or twice a month. At
Lesley enjoys reading, writing and all things creative and
the end of the week, we’re usually tired, plus every other
artistic. Kok Liang enjoys watching rugby, especially the
Saturday, we cross the border to Nong Khai, Thailand, to
world champions, the New Zealand All Blacks. We have
buy supplies for the school and ourselves. That’s a six-hour
a four-year-old golden retriever, Mia (HRH Princess), who
trip and quite energy sapping. The rest of our weekend is
makes us laugh and shows us plenty of affection.
usually spent catching up with school admin as well. So we’d be lucky if we manage to also walk the dog or bathe
What is a typical day like for you?
her or spend some time to relax in the garden.
After a hurried breakfast, we will receive the children as they arrive and prepare for the day, which includes
What is one thing our readers should know about
briefing the staff. Lesley’s day is then taken up at the school,
missions?
teaching and coordinating and overseeing the lunchtime
There is plenty to be done in a country like Laos like
meal, while Kok Liang handles the admin and banking, and
providing good education, building the capacity of
works on the licence applications. We touch base during
the workforce, and assisting the local believers and
our lunch break and then Lesley gets on with the afternoon
congregations, and sustained, longer-term involvement
school activities while Kok Liang prepares his lessons for the
is helpful. The country is huge, nearly 400 times the size of
evenings and goes out to teach or teaches at the centre.
Singapore, with 16 provinces besides the capital, so the
After classes, which on some days is close to 8 pm, we eat
needs in education, health care, social and economic
leftovers for dinner, often with the stay-in staff team (Peck
development are immense.
San, Aloke and Maricar) and pray together for the school and other needs. Once a week, we may watch a hometheatre movie together, but Lesley and Kok Liang watch an episode of NCIS most evenings to unwind.
48 | HARVEST FORCE
Knowing God Better “He had given us the privilege of knowing Him a little better through experiencing His work in Phnom Penh and seeing how to better pray for everyone.”
After my wife and I came back from a short mission trip with my cell group to Kuching, Sarawak in 2011, we prayed and looked for other opportunities to serve and be exposed to what God is doing in another land. We began to prepare ourselves should we be called to venture out on our own. We went for MMS’s Teach-to-Reach course conducted by Dr Grace Hsu in 2012, and also the Kairos course (Missions Awareness) in Bartley Christian Church thereafter.
We asked for direction and God very clearly pointed us to Cambodia. Calvin Lim, Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church’s missions head, wrote to MMS and made arrangements for us to participate in the MITE (Missions Internship Training & Exposure) programme. I would teach in the Methodist School of Cambodia (MSC) and my wife would help out in the administration as these were our “gifts”. And they seemed to match the needs at the time. I began by observing the school’s activities, and helping out in the IT areas and English classes. My wife started to help in the area of accounts and finance as that is her area of strength. God impressed upon us that as we are blessed, we should be a blessing to those we met in Cambodia. Over time, we made friends with the students and members of staff. MMS Missionaries, Violet Khor and Carol Loh, were especially gracious and we remember them fondly in our prayers to this day. And over the Water Festival holiday, we visited our cell member Emily Loo, who is an MMS Missionary in COSI Children’s Village. It was something we could not have planned as we did not know the public holidays in Cambodia. We interacted with the children and the staff, and provided IT and support to Emily. During the weekends, we visited the Killing Fields at the village of Choeung Ek, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, and other parts of Phnom Penh. The struggles of the Cambodian, past and present, were made real to us and were not just words in a textbook. The biggest blessing was that over the few weeks, we were blessed by the friendship we forged with many people. They included the Ho and Lee families (Charis Methodist Church) who came to share their time and love with the
MITE REPORT | 49
orphans at COSI. We witnessed the dedication of Bedok Methodist Church members who helped out with the Boy’s Brigade in MSC. We witnessed the struggles of the principal and teachers in the school. Although good by Cambodian standards, the school still has very clear spiritual and infrastructural needs. We shared a little deeper in the struggles, trials and joys of the local people and missionaries serving the Lord in Cambodia. We learnt, if nothing else, that God is sovereign. He had given us the privilege of knowing Him a little better through experiencing His work in Phnom Penh and seeing how to better pray for everyone in MSC and COSI. We have been greatly blessed by our visit to Cambodia. Our biggest consideration when going to Cambodia again, or any “mission” trip, is that we are wary of being a burden to those already serving there. They have their daily work to carry out and our visits may become an additional workload for them. Having too many “visitors” may not necessarily lighten their load. It is wise to commit our plans and desires before the Lord so that we can be a blessing. May His name be glorified in our interactions with our brothers and sisters-in-Christ, as well as those who have yet to know Him. Phoon Kok Kwong and Chin Yi Zhen Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church
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Exploring Innovations, Impacts New Communications and M This is the first part of a three-part essay that explores the INNOVATIONS of New Communications and Media Development. The second and third parts will explore the IMPACTS and IMPLICATIONS. Dr Calvin Chong, who is an Associate Professor in Educational Studies at Singapore Bible College, worships in Covenant Community Methodist Church.
questions: What are some recent innovations in communications and new media technologies? What is the impact of these innovations on life and behaviour? What are the implications that seminaries and churches need to be mindful of and to act upon? Recent Innovations in New
Introduction The history of human communications is marked by significant turning points which have reconfigured the way people think, order their lives, and relate to each other. Whether as a result of the invention of writing, printing, photography, telegraphy, telephony, radio, television, cinema, computers or the Internet, these communications technologies have introduced deep and irrevocable societal level changes over the course of human history. Terence Moran thus writes of evolutions and revolutions of the different forms of human communication and their contributions to social reordering – with humans becoming literate with the development of writing and reading, typographic with the development of printing, hypergraphic with the development of graphics, photography, and cinematography, electric with the development of electrographic and electrophonic communications, and finally, cybernetic with the development of digital communications (Moran 2010). Likewise, Marshall Poe writes of media effects on social practices in different historical periods of human communications – Homo loquens: Humanity in the Age of Speech, Homo scriptor: Humanity in the Age of Manuscripts, Homo lector: Humanity in the Age of Print, Homo videns: Humanity in the Age of Audiovisual Media, and Homo somnians: Humanity in the Age of the Internet (Poe 2013). At this moment of its history, the church continues to grapple with its own uncertainties and apprehensions as it seeks to make sense of the promise and peril that the Internet and mobile communication age have introduced to everyday life. Whether welcomed or not, ongoing developments in the way humans communicate with each other have dramatically impacted our communities, congregations, and children. This paper therefore seeks to address issues and concerns arising from new communications and media development by raising three
Communications and Media Technologies Humans communicate via a range of media. Whether through speech, gestures, signs, writing, print, or electronic broadcasts, all forms of communication involve the use of one or more media. Whether an individual or community deploys a particular medium or not depends on factors including access, know-how, familiarity, confidence, advantage, necessity, and even social pressure. Presently, communication across the globe is increasingly dependent on electronic and digital technologies which have been ushered into ubiquity in only a short timespan. This section will review innovations and diffusions in new communications and media development by exploring 4 key themes: (a) Advancements, (b) Affordances, (c) Architecture, and (d) Adoption. (a) Advancements Two of the most revolutionary technological innovations that have advanced human communications are writing and printing. Writing extended human ability to communicate by enabling oral exchanges to be recorded in a different medium. At the same time, this innovation also provided a new communications platform that enabled human thought to be expressed independent of speech. Writing on light-weight mediums like parchment and paper further added the element of portability. Printing on the other hand enabled the mass production of manuscripts and inked images. This mechanical innovation made possible rapid duplication of documents, books, and posters and also opened the door for an additional channel of mass communication.
SPECIAL FEATURE | 51
s, and Implications of Media Development (Part 1) Horizon
2011 Report
2012 Report
2013 Report
Near-term
• Electronic books
• Mobile apps
• Massively open online courses
(1 yr or less)
• Mobiles
• Tablet computing
• Tablet computing
Mid-term
• Augmented reality
• Game-based learning
• Games and gamification
(2-3 yrs)
• Game-based learning
• Learning analytics
• Learning analytics
Far-term
• Gesture-based computing
• Gesture-based computing
• 3D printing
(4-5 yrs)
• Learning analytics
• Internet of things
• Wearable technology
Table One: A Comparison of Emerging Technologies in Horizon Reports 2011-2013
A quick examination these two examples of technological development will reveal several ways in which the ability to communicate is extended and advanced. Amongst the obvious ways are included the creation of a new medium, introduction of new technologies, ease and efficiency of reproduction, portability, and ability to transcend distance. What is critical to advancement is the uncovering of new possibilities by which humans communicate. Hence, both the ability to capture images on paper using photo-sensitive chemicals together with the ability to record and play back sounds added new dimensions to communications possibilities. Common to the words telegraph, telephone, and television is the idea of being able to carry writing, voice, and visuals quickly across distance.1 These advances, following on the heels of the discovery of electricity, represent major media extensions and important historical communications breakthroughs experienced at the consumer level by way of the latest communications gadgets, user-friendly digital interfaces, and a wide spectrum of communications applications. A glimpse of the most recent technology and communications developments relevant to higher education can be seen in the yearly Horizon Reports published by the New Media Consortium. The Horizon Reports are “a series of publications designed to help education leaders, policy makers, and faculty understand new and emerging technologies, and their potential impact on teaching, learning, and research.” (Johnson et al. 2013, 3) Each year’s report presents expert projections of cutting-edge technologies which will find their way into mainstream higher education over the next five years. A comparison of the 2011, 2012, and 2013 reports are
presented above (Johnson et al. 2011; Johnson et al. 2012; and Johnson et al. 2013). Even though the above developments are focused on the specific context of higher education, they do mirror many of the communication developments, consumer demands, and popular usage found in home, social, and workplace arenas. Collectively, these examples illustrate the innovative advancements of the present electronic and digital era. Presently, the progress made within the field of communications has led to a distinction between two types of communications media: legacy media which comprise traditional media like documents, posters, magazines, books, radio, and television, and new media which comprise the evolving interactive, feature-rich media forms associated with the Internet and mobile technologies. Both legacy and new media presently exist in a relationship of tension and flux, and together are moving toward a future that has yet to be defined. (b) Affordances Advances in technological and media development have been made possible as a result of the many creative innovations in communications affordances. Treloar’s definition best summarizes the concept of affordances as applied to technological environments: Any technology, indeed any item, can be considered in terms of the affordances it offers to users. Affordances are the properties of an environment or entity that enable particular types of interactions and activities. Thus a pencil affords writing, as well as less obvious things like tapping, poking, turning and so on. As should be obvious, the perceived primary affordances of a technology are the most important to its users, although secondary
52 | HARVEST FORCE
affordances may be useful. For example, a knife primarily affords cutting, but can be used as a screwdriver if required. The perceived affordances of a technology determine its exploitation by defining its suitability for particular uses. (Treloar 1994) Both the creation of new digital environments as well as new digital devices have led to the proliferation of new communications affordances. Some existing ones include downloading songs on iTunes, finding directions using Google maps, sharing pictures and inviting comments on Instagram, following celebrities and breaking news on Twitter, engaging in group chats on WhatsApp, viewing a video clip within the pages of an interactive, multimedia e-book, crowdsourcing to fund the production of a music album, and roleplaying a warrior in a 3D virtual gaming environment. The fact that commands for all the above featured examples are executed by a series touch, type, tap, hold, pinch, zoom, rotate, and swipe finger actions underscores how wellestablished multi-touch affordances have become. Collectively, what is described above represent but a fraction of the once groundbreaking, but now commonplace affordances unique to the digital communications era. A recent contribution to the discussion of affordances provides useful insight into the nature and future of affordances in the digital medium. As a leading expert in interactive design in digital medium, Murray proposes four types of affordances that are found in digital environments. These include a) procedural affordances which are composed of executable rules performed by the device, b) participatory affordances which invite human action and manipulation of the represented world, c) encyclopaedic affordances which contain very high capacity of information in multiple media formats, and d) spatial affordances which allow movement and navigation in an information repository or a virtual place (Murray 2012, 51-85).
Procedural and participatory affordances enable interactivity and exchange, while encyclopaedic and spatial affordances enable extension and exploration in digital environments. With the advancement of digital media, Murray expects that greater integration and maximization of the four affordances will be seen in mainstream communications environments and devices (Murray 2012, 87-103). This convergence of affordances will contribute to increasingly seamless, intuitive, interactive, and immersive communication experiences that will accompany the use of digital media technologies. (c) Architecture Another facet of innovation that demands attention is the evolving reality and design of digital spaces. Digital spaces are presently undeniable extensions of the human sense of place and are significant habitats in today’s expanded global communications ecosystem. While it is true that participation in these media habitats have transformed its users, it is also true that their users have transformed the nature of screen-mediated digital spaces. Tapscott thus observes: Technology is influencing the way kids think and behave, but it’s a two-way street – the way kids think and behave is influencing and shaping the Internet itself… Now they are helping to transform it into something new–Web 2.0, the living Web, the Hypernet, the active web, the read-write web. (Tapscott 2008, 53) What is observed and described here is the transformation of digital spaces from first generation Web 1.0 to a second generation Web 2.0. In Web 1.0, the production of content is controlled and the focus is on searching for and retrieving information. Web 2.0 builds on the features of Web 1.0, but its focus is on content generation, sharing, interaction, and participation with a Web architecture to support and encourage these user behaviours. The concept of space, its design, use, and impact is fundamental in the practice of architecture. Pouler thus writes: Space is neither innocent nor neutral: it is an instrument of the political. More than a simple container, architecture is a place that shapes beings; it has a performative impact on whoever inhabits it: it works on its occupants. At the micro level: space prohibits, decides what may occur, lays down the law, implies a certain order, commands and locates bodies. At a societal scale, space incorporates social action. (Pouler 1994, 175)
SPECIAL FEATURE | 53
The point in Pouler’s quote is echoed more recently by Dooley and Witthoft who write that “space design has its own grammar that can be tweaked to bolster desirable habits.” (Dooley and Witthoft 2012, 38) Both quotes remind us that how a space is designed or organized impacts behaviour within. Web designers are mindful of this principle, and experiences on the Internet will increasingly be programmed with Web 2.0 and emerging next generation architecture and design principles in mind. Next generation digital agoras, playgrounds, work spaces, and learning platforms will thus feature greater levels of conversation, collaboration, customization, and cocreation. Understanding this shift is critical for appreciating the communication habits, dispositions, and intuitions of the new generation of digital citizens.
when new communications technologies are introduced in society. For churches and theological institutions that strive to remain missional and contextually relevant in this generation, knowing these concepts and the processes involved will help leaders make sense of differences in constituent responses as well as understand the conditions which make for successful adoption of digital communications and media innovations. In this way, they can help their communities navigate through the waves of digital sea change, anticipate opportunities, and manage challenges which are introduced
(d) Adoption Apart from reviewing innovations through the lenses of advancements, affordances, and architecture, this section also seeks to explore the processes by which innovations are adopted. One of the better developed theories which explain how, why, and the rate at which ideas, practices, and technologies spread across cultures is Rogers’ “diffusion of innovations” theory (Rogers 1995). Key to the diffusion theory are the five characteristics that individuals perceive in any innovation. According to the theory, innovations which embody or are supported by these five characteristics tend to be adopted more rapidly compared with innovations which do not possess these traits. The five include the relative advantage the innovation brings, the compatibility with existing values, the complexity of comprehension and use, trialability or the opportunity to experiment, and observability of results and benefits the innovation brings (1995, 15-16).
Dr Calvin Chong Associate Professor in Educational Studies, Singapore Bible College
Another key idea in the theory of diffusion is Rogers’ proposal of a continuum of individual responses to innovations. Five ideal types or “adopter categories” are proposed. These include innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards (Rogers 1995, 263-280). As the labels suggest, with any new idea, practice, or technology that surfaces, there will be the champions and cynics as well as the progressives and traditionalists. Their differences in posture – reflected in the five adopter categories – will influence the rates and fates of innovation adoption. Becoming aware of these two key ideas and their interplay is critical for understanding responsiveness and resistance toward communications and other technological innovations. These insights help us to account for and make sense of digital divides, generational gaps, and cultural tensions that arise
and experienced.
“What are some recent innovations in communications and new media technologies? What is the impact of these innovations on life and behaviour? What are the implications that seminaries and churches need to be mindful of and to act upon?” Editor’s Note: A bibliography will accompany part 3 of this essay.
54 | HARVEST FORCE
Missio Dei “The mission of God must begin with God.” Mission begins with God. At its simplest level, that is the emphasis in the Latin term Missio Dei. It is God’s mission. Sometimes a stimulus to mission appears to be a cry for help. There are many places around the world where needs are not being met. These could be spiritual, economic, social or political. So a mission movement begins as a response. At other times, the rallying cry for mission is that we should be holistic. A mission movement is initiated in response to what appears to be an overemphasis, or a lack of it, on a particular aspect – for example, evangelism without paying attention to social engagement, or the transformation of society, or even the neglect of signs and wonders. A new organisation is formed in order to include these other aspects, or incorporate them all, under the claim that it is aimed at being holistic. While these developments appear to be noble, and may be filling a hole in the wider mission movement, they all nevertheless begin from a “man-centred” point. But the mission of God must begin with God. If somehow a movement is not triggered by a call from God, it could simply be an individual’s or a group’s sincere intentions. But really, God has not called them to start that new movement. There are principles in Scripture where God gave instructions regarding missions. We call Matthew 28:19-20 as the Great Commission. But that is not the only passage where He commissions His disciples. We find similar though not identical occasions in all the Gospels as well as in Acts. These passages describe the mandate regarding what that mission is to encompass. However, there is also specificity in the strategic directions in which the apostles were supposed to venture into mission. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were called and set aside for a special ministry as led by the Spirit of God. In the chapters following, it became clearer that their ministry was mainly to reach the Gentiles with the gospel. The barrier to reaching the Gentiles had been earlier removed when Peter was led to preach to them at the house of Cornelius, and that while doing so, the Holy Spirit fell on them. The church at Jerusalem later affirmed this to be a clear sign that the gospel was meant for the Gentiles also.
A CLOSING THOUGHT | 55
Paul was a pioneer church planter. However,
At other times, there may be opportunities
he did not just go where he thought was a
that are open that may appear as trigger
good place to be. At times, he was aware
points to begin a new direction, project or
that the Spirit of God did not want him to go
movement in missions. Yet these may not
to where he had earlier planned (Acts 16:6,
necessarily be of God. An open door alone is
7). This did not mean that the gospel was
not a definite indicator that the opportunity
not going to reach that place but that it just
has been presented to us by God, knowing
was not Paul who was the one to do it. At
that we have a deceiver who is also at work.
other times, he was led to places he had not
There must be a calling by God upon us to
planned (Acts 16:8-10).
move in that particular direction.
All the above points, however, should not
There are other aspects of Missio Dei that will
be confused with the efforts of individual
be considered in the forthcoming issues. In this
believers to share the gospel with those
first issue of 2014, we begin by recognising that
they meet whenever and wherever. That is
God is the initiator. We are obedient followers.
the responsibility of every disciple of Jesus
Good ideas are not necessarily God-ideas.
Christ. But for a mission movement to be
It was Samuel Johnson who said, “the road
organised, and to be recognised as a work
to Hell is paved with good intentions.� It must
where financial and human resources will be
be His idea first, before it becomes something
channelled into, sacrifices are to be made,
we will commit ourselves and our God-given
etc., calls for something more. It must be
resources to pursue.
recognised as a God-initiated and Godpurposed mission.
How can we know whether some effort begun is the work of God or not? One way is to know
Missio Dei refers to the mission movement
what God has laid out in Scripture as the core
of God in strategic ways that surpasses and
of His mission. These will be the theme that
overrides those of an individual. A mission
I will cover in later issues of Harvest Force in
movement cannot simply be the dream of an
2014..
individual without the direction of God. It may begin there, but for it to have a lasting and
Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup
wider impact, it must be of God.
Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore
The passion of an individual may not necessarily be at the direction of God. Sometimes the product of an individual’s ego can be couched and presented as if it is a move of God. The flesh often dresses itself up in nobility so as to be acceptable. Here is where caution, discretion and discernment come into play to get the direction right. Yet, for all we know, God in His sovereign grace, may later turn what was initially an individual self-effort into something that He could use for His wider purpose.
56 | HARVEST FORCE
上帝的宣教 宣教源于上帝。拉丁文“Missio Dei”就以简易的字眼强调了这一特征，这是上帝的宣教。 宣教事工往往伴随着需求的呼声而出现。世界各地仍有很多需求有待人们去解决，这些没能被满足的需 求可能包括心灵、经济、社会以及政治上的需要。宣教运动因此应需要而产生。 另一方面，宣教的口号强调我们的宣教必须是整全性的宣教。一些事工进行时往往在某方面的需要出现 偏差，不是过分强调就是严重的欠缺，譬如在传福音时忽略了对社会的关注与互动，没注意社会本身也 在蜕变，甚至忽视神迹奇事的发生等等。一个新的组织就成立了，事工也涵盖这些需要，旨在朝向整全 的宣教。 尽管这些事工的发展是以一种高尚的姿态呈现，也能够填补宣教运动中的疏漏，但事工的起点却是“以 人为中心”。上帝的宣教事工必须源自上帝。若不是源于上帝的呼召，那么，它很有可能仅是出自某个人 或某群体真诚的意愿。事实上，这个新的运动并不带有神的召命。 圣经就清楚记载了上帝给予的宣教原则，我们称马太福音28：19-20 为大使命，然而那并不是圣经中唯 一一处提及祂差派门徒出去传福音。我们在所有的福音书，包括使徒行传中都可以发现在不同场合中 有提到类似的差派。这些章节都概述了宣教包含的范畴。 尽管如此，使徒投身宣教事工时也有特定的策略方向。使徒行传13章描述保罗和巴拿巴被呼召，顺从圣 灵的引导担负特定的事工。在接下去的几章中，我们更清楚看到： 这特定的事工就是呼召他们向外邦人 传讲福音。事实上，早在彼得被引领到哥尼流家向他们传讲福音，圣灵降临在他们身上，向外邦人传福 音的障碍就去除了。耶路撒冷教会随后也肯定这是个清晰的启示：福音也要传给外邦人。 使徒保罗是植堂先锋。然而，他并没有去那些他认为是好的地方传福音；有时，他意识到自己计划前往 的地方，上帝的灵却不允许他去（徒16:6、7）。这并不意味着福音不会传到那里，这只是说明福音不是通 过保罗传去那地。在其他时候，保罗也被圣灵带领前往他计划以外的地方传福音（徒16:8-10）。
A CLOSING THOUGHT
然而上面所说的情况，和个别信徒随时随地遇见人就分享福音的努力，不能混为一谈。传讲福音是每一 个耶稣基督门徒的责任。要组织宣教运动、让这项事工得到认同，获得足够的经济与人力资源供应，作 出相应的牺牲等等，这个宣教运动必须是神启动并合祂心意的 。 “Missio Dei”意味在上帝的宣教运动中，由上帝启示的策略性方法是超越并优先于任何一个个体。一 个宣教运动是不能仅简单地源自某个体的梦想的而没有上帝的带领。当然，它可能始于某一梦想，但必 须合乎上帝的心意并经由上帝带领，才能长久并产生广泛的影响。 个人传福音的热诚，并不代表领受了神指引的方向。有些时候，个人的自我意识经过包装后也会呈现出 像是出自上帝的意念；就如普通的外表经过高贵的打扮也会被人们所接受。遇到这种情况，基督徒应当 要小心，谨慎且细心识别、确定正确的方向。然而，我们也知道，上帝至高的恩典也可能把原本的个人努 力，转化用来达成祂更广泛的目标。 也有些时候，机遇的大门被打开了，这仿佛就是开展新事工，开拓新项目及开展宣教运动的新方向。即便 如此，这些机会也不一定来自上帝。一扇敞开的大门，并不一定就是上帝赐給我们的机会，因为我们清 楚知道，除了上帝，魔鬼也伺机做工。若是上帝打开的门，祂必定会呼召我们向这特定方向前进。 接下来的几期，我们将会继续探讨与上帝的宣教相关的课题。在2014年首的这一期，我们先认识上帝才 是宣教的起始者，我们只是顺服的跟随者。但是好的主意，不一定源自上帝的意愿。十八世纪著名的英 国文学家撒母耳·约翰逊说过一句话，“通往地狱之路，常由善意铺就” 。因此在我们全然投入，注入上 帝给予的丰富资源去达成目标前，一定要确定开启这事工的意念是源自上帝。 对于已经付出的努力，我们又怎样知道是否是上帝的工作呢？其中一个方法，就是从圣经的记载去了解 上帝宣教的核心。在2014年接下来几期的“禾丰”中，我会继续与大家分享这个课题。 黄文合牧师（博士）
新加坡卫理公会会督
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