Methodist Message: July 2020 by Methodist Message

THE METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE

ISSN 0129-6868 MCI(P) 027/11/2019

Vo l 1 2 2 N o 7 J U LY 2 0 2 0

THE POST-CIRCUIT BREAKER

CHURCH

Contents

Church life Methodists in the world Christian living

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Bishop’s Message

GC 2020

Bishop’s address on COVID-19

One MCS—CAC Highlights

Church Profile—Holy Covenant Methodist Church

Home—MGS’s 133rd Founder’s Day

News—Embracing the circuit breaker and beyond

Book Review—The Sovereign God

and the Christian Disciple

News—The post-circuit breaker church

News—CYC: 300k masks for migrants

Welfare Services

18 Missions

You & Your Family

Hymns & Songs

22 Soundings 24

TRAC Bible Matters

Home—What does being a Methodist mean to you?

THINK

The official monthly publication of The Methodist Church in Singapore. Published material does not necessarily reflect the official view of The Methodist Church.

Adviser and Publisher Dr Anthony Goh Chairperson Council on Communications

Editor Sheri Goh

Sub-editor

All Scripture quoted is based on the English Standard Version unless otherwise stated. 70 Barker Road #06-04 Singapore 309936 6478-4793 | 6478-4763 message.methodist.org.sg | www.methodist.org.sg newmm@methodist.org.sg

Tan Chiu Ai

fb.com/Methodist.SG

Communications Executive

@methodist.sg

Jason Woo

Design & Production by Londonbob Design

Have something to say or share? Email us at newmm@methodist.org.sg

BISHOP’S MESSAGE Bishop Dr Chong Chin Chung was elected Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore in 2016. He served as President of the Chinese Annual Conference from 2008 to 2016.

The Post-COVID-19 Challenge for MCS “Him we proclaim with all wisdom…” (Col 1:28)

Virtual meetings and seminars

A common complaint of those involved in church ministries and programmes is having to attend endless meetings and sessions. Most classes and cell group gatherings are held either after Sunday services or on weekday evenings, leaving little time for family.

I have been asked what the MCS will be doing for a postCOVID-19 way of life. Let me share some thoughts. I welcome your comments.

During the circuit breaker period, all were advised to stay home and face-to-face gatherings were banned. Worship services, choir practices, Bible study classes and cell group sessions were conducted online. The virtual meetings have helped reduce the time spent away from home, encouraging more participation in training courses and meetings. Not only has general effectiveness improved, there is also closer interaction among participants. Furthermore, geographical distance is no longer a barrier to inviting eminent speakers to conduct courses. This has indeed been an unexpected advantage.

e are in the midst of a three-phase approach to resuming activities safely after Singapore’s circuit breaker ended on 1 June 2020. While we look forward to life returning to normal, the government has warned that things will not be the same as before the pandemic. Even if a vaccine is developed, we shall have to accept a new normal—living with the coronavirus—as it may never be totally eradicated.

Online Sunday Worship Services Over the last two months, we have been streaming Sunday worship services online and the production quality of such services has improved. Many believers feel that online services are more convenient and they can invite their pre-believing family members who do not normally attend church services to join them. Online worship services offer another option and can complement the traditional on-site mode as part of the Church’s outreach.

Giving serious regard to the faith of our church The government’s strict circuit breaker measures meant that from April, onsite worship services and Holy Communion were disallowed. Moreover, there were restrictions for the production of online services e.g. no more than two persons were allowed to lead worship and praise, and the duration of each service, including the sermon, must not exceed one hour. This gave rise to much discussion among Christian netizens of different denominations and religious backgrounds about church systems and structures, online worship services, Holy Communion, baptism and online wedding services. Many believers seemed confused and unsure who to listen to. Some members from the same traditional church background ignored instructions and did things

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

Bishop’s Message

The Post-COVID-19 Challenge for MCS

their own way. This was when church ministers realised the importance of teaching about their own church organisation, beliefs and worship liturgy so that their members can be more discerning.

Social groups that need our greater concern The COVID-19 pandemic exposed our society’s long-term neglect of the living conditions of migrant workers and fringe groups. This has had an effect on social and religious organisations—in particular, on MCS, which emphasises loving our neighbours as ourselves. There is much to be done to show our care and concern, and extend help to migrant workers and fringe groups as well as other vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. Our Church needs to do a comprehensive review of our ministry among these communities and redouble our effects to extend help and care to them.

How will the Church meet the new challenges? It is time we reviewed the practice of spending almost $10m for a 30-year lease on a plot of land and another $10m for a church building. Instead, based on actual needs and conditions, we could consider a strategy to acquire technical expertise as well as hardware and software

for producing and streaming online programmes. Online seminars and training courses ought to be an important part of the new norm. Some of our bigger churches are already equipped for producing online programmes. Our local and Annual Conferences could perhaps explore the sharing of resources so as to help those that need assistance. On its part, the General Conference can consider developing its multimedia outreach ministry. During the circuit breaker, workers, with a few exceptions, were required to work from home. Although some businesses were affected by reduced on-site coordination of work processes, working from home has been deemed to be generally viable. What will it mean for our church staff? Perhaps not all churches of the future can afford to provide on-site workspaces for all their pastoral and administrative staff. Rather than giving priority to office space, churches with limited space may prefer to use their space for activities and gatherings of their members and social communities. One thing is certain: we will have to adapt to a new normal after COVID-19. It will create opportunities for the Church and chart new milestones for the gospel ministry. Let us take it to heart, plan and make our preparations.

The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) will be holding its 12th Session of the General Conference (GC) from 7 to 11 Sep 2020 and 2 to 4 Dec 2020.

GC 2020 Call for petitions for the BOD

his regular session of the GC is held once every four years (a quadrennium), where delegates from the three Annual Conferences (CAC, ETAC and TRAC) come together to revise church laws, approve work plans and budgets for church-wide programmes, as well as adopt resolutions on moral and social issues. The GC organises councils and agencies for the general work of MCS, and during the course of its regular session, elections are held for various officers of the GC and of these councils and agencies to serve in the coming quadrennium. This includes the election of a Bishop to oversee the affairs of MCS and the work of the GC.

At its regular sessions, the GC also receives and debates petitions, which are proposals to make changes to The Book of Discipline (BOD), our rule book that describes how we are organised and administered, and contains our Constitution and Doctrinal Statements and General Rules. While such petitions are normally initiated by the Annual Conferences, any organisation, minister or lay member of MCS may submit a petition in the following manner: Three copies of the petition must be sent to the secretary of the GC. 1

Each petition must address only one paragraph of the BOD or, if the BOD is not affected, one issue.

PETITIONS MUST BE MAILED TO ARRIVE BEFORE OR ON 9 JULY 2020 TO:

Each petition must be signed by the person submitting it, accompanied by appropriate identification, such as address, local church, or Methodist board or agency relationship.

The General Conference Secretary (Petitions)

Petitions must be received by the secretary of the GC no later than 60 days prior to the opening session of the regular session of the GC, i.e. by 9 July 2020.

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The Methodist Church in Singapore #06-04, Methodist Centre 70 Barker Road Singapore 309936

Bishop’s address on COVID-19 ¢

O n 2 4 J u n e 2 0 2 0, B i s h o p D r C h o n g C h i n C h u n g a d d re ss e d t h e m e m b e r s o f T h e M e t h o d i s t C h u rc h i n S i n g a p o re i n a v i d e o s p e e c h . T h e f u l l v i d e o c a n b e f o u n d a t h t t p s : / / yo u t u . b e / p T 0 9 b 6 H N n b A

Dear Brothers and Sisters, peace be with you!

ast Friday, on 19 June, we entered Phase 2 of the post-circuit breaker period. It can be said that the whole nation was elated. However, the government has reminded us that

the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and therefore, it is not time yet for a big celebration. On Saturday, 20 June, during his National Broadcast, DPM Heng Swee Keat highlighted that it was the bravery and tireless work of the healthcare and frontline workers that had kept us safe all this while. Let us give them our heartfelt thanks. We have heard the ministers continually emphasise that for Singapore to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, it depends on everyone joining in, with the sense that we are all in the same boat and we must pull together. In the past few months, the Church seems to have gotten used to attending weekly services online. Yet the majority of us still hope that we can quickly resume the corporate worship services, for we long to be with the brothers and sisters, as we sing praises to the Lord, listen to our pastors as they deliver their sermons, together partake in the Holy Communion, and enjoy each other’s fellowship as we remember God’s grace. Such sentiments are to be expected, yet at all times, we must look out not just for our own interests but also for others. We should not forget about the health and safety of the people around us even as we assert our rights. Therefore, I hope that every Methodist will remember to help and show care to each other, especially to the seniors or those more vulnerable among us. Remember that we are to love God with all our heart and mind, and at the same time, to love our neighbours as ourselves. The blessings of health and peace be upon you! And bless our nation with early victory over the COVID-19 pandemic, and may the vaccine for the virus be developed before long.

Fo r t h e l a t e s t u p d a t e s o n MC S ’s re s p o n s e t o COV I D -1 9 , g o t o

https://www.methodist.org.sg/COVID-19

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

One MCS ¢

CAC Highlights

By the CAC Communications Team / Photos courtesy of CAC

CAC together during COVID-19 CAC and churches have been supporting one another during COVID-19 pandemic. For more details reporting, please refer to the CAC News June 2020 COVID-19 Special Issue.

CAC prays together “CAC COVID-19 Daily Prayers & Bible Verses” was launched on 14 Feb 2020 as a means for CAC to provide daily Bible verses and unify members to pray together. Initially intended as a 30-day prayer project, our members’ strong response led to CAC providing prayers for more than 100 days! Supported by a team of CAC pastors and Conference staff, the COVID-19 Bible Verses have become a daily commitment to provide meaningful heartfelt prayers in English and Mandarin, accompanied by impactful images for each Bible verse. Scheduled to be released at 7.30 a.m. on CAC’s Facebook (@cac.singapore) and Instagram (@CACTogether) pages, the purpose is to unify our followers in praying for COVID-19 concerns first thing each morning. This daily resource has been warmly welcomed by CAC churches and members. Many of them share the verses on their social media pages, or forward them to their congregations via WhatsApp. The CAC-created licence-free Bible verses have also become an additional resource collection for the churches’ use during their online sermons. Sengkang MC has also helped to re-package the visual images into audio tracks, so that those without access to social media or WhatsApp could still listen to the prayers every day. These tracks were uploaded to skmc.org.sg/resources/ cpe2020 daily over the month of June.

Loving our neighbours Prior to the circuit breaker, many of our CAC church family responded to the commandment to “love our neighbour” (Luke 10:27). In the words of the Rev Ling Tieng Ngung, Pastor-in-Charge of Toa Payoh CMC, we are reminded that “the ministry of the gospel needs to begin with the needs of people in mind”. At a time when the pandemic stirs up worry and stress, thoughtful arrangements by churches to distribute hand sanitisers, masks, vitamins, meals and even little cards of blessings to neighbouring communities are ways in which we, as a Church, can care for the community. During the circuit breaker, CAC churches came together with TRAC and ETAC brothers and sisters to provide their church premises as Safe Sound Sleeping Places (S3P) to house the homeless. 4

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GMC Befrienders sending warm meals to neighbouring residents TPCMC team ready for distribution of hand sanitisers

HCMC young adults preparing care packs for elderly community

Board of Family Life (BoFL) webinars on Zoom! One of the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the circuit breaker’s strict stay-home restrictions was a rise in family tensions at home. Recognising this as an issue of concern, the CAC Board of Family Life arranged two series of webinars in May and June 2020. Assembling Family Life experts from our CAC churches, the webinars, offered separately in English and Mandarin, offered tips to help individuals and families better manage their emotions, communicate and manage conflicts, and establish stronger relationships with spouse and family. Besides sharing of biblical lessons on these topics, there were also sessions on how to find emotional healing in God and how to bring up spiritually strong families and helping children and teenagers to adjust to the “new normal”.

This was the first time a CAC Board had hosted a public webinar and we praise God for the strong response. The talks had an average of about 100 persons logging on and participants’ feedback on how they valued these webinars was an encouragement to CAC. It was also a great opportunity for the CAC administrative team to learn how to conduct webinars, and we give thanks to God for bringing us through the webinars with few hiccups. The sessions have also allowed CAC to begin thinking about how online webinars could be an alternative to running physical events, even after the circuit breaker restrictions are lifted.

With CAC’s annual Methodist Young Leaders’ Conference 2020 and other physical gatherings being put on hold, some pastors and youth workers of CAC churches came together and prayerfully organised the first-ever online event of BOYM, “Windows of Love”. Held on 29 May over Zoom, it was attended by some 100 members from various CAC churches. The event started with a time of praise and worship, followed by an interactive sermon by the Rev Glenn Tan, who utilised online platforms like Mentimeter and Kahoot. Three blessed winners of the Kahoot quiz even received prizes sent directly to them through delivery platforms that evening itself. The event concluded with a time of group discussions where participants reflected on their knowledge of the Bible. Amazingly, as there were fewer schedule conflicts or having to rush from work, the virtual gathering actually saw many new faces joining CAC’s BOYM event for the first time.

BOYM is in the midst of planning another virtual event in the near future. Follow @cacboym on Instagram and @cac.bym on Facebook for more updates!

BOFLCovidTalk Poster

Echoing the words in the book of Hebrews, let us always make the effort to #CACTogetherYouths. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward BOFL CB Webinars Poster

love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb 10:24–25)

BOYM Interactive sharing with Kahoot

CAC Board of Youth Ministry (BOYM) — Windows of Love

BOYM Worship

BOYM Windows of Love

During the circuit breaker, CAC BOYM constantly reached out to young people through social media platforms. The preparation for BOYM to conduct online meetings came as early as February 2020. While running Finding Your Place (FYP), CAC’s discipleship programme for youths, various online videoconference platforms such as Zoom, Skype and Discord were explored. As such, BOYM was able to adapt quickly to the use of online meeting platforms. We thank God that even during this period, CAC BOYM could still honour its 3C purpose: to Connect, Coach and Counsel.

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2021 Admissions Now Open ACS (International) Singapore is a distinctive international secondary school open to all Singaporeans & other nationalities, offering an all-round English-based education for students aged 12 to 18 years leading to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).

61 Jalan Hitam Manis, Singapore 278475

Building Through Belief, this school of choice provides

• Exceptional examination results, very strong value-added achievement and an allround holistic education • 50:50 mix of local and international teachers who uphold the dual Methodist ethos and ACS heritage • Small class sizes with overall student-teacher ratio of 8.7 : 1 • 40 different CCAs – 16 Sporting, 12 Visual and Performing Arts, 12 Special Interest Groups • Over 25 overseas trips per year • Over 200 formal student leadership positions • Scholarships for 4 Singaporeans to undertake the IBDP

Achievements include

Mr Rob Burrough Principal

Mrs Tan Siew Hoon Vice Principal

• Students with perfect score of 45 points in IBDP • 20 “Top in the World” awards in IGCSE examinations over each of the past nine years • Students accepted to Oxford and Cambridge universities for the past eight years • Admissions to top universities in the UK, the US, Australia and Singapore • PSLE and Singapore GCE ‘O’ Level students achieve outstanding value-added examination results for the IBDP with improved pathways to good universities • Successes at national level in Athletics, Touch Rugby, Debating, Orchestra, Volleyball, Taekwondo, Ice Hockey, Fencing, Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Rhythmic Gymnastics and Wushu.

What the parents say…

Mr Gavin Kinch Vice Principal

Dr Kristopher Achter Vice Principal

For more information Please contact Joseph Ng or Serene Lim at +65 6472 1477 or admissions@acsinternational.edu.sg

“ACS (International) ignites students' passion to learn through building strong relationships with deeply devoted and highly experienced teachers and excellent pedagogic and sporting infrastructure. The school has achieved a fine blend of academic rigour and holistic learning. The emphasis on CCAs and community service as well as the ample opportunities for student leadership makes ACS (International) a 'cut above' and the preferred choice for our children.” Larisa and Shivinder Singh “Sending our daughter to ACS (International) was the best decision we made. She used to be shy and introverted and has now become a confident, caring and motivated student leader.” Debra and Samuel Koh “We deeply appreciate the contribution ACS (International) has made towards making our son confident, capable and thoughtful. The school has provided an environment of personal care, support and encouragement to nurture him into a compassionate young man. We are also very proud of his academic, leadership, co-curricular and public speaking skill development.” Anju Uppal “We like the holistic learning environment of ACS (International). Apart from academics, the school gives the students plenty of learning opportunities outside the walls of the classroom through service trips in continents as far as Africa, school projects and events, CCAs, student leadership roles and more. Our children thoroughly enjoy the IB programme, the holistic environment of the school, and are very proud to be students of ACS (International). The school has helped our children to grow and mature in so many ways, whilst equipping them with the necessary skills needed for their university studies and future endeavours. We are very glad to have sent both of our children to ACS (International).” Steven and Pau Kim Kan

Church Profile ¢

Holy Covenant Methodist Church

The Rev Edmund Koh Lik Hng is the Pastor-in-charge of HCMC./ Photos courtesy of HCMC

Finding, flourishing and finishing Fun fact: Holy Covenant Methodist Church (HCMC) is both 23 years old and 57 years old! (Find out why below.)

CMC officially became a local conference on 1 Jan 1997. But its history is intertwined with the rich legacy of Telok Ayer Methodist Church, which birthed it as the Telok Blangah Preaching Point three decades earlier in 1963. In the 57 years since then, HCMC has grown in average attendance from 10 worshippers to the current 200 or so across its three worship services in Mandarin, English and Hokkien. As HCMC does not have its own church building, we have been worshipping in the auditorium of the Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) at Dover Road since 2004. Over the years, God has used different ministries at different times to spur the growth of the church. Three of these are worthy of mention: Grace Fellowship, Ruth Home ministry and Enyue Fellowship. Grace Fellowship was started in 2006 and is still ongoing as a ministry to reach out to Chinese nationals, especially postgraduate students and young professionals. Ruth Home ministry (2013–18) reached out to Chinesespeaking nurses and nursing students by offering them subsidised rental in Ruth Home Hostel. This ministry really served the needs of the nurses in its time and brought many to the Lord. In 2017, Enyue Fellowship was started to reach out to Malaysians working or studying in Singapore. This has led to a steady growth in Malaysian young adults worshipping with us.

We understand our presence in Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) as a unique privilege to partner and support the school and we always seek opportunities to do so. Some of our church members have helped out in Day of Grace follow-up sessions, as mentors for Famchamps camp and as parents supporting at-risk students. This year, we are excited for two launches: our first run of the Happiness Group ( 幸福小组 ) and a cell group among NUS Chinese students. Both are evangelistic in nature. We are currently in the final year of a three-year church theme: 2018: Finding Your Place 2019: Flourishing in Your Place 2020: Finishing in Your Place HCMC enjoys a special unity across the three language services with combined Holy Communion services once a month. Please pray for us to have greater partnership with the school and to grow as God desires for us.

HOLY COVENANT METHODIST CHURCH (Chinese Annual Conference)

Fairfied Methodist Secondary School, Auditorium, 102 Dover Road S(139649) http://www.holycovenantmc.org hcmc.sg@gmail.com 6270-7804 Online Service [Sundays]: 9.00 a.m. for both English and Chinese www.tiny.cc/youtubeHCMC Please check our website and Facebook page fb.com/hcmc.holy for post-circuit breaker service updates METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

Home ¢ Sue-Mei Tay is the Corporate Communications Manager of Methodist Girls’ School. / Photos courtesy of Methodist Girls’ School

MGS’s 133rd Founder’s Day Empowered for such a time as this

ethodist Girls’ School (MGS) celebrates her 133rd birthday this year and the school’s theme for 2020 is “Empowered”, inspired by 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). Just as the apostle Paul wrote to encourage Timothy to stand strong amidst tough times, the verse reminds us not to allow ourselves to be gripped by fear or crippled by circumstances that we may face in life. Rather, we should learn to fix our eyes on God and draw from Him the power, love and self-discipline to surmount life’s challenges. It is fitting then, that in this extraordinary year of COVID-19, the MGS community has stepped up and pulled together as one to cope with the tidal wave of change and challenges. Students, teachers and administrative staff displayed dedication, selflessness and a can-do spirit as they made the necessary adjustments with new daily practices and methods of teaching and learning, as well as alternative ways to continue with the work at hand. During the unprecedented full homebased learning that had to be conducted in April, MGS teachers and students rose to the occasion admirably with courage and determination. Thus, teaching and learning continued online with virtual lessons and assignments, even for Music and PE! While COVID-19 may be a “C” word that has impacted each and every person, the MGS community remembers 3Cs with which

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

they met the headwinds of 2020: Courage, Compassion and Creativity. There was the courage to try new things and take on new challenges with a positive attitude amidst global uncertainty and fear, the compassion to reach out to the community to rally and support others in need and share their blessings and the creativity to look at life around them in new ways and unearth opportunities and hidden insights. House leaders kept the school spirit warm and produced videos to demonstrate schoolwide activities for their schoolmates to try at home. MGS girls also took the opportunity to spend the time at home meaningfully to create art pieces and videos to encourage fellow Singaporeans, as well as share creative ideas with the school community. A group of girls who call themselves the MGrevival Squad wrote notes of encouragement to their teachers and got together each week via Google Meet to pray for the teachers and their peers. Indeed, the indomitable MGS spirit that enables each member of the community to uplift others, and be uplifted in turn, has always carried the school through its 133year history. This spirit is seen across the years when staff and students take up the mantle to lead the school to greater heights and lift high her banner. It is also evident when they rally as one to prevail in difficult circumstances, and when they steer the school together through landscape changes and global crises to remain steadfast in the MGS mission to prepare each girl for every phase of her life.

Life-long friendships are built at MGS

What powers this special MGS spirit? One, the knowledge that the people of MGS are endowed with God’s love to confidently accomplish and achieve great things for His glory. With this comes the sense of empowerment to overcome life’s challenges and to be a blessing to others. The MGS culture is deeply entrenched in the belief that talents from God should be held and used in stewardship to Him. Over the years, the #MGSBlessings movement has taken flight to impact the community in myriad ways. Two, the Methodist culture and identity which is the cornerstone of the MGS education. Miss Sophia Blackmore’s pioneering spirit, faith and heart to serve set an example to all who are living out her legacy each day. The Christian values on which the MGS education is based imbue MGS girls with a rich sense of self for their place in the world, as they seek to Master, Grow and Serve in every phase of their lives. The stewardship and leadership of the school is guided by the MGS Vision and Motto as well as the Methodist ethos, which is strongly reinforced by the school’s partnership with Covenant Community Methodist Church.

MGS was founded on 15 August 1887 by Sophia Blackmore, an Australian missionary

The school provides an allround education, and the girls excel in their CCAs

Three, the support of many stakeholders in the school’s community along the way. Parents, the Board and the alumnae enrich the ties that bind, and there is a shared sense of belonging and love for the school that compels them to give back. Whether it is an alumna who never forgets her first friendships made at school, or a young mother who imparts the same values she had learnt from a teacher to her child, MGS is never far from their hearts. The contributions of parents and old girls have greatly enabled MGS to stand tall in today’s landscape and helped to shape the future through developing tomorrow’s young leaders. Ultimately, each member of the MGS community shares and works towards a common goal—the MGS girl as the raison d’être and focus of all things done and decisions taken. At MGS, each child is important and as a school, everyone contributes to bring out the best in each child, who is unique and gifted in her own special way.

Hence, because each MGS girl, carefully shaped and enfolded with love, cherishes and carries with her a sense of duty to endow and enrich lives, she is empowered to step forward to make a difference, for such a time as this. This is also seen across the years where the women nurtured by the school have contributed in meaningful ways in all areas of society and in breaking barriers, with God’s guiding hand behind each one. In commemorating Founder’s Day this July, the accomplishment goes beyond 133 years as an established educational institution. It encompasses winning the hearts of numerous generations of MGS girls, their families and friends in the community. Indeed, the MGS girl is an example of grace, honour and servant leadership. She calls MGS home, a place where she has grown in character and personhood.

Sec 4I surprises their teachers on the last day of HBL before the May school holiday break

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

News ¢ Sheri Goh is the Editor of Methodist Message.

Embracing

the circuit breaker and beyond A th e o l o gi c a l ref l e ct i on by B i sh o p Eme r i tus Ro b e r t So lo mo n

“I

have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty” (Zeph 3:6 NIV)

s Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon viewed photos and surreal scenes of cities on COVID-19 lockdown, he looked into what God’s Word had to say. He saw that this was nothing new. He said, “God is never surprised about anything that happens on earth.” He shared this insight during a webinar talk on 28 May 2020 entitled “Embracing the Circuit Breaker and Beyond: A Theological Reflection”. It was a part of a series of online talks, “Shepherding Souls in Worship”, organised by the Methodist School of Music, which drew about 350 Christians from various denominations in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Later in the book of Zephaniah, God says, “I leave within you the meek and humble” (12:3). This tells us, Bishop Emeritus Solomon said, that God allows disturbances in the world for a very focused purpose of turning us towards Him. He quoted C. S. Lewis: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” In the Bible, the words “war” (or “sword”), “pestilence” (or “plague”) and “famine” appear often, for example in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and also in Revelation. “It looks like all of history is suffering from the combinations of these three things, which suggests to us that this will be the reality until the Lord’s return,” said Dr Solomon. For instance, the early 20th century saw three major disruptions: the Great War

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

(1914–18, more commonly known as World War I); the Great Influenza (1918–19), a pandemic that infected 500 million and killed 50 million; and the Great Depression (1929–39), a time of great poverty, unemployment and hunger. But, “if you examine the structure of the book of Revelation, you’ll find alternating scenes of terrible distress on earth contrasting with wonderful scenes of heaven and the sovereign majesty of God,” he continued. He advised that we look not only at what is going in the world, but also at God on His throne, which will give us courage, hope and faith. In the light of COVID-19, what are some implications for our worship, during the pandemic and beyond? Firstly, Bishop Emeritus Solomon said, worship must be more serious. “When the pandemic passes, we have to resist the temptation of going back to our comfort levels because we have enough—money, food and entertainment. We live in a world that is constantly in turmoil, so our worship must be consistent with that reality.” Secondly, we should include lament in our worship. A lament brings to God a complaint about this world, petitions God to do something, then moves to a statement of trust. There are 42 psalms of lament, the biggest genre in the book of Psalms, which suggests that it was an important part of Israel’s worship.

Book Review ¢ Sheri Goh is the Editor of Methodist Message.

The Sovereign God and the Christian Disciple

B Thirdly, we must recover in our worship. “Online connections are helpful—they meet a need, and we thank God for this technology— but they can never replace true community,” Bishop Emeritus Solomon said. “We need to come together to learn how to do the ‘one another’ things that we read about in the New Testament: to forgive, bear with and love one another; to bear one another’s burdens. For that, we need community.” He ended his talk with a reminder to keep our eyes open to the needy people we might not have noticed before: the marginalised, and those who were invisible. He emphasised that even when able to gather again in worship, we have to look beyond our four walls, as the Lord Jesus is Lord not just of our Church or our lives, but of the world around us. Bishop Emeritus Solomon affirmed: “God is in control; His hand is on the steering wheel. We need to trust in Him and be faithful.”

ishop Emeritus Dr Robert M. Solomon, the Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000–12, has authored more than 20 books. The Sovereign God and the Christian Disciple is his latest one.

In the first half of the book, he examines in detail the biblical teachings on God’s sovereign nature: as Creator, Saviour, Shepherd and Judge. The latter half of the book explores the implications of believing in God’s sovereignty in various areas of Christian discipleship such as free will, trusting and obeying God, praying, dealing with suffering and pain, engaging in evangelism and mission, and living with hope in this darkening world. In discussing the sovereignty of God, Bishop Emeritus Solomon describes some differences between the Calvinist Reformed theology of predestination and the Arminian teaching of prevenient grace (the view adopted by Methodist founder John Wesley). He warns against confirmation bias, where readers interpret Scripture according to whatever their position might be. Instead, he advises to “[pay] attention to the context of the passage”, and “[let] Scripture explain Scripture”. With much reference to Scripture and illustrations from both history and popular culture, Bishop Emeritus Solomon has explained and explored many difficult questions commonly asked about God’s sovereign work in the life of His disciples. Carefully structured and organised, with thoughtful questions at the end of each chapter to aid reflection and study, this book is a valuable addition to the library of any Christian disciple. The Sovereign God and the Christian Disciple By Robert M. Solomon Published by Armour Publishing (2020), 280 pages ORDER AT http://www.armourpublishing.com/product/the-sovereigngod-and-the-christian-disciple/ $28.89 Enjoy 20 per cent off the price of The Sovereign God and the Christian Disciple with the promo code AMM07 at the webstore’s checkout page (valid from 1–31 July 2020).

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News ¢ Jonathan Huang is the Deputy Director of Administration at Wesley Methodist Church. / Photos courtesy of Wesley Methodist Church

Wesley MC’s online worship services are a tapestry of the unity between pastors, staff and lay people. Shown: our Traditional, Prayer & Praise and Mandarin Ministry Services. We conduct Youth and Children’s Ministry online as well. Our services are hosted at worship. wesleymc.org

What does the LORD require of us? The post-circuit breaker church “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

hen Wesley Methodist Church (MC) went through our risk management exercise last year, we attempted to identify “black swans” that might disrupt our church and ministry. Unsurprisingly, a global pandemic was not on the list. With our usual forms of ministry gone, we had to ask ourselves, “What does the LORD require of us?” But God had planned 2020 well in advance for us, forcing long-awaited rethinks in some areas of ministry, but in many ways strengthening existing Methodist priorities, principles and practices. This is a sketch of how COVID-19 has affected Wesley MC, how it might look post-circuit breaker, and how Wesleyan principles can guide us forward.

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

“Essential services” For Wesley MC, this season has heightened our awareness of what is “essential” Christian ministry, both by what we have been doing, and what we have not been doing. Wesley MC has found ways to adapt and continue providing these ministries: •

Worship services (online)

•

Small group meetings & discipleship classes (video conferencing)

•

Pastoral care and counselling (urgent cases)

•

Social outreach (financial assistance, distribution of essential goods etc.)

Weekday discipleship has also increased in significance and frequency: •

Daily devotions on social media (written and video)

•

Church-wide synchronised prayer (on Wednesday nights)

•

Meetings with ministry committees, leaders and volunteers

Yet it would be wrong to think that what we have not done is therefore not essential. In fact, our deep longing to resume these activities indicate their importance to the life of the church: •

Physical gatherings (for corporate worship, camps, fellowship etc.)

•

Presence with fellow believers (through bereavements, illness and hardship etc.)

•

In-person outreach (through youth/elderly centres, mission trips etc.)

•

And many more!

“Checking-in” is something everyone can do. We have had Small Group Challenges in which members bought food for each other, and even exercised together. During our online services, we pause the video to text five friends for our virtual greeting time.

I personally hope the shift to “weekday discipleship” will continue. While weekend activities will always take up significant time and energy, the “everyday” should have increased focus even after the circuit breaker if we are to make true disciples of Christ.

“Check-in culture” We are all now every familiar with using our mobile phones to “check-in” at shops and malls. We also use these devices to “check-in” with our loved ones to make sure they are doing well. Our church also decided to “check-in” with Wesleyans by initiating “Call to Care”, an exercise where we mobilised 138 staff and volunteer “Care Ambassadors” to call every person in our membership database. The phone calls were well received, and we were able to identify members’ pastoral needs, update them on our church’s online activities, and share joy with them. Wendy Tan, a Care Ambassador, said, “At first I was a little apprehensive, but I soon got the hang of it. Those that I called expressed appreciation and it was heartening to learn that most were holding up well! One told me about her joy of cooking for the family. Another who as working from home realised she now had more time in the evenings, and wanted to join a Small Group. I am glad I volunteered for this, although it took courage. I found that God can use me in ways I had never expected.”

The Wesley Cares info sheet informing members of contact points and online ministry as we conducted our “Call to Care”

Health is all aspects—spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical! Small Group members help to keep each other fit through an exercise challenge

I pray this proactive “check-in culture” will become a permanent feature of our church communities. Many struggles in our world are invisible, hidden in broken homes and with broken hearts. Their burdens can be lessened with an outstretched hand and a listening ear.

“Virtual (is) reality” In the first days of the outbreak, we suspended many courses and meetings in a “wait and see” approach. We felt that “online” ministry would not have the same quality as “in-person” ministry. However, as the situation worsened, we realised that doing something was better than doing nothing at all, and restarted many meetings and ministry online. In the process, we found that online experiences could still be meaningful for our spiritual growth. For example, we initially suspended our weekly staff devotions and corresponded via WhatsApp instead. However, as we familiarised ourselves with video conferencing, we reinstated groups meeting online. Seeing each other’s faces and hearing familiar voices certainly made working from home a lot less mundane!

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What does the LORD require of us? I see online ministry continuing to complement our usual forms of ministry in a post-circuit breaker world. Whether they are in-person or virtual, our bonds are genuine because the Holy Spirit makes us God’s family across space and time, just as they were with the New Testament churches who corresponded over distance; we join them in longing to see each other in person once again.

“The Wesleyan way” “By religion, I mean the love of God and Man filling the heart and governing the life.”

John Wesley saw faith as wholly involved from the inward heart to the outward life, expressed through works of piety (loving God) and works of mercy (loving man). A complete Christian life involves all at once. So while many Methodist churches have seen reductions in offerings, and it would have been tempting to focus solely on our own congregational needs, I have been heartened to see many of our churches make it a point to devote resources to help the needy in society. Wesley MC has continued to support the community, especially migrant workers, through existing and new partnerships, such as adopting two dormitories through the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach. We have also commissioned a “COVID-Acts of Kindness” task force to identify specific needs and how we can bless others, including frontline and healthcare workers.

t f i G e h T

Social outreach is non-negotiable in Methodist practice. It is baked into to our constitution in the Book of Discipline. It is exactly what God requires of us in Micah 6:8, to “do justly” and to “love mercy”. They are not things to do “after” we have done the essentials, but are themselves essential.

“What does God require?”

—John Wesley, “Of Former Things”

Blessing packs for Cleaners and Thank You Cards for Healthcare Workers as small gestures of appreciation for little and big things that people do for our country

Yet if there is one thing that should carry on long after this season, it is the last injunction to “walk humbly” with God, and to place our utter reliance and dependence on Him at all times. This was a time of great uncertainly, and following in the tradition of the New Testament Church, this was a season of many “pastoral letters” from our leaders, through video and the written word. Our leaders in our churches openly acknowledged our initial unpreparedness for this situation, and exhorted us to direct our gaze and reliance on Christ. They explained how our church would continue to be faithful, and asked for prayer and unity. No matter the situation, may our “phase one” always involve looking to God first and asking Him to guide us each step of the way as we submit our lives to His hands. This is the most “essential service” we must perform if we are to be true disciples of Christ. No matter what happens, the best of all is that God is with us!

The Alpha Singapore team is continuing to

equip practitioners who want to run Alpha, so more people can learn about Jesus! However, fundraising activities have been severely affected due to the current Covid-19 situation. Would you consider giving in support of the Alpha ministry today? Your gift to Alpha Singapore goes towards helping people share Jesus, the greatest gift. And their gift to you will put a smile on your face! Alpha Singapore has partnered with several local brands to send Blessing Packs to all who pledge to donate $50 monthly for a year. Love what you receive in the Blessing Packs? Offer more support to these brands by gifting their products to your family, friends, or Alpha guests! To donate, please visit: http://singapore.alpha.org/sharethegift You can choose to give a one-time donation of $600 or give $50 over a period of 12 months. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity.

News ¢ By the MCS Communications Team / Photos courtesy of CYC Tailor/CYC Made to Measure

CYC : 300k masks for migrants A household name since 1935, CYC Made to Measure is a homegrown tailor helmed by managing director Fong Loo Fern, who is also the chairperson of Methodist Welfare Services (MWS).

ith the spread of COVID-19, many of CYC’s projects in China stalled due to work stoppages. Singaporeans also stopped shopping for work

wear. Business levels at CYC plunged by 80 per cent. The staff, including Loo Fern, took salary cuts. It pleaded with landlords to reduce their rent in order to stay afloat. Three weeks before the circuit breaker, as Loo Fern was reflecting on a friend’s idea to sew masks for charity, the Holy Spirit prompted her to donate these masks to migrant workers. Soon after, the CYC team began researching and prototyping mask designs. The prompting turned out to be perfectly timed. This was how the 300k Masks for Migrants initiative was born. A call for volunteers was posted on CYC’s Facebook page. Within a day, it received an overwhelming response. The project had more than enough volunteers, including

Designer Chia Link Kwee sewing a reusable mask. The team has researched and prototyped many different designs for the best possible fit.

detainees referred by the Singapore Prison Service, to help with the sewing. The response to the mask-making initiative was completely unexpected; it was also heartening to see an outpouring of goodwill from Singaporeans from all walks of life. CYC continues to make corporate-friendly reusable masks (incorporating a water-repellent anti-viral filter) from their renowned Egyptian Cotton shirt fabrics, which are sold on its website. The sales help to support the Masks for

The CYC team believes in zerowaste and has stored up highquality fabrics left over from producing their tailored shirts. These are now put to good use for making reusable masks.

Migrants initiative too. Like all other businesses, CYC has had to adapt swiftly to keep up with COVID-19 measures. Loo Fern describes feeling like falling into a deep chasm at times. Nevertheless, the

Batches of pre-cut mask kits ready for delivery to sewing volunteers. Each mask kit contains 300 fabric masks.

team has buckled down and found new ways to diversify their business. Reminding everyone to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not to lean on our own understanding (Prov 3:5), Loo Fern said: “When we are in a storm, it can get scary and our faith is tested. But, if we trust in the Lord and remain positive, we can overcome. It is really important to know where we can draw strength from.” METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

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METHODIST MESSAGE, JULY 2013

Welfare Services ¢ By the Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) Communications Team / Photo courtesy of Methodist Welfare Services

As we obey, HE enables Providing healing to the dying

hen Edmund Tan was approached by a friendly face at the nursing home where his wife, Winnie, was serving as a volunteer befriender, to serve as well, he gently protested. “No, no, I can’t do it. I don’t have any experience in healthcare. Besides, I’m quite shy myself.” It has been 10 years since that fateful encounter. Today, 71-year-old Edmund and 62-year-old Winnie are active befrienders to the chronically ill and elderly sick served by Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) through its nursing homes and home care & home hospice service.

This is the mission of the MWS palliative team—to provide quality of life for patients with life-threatening illnesses, and to support their caregivers—physically, psychosocially and spiritually. Regardless of their stage of life or condition of health, everyone deserves dignity and holistic care to the end.

“It was God at work,” Winnie said about Edmund’s change of heart. He had been feeling quite low at one point in time because of health issues. But God sustained him and, in thanksgiving, Edmund decided to take up that invitation to volunteer.

MWS Assistant Chaplain, Chua Chiew Poh, weighs in: “Some patients may be declining physically but we see improvements in them spiritually and emotionally. Others suffer from incurable degenerative illnesses, yet became more resilient. Through the songs that we play for them, prayer support and recounting the blessings in their lives, patients sometimes discover new meaning. Despite the physical pain and suffering, some of them radiate peace and, in certain cases, joy as well. Spiritual care and love are what complete palliative care.”

As a nurse clinician, Winnie had thought that serving as a befriender to the elderly sick was a natural thing to do. Yet, she confessed that it was not so much her healthcare professional experience that had given her any advantage. Instead, it was God who multiplied the impact of her gift with people when she simply obeyed His commandment to love her neighbours. She thanks God for enabling the genuine exchange and many deep connections she has made. The couple, who worships at Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, remembers the first person they were assigned to. “An elderly gentleman was fighting late-stage cancer. We found out that his family was embroiled in conflict, and he was a non-believer. During our visits, we would chat and sing with him. Sometimes, all I did was hold his hand and just be there. When he eventually passed, we were thankful to see the peace on his face,” Winnie recalled. She also shared about a 96-year-old lady who loved to chat and tease her with cheeky Cantonese riddles and rhymes. “The times we spent together were wonderful and filled with laughter. She reminded me of my late mother.” As professionals in hospice service would attest, what Edmund and Winnie have been doing is an extension of the psychosocial and spiritual support offered in palliative care. For those facing end of life, their need to find meaning in suffering, and to regain peace and mental strength becomes even greater and stronger. Listening to their stories is as critical as managing physical pain and symptoms.

As Edmund reflected on his befriending journey, he said, “We had started on this thinking that because we have been so blessed, we should also bless others. Eventually, we found ourselves blessed many times over.” Winnie agreed: “God is love and His love is unconditional. I want to be more like Him. All we need is to surrender and He will use us.” MWS is one of only a few charities in Singapore that runs an integrated home hospice and home care service for chronically ill and frail people. The suite of services provided include: • • • • • • • •

home-based palliative care medical and nursing care therapy assisted showering diaper changing grooming light housekeeping elder-sitting or respite care

Find out how you can contribute to MWS Home Care & Home Hospice www.mws.sg volunteer@mws.sg

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

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Missions ¢ Col (Ret) Quek Koh Eng is the Field & Church Engagement Director in MMS, and the MMS Area Director for Thailand and Vietnam. He worships at Charis Methodist Church

The laity and its place in the Church

disciple is one who responds to Jesus’ call to follow Him. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The challenge is for all who are called by God to take their faith seriously, grow as disciples of Christ, and not be content to be merely pew warmers but true believers who know and serve the will of God.

The obvious difference between the work and fruit of the Holy Spirit in each believer’s life: the work of the Spirit is the direct result of the Spirit’s active ministry; the fruit of the Spirit is the outcome of His indwelling and our yielding to Him. Galatians 5:17–23 tells of the sharp contrast between the works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit (nine of them) is spoken of in the singular, signifying the oneness of the fruit. The believer is not complete until he manifests all nine graces—a journey of sanctification. For every believer, sanctification is the will of God (1 Th 4:3, KJV), a subject so important that it (and holiness) is mentioned 1066 times in the Bible.

There is a divine blueprint for each and every one of God’s people, which is suited to our personalities, talents, needs, potentialities and environment. God has ordained certain specific tasks and works for each individual believer (Eph 2:1). We are to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1), and there is a different race for each one of us. Paul “finished [his] course” (2 Tim 4:7, KJV) when he fulfilled his ministry by completing his work.

At conversion, the believer receives the justified life—he is made righteous. This is followed by a consecrated life, during which we acknowledge the Lord’s ownership of our lives: “Ye are not your own… bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19—20, KJV). At the altar of consecration, we yield our lives and our wills to the Lord but we cannot live in a vacuum. Our lives must be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18), who is our teacher and counsellor, and He will anoint us with power and for understanding God’s truth.

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

The layman’s place in the Church One reason for the failure of some new covenant churches is that they become one-man affairs or are run by pastoral central teams. The pew-sitter leaves the work of evangelism, preaching, worship, teaching and visitation of members to the pastors. But God’s order has always been that every believer should be a witness: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). John Wesley said of evangelism, that “we are all at it and at it always”, a perspective that drove the Moravian and Wesleyan revivals. Stephen and Philip were the first two deacons elected in the early Church, and their influence over the Church was perhaps more than that of any others besides Peter and Paul. Stephen was just a layman, and he did great wonders because he was “full of faith and power” (Acts 6:8, KJV). Stephen’s life and death had an incalculable effect upon the history of the world in his influence upon Saul of Tarsus. The leaders in the synagogue “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10). Their anger flared into murderous hatred. Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian Church. A layman is not of the clergy but the laity—an ordinary member of the church. Revival and church spiritual growth are necessary to get the ordinary church member to do personal evangelism and church ministry work. The reason that we find personal involvement not forthcoming is that we are spiritually cold. Therefore, it is fitting and necessary for each church member to be active for Christ. The Lord asks us to use the talents that He has given us. As we use our talents, they and others will develop—the man with five talents gained five more (Matt 25:15). In the mission fields of the Methodist Missions Society (MMS), many indigenous churches are run by the pastor alone, with a handful of untrained and unskilled helpers. In the past two years, MMS has intentionally implemented and intensified the equipping and training of our laity in the various fields. However, the process can be better reinforced with the participation of our Methodist churches in Singapore. The active participation of the laity in churches and church planting (evangelism) is critical in helping churches to experience healthy and balanced church growth. We will then be able to see the realisation of more and more Great Commission churches that are self-sustainable in due course, similar to what the Methodist churches experienced 200 years ago.

Effective ways for laity to be involved in the Church Christ is the Head of the body and we are members of His body. “The Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Col 2:19; Eph 1:22—23). As members of the body, we are created to worship God and to glorify Him on the earth (Eph 1:4–6); to evangelise the world with the Gospel (Matt 28:19– 20); to teach and instruct Christians (Ephesians 4:11–15); and to witness constantly (Acts 1:8). There are many ways the layman can participate in and contribute to the Church as His workman created to do good works. Besides keeping fellowship with God, we must also keep fellowship with other believers and make constant contacts with the unsaved, wait for opportunities to witness to them and invite them to be saved. One effective way of maintaining fellowship with other Christians is through small group ministry. Here are some ways we can be effective layman in our respective churches: •

Encourage your pastors so that they may keep on fighting the battle actively as they too may become discouraged.

•

Organise Bible study classes or book studies in your church or at home for new converts.

•

Be actively involved in mission work at home or abroad to bring God’s love and blessing to the unsaved, poor, and needy.

•

Teach in Sunday School.

•

Invite others to Christian campaigns, rallies or evangelistic events like the Alpha Course. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t come. Be cheerful and keep inviting them again.

•

Equip yourself to share with a pre-believer and bring them to Christ.

•

Be a counsellor or helper. Be willing to share your testimony.

•

Stand in the gap to pray for the church, pastors and church leaders. Join the intercessory prayer group.

•

Give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, and visit the sick and prisoners. (Matt 25:34–36)

•

Finally, do what we can, as best as we can, all the time.

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You & Your Family ¢ Benny Bong has been a family and marital therapist for more than 30 years, and is a certified work-life consultant. He was the first recipient of the AWARE Hero Award, received in 2011, and is a member of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church.

Being in limbo

s I write this, Singapore is just coming out of its circuit breaker, a period of unprecedented measures of enforced social distancing. Even when the post-circuit breaker phase three ends, life as we know it will have changed. We have been told to be prepared for a “new normal”. What this may mean and how long it will last is uncertain. I call this being in limbo—a tentative state of being in-between, neither in the situation of the past nor in some desired state of the future.

I know that eating shellfish upset my stomach, I should stop doing so. But what happens when our need for neat explanations is not met and we feel that our world is unpredictable? We should not throw our hands up in despair. Instead, let us hold on to the belief that the One who created all things has His reasons for why things happen; that He is in control and has not abandoned us to our own devices. And importantly, that we are still His beloved.

For many, this limbo state is not a comfortable one. It imposes restrictions on our freedom and calls for adjustments. It robs us of our sense of control over our lives. It is also uncomfortable because we do not know how long it will be.

Then there are individuals who tend towards a persecuted mentality, always feeling the world has something against them. Such a view, if not moderated with reality, can lead to a sense of heightened anxiety, insecurity or an embittered personality.

If your life feels somewhat beyond your control and in limbo, here are some suggestions.

To free ourselves from such negative views, what perspective should we adopt instead? We should not bury our heads in the sand or feel that the problems are just too big for us. Doing nothing at all makes us feel completely helpless. Instead, take up the challenge to be part of the solution, no matter how big or small a part it may be. So, if we cannot meet one-on-one, we can meet online. If we are saddened by the fact that some have lost their jobs, we can offer practical or material help. This virus cannot block us from doing all this; the only virus that can stop us is taking a defeatist stance.

Firstly, acknowledge that this situation is not of your doing. It is not your fault, or even that of your favourite scapegoat. Accept it as an act of God, which basically means that there is no one to blame for it (conspiracy theories aside). Secondly, do not attribute its negative impact solely to yourself. This is a pandemic, infecting millions and affecting the livelihood of many more millions around the world. You are not singled out or targeted. Why is adopting these perspectives important? Well, we usually try to find explanations and causes for bad things that happen to us. This is a survival response—if

METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

Being in limbo does not have to mean living on the brink of disaster. It could mean embracing life with fresh opportunities, if only we let go of what we have known and accept what the future brings.

Hymns & Songs ¢ Justin Yeo and Leong Shengyu serve in the worship and music ministry of Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church.

Even in the valley EVEN IN THE VALLEY Verse 1

Into the valley I stumble, Afflicted I am, in every way. Engulfed by fear, my courage crumbles, O Lord—my only strength this day. Verse 2

Here in the valley I’m broken, Defenceless I am, no end in sight. I toil in vain, my spirit shaken, O Lord—my only hope this night. Refrain

Even in the valley I will worship You, Even in the valley I will wait on You, Even in the valley I will follow You, In the valley, Lord, I will. Bridge

One day O Lord, You’ll lead me home, From the valleys, to Your embrace. No tears, no death and no more pain, I’ll see Your glorious face! Now… (return to Refrain) Words and Music:

Justin Yeo and Leong Shengyu

The English version is available at: https://youtu.be/7VEjV_o3uJc

The Chinese version is available at: https://youtu.be/TgKPIlm3Osg METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

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Soundings ¢ Dr Roland Chia is Chew Hock Hin Professor of Christian Doctrine at Trinity Theological College and Theological and Research Advisor at the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity (http://ethosinstitute.sg)

The digital Church? “Soundings” is a series of essays that, like the waves of a sonogram, explore issues in society, culture and the church in light of the Gospel and Christian understanding.

he coronavirus pandemic has brought about unprecedented disruptions to the life and ministry of churches across the globe. This has led churches with access to digital technology to exploit their various offerings in innovative ways, such as conducting Sunday services online. Given the sudden onset of COVID-19, many churches have hitherto taken a pragmatic approach to technology, experimenting with its capabilities and utilising whatever works well for them. This is understandable since churches were forced to make quick adjustments as governments rapidly issued a slew of restrictions. However, deeper reflection is needed on the role of digital technology in the life and ministry of the Church,

if this medium is to be used responsibly. What are some issues and concerns surrounding the digitalisation of the Church and her ministry? One of the most basic considerations, it seems to me, has to do with a theological assessment of digital technology itself. From the Christian perspective, digital technology— like all other forms of modern technology—is a tool that the Church can and should use to advance the gospel. With remarkable prescience, Pope John Paul VI wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation (1975)—almost two decades before the advent of the Internet—that “The Church would feel guilty before the Lord if she did not utilise these powerful means that human skill is daily rendering more perfect.” 1

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However, the Church must at the same time be cognisant of the fact that technology is never simply a tool controlled by its users. Philosophers such as Martin Heidegger 2 and theologians like Antonio Spadaro 3 have perceptively shown that technology also influences society and culture in subtle but profound ways. “Technology,” write Maggi Savin-Baden and John Reader, “is not something out there or detached from us that we happen to employ when it suits our purposes to do so, it is always already part and parcel of what we are and might become as humans.” 4 The Church must never be naïve about the power of ubiquitous technology to shape our culture and change our perspectives about our world and about what it means to be human. In a similar vein, the Church must be wary of how digital technology and the culture it creates can influence and sometimes distort her selfunderstanding as the body of Christ. This means that while the Church must embrace digital technology as God’s gift, she must never do so uncritically. She must always use technology in a theologically prudent and principled manner. Perhaps an example could illustrate what I mean. The churches in Singapore are not new to the world of digital technology. Even before the pandemic, churches here were using technology imaginatively to offer online sermons, articles, seminars not only to their members but to many “anonymous others” as well. Churches must be encouraged to continue to take full advantage of digital media in this way as it is a means of bringing the gospel to people who refuse to step into a church building.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, has led churches here to explore something quite novel (pun intended), namely, online services. Through pre-recorded or livestreamed services, Christians have had to learn how to worship together, remotely. Now, we must acknowledge that digital technology has in some important ways mitigated the disruptions brought about by COVID-19. It has enabled churches here and elsewhere to maintain some semblance of stability and continuity in these extraordinary times. However, some are worried that Christians may be so bewitched by the convenience of technology that online services will become the norm, post COVID-19. These concerns are not misplaced. Here is where theological wisdom is needed for principled practice. God has ordained the body of Christ such that the physical presence of its members is an important if not integral aspect of its communal life. This means that while online services have indeed proved to be a useful (if inadequate) means of mitigating the disruptions caused by the coronavirus, they must be seen as provisional and temporary arrangements, and should never be allowed to become the “new normal”. They should not be regarded as alternatives to offline services, or as their substitutes. Simply put, Christians should never deliberately choose to worship together remotely when they can do so in the flesh, face-to-face.

1 Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi (“Evangelisation of the Modern World”), para 45. See http://w2.vatican.va/content/paulvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_ exc_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi.html. 2

Martin Heidegger, The Question of Technology and Other Essays (London: Garland Publishing, 1970).

Antonio Spadaro, Cybertheology: Thinking Christianity in the Era of the Internet (New York: Fordham University Press, 2014).

Maggi Savin-Baden and John Reader, Technology Transforming Theology: Digital Impacts (Lancashire: William Temple Foundation, 2018), 17. METHODIST MESSAGE JULY 2020

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TRAC Bible Matters ¢ The Rev Benjamin Fong, a pastor in The Trinity Annual Conference of The Methodist Church in Singapore since 2015, is currently appointed to Barker Road Methodist Church.

Can we read Proverbs as promises?

reaching through Proverbs is often a preacher’s worst nightmare. What appears to be a collection of pithy sayings, with no clear thematic progression of thought, presents a formidable challenge of linking how these observations of everyday life contribute to the bigger message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is precisely because these Instagram-worthy sayings have this-worldly concerns that they have the power to make concrete the life of abundance Christ came to give. This leads us to the question: can the sayings in Proverbs be taken as promises from God? As is often frustratingly the case with theology, the answer is both a yes and a no, depending on what one means by the term “promise”.

At its most basic level, the question asks whether what Proverbs says will literally come to pass in our immediate circumstance. Will I experience abundant riches if I use what I have for God’s purposes?1 Will we never go hungry if we obey God?2 Will the wicked submit to us? Will accumulating riches bring us more friends?3

The Problem with Proverbs Anybody with a reasonable exposure to the reality of human life would quickly realise that these sayings do not always hold true. The wicked do not always fall into their own schemes; the righteous do not always escape evil with their lives intact; and children do not always follow Christ, even when raised by godly parents.4 The book of Proverbs, like proverbs in general, are “intense observations of human experience”, and hold true only when we look at the human experience in a general sense.5 There

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is no guarantee that our immediate experience will match that of the overall human experience. As an expression of a general rule, one would expect certain exceptions to pop up in the course of our lives, their existence thereby proving the general rule (also a secular proverb!).6 We can therefore conclude that Proverbs cannot be read as promises that will hold true in every situation. If we are looking for promises on that level, we had best continue our fool’s errand elsewhere. But if the prospect of discovering how Proverbs can be understood as promises in a much more realistic, bounteous sense appeals to you, read on. Tremper Longman III helpfully warns of the dual pitfalls of absolutising and isolating these sayings.7 One simply cannot assume that each saying in Proverbs will always hold true in every situation, nor can we look at these sayings in isolation from the rest of Proverbs and Scripture. The same applies to all of Scripture, but it is especially so for Proverbs because it is in actuality poetry masquerading under the guise of a casual observation of the world. It is less a documentary on human life as it is a musical contemplating the human soul.

The Goal of Wisdom Recognising the difference between poetry and prose is crucial to rightly interpreting Proverbs. Leland Ryken highlights a crucial distinction between poetry and prose. With poetry, the form is often key to rightly unpacking its content, serving to “set our thoughts and feelings to the right tune”.8 A literal reading is permissible, but we would find ourselves at best short-changed of the depth of meaning, and at worst turned into lessons in irony as we become fools applying the wrong meaning of what was intended.

A brief excursion into the wider genre of Biblical Wisdom Literature (which spans not only Proverbs but also Job, the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs) is therefore necessary. Not unlike the other wisdom traditions of the Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature is concerned with “the skill of living”: how we behave in various situations, how we respond to other people, and how we handle the challenges of life. 9 Unlike the wisdom traditions of the ancient world, Wisdom Literature adds the crucial theological lens that life is lived before God. Life is not a spontaneous series of unfortunate events; nor are we the sole masters of our fates. Rather, the Creator of all in existence remains intimately involved in the workings of this world, and as its designer, this Creator holds the blueprints for living rightly according to his design. Bernard Anderson, identifies Proverbs 9:10 as the summary statement of Israel’s epistemology of ethics— “knowledge does not lead to faith, but faith is the prerequisite for understanding”. 10 Wisdom literature teaches us both that there is a God who has instituted a kind of order in the world, as well as how we can live rightly within that order. 11 As part of Wisdom literature, the sayings in Proverbs cannot be divorced from the theological conviction that God is sovereign, and that we are consequently obligated to live our lives according to a divinely ordained pattern. This pattern, characterised by what is beautiful, good and true, is contrasted with the antithesis of God— characterised by corruption, evil and falsehood. Proverbs transplants the reader to stand at the crossroads between these two dialectic choices, personified in the persons of Wisdom and Folly. Adding to the metaphor of the journey of life and the necessary choice between two diverging paths, the reader is urged to choose to walk the way of Wisdom over the way of Folly. 12

The Promise Follows a Choice Just as Wisdom serves as a literary device to represent the cause of God, Folly becomes another literary device representing the opposing team—the gods of Israel’s pagan neighbours. Proverbs thus serves as a polemic challenge against the claims of these pagan gods on the hearts of Israel. Proverbs 9:3, 14 describes Wisdom and Folly both as living at the city’s high places—locations reserved, in the customs of the Ancient Near East, for a city’s patron god.13 The choice presented before the reader, then, is less about the condition of the mind as it is about the heart. It is first and foremost a clarion call for the reader to worship God alone. This summons gains even more force when we consider how closely the incarnate Christ is linked with the person of Wisdom at Creation. In his gospel, John uses wisdom language to describe the pre-existence and divinity of Christ, closely associating Him with wisdom, but stopping short of a complete equation (since that would bring us down the rabbit hole of Arianism, the heresy that Christ is a created being). 14 As those who have encountered the most tangible manifestation of the transcendent God, Christians are all the more called to make the choice of walking the path of Wisdom over that of Folly, choosing Christ over the gods of this world.

The sayings in Proverbs therefore are a promise from God, but not in the sense of an immediate fulfilment in every situation. The primary promise of Proverbs lies in the guarantee that those who walk the path of Wisdom and choose Christ over the gods of this world will experience a life of beauty, goodness and truth. That beauty, goodness and truth will not always be experienced in every situation hardly negates this promise. If anything, it strengthens the promise, because it gives the assurance that the God who is still in control will fulfil these promises—if not in this life then in the one to come. Bruce Waltke, a man who has spent a large part of his life studying the Wisdom literature, thus asserts that while Proverbs has to do with observations of human life, its promises extend “beyond life”. 15 Proverbs trains us to look beyond this life and re-order our lives not around ourselves and our circumstances, but around Christ who is Himself the true centre of all existence. 16 Those who walk this path will thereby find wisdom along the way, and finally come face to face with the one whom Wisdom personifies. Making this choice frees us from the self-destructive path of folly, because it sets us free from the biggest idol of them all—ourselves. Only when our hearts are healed from our “disordered loves” will we experience the promised life, as the apostle James would note centuries later in his epistle. 17 We should not disparage Proverbs because the promise it offers shapes us, in the grand tradition of Wisdom Literature, to respond rightly to new situations that occur even if they are not explicitly addressed within Scripture; this is done by “condensing” into broad generalisations “patterns that tend to repeat themselves”. We therefore should read Proverbs as promises—but first be clear about what those promises entail. May we all choose wisdom, and thereby find life.17

The views expressed in this article are personal and might not necessarily reflect the official position of The Methodist Church in Singapore. This version of the article has been edited for brevity. The full article can be found at http:// www.trac-mcs.org.sg/index.php/resources/bible-matters?layout=edit&id=253 Prov 3:9–10 (NRSV). Prov 10:3. 3 Prov 19:4. 4 Prov 5:22; 10:16; 22:6. 5 Tremper Longman III and Raymond B Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 270–271. 6 Leland Ryken, Short Sentences Long Remembered: A Guided Study of Proverbs and Other Wisdom Literature (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 15. 7 Longman and Dillard, 276–77. 8 Leland Ryken, ed., The Soul in Paraphrase: A Treasury of Classic Devotional Poems (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 15. 9 Tremper Longman III, How to Read Proverbs (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 14–15. 10 Bernhard W. Anderson, Contours of Old Testament Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011), 263; Gerhard von Rad, Wisdom in Israel (London: SCM Press Ltd, 1972), 67–68. 11 Anderson, 264. 12 Prov 2:20. 13 Longman and Dillard, 275. 14 Prov 8:22–31; John 1:1–5. 15 Longman, 90. 16 Ibid., 55; Colossians 1:15–20. 17 James 3:15–4:1; cf. St. Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, trans. Maria Boulding, The Works of Saint Augustine (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2008), 1.1.1. 18 Walter C. Kaiser, Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 84. 19 Prov 10:16. 1 2

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THINK ¢ The Rev Dr Tan Soo Inn is the Director of Graceworks, a ministry committed to promoting spiritual friendship in church and society.

Are you a neighbour?

wo of the most special people Bernice [Lee, my wife] and I have gotten to know recently are Abraham and Cheng Yu, who had been called by God to feed the homeless. We were so inspired by their ministry.

It may come as a surprise to some of us that there are homeless in Singapore, and that they have basic needs like that of food. One study puts the number of homeless in Singapore at around 1,000. 1 How should followers of Jesus respond to those who are homeless? The truth is that, in times of crisis, like the present COVID-19 pandemic, we tend to look inwards. This is understandable since we need to comprehend what is happening and survive the crisis. Still, God’s command remains: that we love our neighbour as ourselves. In fact, times of crisis are when followers of a Messiah who saved through the Cross show their “true colours”.

The significance of loving your neighbour Most of us have heard the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25–37), possibly so many times it may be overfamiliar. We forget what is at stake here—the question of how one inherits eternal life, which is life in God’s Kingdom. We know that we are saved by grace and we can’t earn our salvation by good works. But

the gospels are also clear that we know a tree by its fruits (Matt 7:15–20). The implication is that the two go together: one cannot claim to love God if one does not also love one’s neighbour. Jesus is also teaching other lessons through this parable. That He makes a Samaritan the hero of the story is scandalous. Jesus’ audience would have been Jewish, and the Jews in His time looked down on Samaritans as a second-class race. By making the Samaritan the hero, Jesus is saying that race is not what defines a person—what is important is that a person loves both God and neighbour. Furthermore, if the victim were a Jew, it meant that the Samaritan was helping someone from a race that had deemed him second-class all his life. To love our neighbour as defined by Jesus means we may have to care for people who have hurt us, and to love people that we might find difficult to love. Finally, we see Jesus turning the law expert’s question on its head. The expert had asked, “Who is my neighbour?” Who deserves to be loved? Jesus ignores the question but instead asks, “Who is a neighbour?” If you love your neighbour as yourself, you don’t ask who your neighbour is, i.e. who qualifies for my help. Instead, you extend help to whomever you can.

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Are you a neighbour? Who are our neighbours? It is still useful to note who our neighbours are—if anything, just to keep us honest. And in light of recent events, we need to remind ourselves that God’s heart is for folks of all races and from all strata of society: •

Geographical neighbours: people who live next door/nearby;

•

Relational neighbours: people who are in your network, e.g. family, friends, colleagues, classmates etc., but who may not live nearby;

•

Special neighbours: for example the homeless, foreign students/workers who are far from home and family, the poor, those who struggle with special needs, etc. We need to open our eyes to see those in Singapore who need the neighbourly touch of God through us.

None of us can do it all. But all of us can do something. Immediately following the story of the Good Samaritan is the account of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–42), which I believe teaches us to listen to the Lord and ascertain

what He wants us to do before embarking on activism that ironically may make us upset with others and with the Lord.

The “art of neighbouring” Being a good neighbour is something that we do, not just something that we feel or even know. At least three times in the Good Samaritan story, we are told to “do” loving God and loving our neighbour. 2 How do we know which people in Singapore belong to the Lord? They are the ones reaching out to their neighbours. One evening, Bernice and I had the privilege of hosting a group of Abraham and Cheng Yu’s homeless friends for dinner. It was a very special evening. We made new friends and learnt so much from them. We saw how they looked out for each other and how grateful they were for the most basic of provisions. We have since met some of them again, and also some of their friends. As is often the case, those who bless others are themselves blessed. We are living in challenging times. These are the times when followers of Jesus can reveal the welcoming heart of God by being neighbourly, and by loving our neighbours.

“Panel to shed light on plight of the homeless in Singapore,” Straits Times, 18 Mar 2020, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/panel-to-shed-light-on-plight-of-homeless-in-singapore.

A good resource on how to love one’s neighbour is Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon’s The Art of Neighboring (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012).

Registration at our Columbarium Oﬃce (Level 5) Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm (Closed on Public Holidays). Tel: 6479 8122 HP: 9670 9935 or Fax: 6479 6960 Email: veronicalowjmc@yahoo.com.sg