A newsletter o f T h e N a viga to rs S inga pore M C I ( P ) 014/04/2016
JANUARY 2017
Yap Kim Meng, the new National Director of the Singapore Navigators.
NEW NATIONAL DIRECTOR by Patricia Lian
On 22 November 2016, Mr. Yap Kim Meng was selected by the AsiaPacific Leadership Team as the new National Director of the Singapore Navigators. Kim Meng and his wife Beow Kheng are seasoned veterans, having served 32 years as Navigator staff, first joining us through the Military ministry. Over the years Kim Meng has led our Singapore Poly ministry (both English and Chinese), Singapore Poly alumni ministry, New Staff Institute, Missions Department, and most recently, AlumniCommunity ministry. NavNews catches up with Kim Meng on his first 30 days as ND:
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When appointed on 22 Nov 2016, I gave an acceptance speech touching on fearlessness and faithfulness. Fearlessness. We are not to fear man but to fear only God (Joshua 1:9). All my four children carry the middle Chinese character ‘Yong’, meaning ‘brave and courageous’. My prayer is that as God’s workers, we will be fearless, not afraid. Faithfulness. Our role is to be faithful to what God has made known to us and called us to. Fruitfulness or outcomes are of the Lord. We are only to be faithful in obeying. Isaiah 64:4 says, ‘God works for those who wait (trust) for Him.’ A week after the appointment, Beow Kheng and I were with 18 other couples at a regional National Directors Conference. There were 10 new NDs — 6 from Africa and 4 from Asia. It was a tremendous time of learning for us and we are humbled with thanksgiving and gratitude.
TOP: Kim Meng sharing about Fearlessness and Faithfulness.
What stood out particularly for me was a sharing by Mutua Mahiaini, the International President of The Navigators. Mutua recalled, “in 1956, Dawson Trotman (the founder of The Navigators) drowned while saving a girl at Lake Schooner, New York State; at that same time, Doug Sparks was sent to Kenya to open the Nav work. I was there in that first group.” It was a poignant recall by Mutua and a reach back into history. It was a connection to the faith and courage of missionaries who have since passed on. That was a reminder of the unflinching commitment our spiritual forefathers had as they started the Nav work in various parts of the world, and the work continues today.
TOP: A new generation of national directors across Asia and Africa. BOTTOM: (L-R) Beow Kheng, Kim Meng, Mutua and Stephanie Mahiaini
Mutua’s wife Stephanie also shared about the times when the responsibility of leadership means gracefully putting aside our own inclinations. When Mutua was first appointed as International President of The Navigators in 2015, Stephanie felt that she was needed more in Africa than in America. But as she sought the Lord, He led her to be of one heart with her husband. Not unlike the biblical account of Ruth following Naomi, Stephanie is an example of the courage it takes to be obedient.
Allow me to share with you a word of encouragement for 2017 from 2 Chronicles 20:17 ‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.’ In this issue, I hope you will be encouraged by the Republic and Nanyang Polytechnics’ ministries. They made a trip to Taiwan and saw 12 people receive Christ even as they shared the gospel with many. Check out “Leading the DiscipleShift” Conference from 23-25 Feb and plan to attend it as a great kick-off for the year. We are grateful for the quick round-up of our income/ expenditure for fiscal year 2016, with thanksgiving to the Lord for meeting our needs through the generosity of our givers and friends.
TO CAMPUS WITH LOVE
by Patricia Lian A team from Republic and Nanyang Poly ministries headed out to National Taiwan University (NTU) for campus missions. Here are some highlights from two members on the team:
When Man Prays, God Works — Lum Jun Ming There is a saying “When Man works, Man works; but when Man prays, God works.” We had prayed hard before the trip, claiming Isaiah 44:3-5 for receptive hearts to the gospel, desiring that each of us on the team would have the joy of bringing at least one person to Christ. However, I was discouraged after hearing from a local doctorate student, that the ground was hard and it took many months to even see a person come to Christ. We had two weeks, and I wondered if we would even be of help to the local missionaries.
The students were open to listen but their hearts seemed to be closed to the gospel. We persisted in prayer, asking God for the salvation of the young people on campus. We started getting different responses. On the second last day of witnessing, we saw 7 students come to Jesus, and on the last day, 5 students. Thank God for his grace as we learnt to trust Him in prayer and wait for his right timing. Indeed it is God who draws men and women to His side. It matters not how well we share the gospel, but only that we share it.
Sincerity and Humility for the sake of the Gospel — Tang Bifen The highlight for me was learning from the missionaries in NTU’s ministry. Both couples were Korean with 2 children each. They have adopted Chinese names, and they carry the gospel everywhere they go. From the airport to the apartment, 阿杓 shared about Jesus Christ to the taxi driver. I sensed his sincerity in helping the driver know God. Upon reaching, I heard from others who were in the other taxi that 小蔡 shared the gospel to his taxi driver too.
小英, 阿杓’s wife also talks about Jesus everywhere she goes. In the market, she prayed and had the opportunity to share the gospel to the greengrocer. She shared Christ to people in the train station, the cleaner in school, her Chinese tutor. Everywhere she goes, people will know that she is a believer. 小蔡’s wife, 银珠, came to Taiwan five years ago. She is not so fluent in her Mandarin, but this did not stop her from sharing the gospel. Their sincerity and humility for the sake of the gospel is a challenging posture to imitate, but it is one that really touches me.
ONE IN CHRIST, TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS
TOP: The NavTeens MIDDLE: NTU Navs BOTTOM: ITE Navs OTHERS: (Not featured) NP-SIM Navs TP Navs SP Navs 20s30s Navs RP-NYP Navs NUS Navs ACM Navs
LEADING THE DISCIPLESHIFT CONFERENCE There are many conferences on Discipling BUT this one is being used in many churches. Simple and Practical — find out how it can work in yours. There is a single day seminar for lay leaders and a 3-day conference for pastors and church leaders. Come, because this can indeed make a difference in revitalising the discipleship culture in your church and ministry. Register online at www.LDS-Conference.com. This is for: 23-25 Feb Pastors & Pastoral Staff Ministry leaders & Mentoring Staff Elders, Deacons & Board members
3,177.68
25 Feb Lay Ministers Volunteer Leaders Small Group Leaders
3,174.18
3,180.00
Venue: Calvary Baptist Church Cost:
23-25 Feb $200/person 25 Feb $70/person
INCOME/EXPENDITURE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016
3,170.00 3,160.00
Actual
3,150.00 3,140.00
Income $3,177,679.00 Expenditure $3,174,179.00 Surplus $3,500.00
3,130.00 3,120.00 3,110.00 3,100.00
(In Thousands)
Income
Expenditure
www.navigators.org.sg The calling of The Navigators is to advance the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily be the views of The Navigators Singapore.
National Director: Yap Kim Meng
LOOKING FOR COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE • • •
Writers: Patricia Lian
Editor: Patricia Lian
specialise in writing and editing part-time/ full-time email your resume to admin@navigators.org.sg
Design & Layout: Loo Jia Yu
Photographers: Chia Yi Wen, Connie Ch’ng, Jason Ye, Loo Jia Yu, Patricia Lian, Symon Chong
Printer: Seng Lee Press © 2017 by The Navigators Singapore