A n e w s l e tter o f The N a viga to rs S in ga po re M C I (P ) 052/06/2021
AUG 2021
CALLED TO SERVE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pretty much known as ‘The Invisibles’, our admin/support staff are often the ones working behind the scenes while supporting the Nav Calling of the advancement of the gospel. Nonetheless, they are no doubt any less important for the work that they do. This time, we’ll see how the Lord had divinely led Desmond, Lisa, Stella and Chelsia to The Navigators to serve Him and His people. Desmond Hong, Human Resource (HR) Administrator “Coming from a small town in Malaysia, I was discipled by a teacher who was trained by The Navigators back in the early 80s. He was neither a full-time staff nor a pastor but his grasp of the Word of God was amazing. Through Ephesians 2:8-9, I eventually came to understand that my salvation was an act of faith by grace. I came to Singapore to take up the role of an Administrator on 19 October 2009. As my background was in Human Resource (HR), it was a joy and privilege to contribute in the area of administration. Satisfaction from my work comes from seeing that staff receive their salaries on time and that resources are managed with integrity. This also takes some load off our Field staff on administrative matters so that they can focus on the advancement of the gospel. When we live out Kingdom values in our workplace and in our natural spheres of influence, we affirm the good news. Over the past 12 years, it has been interesting that there have been at least 3 strangers who walked into the office in search of God and I am glad we had a small part to play in pointing them to Him.” Lisa Mak, Administrative Executive “I got connected with The Navigators through Thomas Chua, former National Director of The Navigators Singapore who was also my Sunday School teacher during my early teen years. Fast forward, I was working overseas for a few years and upon my return to Singapore, I was jobless and looking for full-time employment. I visited Bethesda Chapel upon my return and chatted with Tom. He mentioned a vacancy at The Navigators Singapore. With Tom’s recommendation, I submitted my application to Desmond (HR) and subsequently an interview followed. In the blink of an eye, I have been working here for more than 10 years. What I love about my job is the diversity of responsibilities which runs from administrative paperwork, facilities management, event planning and operations etc. This variety in my job scope fuels me as I am not really a desk-bound person. In my younger days, I had made a promise to God to serve Him with the skills that I have acquired but I did not manage to fulfill my part of the promise when I graduated. I want to believe that it was God’s way of preparing me for the variety of tasks that I am supposed to perform at The Navigators. The experiences that I have gained from working in the commercial world, both locally and overseas, have equipped and prepared me for my work here at The Navigators. I regard the Lord as my employer and my mission is to serve Him, to do the best that I can for my Creator as He was the One who called me here. The Lord knows my name and sees my contribution; this is what keeps me going.”
Stella Poh, Donor Management Executive “I received Christ through The Navigators in NP (Ngee Ann Polytechnic) during my youth. However I lived a prodigal life in my young adult years. It was only until 2012 (the same time when I quit my design career) when I got reconnected with The Navigators through an old friend who was a campusbased staff. I learnt through a newsletter that she was establishing a flat for apartment training. Unbeknownst to me (though I had intended to help her in the flat’s interior design), I, in turn, received help from her in returning to the Lord. Her life has left an indelible impact on mine — she invested her time to see me grow in Christ, and taught me to do the same for others, for which I am deeply thankful.
When I was first employed as a staff to handle the donation work at The Navigators Singapore, I did not have a clear idea of how my work can serve the Lord and advance His Kingdom. I struggled as I laboured in serving His people. But over time, the Lord’s words in Isaiah became a lens that gave me greater clarity of what I was called to do (“Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.” – Isaiah 33:17). The King who chose me is fully capable of directing me to the position that he had appointed for me. Jesus called me, not by taking me out of the world, but into the world to do His work. He changed how I viewed the world and my attitude towards the work that I do. My view has been expanded as I now seek to find Christ exalted and thus I draw satisfaction in all that I do. It has been a wonderful learning journey for me, as I had no experience in handling donations and managing accounts previously. I have also first-handedly witnessed how the Lord has been so faithful in providing for the needs of the staff and the organisation throughout these years. Indeed, where God calls, He provides.”
“I have also first-handedly witnessed how the Lord has been so faithful in providing for the needs of the staff and the organisation throughout these years. Indeed, where God calls, He provides.” - Stella
Chelsia, Communications Executive “I got connected with The Navigators through a church friend who has been serving with The Navigators since her polytechnic days. I bumped into her at church one day and we had lunch together. Over lunch, I found out from her about the available position of a Communications Executive. As I was looking for a job at that time, I submitted my application without delay. It has been almost 2 years since I started working at The Navigators Singapore. What I love about my job is the encouraging stories that I hear from the people whom I interview and interact with (as part of the nature of my work). Through the interviews, I get to hear of how God has been working through the lives of people and how He never fails to provide for all our needs. I am also very thankful to God that I have found another spiritual family. More than just colleagues, we are also brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we can share personal burdens with and pray for one another. Moving forward, I hope that the work that I do—be it through sharing heartwarming stories or encouraging social media postings —will be able to touch the lives of people and encourage them to seek God more in their own walk with Him.”
A LEADER’S HUMILITY
by Abner and Nissi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Designed to bring together some of our emerging leaders from across the region for personal and leadership development, the Asia-Pacific Navigators organised the Asia-Pacific Emerging Leaders (APEL) programme. Conducted through a series of online workshops, participants had the opportunity to learn from experienced leaders and peers from other countries. The first workshop was titled ‘A Leader’s Humility’. We got our young couple, Abner and Nissi, to share with us some of their personal takeaways from the workshop, and how they can apply what they have learnt to their leadership role in ministry.
“T
he speaker shared an interesting illustration of getting ‘sugar hits’ (praises from others) from serving. He pointed out that praises from others can become our motivation for service. He recounted an incident where he organised a conference and the terrible feeling he had when no one praised him for his efforts after the event. He shared a question for us to consider: ‘It’s one thing to serve, but how do I feel when I’m being treated like a servant?’ His sharing and question struck a chord in my heart. I asked myself, ‘What is my motivation for serving? Do I serve just to receive praises from others? Wouldn’t that mean that I am serving only to benefit myself and to satisfy the desires of my flesh? Or, given that a Christian community often values humility as a praiseworthy virtue, am I trying to be humble so that I can be proud of it?’
Abner is currently leading the SP (Singapore Polytechnic) Ministry.
Interestingly, the Singapore Polytechnic (SP) Ministry’s theme this year is an exhortation to ‘Live as a Learner’ while the accompanying theme verse (Matthew 11:28-30) has Jesus calling us to learn from Him for He is ‘gentle and humble in heart’. There is therefore a natural consonance with what I have learnt from the APEL workshop to enrich me with deeper insights into the topic of humility (my growth focus for this year). This has been timely in sharpening my focus on being a learner and a servant — remembering that serving in the ministry is not so much about trying to put a smile on man’s face, but on God’s face. This refreshing challenge for both my life and ministry has renewed my purpose to learn from Jesus and to live as He did, for He is humble in heart.” - Abner
“B
eing a part of the APEL programme has afforded me the privilege to witness people from many nations coming together to grow and learn to become more like Christ. My heart was encouraged as I got to see how God is raising people from different nations for His work. It was also heartening to learn together with them. At this workshop, we considered a leader’s role in relation to God and to people. This is apt as humility is about having a right view of ourselves in relation to God and to others. My personal takeaway is the fact that I can only be truly free to serve when I am secure in my identity in Christ. Notions of restraint usually come to mind when I think of service but the truth is that serving others can be a natural outpouring of our lives if it is anchored in who we are in Christ. If I do not look to God to derive my identity, I will look to others to define my identity, but this sort of benchmarking can be variable and untrue, and thus should not be counted upon.
Nissi (Abner’s wife) recently came on to serve together with Abner as a full-time staff
A group mate at the workshop posed a question to us: ‘Are you a leader who serves or a servant who leads?’ Jesus’ example came to mind. Jesus made Himself nothing and took on the nature of a servant. If my leader, Jesus Christ, is a servant, how much more so should I be to serve Him and others? Should I expect to be treated better than my Master? I can be free to serve just as my Master Jesus had freely served me. All in all, I see that I do not need to be constrained by expectations of me as a leader in the ministry. All I need to do is to choose to serve freely the same way Jesus did, out of His love for me.” - Nissi
COMING ONBOARD
by Jensen Chiang
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We are happy to announce that Jensen will be coming onboard to serve as a full-time staff with The Navigators Singapore. Here is his testimony of his journey with the Lord:
I
was lost in this journey of life. It did help that I attended a mission school and church during my growing up years, but even then, I was in a downward spiral — drifting further away from God with each passing year.
I met the Navigators close to my final year in Polytechnic. During my first two years in poly, I focused on my life pursuits towards the direction of freedom and independence —away from God. Looking back, I am immensely thankful that God had intervened during my final year. He knocked down those self-centred plans of mine and showed me His plans. The Lord used The Navigators community to shape me. The change did not come overnight. It took years of observing the Lord producing fruit through His labourers who constantly lived their lives in obedience to His Word. Many labourers had come into my life as personal mentors. They shared their lives with me and walked alongside me. Despite my stubbornness, they persevered with me and led with their own life examples. Today, I continue to learn from other labourers around me. It takes a labourer to build a labourer. It takes a team of labourers working in unity to make labourers. I am what I am only by the grace of God.
Jensen will join Viloane in leading the student work in the NP (Ngee Ann Polytechnic) Ministry
In 2015, the Lord opened my eyes for the first time to His surpassing greatness. I was confronted with the Abrahamic promise in Genesis 12:13 — “I will make you into … I will make your… I will bless…” It has always been a call to obedience for me — “Leave … and go … (to where) I will show you.” Because He is far greater than I am, I can obey Him with complete trust. I was led to join the 2-year EDGE programme with The Navigators Singapore, which prepares young people for effective ministry on college campuses. After that stint, inspired by John 21:15-23, I took up a job on campus to serve and grow the student ministry. It has been a fulfilling 2.5 years at this job and I have had many fruitful experiences.
Recently, I was encouraged to consider coming onboard full-time to take on leadership roles and responsibilities for the student ministry. Initially, I believed there were many better people that God could call; He would not need me. This might seem humble, but it is not so. I learned that when God calls, He wants the man. It does not depend on who the man thinks he is, but it is on him to respond to God wholeheartedly (e.g. God’s call to Moses in Exodus 1-6). This is my call — to serve and love His sheep, and build a generation of labourers. But that alone is not my deepest motivation. Moses was called to lead God’s people (Exodus 33:12-18), but Moses asked God for more —“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” (Exodus 33:13a). Moses wanted to know the ways of God so that he may continue to find favour with Him. The call of leading God’s people is a call to share His heart. Ultimately, Moses’ requests culminated in this request: “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18). That call was to know, behold, and acknowledge Him as Lord. The call is still the same for me today, though in a different position and season. In taking up this assignment, I am also asking God for the highest privilege of being called to do His work and to know Him. I expect an exciting journey ahead. I am excited to build up each individual’s life and work together with other staff to build up the next generation of labourers for Singapore and beyond.
www.navigators.org.sg
FROM NATIONAL DIRECTOR
@SingaporeNavigators The Navigators Singapore, 117 Lor K, Telok Kurau, Singapore 425758 Tel: (65) 6344 4133 Email: admin@navigators.org.sg
Viloane Ko “At the start of my new role as the National Director, I spent extended periods of time with God at the Botanic Gardens and West Coast Park. I asked the Lord for clarity in taking the helm of leadership and a vision for the future of The Navigators Singapore. The Lord impressed on me the prayer for divine guidance in Psalm 25, and I was particularly intrigued by the promise in Psalm 25:12-14 — that those who fear the Lord will enjoy His secret counsel and intimate friendship. This is the posture I want to take and the promise I desire to experience in my leadership. During my extended time with God at West Coast Park, I found a scene at the look-out deck illuminating: the port in the area served the ships to bring cargoes to different parts of the world. God affirmed the labourers of both our Field staff and Admin staff in advancing the gospel in Singapore and other nations. We celebrate how they have responded to the call of God and serve together in the same mission — not necessarily in an earth-shattering way, but gently and humbly.
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. All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® Copyright © 1984, unless otherwise stated.
National Director: Viloane Ko Editor, Designer: Chelsia Chan Copy Editor: Yeow Sushan Printer: Seng Lee Press © 2021 by The Navigators Singapore
The Covid-19 heightened alert restrictions have inevitably affected our ministries and missions in one way or another. Nevertheless, life-on-life discipleship is dynamic and has never been more valuable in trying times like this. I am encouraged that our Navigator staff and labourers have learned to adapt with flexibility and with a hybrid approach (meeting people online in tandem with or instead of physical meetups in order to observe safe distancing measures), making the most of what technology has to offer us. Leadership renewal, missions engagement and working together are our national priorities for the next 5 years. I am claiming His promise in Isaiah 54:1-3 and by His Spirit to raise a new generation of well-developed leaders and labourers committed to working together for the Navigators’ vision with Christ-like character and Spirit-filled competence. God is on the move, as He has always been. He will get His job done. Let us all join Him in His purpose for The Navigators and navigate the new normal.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Scripture Memory Application (tms.navigators.tech)
“ENLARGE” Labourers Day, 25 Sep 2021
We have launched a new update of the scripture memory application developed by NavTech. You are now able to create your own customised memory verse packs, put together a personal library from a list of available packs or simply review your most loved ones (NIV, RSV, ESV, KJV and Chinese versions are available).
Come join us on Zoom for our annual Labourers’ Day on 25 Sep 2021, 9.30am to 3.30pm. Our theme for this year would be ‘Enlarge’, with reference to Isaiah 54:1-3. Save the date and sign up with your ministry leaders today!