Serving this house faithfully for 40 years

SPOTLIGHT

Hotel ballrooms. The Regional English Language Centre. World Trade Centre. Trinity@Adam, Trinity@Lavender and Trinity@Paya Lebar.

Chin Fook Neng, a Trinitarian for more than 40 years, has worshipped and served in each of Trinity’s worship locations in Singapore since his early 20s.

HERE I AM, LORD!

40 YEARS OF SERVING

BY LYE HUI XIAN

As a young working adult in the 1970s-1980s, Fook Neng worked long hours from 8am to 9pm, six days a week and half days on Sundays. Exhausted, he still had to endure long daily commutes on rickety buses. Even getting enough sleep was a challenge.

But Fook Neng started praying. He wanted to grow in his love for God and the church.

ABOVE Fook Neng (back row, third from right) with Chinese Creative Ministry co-laborers RIGHT Fook Neng (right) and his wife, Gan Hiong

Touched by the love of God, he did not want to be a mere member who walked into and out of services. He asked to join the small team setting up the church library to serve members shortly after he joined Trinity.

As Fook Neng chose to honor God with his time and energy, he soon found his prayers for better working hours answered beyond his imagination. In a time when computing jobs were few and far between, God knew his heart’s desire. Fook Neng was offered his dream job as a computer programmer. He saw both his working hours and pay improve drastically.

With a shortage of people with any knowledge of computers in the 1990s, Fook Neng readily agreed to put his budding computing skills in the projection ministry (better known as “RGB Ministry”) for the Chinese Ministry. To enable congregants to participate in the worship, song lyrics needed to be stored and projected. This required Fook Neng to learn to program, using a different type of computer from his work. After much labor with another brother, the Chinese Ministry finally had a new computer program to select and project songs during services.

But the challenges continued to mount. The RGB Ministry experienced a shortage of volunteers. Even when they could find members willing to operate the computer, only Fook Neng could troubleshoot any computer issues. The biggest problem with that was he was concurrently serving as a worship leader. Any computer issues would have to wait for him to come running after the time of worship. The stress on him was unfathomable.

But over the years, God brought friends to serve alongside him. His wife, Gan Hiong, too served faithfully in the worship ministry, even while they brought up their three children – Timothy, Olive and Priscilla.

Through the challenges, Fook Neng continued with the RGB Ministry over the next 30 years, and is still serving today.

Find him at the video control room of Trinity@Paya Lebar’s Chinese services, smiling as he helps with slide projection.

What has motivated him through the challenges? Fook Neng shared that he simply wanted to give what he knows to God. He wanted to use technology to serve God, and further God’s purpose in reaching people. He reflected that serving is a blessing to others and also a great personal blessing. In doing so, it helps us see where our own faith stands. Though conflicts may arise, and we may even receive negative comments at times, God disciples us through the difficulties to be more accommodating, generous, and forgiving. God molds our character in the process of serving.

“No turning back!” Fook Neng described his journey of faith serving in Trinity. Even as some good friends and leaders left over the years due to other commitments, he held on to a timely word that God had called him to Trinity for a purpose and would continue to strengthen him as he stayed faithful.

Fook Neng also saw God’s blessings and provision as he learned to give God his time and talents. God prospered him in his career in IT until his retirement in August 2011 and provided for all his family members’ needs. Best of all, he is thankful to see his three adult children also actively serving in Trinity’s Creative Ministry.

Olive shares about her father’s impact: “As a child and teenager, I did not understand why my father spent his Saturdays in church. But I started to notice and appreciate my father’s heart for serving in my adulthood days. Even after he suffered a heart attack in his mid-50s, he and my mum served week after week without complaint. I saw his health improve as he continued to serve out of great love for the Lord. Whenever he steps out of the house to serve, it’s almost as though he’s looking up to heaven and saying, “Here I am, Lord!”.

My father’s heart for serving has inspired me and my siblings to also give our time and talents to the Lord. I hope that our children, too, will be able to catch the same love that their grandparents have for the Lord, the very heart of why we serve.”

Pastor Christina shared about Fook Neng’s impact on the Chinese Ministry, “Brother Fook Neng and his family have a great impact in the Chinese Ministry as they have modelled sacrificial and faithful service unto the Lord for the past 40 plus years. They exhibit beautiful godly characters and loyalty to the church, the leadership and their friends in the ministry. The Chin family is a great partner in God’s Kingdom!”

Would you too say, “Here I am, Lord! Send me!” and partner us to serve in God’s Kingdom?

GOD MOLDS OUR CHARACTER IN THE PROCESS OF SERVING.