1

The Covenant Community Methodist Church Magazine

ChristmasFAMILY HERITAGE

TAKING A HOLIDAY ALONEWITH GOD

THE TRUTH BEHIND CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS Social Enterprise:

A New Way of Helping

MICA (P) No: 104/03/2013

LOAVES + FISHES OCT/DEC 2013

Love andPassion:

The Journey of Noel Chia

Interview:MGS’s New PrincipalDesignate

2

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAINFrederick J. Work

Go, tell it on the mountain,Over the hills and everywhereGo, tell it on the mountain,That Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watchingOver silent flocks by nightBehold throughout the heavensThere shone a holy light.

The shepherds feared and trembled,When lo! above the earth,Rang out the angels chorusThat hailed the Saviour’s birth.

Down in a lowly mangerThe humble Christ was bornAnd God sent us salvationThat blessèd Christmas morn.

qu

ilts

alad

CC

BY-N

C-sa

2.0

Church Camp 2014A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Commune with God in the setting of His natural provision

Cameron Highlands6-9 June 2014

Speaker: Dr Tan Lai Yong

Mic

hel

e So

lMi c

c BY

-Nc-

SA 2

.0

4 5

CONTENTSSANTA, CANDY CANES & THE PARTRIDGE IN THE PEAR TREE The meaning of popular Christmas symbols6

Interview:

GRACE NG –CALLED TO EDUCATE20

HELPING HANDS AT WORKEffective Social Enterprises14

FamilyCHRISTMAS HERITAGE10

ROCK

ER_4

4 C

C BY

2.0

DISCIPLE BIBLE STUDY 1 Wednesday nights, starting 8 Jan 2014, 7.30-10 pm

learn to walk in jesus' steps

6 7

Loaves + Fishes is published quarterly by Covenant Community Methodist Church

Level 4, Methodist Girls’ School11, Blackmore DriveSingapore 599986Tel: 64669652 Fax: 64667470Email: admin@ccmc.org.sgwww.ccmc.org.sg

MICA (P) No: 104/03/2013Printed by Oxford Graphic Printers Pte Ltd

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

EditorRev John Benedict Foo

Editorial AdvisorBG David Koh

Managing EditorGoh Eck Kheng

MembersChong Cheh HoonLester Ng

ContributorsAnton ChanDorothy ChanMichael & Christina ChiaS Michael HoudmannRev Khoo Kay HuatPeter Lockleanne PatiselannoKim TanMason TanTeriya TanTim TanTan Ming YingRev Canon Terry WongMiriam Wun

ON THE COVERlenard and leanne Patiselanno with their sons, Eli (left) and Zachary.

n these weeks leading up to Christmas, our thoughts are turned to giving. We are beginning to or are already busy with Christmas shopping, thoughtfully choosing appropri-ate gifts for family members and friends. For some, this

giving extends to the less fortunate of society; we prepare comfort boxes and toys to help spread good cheer.

As Christians, we are also deeply aware in the Advent season of God's gift of Jesus. On that first Christmas, God gave mankind his Son as a helpless little baby, human and vulner-able. By being one of us, he was truly Immanuel – God with us. And as a man, he remained with us, suffering death cruel-ly on the cross to bear the sins of the world, rose again from the grave, till he ascended into heaven. As much as we have received this greatest gift of all, we can and should desire to share it with others. "Go, tell it on the mountain," so the carol encourages and challenges us.

Another aspect of giving to consider is what we can give to God. Perhaps the better perspective is to ask what God wants of us. We take this approach when we choose gifts. We ask, "What would my daughter like? What would please my wife?" So, this Advent, take time to be alone with God to ask Him what He would like from you. What is He calling you to do? Who may He want you to help? Which aspects of your life does He want you to resolve for His sake?

As Mary chose to give what God wanted of her – to be the mother of Jesus – she became a blessing to all people. So, as you give to God, he will open ways for you to make a difference in the lives of others.

That is a thought that gives sweet anticipation. Children feel that excitement when they feel and rattle gifts tagged with their names. God has a gift he wants from you, a gift that will in turn bless others and yourself – for as you give, so you will receive.

May God bless you richly in the reading of this issue and so move you to want to be a blessing in the lives of others this Christmas!

Rev John Benedict Foo

THINKING ABOUT GIVING

REGULARS

Ask Abigail 33Crafts for Kids (pull out)Crumbs 48Good Things 42Kitchen 45Manga Hero 40News Bites 38SOAP 22Songs & Singers 32Food for Thought 34To the Point 23

A HOLIDAY WITH GODReflecting on making time with God

36

PROMPTNESS BAROMETER

Punctuality of our congregation boils down to whether each of us is punctual. How many times did you get to church on time in the last quarter?

Practise these tips regularly, especially on sundays, so we can honour God with the time He has given us.

1. Make a commitment to arrive slightly ahead of time.

2. Plan for real world delays and give your-self time to spare.

3. Find creative ways to use pockets of time created by being early.

121110

9876543210

Good and Faithful

Well done! a bit more effort, please

Be consistent; don't be complacent

Prepare breakfast on Saturday night

Get a new alarm clock

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONSA Christian Perspective46

A REFLECTION OF OUR LIFE JOURNEY WITH NOEL24

ALPHA31

THE MINISTRY OF FOOD44

8 9

IT SEEMS TO BE an open-and-shut case. Popular – some would use the word 'commercialised' – symbols of Christmas do not appear in Biblical accounts.

That may be true, but many of them do originate from historical facts or legends that sought to inspire faith. let's look again at the things commonly associated with a secular Christmas. Perhaps you will be surprised.

CANDY CANESThere are a number of accounts of the origin of the candy cane, includ-ing one which attributes it to a de-vout confectioner from indiana, usa. He wanted to make a candy that would be a witness for Jesus, so he incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Christ in his new treat. the pure white of his candy symbolized the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus. its hardness was a reminder of Christ as the Foundation of the Church and the firmness of God's promises. the candy maker made this candy in the form of a 'J', the initial of the name of Jesus. it also represents the crook used by the 'Good Shepherd' to save his sheep. For decoration, he used stripes of red to symbolise the blood

which Jesus shed for us. Another similar account with a

stronger ring of truth sets the origin in 1672, in Cologne, Germany. the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral, wishing to stop the children in his church from making noise during the Nativity pageant on Christmas Eve, asked a local candy maker for some sweet sticks for them. in order to justify the distribution of sweets during the worship service, he asked the confectioner to add a crook to the top of each stick to help the chil-dren remember the shepherds who visited the new-born Jesus.

HOLLY AND IVYThe prickly leaves of the holly repre-sent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore at his crucifixion. the berries are the drops of blood he shed be-cause of the thorns.

That ivy has to cling to a support as it grows reminds us that we need to always cling to God in our lives.

This symbolism of the holly is developed fully in the English carol, The Holly and the Ivy, that has been traced to 1710:

The holly and the ivy, when they are both well grown, of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower, and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet saviour.

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood, and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn, and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas day in the morn. The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall, and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

POINSETTIAHere is an old Mexican legend about how poinsettias and Christmas came to be associated:

There was once a poor girl named Pepita who had no gift for the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve service. as she walked sadly to the chapel, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.

"Pepita", he said "I'm sure that even the smallest gift given from the heart will make Jesus happy."

So Pepita picked a handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a little bouquet. still, she felt embarrassed about the smallness of her gift. as she knelt to present the posey at the Nativity scene, the weeds suddenly burst into the bright red flowers of the poinsettia. From that day on, those flowers were known as 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.

the shape of the poinsettia are sometimes thought as a symbol of the star of Bethlehem. the leaves (yes, they are leaves), if red, symbol-ize the blood of Christ and, if white, represent his purity.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMASThe 12 Days of Christmas refer to the period that starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphany (6th January).

In 1979, a Canadian hymnologist, Hugh d. McKellar, invented the idea that the gifts are symbolic of the tenants of the Christian faith, and that the 'true love' of the song refers to God, the true love of the world.

SANTA, CANDY CANES & THE PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE?

Is there any truth inthings like

GOH ECK KHENGexplores the meaning of popular Christmas symbols.

HaN

NEs

sEiB

t CC

BY-

NC-

sa 2

.0

aNN

GO

RdO

N C

C BY

-sa

2.0

GaR

EdEN

iNG

iN a

MiN

utE

CC

BY-N

C 2.

0

JasON HiCKEY CC BY 2.0

10 11

According to McKellar:The 'partridge in a pear tree'

is Jesus who died on the cross. in ancient times a partridge was often used as mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king.

The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God. doves also symbolise peace.

The 'three French hens' are faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy spirit (1 Corinthians 13). The French hens can also represent God the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit.

The 'four calling birds' are the four Gospel books.

the 'five golden rings' are the first five books of the Bible also called the Pentateuch.

The 'six geese a-laying' are the six days of creation.

The 'seven swans a swimming' are the seven gifts of the Holy spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11).

The 'eight maids a milking' are the eight beatitudes taught by Jesus (Matthew 5:3-10).

The 'nine ladies dancing' are nine fruit of the Holy spirit (Galatians 5:22).

The 'ten lords a-leaping' are the ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

The 'eleven pipers piping' are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.

The 'twelve drummers drum-ming' are the twelve points of the apostles' Creed.

SANTA CLAuSThe true story of Santa begins with Nicholas, born to wealthy parents in the third century in the village of Patara, now in turkey. Nicholas was raised as a devout Christian, and when his parents died in an epidem-ic, he obeyed Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Thus, Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man.

When the Roman Emperor Dio-cletian ruthlessly persecuted Chris-tians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. after his release, he attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 when the Nicene Creed was adopted. He died on 6 December, AD 343 in Myra.

Many stories and legends have been told of Nicholas' life and deeds. One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. He had no money for their doweries, and they were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. On three different occa-sions, Nichloas tossed a bag of gold through an open window, which were said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fireplace to dry. this led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from santa Claus.

CANDLESIllumined candles represent Christ as the light of thre world.

God is described in the Bible as “resplendent with light” (Ps 76:4) and “wraps himself in light as with

a garment” (Ps 104:2). as a result of sin, Adam and Eve, and all mankind after them, were banished from the presence of God and cast into spiritual darkness. God chose to deal with sin and reconcile mankind to himself by brining humanity “out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). this he did by entering the world as a man – as the baby Jesus. as the Gospel of John 3:19 records, “Light has come into the world.” Jesus himself proclaimed, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46).

Jesus' death on the cross and his ressurrection on the first Easter, con-quered sin and death and returned light to those who trust in him.

Thus, it is appropriate that Christ-mas events be filled with lit candles as we celebrate Jesus, the Light of the world.

CHRISTMAS WREATHChristmas wreaths hark back to advent wreaths which were first used by Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881), a German Protestant pastor who pioneered urban mis-sion work among the poor. One of Wichern's many acts of social service was the founding of a home for des-titute children in Hamburg. in 1839, Wichern began to use a wreath as a tool to teach the children about the approach of Christmas. For each Sunday of Advent, he lit a large white candle in a wreath made from a cart wheel. For every other

day in between, a small red candle was positioned and lit. in this way, he created a visual aid to help the children count the days to Christmas, and draw their attention to the parts of the Christmas story.

CHRISTMAS TREESA possible source of the Christmas tree is the German medieval reli-gious play known as the “Paradise” play. it began with the creation of man, the narration of the first sin, and showed Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden – represented by a fir tree hung with apples (the symbol of sin) and surrounded by candles. the play closed with the promise of a coming saviour.

When religious plays were sup-pressed in Germany, the popular symbol of the Paradise play – the tree – made its way into the homes of Christians. By the 15th century, these trees were not only decorat-ed with apples but also with small white wafers which symbolised the

body of Christ. these wafers were later replaced by pastry cut into the shapes of stars, angels, bells, and other Christian imagery.

the connection between the tree in the Garden of Eden and Christmas is profound and important. the first sin comitted in the Garden of Eden was disobeying God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God addressed the con-sequences of this sin by becoming a man – Jesus – that we might be saved through his death and res-surection.

thus, trees play a significant role in the arc of the Christian story: the forbidden fruit, the eating of which brought sin into the world, hung on a tree. the act of salvation from sin was Christ cruxified on a cross made from a tree. Furthermore, when sin entered the world through the diso-bedience of Adam and Eve, all man-kind were no longer allowed to eat of the tree of life. However, Christ’s work on the cross will give us “the right to eat of the tree of life” once again (Revelation 2:7).

Xavi

ER R

OM

ERO

-FRi

as B

Y W

iKi C

OM

MO

Ns

MEl

issa

Gu

tiER

REX

CC B

Y-sa

2.0

stO

REBu

KKEB

RusE

CC

BY 2

.0

BRid

a aN

dER

sON

CC

BY 2

.0

12 13

FAMILYChristmas Heritage

Leanne Pattiselanno

with all the crafts and handiwork amassed over the years from our many trips to visit relatives in America. Each piece is treasured for the memories tied to it and the loving care in which they were selected (by mum), packed (by dad) and trucked home. The stockings are carefully hung in their place complete with a photo of each corresponding family member’s first Christmas photograph. Our electrician is booked way in advance to make sure the fairy lights draped on the archway of our gate and on the frangipani trees are set up in time.

Since my sister and I were little, we always looked forward to see what new Martha Stewart-esque ideas our mum had for trimming the tree and getting the house all gussied up. It is no different for my boys since each gets wide-eyed in excitement when the first signs of Christmas descend on our house. God gifted my mum with a creative imagination and a great eye, so the house always looks spectacular. The recent decade has seen her up the ante in transforming our living room into a visual masterpiece. For the years we had weddings, there were butterflies in the tree, and when babies were born, toys were the theme. Those in-between years, our tree has donned everything from peacock feathers to birds to sunflowers. Mum makes it work!

While interior décor remains my mum’s area of expertise, I sadly did not inherit that gene. However, in recent years, I have been able to put my personal stamp on family tradition by way of the hearth. Before Eli was born, Lenard, Zachary and I lived in Barcelona, Spain, for two years while Lenard completed his MBA. It was in España that I discovered my inner-Nigella and came to love experimenting in the kitchen. Being able to cook and feed my family brought me great joy but I was even more thrilled to

ince Lenard and I got married, we have always stayed with my folks. We thought we’d move out eventually but since

Zachary, 6 and Eli, 3 came into our lives, we quickly abandoned that plan in favour of staying put! It is a rarity these days for two generations to live under one roof, much less three (such as our case), and we are grateful to be able to have the children grow up close to their grandparents. Bringing them up in my childhood home also means there is always good company and willing babysitters! The blessing of having the children live with the grandfolks is even more apparent when Christmas comes around.

Christmas is hands-down our household’s favourite season and the one we collectively live from year to year. Even though it’s forever summer in Singapore and Jack Frost is nowhere in sight, there’s still a discernable change in the air as the year draws to a close. Everything seems to slow down a little, we start feeling more sentimental and the desire to be with our loved ones seems more pressing than ever.

In our home, Christmas off-icially begins after the American Thanksgiving for the simple reason that my mum starts decking the halls around that time. Somewhere in the end of November, the yuletide decorations come out of storage and the house resembles Santa’s workshop as my mum-slash-decorator-extraordinaire decides where everything should go. While Christmas carols sung by the crooners of decades gone by play in the background, every hand in the house, small and grown, works to put some bit or bauble in place. The 'scent of Christmas' provided by Yankee Candle wafting in the air makes this event less like work and more like play. Up goes the Christmas quilt, hand-made by mum, mounted on the wall, along

(( CHRISTMAS IS HANDS-DOWN OUR HOUSEHOLD'S FAVOURITE SEASON AND THE ONE WE COLLECTIVELY LIVE FROM YEAR TO YEAR. ))

SAB

IGAI

L GO

H

14 15

finally be able to contribute during the holiday season after we settled down again in Singapore.

In the month of December, it is not uncommon to host up to five or six gatherings including our family dinners on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. Leading up to party season, I work through each meal plan, dog-earing the recipes to try out and figuring out the ingredients for our dinner-table mainstays. The menu is typically a balance of American tradition (turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, stuffing and the like) and local goodies (satay, mee siam, and more). While outsourcing is a necessity, I always make it a point to make the stuffing and accompaniments myself. In addition to our main meals, our oven is kept very busy with batches and batches of fresh brioche, cakes, cookies and other sweets to be served as dessert, given as gifts or eaten just because no one can say "no". Decorating sugar cookies has become something the boys really look forward to so I make sure to have some stashed in the kitchen as post-dinner entertainment for the younger bunch while the adults have their meal and catch up over drinks. No one is in a hurry to end the festivities, unless, of course, it’s Christmas Eve and the children are expecting a visit from jolly old St.

Nick. Zachary in particular makes sure he hits the sack as early as possible because he believes it’s a surefire way to get Christmas Day to come quickly and come it does! We have always maintained

the tradition of Santa’s visit even though the adults know it is all a ruse. Even after my sister and I knew that Santa was make-believe,

we still loved the anticipation of not-Santa’s visit as much as our parents still enjoyed feeding into the fantasy. Just as we put out cookies and milk plus freshly cut grass in our Christmas stockings (for the reindeer, of course) for years of our childhood, my children now do the same. The awe painted on their faces when they see the empty glass and plate and squeals they elicit at the sight of the mountain of presents is a gift in itself and well-worth the effort of conducting this covert operation!

But.As spectacular and dazzling as

all these traditions are, is Christ-mas’ meaning to me and my family defined merely by special foods, a be-decked tree in the living room or even a plump guy in a red suit? Is Christmas not Christmas when you strip all that away? Do the tra-ditions we keep demonstrate to those looking on God’s amazing act of perfect love that first Christmas morning?

Having been brought up in a Christian household and having gone to a Christian school for 12 years, I was always able to give a Sunday School textbook answer to the true meaning of Christmas.

Now that I have two precious children who are slowly forming their idea of who God is and who He ought to be to them, I find myself asking these questions more seriously and thoughtfully as the year winds down.

I recall Romans 12:2 calling for us to “not be confirmed to this world”. As believers, what sets us apart during the holiday season that demonstrates how truly amazing God’s gift and sacrifice really is? How can I show my children and to others how Christ has completely changed my life if I honour Him at Christmas by doing what everyone else does? I’ve found my heart stirred with a frantic desire for them

to look past the fancy packaging of “commercial Christmas” to see the bigger picture – that “… God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

As they grow with each Christ-mas season, my prayer is that God will grow the seeds we as parents lovingly plant into our children’s hearts and that by our actions, they will come to love the Lord our God with all their heart, soul and mind. We pray that as they mature, they will see with new eyes what it means to receive this gift and what God wants us to do with it. This Christmas let us all experience with our families how God can use us as His salt and light to share the good news of what happened that Christ-mas morning.

Leanne is a self-confessed Christmas enthusiast married to a sports lover, and mummy to two active little boys.(( WE HAVE

ALWAYS MAINTAINED THE TRADITION OF SANTA'S VISIT EVEN THOUGH THE ADULTS KNOW IT IS ALL A RUSE. ))

(( DO THE TRADITIONS WE KEEP DEMONSTRATE TO THOSE LOOKING ON GOD'S AMAZING ACT OF PERFECT LOVE THAT FIRST CHRISTRMAS MORNING? ))

(Clockwise from left) Harold Tan, Lenard Pattiselanno, Eli, Leanne, Zachery, Kenneth Tan, Melanie, Lin.

1716

A social enterprise is an organisation that applies business strategies for a social cause. Its primary aim is to maximise

improvements to human, environment, healthcare, education and so forth, and is not driven by profits to benefit the owner or shareholders. Hence, the commitment to the diverse social causes and its goals is the driving vision behind the business. Any surpluses that result from the business are reinvested to achieve higher social objectives.

In the Christian context, social enterprise is aligned to the call by God to help the poor and needy. Consider the following verses – Zechariah 7:9 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another”. Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Isaiah 25:4a "For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat…." Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

In Singapore, social enterprises follow the four broad models listed in the table below although increasingly, there are hybrid ways in which social enterprise can operate.

Plough-back-profit ModelThe objective of these social enterprises is to generate profit to fund the social programmes of their affiliated or parent charities. This helps VWOs or charities reduce their reliance on donations and enhance their financial sustainability.

Subsidised Services ModelThese social enterprises provide

subsidised services to needy and/or disadvantages clients, and charge commercial rates to mainstream customers. This ensures that the people who could not usually afford certain services have access to such services to improve their quality of life.

Work Integration ModelThe Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) provide skills training and/or employment opportunities to the needy disadvantaged (i.e. those who have higher than usual barriers to employmemt, such as ex-offenders) as a means to reintegrate them into society and encourage them to be self reliant. They give an opportunity to people who may not find employmement on the open market.

Social Needs ModelThese social enterprises are designed to serve society's social needs or address certain social issues. These issues can include community bonding, family bonding and racial harmony.

Supporting a social enterprise helps to further a social cause by enabling funds to be channelled directly to its beneficiaries – such as the marginalised sub-groups in societies. It also provides them with a platform to voice social concerns and to advocate for changes that can impact the betterment of its people, environment and issues. Sustainability for social enterprises can only happen when citizens come alongside to endorse its message, products and services. It's a meaningful and satisfying way to reach out to help the needy in society.

On the following pages, we feature a few social enterprises that you might go to for gifts this Christmas.

HELPING HANDS

AT WORK BY CHONG CHEH HOON

A

(( IN THE CHRISTIAN CONTEXT, SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IS ALIGNED TO THE CALL BY GOD TO HELP THE POOR AND NEEDY.

))

Effective Social Enterprisesx x x x x x x x

18 19

(( WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ENTERPRISE IS THAT EVERY-THING THAT IT SELLS IS HAND-MADE AND HOME-MADE BY INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. ))

(( CLIENTS ARE PAID AN HOURLY RATE FOR THE PRE-PRODUCTION PROCESS WHILE THE SEWERS GET THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE BAGS.

))

SEMBAWANG FAMILY SERVICE CENTRE BANNER BAGS PROJECTSFSC is committed to assisting its clients attain eventual self-sufficiency. One pressing issue for clients who are home-bound because of child- or elder-care responsibilities, especially the housewives from low-income families, is the need to work towards self-reliance and feel empowered by generating some income for the family. It was with this need in mind that SFSC embarked on the Banner Bags Project with the guidance of CCMC in 2010.

Used event banners donated by organisations such as NEA and People’s Association are transformed into lovely bags of various sizes and designs, catering to customers’ different needs. For example, during last year’s SFSC Sunday, many of the smaller banner bags were snapped up for use as Bible carriers! Organisations like Woodlands Evangelical Church and Methodist Girls’ School have placed orders for banner bags to use as goodie bags or door gifts for their events.

The SFSC clients’ role in this project is to take up the duties of cleaning, selecting and cutting out appropriate portions of the banners, and finally to sew them into bags. Clients are paid an hourly rate for the pre-production process while the sewers get the proceeds from the sale of the bags.

SFSC currently has five committed sewers. One of them, Ms Irene, shared: “I’m grateful for the flexibility this programme as I’m able to work at my own pace and schedule while juggling family commitments. The additional income earned goes a long way to supplement my family’s expenses. Also, I get to milk my creative juices when choosing the material and coming up with design for the banner bags. This Banner Bags Project is indeed very rewarding.”

Banner Bags, especially the bigger ones, are useful for delivering gifts to families and friends.

Call 67547050 or email admin@sfsc.org.sg to get the bags.

TEDDYTHOTZ ‘N’ ONEKIND This home-grown social enterprise produces quirky and creative handcrafted products. They range from unusual teddy bears to common everyday things made so creatively that they become special and uncommon.

What’s different about this enterprise is that everything that it sells is hand-made and home-made by individuals and families. This practice is deliberate as TeddyThotz’s mission is to harness the talents of the ordinary and disadvantaged people to generate business and income for them.

The result is a unique range of creative and quality handcrafted products that are socially meaningful at the same time.

These include an adorable collection of hand-crocheted owls, rabbits and hoody bears; brainy bears and textile doggies made from lovely fabrics; and bears and bunnies made from recycled jeans. Other popular products include beautiful hand-painted earrings and artistically shaped wire art bracelets and rings.

The makers of these products

are working mothers, housewives, farmers, rural folk, and crafters.

TeddyThotz’s evergreen favourites are it’s traditional items made by the elderly which often elicit a feeling of nostalgia among customers – patchwork blankets in many designs and sizes to choose from, beansprout husk pillows and bolsters, and the traditional children’s game, Five Stones.

TeddyThotz’s products are available at Path Market, a social enterprise bazaar at VivoCity, Level 1, Lobby A to C area, from 14 to 23 December, 11am to 10pm.

Find out more at facebook.com/teddythotz.sg and teddythotz.blogspot.sg.

THE SINGAPORE ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SERVICES This umbrella organisation runs three social enterprises: The Mother and Child Project, MOSES and Something Old Something New (SOSN).

The social enterprises are non-profit making and were set up to enable clients to have an opportunity to earn an income, be encouraged in their journey of recovery and to raise awareness of social issues like mental illness and spousal abuse.

Dr Sally Thio, then Director of Hougang Care Centre, asked Ms Anna Tsang, a fashion designer, to help set up Something Old Something New in 1997. It started as a vintage store. Currently, there are three outlets located in Simei Care Centre, in Bedok North and in Pasir Ris, which are run as thrift stores providing employment opportunities for clients. At the same time, the items on sale are reasonably priced to bless lower income families and many foreign workers. SOSN runs a flea market and a garage sale every year at Simei Care Centre.

At SOSN, clients are taught to evaluate and sort donated items, arrange them and shelve them for display. Clients with higher capabilities price items and work as cashiers.

SACS runs a sheltered workshop named MOSES (Members Own Social Enterprise Services) which produces corporate gifts and gifts for sale at retail outlets. It began in 2006 and operates from Simei Care Centre. MOSES aims to create sustainable training and work opportunities for people with mental illness in their journey to recovery. MOSES thus becomes a bridge to rehabilitate and integrate them into the community.

At the MOSES Workshop, clients improve their motor skills and learn Art and Craft making.

20 21

A WORLD VIEWBY KIM TAN

AFTER MORE THAN 50 years of aid to Africa, there has been no significant change in the poverty landscape. Economic data shows that though aid has increased, the GDPs of the recipient countries have decreased. There is therefore no direct relationship between aid and poverty reduction.

In my opinion, business and enterprise is a better, if not the only way, for long-term sustainable transformation and poverty reduction in developing countries.

To be clear, there will always be a role for aid in meeting humanitarian, short-term crises. But for long term, sustain-able transformation, aid is not the solution. Here, I highlight two issues that are seldom discussed in poverty reduction.

In developed countries, the small medium enterprise (SME) sector contributes more than 51% of GDP, while the informal sector – like home-based business – contributes 13%. In developing countries, this is reversed with the informal economy contributing more than 47%. With such a large informal sector from which no taxes are collected, no wonder governments in developing countries have to depend on aid to run essential services. Increasing the tax base is the way out of poverty, and the way to enlarge the tax base is through enterprise-creating jobs.

Since the backbone of the economy in developed coun-tries is the SME sector, activities that do not enlarge this sector condemn the country to poverty. To address this, we need to build the ecosystem to develop and grow SMEs.

I believe that enterprise-building can also address the human social issues that come with poverty. Investments can be made with the intention not only of a financial return, but also a social and an environmental return by building commercially sustainable SMEs that create jobs, empower the poor to improve their livelihoods and address their social and environmental issues.

Poverty is a complex problem. Its causes are multifac-torial, but we have focused for too long on these causes. Perhaps we should spend more time focusing on the causes of wealth creation and economic development. This is the journey we need to take from aid and philanthropy to enterprise.

Kim Tan is the founder chairman of SpringHill Management Ltd (UK), a fund management company in biotech and social ven-ture capital investments. He is also a board director of compa-nies in Malaysia, India, the UK, South Africa and the USA.

The Mother and Child Project produces a wide range of products for the home, clothing and jewellery.

It was birthed in 2005 at a crisis shelter when Anna Tsang decided to marry both her passions – working with disadvantaged woman and fashion design. She started to train disadvantaged women to sew and make a range of products which she designed. Many of these ladies were single mothers, retirees or women recovering from psychiatric illness, and their newly acquired skill became their source of income.

Initially, Anna faced challenges in finding material for the ladies to sew and work with. She and her supporters scavenged for remnant cloth and donated materials. Hence, some of the items sold by Mother and Child Project are patchworks or use fabrics up-cycled from denim jeans and jackets. There are also high-fashion reversible jackets and skirts with sleek lines and structure.

Her first design was a tissue pouch. She went on to conceive

the bestselling cheerful Samsui and Peranakan women as doorstops, paper weights and card holders.

By providing sewing contract work under the Mother and Child brand, the project provides home-based work for disadvantaged mothers and their children in Singapore so that they can become economically self-sufficient.

Efforts are made to ensure that a large percentage of money earned from each product goes back to these women. The aim is to empower women-in-need with a regular income while allowing them to take care of their children. By helping one mother, an average of four people are helped as most of these women have two or three children. These mothers are trained in sewing, assigned work according to their level of skills, and are paid above market rates.

Befriending services are also provided to meet their social needs. Over time, many of the women regained their confidence, managed their family situations better, and found higher paying jobs outside the programme. Some of them have even taken up the design of new

products for the shop.The Singapore Anglican

Community Service has a pop up shop at CityLink Mall (B01-07A) named MOSES where items from all three social enterprises are available.

Contact details for SOSN and MOSES are as follows:

SOSNwww.sosn.sg

SOSN Simei10 Simei Street 3Tel: 6781 8113 (Augustine Tham, ext 1306, for donation of items)

SOSN BedokBlk 89, Bedok North St 4, #01-91Tel: 6242 9248

SOSN Pasir RisBlk 534 Pasir Ris Drive 1, #01-266Tel: 6582 2335

MOSES10 Simei Street 3Tel: 6781 8113Website: www.moses.com.sgEmail: enquiry@moses.com.sg OR peterpoh@sacs.org.sg

(( BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE IS A BETTER, IF NOT THE ONlY WAY, FOR lONG- TERM SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION AND POVERTY REDUCTION…. ))

Pictures show Kuzuko Lodge, a social enterprise safari game park in South Africa.

22 23

INTERVIEW BY GOH ECK KHENG

GRACE NG: Called to Educate

Ms Grace Ng comes from her position as Deputy Director at the Guidance Branch, Student Development Curriculum Division, Ministry of Education, to assume the role of MGS Principal starting from 16 December 2013.

Ms Ng is no stranger to the MGS culture and ethos. A Christian, she first taught at her alma mater, Paya Lebar MGS, before being promoted to Vice-Principal in 1997. She was then appointed Principal of Juying Secondary School before a stint as Superintendent for a school cluster.

Ms Ng has played a significant role in shaping the schools and places where she has been in charge, setting clear goals and directions, and nurturing those she works with.

Loaves+Fishes conducted this short interview with Ms Ng.

Why did you become a teacher?I think it was really God’s calling. He knew way ahead the person I am and my inherent strengths and how being a teacher would allow me to reach out to young lives.

What is the one thing that you will never tolerate in a student?The lack of integrity. To me, integrity is an imperative – a must have – without which, society, organization, family and relationships will fail. Our young must understand the importance of it.

What is your strongest memory of your school days?I have very good memories of my school days. Till today, they remain etched in my mind.

The teachers… my CCA experience… being a part of the NPCC… chapel… cheering, and running for my house on Sports Day, are but a few. What is important is that these experiences made me feel a part of my school and that I belonged there. My loyalty and love for my

alma mater had its genesis from these innocuous activities and experiences of school life.

Who was the teacher that made an impact in your life, and how so?It must be Ms Ruth Ho, my Secondary 3 History teacher who impressed upon me the importance of good communication and pronunciation. She would use every teachable moment to illustrate or show us how a word should be pronounced. Till today, I continue to make a conscious effort to hone my skills in this area.

What do Singaporean parents misunderstand and least understand about education?This is only based on my interaction with parents I come across and may not be representative. Parents tend to focus their energies on the attainment of outcomes by their children. Inadvertently then, the focus would be on the outcome/product and little on the process of learning. Education is a life-long endeavor and every experience good or bad, tough or easy, can provide pivotal learning for our children. If parents, teachers and all involved in the lives of our children can see the inordinate potential of teachable moments to educate, then our children would truly be educated in the real sense of the word.

What foundation principles have you gained from your years of teaching, school management, and work in the Ministry of Education?People are key. An organization is nothing without its people. Bring

(( EVERY SINGLE CHILD HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SOMEONE WE CAN BE PROUD OF. ))

out the best in them and help them grow. When our people grow, the organization improves and our children will be the beneficiaries.

Every single child has the potential to become someone we can be proud of.

How do you spend your free time and weekends?Weekends are reserved for church and family. In my free time, I do some sports and also browse the social media to keep up with what’s happening. It's also having time alone, for me to recharge.

What is your favourite verse in the Bible?I have a couple but at this point of time, my top of the charts must be Psalm 90:16-17

Let your work appear to Your servants and your glory to their children

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us

And establish the work of our hands for us:

Yes, establish the work of our hands.

What is a good way of preparing the hearts of children for the start of a new school year? I would like to do some of the following:• Prepare the children psychologically, and help them look forward to the new experiences that can come with a new year, like new friends.• Pick a song that they can hum on their way to school.• Pray for them and do pray with them.

24 25

PETER LOCKLove

S: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. O: It is impossible to practice such love. God's kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is totally unselfish, and it goes against our natural instinct. A: Pray and ask God for His kind of love to be manifested in us. But we need to be humble and obedient.

TIM TANNo such thing as bad karma

S: Job 5:17, 18 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal."

O: People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire. (Job 5:7)

A: We need to study the Word in order to better understand the painful truths in life. Listen to God's counsel, and apply it to ourselves.

P: Lord, help me appreciate all the painful lessons in my sinful life on earth. Knowing that if I'm faithful till the end, you will restore all good things to me in your eternal kingdom

ANTON & DOROTHY CHANGrace, Love and Fellowship

S: 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of The Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellow-ship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

O: This is a common closing prayer or benediction we hear at the end of Church service. The trinitarian benediction prayed by Paul is for us to rejoice with, aim for restora-tion, agree with one another, and live in peace. We are sinners saved by the grace of The Lord Jesus who loves us and paid the price for our sins on the cross. The love of God has been poured on us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. The communion of the Holy Spirit is to help us to fellowship with God. Why did Paul pronounce the benediction in the order of grace, love and fellowship?

A: Grace reminds us that each day is lived by the mercy of God. We are always loved by God no matter how others treat us. And to enjoy this grace and love we must walk in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The theology of grace, love and fellowship with one another come from the Trinity. May we be bless-ed as we truly embrace his grace, his love and communion with the Holy Spirit each day.

P: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your grace which allows us to en-joy the love of our God, our Father.

CCMC MEMBERS ARE APPROACH-ING THE MILESTONE FIRST YEAR OF USING THE SOAP FORMAT FOR DAILY DEVOTIONS. WE ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE A DAILY BIBLE READING PROGRAMME TO TRY SOAP. AS MANY WILL CONFIRM, IT IS EASY, MEANINGFUL, AND lIFE-TRANSFORMING.

Help us to walk in fellowship of the Holy Spirit to love one anoth-er, to rejoice, to aim for unity, and to serve the Church to which we belong.

S O A PWorship Him in awe and rever-ence. P: Gracious God, you have given us an impossible task. We earnestly seek your help to set aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love while expecting nothing in return.

Hu

BBLE

MASON TANSpiritual food

S: Matthew 4:4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

O+A: We are called to lead a bal-anced Christian life for our body, mind and soul. The Scripture is God breathed and provides our daily manna. We cannot read the Bible in an erratic manner.

P: Lord, we thank you for Your dai-ly bread. We praise You. Amen.

s

Chr

i stm

a s B l e s s ing

26 27

John 3:16

Is 9:6-7

Is 7:14

28 29

BY PASTOR KHOO KAY HuAT

THE HOPE OF SALVATION

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Romans 8:24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?

Zephaniah 3:17The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will re-joice over you with glad-ness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

WHY WE HOPE

God Does Not LieNumbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

God is Our Strength & HelperIsaiah 41:10Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my right-eous right hand.

God is Our Portionlamentations 3:24

I say to myself, "The lord is my portion; there-

fore i will wait for him."

God's Word Brings HopePsalm 119:49Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

God's Wisdom Brings HopeProverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, andyour hope will not be cut off.

Hope in God Purifies Us1 John 3:3All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Hope

To The Point

HOPE IS A RESuLT OF CHARACTER FORMATION

Romans 5:1-5Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces persever-ance; perseverance, char-acter; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

29

HOPE FOR THE FuTuRE

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Proverbs 23:18There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE

1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Titus 1:1-2 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

HOPE IN TROuBLED TIMES

Psalm 27:4-5 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that i may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

Romans 12:12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy spirit.

Deuteronmy 31:6Be strong and courageous. do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

TO ASSEMBLE YOUR ADVENT CALENDER

1. Apply glue carefully to the top, bottom and right sides on the blue border. Glue together.

2. Use a hole puncher to punch out the holes on the top of this side of the calender.

3. Thread a ribbon through the holes and make a bow for hanging.

4. You are now ready to open each peforated box as you countdown the days to Christmas.

Box designs from http://littletree-blog.blogspot.sg/ Nativity characters from http://madebyjoel.com/

30 31

n 27 April 2011, in a som-bre voice, Noel told us that he had to be admitted to NUH. It was a moment of

great anxiety and fear and Mike tex-ted our small group, Blest West Too, for prayer support. The next day, the oncologist told us that Noel had a very big malignant mediastinal germ cell tumour (yolk sac type), and from the CT scan, the size of the tumour was 18.3 x 18 x 12.6 cm, and it had compressed his left lung. The success rate of chemotherapy treat-ment for germ cell tumour, we were told, was 50/50 – but the oncologist did not reveal that the success rate for yolk sac type is very low.

We were totally devastated and asked God why. However, instead of giving in to fear, we turned to the Lord for help and prayed for his healing grace. Rather than looking at the cup as half empty, we saw it as half filled.

Noel started chemotherapy im-mediately. Each course of chemo-therapy lasted five days and each cycle was for a period of three weeks. Usually after the first week of chemo, we walked in Bukit Ba-tok Nature Park so that Noel could gain his strength. It was also a time when we would 'prayer walk' to ask God to heal Noel completely, for the effectiveness of the chemo drugs, and to minimise the side ef-fects of chemo. Our cell group gath-ered around to support us in prayer, brought fruits and food for Noel and encouraged him.

Noel bore the whole process of the four chemo cycles very well and he never complained of pain, side effects etc. Each night before we left the hospital, we prayed for God to heal him and to send his angels to encamp around him to protect him.

After four cycles of chemother-apy, the cancer marker dropped from 12599 points to 10 points (normal was <15 points) and we were elated. The oncologist then

arranged for surgery to remove the tumour on 18 August 2011. After six hours of surgery, we praised God that the whole operation was a great success. After six days, Noel was discharged as he regained his health quite fast. We had prayed constantly, believing that God was with us and that He would never leave us nor forsake us and He has great plans for Noel as in Jeremiah 29:11 – "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We were so assured that God would heal as things were generally going smoothly.

On the advice of the oncologist, Noel continued another two cycles of chemo until 1 Nov 2011. How-ever, in mid-December 2011, there was a relapse as the marker went up again and the oncologist then proposed stem cells transplant with three cycles of high dosage chemo. The dosage of the chemo drug was three times higher than the norm and Noel had to be isolated for 63 days over this whole period in view of his low or nil immunity. He suf-fered much side effects.

We had earlier wanted to delay the treatment as we wanted to cel-ebrate his 21st birthday which was on 3 Feb 2012. However, the doctor advised us to commence treatment as soon as possible.

God answered our prayers for the extraction of stem cells as Noel managed to extract sufficient stem cells for the transplant even though his bone marrow had been bad-ly affected by the earlier cycles of chemo.

On 29 Jan 2012, we celebrated Noel’s 21st birthday in advance and had a party at home – the doctor had permitted him to go home for a short break. Noel had suffered so much; confined to his hospital bed and subjected to intensive medical treatment. We thanked God for all

O

(( EACH NIGHT BEFORE WE LEFT THE HOSPITAL, WE PRAYED FOR GOD TO HEAL HIM AND TO SEND HIS ANGELS TO ENCAMP AROUND HIM TO PROTECT HIM.

))

by Michael & Christina Chia

OZi

NO

H C

C BY

-NC

2.0

n elA reflection on our life journey with

32 33

Unfortunately, in Sept 2012, the oncologist advised us that there would not be further chemo treat-ment as it was not helping and the disease was spreading. Noel texted Kim Pong (OC mentor) and Supra (a brother from Cornerstone Commu-nity Church who had been praying for him) and asked them to pray. When Kim Pong asked how he was, Noel replied that he felt at peace though sad.

Noel continued his studies and attended lectures daily in NTU and even studied for exams when his health and strength were deterio-rating.

Noel went for his first OC camp on 7 to 9 Dec 2012 even though he was suffering as he was experienc-ing shortness of breath and was very tired. He was very encouraged when the OC youths and pastors prayed for him so fervently. On the night of 8 Dec 2012, the power of the Holy Spirit was experienced in an amazing way! OC was empow-ered! So many youths and at least four pastors prayed for healing of Noel. Noel felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit working in him! Hallelu-jah! By His stripes, Noel was healed! When Kim Pong asked all to stand to sing the last song at the close of the session, Noel was able to stand! God was amazing! God was awe-some! We were also very encour-aged that Nick, our younger son, was singing and praying as well!

Noel’s last days were difficult as he could not sleep at night due to shortness of breath. The week be-fore he passed on, Chris was sleep-ing in the same room to look after him. One night, at about 4 o'clock, Noel looked at Chris and said, “I love you, mummy”. Chris hugged him and told him that she loved him too.

That Saturday afternoon, while we were praying together, Noel prayed in a loud voice to thank us for looking after him and he prayed

that God would look after us. We were very touched by Noel’s love. Mike assured Noel that he should not feel bad because God first loved us and he has to love and take care of him, more so because Noel is his son.

On Sunday, Noel dressed for church but as he stepped out of his room, he sat down. He did not have the strength even to walk. He cried as he so much wanted to go to church to worship and to give his offering. He then passed a note of a big value to Mike to give as offering to God.

Noel waited for his sister, Nicole, (who was studying in Manchester University) to come home during her vacation break on the night of 18 December. That day, at 5 in the evening, after two bags of blood transfusion, Noel asked to have Bi-ble Study with the OC youths in our home. Though he had to use an ox-ygen mask and was very tired and uncomfortable, he was attentive and wanted to know more about God. In retrospect, God was gra-cious to allow Noel to spend his last hours on earth in fellowship with his OC friends. According to his friends, the song Still touched Noel’s heart. In Psalm 46:10: God says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the na-tions, I will be exalted in the earth.”

SURRENDER TO GODOn 19 Dec 2012, as Noel was feel-ing very uncomfortable with short-ness of breath, he agreed to go back to hospital. He asked the doctor if there could be further treatments (whether radiation or chemo) to fight the disease. That night, our friends from Faith Methodist Church’s Intercessory House of Prayer came to worship and sing praises to God and to minister Holy Communion to Noel. Chris stayed overnight in the hospital.

Noel was not able to sleep well

over the previous week and the nurses gave him morphine to help him rest. Finally, he was able to sleep but he had to sleep while sit-ting cross-legged on the bed with his head on the table. After four hours of rest, at about 4 am, he woke up feeling much refreshed and he asked for his prayer cards and iPad.

Pastor Peter Wong visited Noel in hospital at about 7.30 am on 20 Dec 2012. He saw Noel was still having his devotions and reading the scripture cards. Noel was still praying in his last hours on earth. Pastor Peter encouraged Noel to trust God and told him that even Lazarus was raised from death.

Noel was still hopeful that God was going to heal him and he was determined to fight on, despite the pain, tiredness and difficulty in-breathing.

By noon, Noel’s condition had deteriorated so quickly. We did not know why this happened. In the midst of pain in our hearts and through tears, God gave Mike the courage to share with Noel Psalm 23:6 “Surely [God’s] goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” and Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither an-gels nor demons, neither the pres-ent nor the future, nor any powers . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Je-sus our Lord.”

Mike said to Noel that if it was God's will to call him home to be with him, he should just go as God would take care of him and God has provided a room for him in heaven. Mike further assured Noel that he should not worry about us as God would take care of us and he (Mike) would take care of mum, his sister and brother.

It was very hard to surrender our beloved Noel whom we shared

His provisions, and the One Com-munity Youth (OC) and friends for making this celebration possible. The OC had to wear face masks be-cause of Noel's low immunity but the happy and special day was a very enjoyable and memorable time for Noel. It was also very meaning-ful for him and a testimony of God’s goodness and love for Noel. On 3 Feb 2012, his 21st birthday, the nurses also celebrated Noel's birth-day in his hospital room.

After the high-dose chemo, Noel's medical condition im-proved. We thanked God and were very hopeful of full recovery. Yet, a month later, the marker went up. Noel went through blood test and PET-MRI/CT scan but he did not complain. Mike shared Psalm 59:16 with Noel: "God is our refuge in time of trouble."

It was a difficult time for Noel. He went for further chemo, two rounds of radiation and another surgery of his hip bone area. Each time we prayed together, we would try to remind him that “God is faith-ful and God is good”. Though we did not understand, we just had to trust in His plans for Noel.

In the midst of all these, in June 2012, Noel was accepted to NTU to read Engineering. We prayed that this would be the sign that God would heal him as he has given him great plans for his future. The doc-tors and radiographers had sched-uled his radiation in the morning; we arrived at the hospital before 8 am and completed the radiation be-fore 8.30 am and then we sent him to NTU for his studies.

In all, Noel went through 16 cy-cles of chemo, two operations and two rounds of radiation. He had never complained of pain nor did he refuse treatment because of the side effects. Even when the nurs-es could not find the veins for the chemo treatment, he would just bear the pricking stoically.

(( IN THE MIDST OF ALL THESE, IN JUNE 2012, NOEL WAS ACCEPTED TO NTU TO READ ENGINEERING. WE PRAYED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE SIGN THAT GOD WOULD HEAL HIM AS HE HAS GIVEN HIM GREAT PLANS FOR HIS FUTURE.

))

(From left): Christina, Nicole, Noel, Nick and Michael.

34 35

What sin had I committed against the Lord our God? We searched frantically for answers. We told God that we will ask the whys when we are in heaven but the most impor-tant thing was to heal Noel.

We went to many healing servic-es to pray for God’s mercy and His healing hands to reach out to touch Noel. We prayed that Jesus would reveal His face to Noel to embrace him as He would embrace a lamb and to heal him. Jesus did appear to Noel and healed him spiritually and walked with him through the valley of death so that Noel would not be afraid.

This life storm really tested us and is still testing our faith in God. As of now, we cannot truly say that our faith has grown stronger and deeper. No doubt our faith was shattered. We prayed and cried a lot through those 20 months. Mike shared with our small group dur-ing the 'Thanksgiving, Reflection and Prayer' led by David and Soon Leong on 4 January 2013 that the intensity of his prayers and cries to the Lord were far more than that for the past 50 years before Noel was diagnosed with the disease. We really could not understand why a healthy young man like Noel had to suffer so much.

In the midst of all the pain and suffering by Noel, Mike often asked: “Does God really love us?” He was reminded of Romans 8:32:“He who did not spare His own Son, but de-livered Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, gra-ciously give us all things?” Mike re-called how the speaker in a healing service that we attended in middle of 2011 described vividly what it was like for Jesus to be pierced by the thorns of the crown and the nails. God gave up His Son to suffer and die on the cross for us. God still loves us!

On 19 March 2013, Pastor John Benedict Foo preached on 'The True Older Brother'. The sermon

reminded Chris of the question: 'Are we worshipping God for what He can do for us or are we worship-ing God for Who He is'. Where is our heart? Chris was angry at God as she felt that God should answer our prayers as we have been 'good'.

The prayer of confession that day reminded Chris that she was reluctant to set aside her hurts, her anger and disappointment. In the prayer of thanksgiving, she was re-minded that 'all things come from You and with gratitude, we return to You what is Yours.' We are stew-ards of our children. We love them but we know that God loves them more.

We thanked Jesus for coming to Noel as it helped to remove our feel-ings of guilt – whether we should have done more for Noel medical-ly or emotionally or spiritually. We knew that this was in His plans.

On 13 March, Chris attended the Women’s Breakthrough weekend organised by Covenant Evangelical Free Church. She had prayed that God confirm that He was in con-trol and that He was the First and the Last and the Beginning and the End. During the quiet time that very afternoon, God revealed to her in Revelations 22:13 that He is "Al-pha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." In heaven, there is no more tears and no more suffering. It is the land of perfect holiness, and therefore of complete security. Noel is therefore safely with Christ Jesus and in His arms.

CONCLUSIONIn the book 10 reasons to Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering, the au-thor concludes: “You are not alone if unfairness and suffering of life leaves you unconvinced that a God in heaven cares for you. But consid-ering again the suffering of the One called by prophet Isaiah (Isa 53:3). Think about His slashed back, His bloodied forehead, His nail-ripped

(( GOD’S PLANS FOR NOEL WAS HARD FOR US TO COMPREHEND. LIKE MANY PARENTS WHO HAD FACED SUCH A STORM OF lIFE, WE ASkED: “GOD, ARE YOU THERE? ARE YOU REAL? WHY DIDN’T YOU ANSWER OUR PRAYERS?” ))

our lives with for at least 21 and a half years, not counting the 9-plus months in his mother’s womb. In hindsight, it must be the Holy Spir-it who gave Mike the courage and God’s wisdom to share about eter-nity with Noel.

At one moment, while seated on the bed, Noel asked for Chris’ arms to support his head. Mike withdrew his arms thinking that Noel wanted only his mum to support his head. Noel pulled his arms back! We knew that Noel indicated that he really loved us and forgave us of our mistakes and wanted to be recon-ciled with us!

Noel refused to increase the dos-age of morphine and tried to keep awake to meet his three National Sservice buddies for the last time. Noel had great difficulty in breath-ing after noon. We were really help-less. His three friends finally came after 1 pm.

About this time, Mike saw that Noel was struggling very hard to breathe. After what he called the “first breath”, Noel closed his eyes and Mike thought he was leaving us. He opened his eyes again and said: “I am not going". After the "last breath", with his eyes half closed and struggling to breathe, Noel said to us: "I saw Jesus. He is waiting for me. I am going now." Noel then closed his eyes and collapsed into Mike’s arms. Helplessly, Mike held Noel’s right hand and felt he was still warm and we fervently prayed that God could grant a miracle to heal Noel.

The staff nurse (who is a Chris-tian, and who had sung and prayed with Noel in the morning) also confirmed Noel’s parting words to Chris. Noel clearly had a strong de-sire to live and fight on but when he met Jesus, he surrendered to Him. Our beloved son, Noel, had fought the good fight! We thank God that Noel had 'spiritual eyesight'!

We truly could not have im-agined that Noel, our beloved son, a

strong and healthy young man who joined NS in 2010, whose friends called 'gentle giant' because he was 1.86 metre and weighed 96 kg was gone. He was looking okay on 19 Dec 2012, albeit tired, and yet the next day, was gone.

God’s plans for Noel was hard for us to comprehend. Like many parents who had faced such a storm of life, we asked: “God, are You there? Are You Real? Why didn’t You answer our prayers?” But Noel confirmed it for EVERYONE. He shared a rare glimpse into eternity. What a precious legacy, affirmation and blessing he left for the living, in particular us.

It was like Jesus' last moment as a man on earth as recorded in John 19:30: “So when Jesus had re-ceived the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

When Noel saw Jesus and knew that the Lord was waiting for him in heaven after his last breath, Noel surrendered to the arms of the Lord! During the wake, Mike’s mum comforted us, saying that Noel's parting words were from the Lord Jesus to us as the words were very clear and distinct.

GOING THROUGH LIFE'S STORM AND EXPERIENCING THE GRACE OF GODThroughout the 20 plus months of Noel's illness, we could see that God was gracious to Noel and to us. Noel’s faith had grown and deep-ened. We had hoped that with fer-vent prayers by so many friends, pastors and ourselves, Noel would be healed physically by God. James 5: 15 says: The prayers offered in faith will make the sick person well. At times, we had doubts whether there was lack of faith on our part.

Like most people confronted with pain and suffering, we asked God many questions and cried to Him: Why did God allow such a disaster? What wrong had I done?

36 37

What is Alpha? The Alpha Course has been running for over 26 years.it began at Holy Trinity Brompton in central London, united Kingdom in the late 1970s. The Alpha Course spread during the 1990s internationally as more church and groups found it a helpful way to answer questions about the Christian faith in an informal setting. there are now over 60,500 courses worldwise in 169 countries.

Who is it for?It is for everyone interested in discov-ering what Christianity is about and to explore the meaning of life together. People attend alpha for a wide variety of reasons - some want to investi-gate whether God exists; others are concerned about what happens after death. some have particular ques-tions about faith that they would like to discuss; there are those who want to understand other peoples’ beliefs or would like to explore the purpose of life. Many guests have never been to church, others may have attended church occasionally.

How the Course Worksthe emphasis is upon exploration and discovery in a relaxed and informal environment. Each session begins with a meal. this is a chance to get to know others participants. then there is a short talk which looks at a different as-pect of the Christian faith each week. this is followed by a time of discussion in the small groups where everyone is welcome to contribute their opinion, ask questions and discuss with the rest of the group.

The course is based around small groups of 8 to 12 people, hosted by one or two leaders who facilitate and encourage discussion. the composi-tion of members of each small group remains the same for the duration of the course so they can get to know each other, continue discussions and deepen friendships. the whole course lasts for 10 weeks, and each session is about 2 hours long.

there is no charge for attending the alpha Course.

What topics will be discussed?Besides the sharing of personal stories and a talk on "Is there more to life than this?", topics are:Who is Jesus?Why did Jesus die?How can I be sure of my faith?Why and how should I pary?Why and how shouldn I read the Bible?How does God guide us?Who is the Holy Spirit?What does the Holy Spirit do?How can i be filled with the Holy Spirit?How can I make the most of the rest of my life?How can I resist evil?Does God heal today?Why and how should I tell others about the Church?

Alpha at CCMCCCMC's Wtness and Evangelism Com-mittee will be running an alpha Course every Saturday from 22 February to 3 May 2014.

How to participateif you are interested in attending or bringing a friend, please fill in the form and sbmit it to the information Coun-ter on Sundays or mail it to: Covenant Community Methodist Church, The Alpha Course, c/o Jospeh Lim, Level 4, Methodist Girls' School, 11, Blackmore drive, singapore 599986.

REGISTRATION FORM

Name: Dr / Mr / Mrs / Ms

…………………………………………

Age: [ ] > 20s [ ] 20s [ ] 30s

[ ] 40s [ ] 50s [ ] < 60

Occupation: ………………………

Contact:

[H] ……………………………………

[M] ……………………………………

Email: …………………………………

If invited, may we know by whom?

Person's name:

...………………………………………

Person's mobile no.:

...………………………………………

[ ] I am seeking to know more

about Christianity.

[ ] i am a ChristianMichael and Christina Chia are members of CCMC.

hands and feet, His pierced side, His agony in the Garden, and His pathetic cry of abandonment. Con-sider Christ's claim that He was suf-fering not for His sins but for ours. To give us freedom to choose, He lets us suffer. But He Himself bore the ultimate penalty and pain for all our sins (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24; Ro-man 10: 9-10).”

Through this journey with Noel, we have learnt that the forgiveness and eternal life which Christ offers is not a reward for effort but a gift to all who put their trust in Him.

We must therefore pray more so in times of pain and suffering. E.M. Bounds once said "...the prayers of God's saints are the capital stock of heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth". It involves us partnering God.

In The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, the learned author said: “Life is a temporary assign-ment.” Job 8:9 reads, “our days on earth are as transient as a shad-ow”. Rick adds, “Compared with eternity, life on earth is extremely brief. Earth is only a temporary res-idence”. Philippians 3:20 states, “…our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Chris”. Noel is in heaven where the Lord Jesus lives!

When Mike asked our youngest son, Nick, how he felt about our loss, he had a philosophical way of describing it, akin to a life game: There are 2 levels. We are at level 1 (i.e. on earth). Noel is at level 2, the pinnacle (i.e. the heaven in eter-nity).

We have learnt and are still learning to go back to the basics and the Truth in the Scriptures to know that even though Noel was not healed physically, he was healed spiritually. God is still faithful, a re-deemer and He loves us.

Noel went into distress in Chris’ womb and, by the grace of God, Noel was delivered safely through

Caesarean operation. During the late evening hours outside the Mt Alvernia Hospital chapel, Mike prayed and thanked God for the safe delivery and the safety of Chris and for the gift of Noel.

Chris asked God to help her to be a good steward to raise Noel. God allowed us to share our lives with Noel for over two decades. Though, like many parents, we had many expectations and hopes for our son’s life, but, at the end of it all, God is Noel’s Heavenly Father and He is the Master and Mike knows, as Noel's earthly father, he must yield to God’s will for Noel.

Noel, you were truly a fighter and God’s warrior. You were and still is our good boy and son. Surely we will meet you in heaven one day, and you, together with many loved ones who had gone before us, will be at the Heavens’ gate to welcome us. In the meantime, we have to say grudgingly, “Goodbye. See you, son. Love you and miss you Noel, Dad & Mum.”

David Lloyd-Jones in a book adapted by Nancy Guthrie said, "(We) may not understand what is happening to (us); it may seem, to (us), all wrong. Trust (ourselves) to Him. Believe when (we) cannot prove. Hold on to His constancy, His justice, His eternal purposes for (us) in Christ. Regard these as ab-solutes, which can never be shak-en, build (our) case logically upon them, remain steadfast and unshak-en, confident that ultimately all will be made plain and all will be well."

((THROUGH THIS JOURNEY WITH NOEL, WE HAVE LEARNT THAT FORGIVENESS AND ETERNAL LIFE WHICH CHRIST OFFERS IS NOT A REWARD BUT A GIFT TO ALL WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM.))

38 39

Dear AbigailI cannot recall any hymn about Christmas stockings. Can you help?

Carol

Dear Carol,I certainly can: While shepherds washed their socks at night...

SOAPing,Abigail

Dear Abigail,I wrote to you some months ago about getting my girl into MGS. You said then that being a CCMC member does not give extra priority. I under-stand that the school will have a new principal soon. Has the priority policy for P1 registration for CCMC mem-bers also changed?

Hopeful

Dear Hopeful,I know the principal designate's name is Grace but, no, CCMC mem-bers will not be given extra grace for school admission.

Love and Peace,Abigail

Dear Abigail,Christmas is coming and I haven't started shopping for gifts. Help!

Presently Panicking

Dear Presently Panicking,

See pages 14-18, and 42-43.

Enterprising Abigail

Dear Abigail,I want to prepare a traditional Christ-mas dinner for my family this year and don't know if the appropriate bird to serve is goose or turkey.

I remember from my favourite Charles Dickens story, Christmas Carol, that Master Peter Cratchit and the two younger Cratchits went to

fetch their Christmas goose from the baker's oven.

However, when the Pilgrim Fa-thers landed in America and discov-ered loads of big-breasted fowl that could feed more than 10 people, tur-key became an Americvan tradition.

The Lebonese serve turkey, as do the Irish, Canadians, Mexicans, Australians, of course the Americans, and even the Islandics!

But the Austrians, Danes, Ger-mans, and British (who also claim turkey as traditional) serve goose.

Looks like the world is as con-fused as I am.

OCD Foodie

Dear OCD Foodie,

It's sauce for the goose and sauce for the gander. But if you serve turkey to your guests, they'll gobble.

(Waiting for your invitation)Abigail

Dear Abigail,Next year's church camp is in Cam-eron Highlands. I really want to go as I have never missed a camp but I am concerned about the long and winding road.

Giddy

Dear Giddy,Here are some travelling tips:1) Imagine you are going to your favourite ski resort.2) Praise the Lord with worship songs as you travel upward.3) Remember that Moses climbed Mount Sinai on foot.4) Travel by 30-seater luxury coach.5) Use the gently curving route from Simpang Pulai.6) If you insist on taking the old Tapah road, practice by driving up and down multi-storey car parks.Don't let the venue put you off from a mountain-top camp experience!

Climb every mountain,Abigail

ASK ABIGAIL

ABIG

AIL

GOH

Songs & Singers

((THE SONG ExHORTS uS TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL.))

The origin of the words and tune of Go, Tell It on the Mountain is unclear, although it is generally accepted that it originated in the United States as a spiritual sung by the slaves of the deep south.

The carol is widely said to have been collected shortly after the Ameri-can Civil War (1861–1865) by John Wesley Work Jr (picture left), an African American from Nashville, Tennessee. The choir director had begun to col-lect the songs of freed slaves to help his church members better understand their ancestors.

However, William Studwell, a professor emeritus from Northern Illinois University, recognized as one of the foremost experts on Christmas carols, thinks otherwise. Studwell is of the view that the carol was written by Fred-erick Jerome Work (1880-1942), a black composer, teacher and scholar, and uncle of John Wesley Work Jr. Studwell believes that the latter arranged and popularized the song.

Go, Tell It on the Mountain was first published in 1907, but the carol was little known until the 1920s when the Fisk University Singers performed it. The college was where John Wesley Work Jr studied and taught. He also founded the Fisk Singers that presented the songs he collected and published.

The carol steadily gained popularity because of its driving rhythm and its spirited call to Christian action. The tune and lyrics soon moved to the forefront of popular music, and has since been recorded by a wide variety of famous singers including Mahalia Jackson, Simon & Garfunkel, Peter Paul & Mary, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, James Taylor, Anne Murray, Garth Brooks and and Sheryl Crow. It's title was also used by James Baldwin as that of his semi-autobiographical novel about the church as a source of re-pression and moral hypocrisy, inspiration and community in African-Amer-ican society. The 1985 film adaptation of Baldwin's book by Stan Lathan also used the same title.

Said Studwell: “Most carols of the 20th century are not so enthusiastic. This is more like some of the older carols, like Joy to the World or O Come All Ye Faithful in that regard.”

The carol begins with its simple refrain that is drawn from Isaiah 52:7 - “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”

The song exhorts us to proclaim the Gospel – tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere – that Jesus Christ is born.

Bobby Gilles, worship leader, song writer and Christian communicator, has highlighted the effective use of adjectives in the carol. Humble Christ; Lowly manger. Blessed Christmas morn. The words work together to pro-claim the desired message.

The folksy, fun meter of the verses gives it a different feel from tradi-tional hymns and carols. It makes the carol exciting and attractive. It is the perfect vehicle to tell the story of the Nativity and encourage the telling of its significance to all mankind.

GO, TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAINFREDERICK J. WORK

BY GOH ECK KHENG

38

4140 41

Spiritual retreat

27-29 March 2014 pulai Springs resort, Johor

Spiritual Director: Dr Chia Wen Chien with Kristy Ng

register with Yeo Hwee lanhweelan.yeo@ccmc.sg

"Be still, and know that i am God…" Pslams 46:10a

Spiritual retreats are a time away from our normal activities to be reacquainted with God, to examine the priorities of life and to make concrete and practical resolutions for improvement. Retreats can be a powerful step toward personal conversion. They are generous commitments to friendship with God who delights to be with his family.

Before Our Lord began His public ministry, He spent 40 days in the desert praying and fasting as a way to prepare for the important work ahead (see lk 4:1-13). Those were days of retreat.

During His three years of public ministry, Jesus would sometimes invite His disciples to "come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (Mk 6:31). Again, days of retreat.

When Jesus entered forcefully into the life of St. Paul, He directed him to rise and go into the city, where he would be told what to do. For three days St. Paul neither ate nor drank, preparing himself to receive the spiritual direction of Ananias (see Acts 9:1-9). Those, too, were days of retreat.

Every invitation to retreat is an invitation that calls us home. Home to refresh, to rest, to recreation and to restoration and renewal. Home to peace and serenity and affirmation. Home to hope and friendship and openness. Home to acceptance and intimacy and joy. Coming home, home to God.

A spiritual retreat is simply a

matter of going into a separate place to seek God and Christian growth in a disciplined way. Retreat offers us the grace to be ourselves in God’s presence without self-consciousness, without masquerade. Retreat provides the chance to be both physically and spiritually refreshed. It is the blessed opportunity to spend time generously in the presence of God. In such a time, God helps us to empty ourselves of cares and anxieties, to be filled up with love and Wisdom that restores and renews us.

Approach the retreat with openness and simplicity. Come with your expectations and desires but have an openness to receive grace in unexpected ways. Making a retreat requires a certain kind of trust. We need to trust the Spirit.

We don’t know what God has in store for us but we are open to risk what we will find out because we know that He desires only the best for us. We come in simplicity to leave behind the clutter and attachments that have made our journey home so difficult or stolen our attentiveness from our Divine Lover.

Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her, From there I will give her her vineyard, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.There she shall respond as in the days of her youth as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. ~ Hosea 2:14-15

Food for Thought

BY TAN MING YING

Times of extended retreat give us a chance to come home to ourselves in God's presence and to bring the realities of our life to God in utter privacy. This is impor-tant for us and for those we serve.... On retreat we rest in God and wait on him to do what is needed. Eventually we return to the battle with fresh energy and keener insight. ~ Ruth Haley Barton

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Action and contemplation are very close companions;they live together in one house on equal terms. Mar-tha is Mary's sister.~ Bernard of Clairvaux

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

One must not always think so much about what one should do; but rather what one should be. Our works do not ennoble us, but we must ennoble our works.~ Meister Eckhart

RETREAT TO ADVANCE

42 43

n 10 October 2013, I took my first holiday with God. It was the first time going on a

spiritual retreat and I did not know what to expect.

There were nine of us, including our facilitators, Chia Wen Chien and Kristy Ng. In a convoy, we made our way across the border to Pulai Springs. On entering the resort, we immediately sensed how serene the place was.

Pulai Springs had set aside a room for our sessions at their activities centre. The view was great. There was a golf course that took over the scenery. It was the perfect setting to spend valuable time reading and meditating on scripture.

That Thursday felt quiet and not busy at all – very suitable for us to start our sessions on deep breathing. Yes, that’s right: breath-ing. I came all the way to JB to learn about breathing? I decided to let go and went with the flow. Yes, taking in deep breaths and learning how to breathe in and out slowly.

Listening to my breathing helped me accomplish a few things.

Breathe in, breathe out.It helped to calm my soul.

Breathe in, breathe out.It helped me to take a moment.

Breathe in, breathe out.It helped me to be in touch with myself.

I was to discover that this would help in getting us back in solitude with God. Something that I don’t do enough, with work and other commitments.

The group met every morning, afternoon and night. We went through various exercises to help us meditate on the Word. Wen Chien and Kristy were great in facilitating the sessions. Trying to

explain what we went through is difficult but I will try.

There was one exercise called Lectio Divina. It is a contempla-tive Bible study method that has been used for over 1500 years. You experience God by meditating on scripture in as much time and space as you need. You get to con-template the words in the scripture text while in the arms of God. First, you begin with the reading aloud of a short scripture passage, followed by meditating on a word or phrase that you are drawn to. Then by asking for a response by God and asking Him where He is leading you to. This ends with a prayer to help you remain in silence as He reveals Himself to you. Each message is personal and relevant to each of us.

Imaginative Bible reading is slightly different, and yet helps us to experience God in an equally meaningful way. It helped me to experience the story and per-sonally hear and see and touch Jesus. Through this method, you get a deeper understanding of the story from the Gospels. You get to imagine yourself as a participant in the story, like the smell, sights and sounds. Then as the story is read, you look out at what God is trying to say to you.

At the end, you are to take the ‘feel’ of the experience and pres-ent it to God and ask God what it means in your life. All this is done in a quiet spot that you have found for yourself. At the end of the exercise, you go for swim or a walk,

or any activity that will help you to relax.

On the last evening of the re-treat, the group gathered at a point of the golf course. We each had prepared an ‘altar’ with stones that represented issues or events in our lives. We had to stack the stones up in a pile to visually represent that God is rebuilding our lives from the rubble. After that, we gathered together to offer God a prayer of thanksgiving. It uplifted the group and brought us close together with God.

The message that we each re-ceived is personal and from God.

For me, I left the retreat feeling rested, blessed and knowing how much God loves me. From this, God reminded me to savour all thelovely things around me, and I’m

not talking about the good food and Teh Tarik from the resort, but appreciating the sights of nature surrounding us, the sounds of the chirping birds, and the touch of the dew-drenched grass.

Since then, I realized that I have brought this home. Everything is a blessing from Him and I plan to savour the many blessings that He has put in my way.

Miriam is a worship leader in the 9 am service.

(( I LEFT THE RETREAT FEELING RESTED, BLESSED AND KNOWING HOW MUCH GOD LOVES ME.… I REALIZED THAT I WAS ABLE TO BRING THIS BACK AS I CAME HOME. ))

O

A HOLIDAYWITH GOD Reflecting on making time to be with the Creator.

MIRIAM WUN

44 45

News Bites

OC LEADERS RETREAT TO ADVANCE

On Saturday, 12 October 2013, a group of youth leaders from One Community came together and spent a day at Changi Cove for their annual Core Leaders' planning retreat. The day was set aside for the OC leaders to get to know one another better, discuss goals for the coming year and identify some specific activities to achieve the goals. One of the key goals addressed was how OC would be aligned to the CCMC church vision - "Covenant Community".

In their discussions, the

youth participated actively, and witnessed many enthusiastic young leaders coming forward to share their ideas about how each of the leaders could impact the youth community and its respective ministries. Clearly, this retreat had offered a great opportunity for the youth leaders to bond and discuss how OC can play its part in contributing towards the development and achievement of CCMC’s vision.

In the first steps to achieve this vision, two areas of focus for the coming year was identified: establishing a prayer ministry in OC, and growing the youths in discipleship through its Life Groups.

Through the new prayer ministry, the aim is to grow the OC into a prayerful community, and forge a foundational pillar of prayer on which its ministry will stand upon. In addition, the Life Groups ministry (of similar structure to Small Groups) will be streamlined as an avenue for discipleship by growing through the Word, and fellowship with one another.

With these as first steps forward into the year ahead, OC trusts that God will continue to shape it into a warm and flourishing community of God-loving and people-loving individuals.

The year ahead will be another exciting one for OC, and the leaders will pray for much more fireworks, showers of blessings and sacred anointing to come upon the One Community.

45

MGS PRINCIPAL POSTED TO MOE HQ

The principal of Methodist Girls' School, Mrs Shirleen Ong, will end her six-year tenure with the school on 15 December 2013 to be Director, Education Technology Division in 2014.

During her watch, MGS received numerous awards, including the Outstanding Character Development Award (2009-2013), the Outstanding PARTNERS Award (2010-2015), the National Education Development Award (2010-2012) and the Schools’ Green Audit Orchid Award in 2012. In addition, the school also received the Best Practice Award for Teaching and Learning, the School Distinction Award.

MGS reached many significant milestones under Mrs. Ong’s leadership. The school started its Integrated Programme in 2013, which leads to the

International Baccalaureate at ACS (Independent). MGS Secondary was also established as the Centre of Excellence for Language Arts in the West Zone, while MGS Primary was awarded the Programme for School-Based Excellence for Language & Communication. MGS also established its Centre for Ethics.

Another major development is receiving the approval from the Ministry of Education to construct an Integrated Sports Complex which will feature a 50 m swimming pool and a practice pool.

Mrs Ong has championed many causes that enrich the life at school while cultivating a fruitful partnership with parents, alumnae and partners such as social services and non-profit organizations, both in Singapore and overseas.

44

SLUGS & BUGS

When I heard about the Slugs & Bugs concert coming to CCMC , I was more excited than any student in my CK class. On 27th October, the MGS chapel was so crowded that my friends and I had to go on the 4th floor in order to sit together to watch the performance by Randall Goodgame.

Randall Goodgame is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville, TN. He has written songs for other artists, including the highly popular show, Veggie Tales.

The audience sang, clapped and danced along. The songs told us that God made everything in this world, even slugs and bugs. The songs were so fun and silly.

During his performance, he told us about Choir 39. The members consist of kids aged 9 to 12 from Africa. They were all pulled straight out of poverty and had either lost one or both of their parents but amazingly each and everyone of these kids are filled with happiness and joy.

Hearing this made me feel so lucky and grateful for what I have in Singapore. By Elizabeth Fang

News Bites

WELCOME BABY JADON

Ps Kin Yew became a father for a third time, and Janine and Joyanne proud big sisters, when Pamela delivered Jadon on 9 November.

At 8.13 am, Wendy Yeap, who had been keeping watch for the good news sent a text message announcing the safe delivery. Later that morning, Betty Wee, our church secretary, followed through with details, stating that the baby's birth weight was 3.06 kg.

These messages, however, was just the tail end of a series of SMS that began the day before.

At 9.10 am on Friday, 8 November, Wendy wrote: "Please pray for Pamela now. She is about to give birth to Baby Jadon."

At 9.48, Ps Kin Yew messaged: Just settled admissions. Contractions every 5 minutes… Estimate arrival = today afternoon. Just had a wonder-ful time of devotions with Pam."

Than at 10.42 he messsaged again: "… he's really taking his time…. Praying for patience, peace and endurance for Pam."

At 4.45 pm, Wendy sent this message: "Looks like Baby Jadon wants to go to Movie Night :)"

And so he did, in utero, for Pam checked out of hospital with Ps Kin Yew that evening and went to watch Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story in the MGS auditorium.

After the show, the pending mum and dad returned to the hospital at midnight. As it turned out, they would have less than two hours sleep as Jadon decided that it was finally time to make his appearance.

At 7.45 am, Ps Kin Yew texted: "Baby Jadon is almost here :)", followed by a picture of the baby all swaddled up at 8.05 am.

What a birth story! Jadon will no doubt hear it again and again.

We congratulate the Ling family for the new addition and praise God for the safe and remarkable delivery.

Three men visited Abraham in the presence of God. One of them confirmed that in a year’s time, Sarah would have a son. When she heard this, Sarah laughed because she could not believe that she and Abraham could have children in their old age. [Gen 18: 1-15]

God told Abraham that he will destroy Sodom because it was a sinful city. Abraham pleads with God to spare Sodom because Lot lived there. God promised that if just ten righteous people was found in Sodom, he would spare the city. However, not even ten righteous people could be found, and God destroyed Sodom. [Gen 18:16-33, Gen 19: 1-29]

Abraham settled in the land of the Philistines and, once again, claimed that Sarah was his sister. The king of the land wanted Sarah but God warned him that Sarah was married. [Gen 20]

A year later, just as God promised, Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac. On the day which celebrated Isaac’s weaning, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking. She therefore asked Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham was sad, but when God assured him that through Isaac his descendants will be counted and that Ishmael would be made a nation, he sent Hagar and Ishmael away. [Gen 21:1-21]

Some time later, God tested Abraham. He asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Just as Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, the angel of the Lord stopped him. Instead, Abraham sacrificed the ram which he found caught in the bushes near by. For his obedience, Abraham was, once again, promised numerous descendants. [Gen 22]

ABRAHAM

Manga by GILLIAN GOH

Abram lived in the city of Ur with his father, his brother and his nephew, Lot. Abram was married to Sarai but they could not have children. Abraham’s father took his family and set out for Canaan but, instead, settled in Harran. [Gen 11:27-31]

God told Abram to go to Cannan where He would make him into a great nation and bless him. So, Abram went, and took Lot and Sarai with him. [Gen 12:1-8]

When there was a famine in the land, Abram decided to go to live in Egypt. On the way, he told Sarai to say that she was his sister because he was afraid that the Egyptians would kill him and take his wife away. [Gen 12:10-17]

Abram and Lot returned to Canaan and they became very rich. Their large flocks of livestock used the same pastures. To avoid quarrels, Abram decided to part ways with Lot, allowing Lot to choose where he wanted to go. Lot chose to go towards Sodom while Abram went towards Hebron. [Gen 13]

There was a war in Sodom and Lot was taken captive. Abram raised an army and succeeded in saving Lot. After his victory, Abram met Melchizedek, the King of Jerusalem and the priest of God. Melchizedek blessed Abram. [Gen 14]

Sarai asked Abram to take her servant, Hagar, as his wife. When Hagar becomes pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. However, when Sarai mistreated Hagar, Hagar ran away. An angel told Hagar to return to her mistress and to name the son she would give birth to 'Ishmael'. [Gen 16]

When Abram was 99 years old, God changed his name to Abraham, which means “a father of many nations”. God also gave Sarai a new name – Sarah. God promised that Sarah would give birth to Abraham’s son. [Gen 17]

The word of God came to Abram in a vision and confirmed the giving of the promised land and told Abram that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram and God then made a covenant. [Gen 15]

CANAAN

HEBRONSODOM

ABRAHAMSARAH

48 49

REVELING IN CREATIVITYFor Tracy Revell, creativity is not limited to one type of art-form, and ranges from painting to draw-ing and even jewelry design and graphic design.

The hand-painted products she offers at Revell House are obvi-

HAVE GOOD THINGS TO SHARE?Send your recommendations to ccmcloavesfishes@gmail.com

Good ThingsFOLKCRAFT HEIRLOOMSIwona Fąfara-Pilch, a self-taught folk artist from Cracow, Poland, makes beautiful hand-painted Nativity sets destined to become heirlooms.

Besides these one-of-a-kind cre-ations, you will find unique wood-en Christian peg dolls, jewelry and housewares in the online shop. She also offers collectable paintings using the traditional and original art technique of reverse painting on glass.

Her works show angels, nature and Christian motives – all in vivid colors.

www.etsy.com/shop/UnderAngel-Wings

|| Goh Eck Khengously created with special care and love. Tracy saiys: "Each item I create has a specific meaning to me and I hope that you will share that connection with me!"

Tracy loves creating custom or-ders, so get her to put a favouruite Bible verse or inspiration quote on a mug or wooden sign to make a special keepsake or gift.

www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/RevellHouse

|| Goh Eck Kheng

kID'S E-BIBlEThe bestselling Bible storybook of all time – The Beginner’s Bi-ble: Timeless Children’s Stories by ZonderKidz – with over 6 million copies sold is now available in aniPad app that includes enhanced audio with compelling narration, music, and sound effects that help bring 94 Bible stories to life like never before.

With Bible characters you can touch, coloring pages, puzzles, and games, this special iPad edition of The Beginner’s Bible brings God’s Word to children ages 2-6 in an engaging and interactive way.

The first Story Pack, which includes six stories, coloring pages, puzzles, and game, is included in your app download, completely free!

The current version has 4.5 stars from 32 ratings on iTunes Preview (previous versions had the usual gripes of glitches).

The good reviews are glowing: “I was blown away…. This app pro-vides a fun way for kids to interact with the Bible using technology that they can relate to.”

|| Calvin Chong

Good Things

BIBLE RESOURCES IN THE CITY

Mortar and bricks book nooks are rare these days and especially so if you need to locate good Christian resources in a jiffy.

The cozy Bible House Resource Centre in Armenian Street has revamped its set-up by adding a good variety of Christian bestsellers, children’s books and CDs featuring popular Christian artistes to their selection of Bibles. You can also pick up some meaningful gifts, from well-crafted items with Christian verses to a large print Bible in Chinese.

Chris, the ever-so-friendly staff, is always happy to recommend a good read and share fun facts about Bible House. Stroll to the nearby National Museum for a nice cuppa and a tasty red velvet slice at the Food for Thought Café – that’s chillax for a nice day out in the city!

7 Armenian Street#01-01 Bible HouseMon-Fri 10am-7pmWed: 10am-8pmSat and Sun:10am-2pm

|| Chong Cheh Hoon

INSPIRED BY FAITHRyen Reyna's theme verse is Exo-dus 35:31: "and He has filled (her) with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts".

Like many small home-based enterprises offering handmade craft, RyensMarketplace was start-ed with the idea of making some extra money. However, Ryen and her husband realized that it could be much more than that. They decided that they could share the Good News of Jesus Christ through their shop and its products: mini pillows, bookmarks and quints.Though some of the items are just for fun, most of them remind us of God's grace and faithfulness.

Ryen shares: "As a Christian, I look for inspirational items to dec-orate my home. It is my desire to create useful home decor incorpo-rating elements of scripture. These items are a blessing to me and my family and my prayer is that they will be a blessing to you as well."

www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/Ryens-Marketplace

|| Goh Eck Kheng

CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN SG10TH ANNIVERSARY OF LOVE

Jostling with the Christmas crowds in Singapore Orchard Road has always been for the bravehearts who relentlessly pursue their quest for last minute gifts.

For the last ten years, Celebrate Christmas in the City brings the joy of Christmas into the thronging streets with a festival of dance, mass choirs, strolling carolers and Bible readings as shoppers, tourists and passersby are invited to hear and experience the Christmas story of God’s unconditional love through His gift of Jesus Christ.

An annual effort by the Christian community in Singapore, volunteers are inspired to reach out to touch lives, sharing the moment and blessing the community with the simple message of Christian Love.

Visit www.ccis.sg for more details and volunteer to serve in the events held at various locations along Orchard Road from 17-25 Dec 2013.

|| Chong Cheh Hoon

50 51

Strawberries* 12-13 digestive biscuits3 tablespoons salted butter, melted1 packet strawberry-flavored jelly crystals (preferably Tortally brand)225 g (8 oz) Philadelphia cream cheese2 tablespoons condensed milk

18 x 18 cm (7 x 7 inch) tin, lined with tin foil

Crush or pound digestive biscuits finely. Add the melted butter and mix well. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly, taking care to fill the corners. Press till firm, especially the corners. Refrigerate.

Dissolve the jelly crystals in 235 ml (1 cup) of hot water. Set aside to cool.

Beat the Philadelphia cream cheese with a rubber spatula in a bowl till soft. Add in the condensed milk and mix well.

Cut strawberries into heart shapes and place on a kitchen towel to absorb moisture.

Remove the tin from the fridge and spread the cream cheese on the firm layer of crushed biscuit. Spread evenly, and make sure that all four corners are filled.

Position the strawberries on the cream cheese, pressing down lightly. Spoon the jelly evenly onto the cream cheese layer

Kitchen

gently. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until the jelly has set.

Remove from fridge, cut into pieces with a heart in each. Serve chilled in paper cups.

* The quantity of strawberries needed depends on how big a serving size you want. An 18 cm-square cheesecake cut into 25 squares, requires 12-14 strawberries.

Teriya TanSTRAWBERRY HEARTS CHEESECAKE

TERIYA TAN is married to Buck Chye and is a silent but enduring supporter of his ministry. She started various Small Groups with Buck in the last few years, and was active in Women's Ministry. She is currently in-charge of the floral ministry. Her home town is Phuket, Thailand.

51

The Rev Canon Terry Wong is the vicar of St James' Church, an Anglican parish in Singapore. He is also known in the blogsphere as The Food Canon (www.foodcanon.com). As we approach the season of eating, Canon Wong shares with us his thoughts about feasting in a Christian context.

Food is of course needed for our sustenance and Christians say grace (or give thanks - whether it is delicious or not!) because they want to recognise God as the source of creation and every good gift.

Sometimes we feast to celebrate an event, e.g. someone's birthday, graduation or important cultural occasion. This is a way of celebrat-ing our lives as it goes through pivotal moments or important milestones.

There are many significant ac-counts of how the ministry of Jesus occurred in the context of meals. As ministry is often relational, we should not be surprised at how often Jesus used meals to connect with people and minister to them. Another important dimension is

that of relationships or community. Our eating together is an expres-sion of our commitment to each other, celebrating the ties that bind us. The 'right' to be part of the group or family is also evident by the right to be at that table. Take the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The first thing the father did in welcom-ing the son home was to arrange for a feast. His son was 'back at the table.'

Meals and feasting connote this sense of homecoming and re-gath-ering. This is one reason the Bible speaks in the language of meals when it describes homecoming events, e.g. Parable of the Banquet. I look forward to seeing my mother who is now with the Lord at the Heavenly Banquet. That would be a double homecoming for me.

Meals and feasting also carry the idea of resting from work. The Bible takes this further in the idea of a heavenly banquet as 'salvation rest' from work, the ravages of sin, and suffering in this world. When we feast and eat, we naturally have a inner sense of rest. Each meal, may it be in our homes or in church at the Lord's supper, we anticipate our final rest in Christ.

When I first started to cook, I did not have ministry in mind. It was just something I was passion-ate about. Not being a professional cook, preparing food for others gave me the opportunity to express myself. These days, cooking and my blog help me as a pastor to connect with people beyond their spiritual needs.

I also discovered that there are many 'hidden' cooks in my church. In Singapore, we tend to outsource our food hospitality. When I visited churches abroad, I saw many with cafes and kitchens, often manned by volunteers. This made me push the idea of a food ministry. As a result, many home cooks have sur-faced and found an avenue to serve God with their talents. They find that it is such a joyful thing because they are serving God by doing what they are good at.

Like in the area of sex, our fallen human nature soften distorts the good things which God has given us to enjoy. Gluttony, obsession with food and unhealthy eating are all 'gastronomical distortions.' Howev-er, when food is enjoyed in the right way, there is so much good which we can associate feasting with. In fact, a true feast is not necessary extravagant, but one which carries a lot of love, through the way it is prepared, how it is enjoyed and how some of the best things in life – friends and family – are enjoyed.

THE MINISTRY OF FOODREV CANON TERRy WONG

52 53

the practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. in reality, there is no difference between december 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31. the Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?

Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating more healthily. these are all good goals to set. However, 1 timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. this should not be.

Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. these are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose

weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?

Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “i am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” if God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. if it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. if a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.

So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions:

(1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make;

(2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you;

(3) rely on God’s strength to help you;

(4) find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you;

(5) don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further;

(6) don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

S. Michael Houdmann is the Founder, President, and CEO of Got Questions Ministries. His hope is that people will accept or reject GotQuestions.org answers because they have read them, compared them with the Word of God, and prayed about them – and determined them to be true and biblical.

(( IF GOD IS THE CENTER OF YOuR NEW YEAR RESOLuTION, IT HAS CHANCE FOR SuCCESS, DEPENDING ON YOuR COMMITMENT tO it. ))

JOE

laN

MaN

CC

BY-2

.0

A Christian perspective of annual promise making and breaking.

S. MICHAEL HOUDMANN

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

aNG

Ela

MaB

RaY

CC B

Y-N

C 2.

0

54 55

Venue: Temasek Club. 1 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139295

Program: DinnerDVD presentation by Nick & Sila LeeCouple discussion time.

Cost: $200 per couple for CCMC members$250 per couple for non-CCMC members

Contact: Shirley Au-yong lihtuan@gmail.com Roger Heng roger993@gmail.com

Ask us for a registration form!

Organised byCCMC Family Life Ministry

This course helps married couples appreciate each other in new ways and learn tools that can make their marriages GLOW. It is an investment of your time in the most important human relationship in life. It is for couples who want their marriages to be better!

Conducted over eight Tuesday evenings, commencing 18 February 2014, it promises to let you and your spouse enjoy ‘marriage time’ over dinner and a delightful evening program. Couples only work through and discuss the topics presented with each other in private. Many leaders and members of CCMC have already enjoyed this program!

THE MARRIAGE COURSE – 8 IMPORTANT DATES WITH YOUR SPOUSEResponses of participants:

‘Helped us identify areas we need to work on and also how to work on these areas.’

‘Liked the private setting for discussion and the coverage of the course.’

‘Liked the dinner and set up of the place. A real cosy environment.’

‘Learnt to communicate gently and listen to my spouse.’

‘Provided a platform and language to discuss pain points in marriage (that had not been addressed).’

The Course:18/2: Building Strong Foundations4/3: The Art of Communication18/3: Resolving Conflict25/3: The Power of Forgiveness1/4: The Impact of the Family (Past & Present)8/4: Good Sex15/4: Love in Action22/4: Celebration Time!

Crumbs

CLARISSA SOO9 am service, pianist

What is your favourite food and drink?Popiah and bubble tea.

What is your favourite dessert?Blackball taiwanese dessert.

What do you appreciate the most in friends?Honesty.

What don’t you tolerate in others?Hypocrisy.

What is your idea of happiness?Being content.

What is your idea of misery?(Maniacal laughter) no exercise.

What talent do you wish to have?to be able to play jazz.

Which Biblical character do you most identify with?Esther.

What do you like most about CCMC?The men! I admire the Godly, faith-ful, serving men who give off to the church. What is your motto?to Master, to Grow, to serve.

PROVERBS 19:1

Wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offence.

TUNED TO CHRISTHas it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.

~ A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

PERSPECTIVEChristianity is not a religion or a philosophy, but a relationship and a lifestyle. The core of that lifestyle is thinking of others, as Jesus did, instead of ourselves.

~ Rick Warren

NO WINNERThere is no winner for last issue's Caption Contest because there were no entries.

TRINITY KNOTThe triquetra (Latin tri- 'three' and quetrus 'cornered') or Trinity Knot, used especially since the Celtic Re-vival of the 19th century, is one of a number of symbols representing the Holy Trinity – God is one Being made up of three distinct Persons who exist in co-equal, co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The word 'trinity' comes from the Latin noun 'trinitas' meaning 'three are one.'

Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; John 14:16-17; 2 Corin-thians 13:14; Acts 2:32-33; John 10:30; John 17:11&21 are passages that speak of the Trinity.

56

A CHRISTMAS CAROL FOR CHILDRENMartin luther

Good news from heaven the angels bring,Glad tidings to the earth they sing:To us this day a child is given,to crown us with the joy of heaven.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,Who in all need shall aid afford:He will Himself our Saviour be,From sin and sorrow set us free.

To us that blessedness He brings,Which from the Father’s bounty springs:That in the heavenly realm we mayWith Him enjoy eternal day.

All hail, Thou noble Guest, this morn,Whose love did not the sinner scorn!In my distress Thou cam’st to me:What thanks shall I return to Thee?

Were earth a thousand times as fair,Beset with gold and jewels rare,She yet were far too poor to bea narrow cradle, lord, for thee.

Ah, dearest Jesus, Holy Child!Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,Within my heart, that it may bea quiet chamber kept for thee.

Praise God upon His heavenly throne,Who gave to us His only Son:For this His hosts, on joyful wing,a blest New Year of mercy sing.

vit

o f

gA

lgA

No

cc

BY 2

.0