Starry Starry Night Musical

The musical is put together by one of our own youths. The songs that are sung are popular secular songs which the youths can easily identify with. The Gospel message is weaved into the storyline which is about the lives of 4 very good friends with different sets of problems they have to deal with. One of them eventually dies but it is her life that has the most impact on the rest.

Come and join us for the musical and it will be great if you can bring along people who have yet to know the Lord Jesus we all love!

For more information, check out in the above flyer:

Atheism is Probably Wrong

This is the cover of a leaflet that respond to the new breed of militant atheists like Richard Dawkins who made famous the phrase: "There is probably no God". To read the entire leaflet, visit:
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/Samples/aidw/aidw_scroller.html
I would like to add this:"Atheists believe there is probably no God; Christians are confident there is. So would you like to base your life on a probable answer or definite answer?"

(below: an interesting atheism campaign in England)

Walking With Gay Friends

The AWARE saga triggered lot's of conversations. One of which is what do we think about homosexuality? As youths, the bigger question is, "How do we love our gay friends since the church teaches that homosexual lifestyle is counter to God's design?" Here is one book that explores this area.
You may read its review at www.matthiasmedia.com.au/briefing/library/5574.

Butterfly, botanist or bee?

John MacAuthur, Why Believe the Bible?

An old but graphic illustration tells of a man who looked out of his window at a beautiful garden full of plants and flowers. First, he saw a lovely butterfly, which would flutter from flower to flower, pausing only for a second or two before moving on. It touched many of the lovely blossoms but derived no benefit from them.

Next, he spotted a botanist, with a big notebook under his arm and a large magnifying glass in his hand. The botanist would hunch over one flower for a long time, peering at it through his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away.

The third visitor to the flower garden was a tiny bee. The bee would light on a flower and sink down deep, extracting all the nectar it could carry. On each visit to a flower it went empty and came out full.

And so it is with Christians in their approach to God's Word. There are butterflies who move from stirring sermons to stirring sermons, from Bible class to Bible class, fluttering here, fluttering there, bringing nothing and gaining nothing but a nice feeling. And there are the spiritual botanists who take copious notes. They are trying to get everything straight - from each vowel point to each point in the outline. They go over the words but don't draw much out of the flowers. It's all pure academics.

And then there are the people who are like spiritual bees. They sink down deep into every flower, every book or page of the Scripture they come upon, and draw out the wisdom and truth and life that can be a blessing to them and those around them.

You? Butterfly, botanist or bee?

The Barber

Siow Hwee, that was a good one. I'm trying to match you...

After twenty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town decided he had had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him each day. He put on his hat and coat and went to the barber shop which was owned by the pastor of the local Presbyterian Church. The barber's wife, Grace, was working, so she performed the task. Grace shaved him and sprayed him with lilac water and said, "That will be $20." The man thought the price was a bit high, but he paid the bill and went to work. The next morning the man looked in the mirror, and his face was as smooth as it had been when he left the barber shop the day before. Not bad, he thought. At least I don't need to get a shave every day. The next morning, the man's face was still smooth. Two weeks later, the man was still unable to find any trace of whiskers on his face. It was more than he could take, so he returned to the barber shop. "I thought $20 was high for a shave", he told the barber's wife, "but you must have done a great job. It's been two weeks and my whiskers still haven't started growing back." The expression on her face didn't even change, expecting his comment. She responded, "You were shaved by Grace. Once shaved, always shaved."

(The above views is purely personal and does not reflect the views of the organization that host this blog site!)

Trying Too Hard

"One of the greatest reasons people cannot mobilize themselves is that they try to accomplish great things. Most worthwhile achievements are the result of many little things done in a single direction." - Nido Quebin

I came across the below testimony on Bill Bright in the book "The Man in the Mirror" by Patrick Morley. Bill Bright must have left a great imprint on Morley. Hope he'll do the same for you. Anyway, I enjoyed the book. Pick one up too for yourself. I think it'll make good material for a small group of man to read and share together.

Synod Youth Games 2009

Click on the image for a full-size look

On Barth

Augustine, Calvin and Barth find themselves waiting outside the throne room on the Day of Judgment. Augustine goes in first, and after half an hour comes out and says to the others: 'It was wonderful! I had all the mysteries of sin, grace and salvation explained to me!'

Next, Calvin goes in, comes out an hour later and says to the others: 'It was wonderful! I had all the mysteries of election, predestination and divine sovereignty explained to me!'

Finally, Barth goes in. After two hours, God comes out and says to the others: 'I've still got no idea what he is talking about!'



From this Blog: http://thechurchofjesuschrist.wordpress.com/

CHOOSE ONE CHAIR

There was a story about how the famous tenor, Pavarotti was able to be successful. "When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song," tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. "He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' "'Luciano,' my father replied, 'if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.' "I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that's the key. Choose one chair."

As young men and women, learning the seriousness of commit to one thing is very important. Whether you keep commitments to your family, your school, your friends, your church and to God, we must be focus on one thing and stick till the end. It is a very difficult lesson though, as there are still many adults who have not learned this lesson. That is because along the way, we meet temptations, distractions and hardships. We may give up and choose to go another route away from the destination. In the end, we are unable to reach the goal.

Dear young people, to be truly committed in your life will greatly please God and bring you great rewards. God does not like us to be lukewarm Christians. Being half hearted will get you nowhere. It will also frustrate your friends and people around you because you never keep to your commitment and persist till the end. God has made many commitments to us and keeps each and every one of them. God is always there even when there is no one who cares for us. That is why God values true commitments in our lives. Every aspect of your life requires a commitment on your part to some degree. You will encounter times when a very deep commitment is required, such as attending Church Service, Youth Group meetings every week, successfully completing a very difficult course in school or a musical project. If you keep a pet, you have a commitment to that pet and will try your best to take care of its life because that pet will rely on you for everything it needs to stay alive and happy. Likewise, God requires that we honor our commitments no matter how large or how small. We are bound to meet storms and obstacles in our lives, but if we are prepared to persist, we can do it by God’s grace no matter how tough the situation can get you to. God calls us to be a Christian 24/7. We need to be close to God at all times in order to be 24/7 true Christian.

I encourage all of you to do things in your best efforts, choose one chair, even when you think it's small, do it with commitment and focus, and the big results will surely arrive. Do it to shine for the Lord!

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Pr. Carol Ling (Bethel Presbyterian Church)

ARE YOU A ‘BELIEVER’ OR ‘DISCIPLE’?

“Are you a believer?” It’s very easy to answer “Yes” if someone asks you this question. I tried this on my youth group and I could get a loud and clear answer “Yes” from them. But if we probe more by asking “Are you a disciple”? , it takes a moment for the youth group to answer. In a way, it is consoling to know that the youths are aware of the difference between being a believer and being a disciple. Being a believer and being a disciple is entirely different. Becoming a believer is simply a matter of trusting in Christ as your only hope of salvation. Becoming a disciple is working hard everyday to become more like Jesus and to bring people to the Lord.
However, I am not saying that we must work hard or behave like a saint to get to heaven. When we receive salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved. But if we call ourselves a disciple, we need to live a genuine faith with our words and action in consistency. If we claim that we love Christ, we cannot say it only on our lips and not doing anything. In order to improve a relationship, we need to spend time with the person and do things and make efforts to please him or her. Likewise, in our relationship with Christ, we need to improve our relationship with the Lord. A true disciple will not be satisfied with just being a believer. An authentic disciple will make effort to spend time with the Lord and learn to be more and more like Jesus, whether in actions and words. An authentic disciple will also like more and more people to know the Lord that He loves deeply and want them to be close to the Lord.
Here is a list that makes a great starting point to "examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine" (II Corinthians 13:5).
A believer praises the Lord in good times, the disciple at all times.
The Holy Spirit resides in the believer but shines through the disciple.
A believer loves God with heart and mind, while a disciple commits the will.
A believer loves God and others, but they are the disciple's life.
A believer lives in hope, but for the disciple, God's hope is certain.
A believer seeks forgiveness for sin, but a disciple also determines not to walk that path again.
A believer had faith in God but the disciple's faith is tempered in the fire of testing.
A believer loves the Lord, but the disciple's love is unconditional.
The believer serves the Lord in strength, but the disciple is made perfect through weakness.
God is part of the believer's life, but the central focus of the disciple.
A believer forgives, but the disciple also forgets.
A believer communicates with God at his/her own convenience, but the disciple's heart is open to the Lord at all times.
I understand that we are afterall, weak and limited human beings. I encourage you to continue to work diligently as a true disciple even when we are still ‘work-in-progress’ disciple. Let’s continue to strengthen the areas that need to be improved in our actions and words, so as to be like Jesus.
Jesus said “ If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)

Pr. Carol Ling (Bethel Presbyterian Church)

The 4th Synod Youth Leadership Camp (20-21 Feb 2009)

15th December 2008
Dear Senior Pastors, Ministers and Youth Pastors/Mentors,

The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Synod Youth Council would like to invite you and your church youth leaders to attend the 4th Synod Youth Leadership Camp 20-21 Feb 2009 （Fri-Sat）at the Bethel Presbyterian Church. In this camp, Rev. Jimmy of Bethel Presbyterian Church will share on the camp’s theme： Spiritual Leader’s Competency and also round up the three-years cycle of leadership trainings: calling, character and competency. In addition, Rev. Dr. Danny Goh (Dean of School of Counseling, Singapore Bible College)
will train on “People Helping Skills”-a most wanted to learn topic which our youths feedback in 2008 camp. The details of the camp are as follows:

Main Theme: The Competency of a Spiritual Leader
Speaker: Rev. Jimmy Tan (Associate Minister, Bethel Presbyterian Church)
Sub-Theme: People Helping Skills
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Danny Goh (Dean of School of Counseling, Singapore Bible College)
Date: 20-21 Feb 2009 (Fri, 6:30pm – Sat, 6pm)
Venue: Bethel Presbyterian Church
Address: 12, Jalan Lateh, Singapore 359110.
Cost: $15 per person (inclusive of food and accommodation)
Age: 16 - 25 years old

Please contact Rev Vincent Koh, the Synod Youth Executive for more information.
Tel: 6338-7268 (DID) Mobile: 83335679 Fax: 63394076
Email: vincent@ presbysing.org.sg, vk2724@gmail.com
Website: www.presbyterian.org.sg, click “Youth Blog” or http://synodym.blogspot.com/


We hope you can include this leadership camp program into your 2009 church youth ministry plans
and encourage your youth leaders to participate.
Please submit the registration forms (Annex 1) and camp fees to Rev Vincent Koh by 10 Feb 2009.
Address: Presbyterian Church House, 132 Sophia Road, S (228186)
Cheques are to be written to "Synod of the PCS".
Please kindly indicate your church name and "For: Synod Youth Ministry" at the back of the cheque.

Thank You.
Yours sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Lim Boon Young
Synod Youth Council Chairman

____________________________________________________________________
Annex 1 附件I :
报名表格
参加者姓名： ___________________________ 登记号码：_____________ 年龄：________
住址：_________________________________________ 住家电话号码：______________
手机号码：________________ 电邮地址: _______________________________________
教会名称：____________________________ 在青年事工担任的职份：_______________
紧急事件联络人姓名： ____________________ 联络电话号码： ______________

家长承诺书 (对于18岁以下的参加者)：
“我意识并了解到领袖营可能会有冒险，危险及困难情况。经过考虑，我允许我的孩子参加此领袖营和其中的活动。”

家长或监护人的姓名：_______________
家长或监护人的签名: ________________ Date: ________________
请将报名表格（见附件1）与营费 ($15) 交付给许联发牧师，地址：The Presbyterian Church House, 132 Sophia Road S(228186). (截止日期：10 Feb 09)
支票抬头请写：“Synod of the PCS”，请在支票后面注明您的教会名字及“付于大会青年事工”，谢谢您。

Please cut along this line
Registration Form
Participant Full Name: ___________________________ NRIC No. : _____________ Age: ______
Home Address: _________________________________________ Home Tel: _______________
Mobile Tel: ________________ Email Address: _______________________________________
Church: ____________________________ Position in the Youth Ministry: ___________________
Contact person in case of emergency: ____________________Contact number: ______________

For the parents or guardian of the participant (under 18 years of age):
"I am aware of, and understand the risks, dangers and hazards associated with leadership camps. In consideration of this, I hereby give permission for my child to participate in the camp and its activities as mentioned above."

Parent or Guardian‘s Name and Signature: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Please submit registration form (Annex 1) and camp fee ($15 each) to Rev. Vincent Koh by 10 Feb 2009.
Address: The Presbyterian Church House ， 132 Sophia Road, S(228186)

Cheques are to be written to "Synod of The PCS"。Please kindly indicate your church name and "For: Synod Youth Ministry" at the back of the Cheque
____________________________________________________________________

Annex 2 附件II :

Time-Table
时间表

21 Feb 2009 (Saturday)
2009年2月21日（星期六）
7:00 – 8:00 am
Wakey, Wakey! 起身
8:00 – 9:00 am
Breakfast 早餐
9:00 – 9:30 am
Morning Devotion 清晨灵修
(Pr Foo Yuk Yee, ARPC ）
9:30 – 10:00 am
Worship崇拜
Bethel Presbyterian Church
长老会伯特利堂
10:00 – 12 noon
Workshop: People Helping Skills(Part1)
工作坊：辅助人的技巧
(Rev Dr Danny Goh, SBC)
12 noon – 1:00 pm
Lunch 午餐
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Workshop: People Helping Skills(Part2)
工作坊：辅助人的技巧
(Rev Dr Danny Goh, SBC)
3:00 – 3:30 pm
Pack Up 收拾行李
3.30 – 4.30 pm
Group Sharing/ Feedback 小组分享
4:30 – 5:30 pm
Dedication and Benediction
(Rev Jimmy Tan陈文才牧师)
5:30 – 6:00 pm
Clean up and Home Sweet Home
清理；回家
____________________________________________________________________
20 Feb 2009 (Fri)

6:30 – 6:45 pm
Registration 注册
6:45 – 7:00 pm
Opening Ceremony
开幕礼
(Rev Vincent Koh 许联发牧师)
7:00 – 7:30 pm
Worship 崇拜
Bethany Presbyterian Church 长老会伯大尼堂
7:30 – 9:00 pm
Talk : The Competency of a Leader
主题讲座 : 属灵领袖的领导力
(Rev Jimmy Tan牧师)
（Interpreter: Rev Vincent Koh）
(通译员: 许联发牧师)
9:00 – 10:00 pm
Group Sharing and Prayer
小组分享和祷告
10:00 – 11:00 pm
Night Games
(Pr Wilson Tan 陈永昇传道)
11:00 pm
Supper and Sleep 宵夜；晚安
____________________________________________________________________

Things to bring 必备之物:
- Bible 圣经
- Writing materials, note-book, etc. 书写材料，笔记本等
- Personal Medications (if any) 个人服食药物 （若有）
- Clothes enough for two days 两天用的衣服
- Wind-breaker, sweater, or jacket (optional) 挡风衣，毛衣或夹克（若有需要）
- One set of outdoor attires 一套外出的衣服
- Sport shoes or sandals (for outdoor activity) 户外使用的运动鞋或拖鞋
- Bathing and cleaning necessities (tooth-brush, tooth paste, shower gel, soap, towel, etc.)
- 冲洗必备之用品（牙刷，牙膏，沐露液，香皂，毛巾 等等）
- Slippers to use in the showers 洗澡所用之拖鞋
- Individual sleeping bags 个人睡包 (no mattress will be provided) 没有供应床褥
- At least one set of clothes for over-night stay 至少一套过夜穿之衣服
- pillows, (optional) 枕头 （若有需要）

第四届大会青年领袖训练营 20-21 Feb 2009

亲爱的主理牧师，教牧和青年教牧、导师们：

愿恩惠、平安，从神我们的父，并主耶稣基督归于你们。

大会青年理事会邀请您和您的教会青年领袖来参加将于2009年2月20-21日（星期五至星期六）假长老会伯特利堂主办的第四届大会青年领袖训练营。在这营会里，长老会伯特利堂的 陈文才牧师将会传讲营会主题“属灵领袖的能力”和总结三年领袖训练的课题：“属灵领袖的呼召”， “属灵领袖的品格” 与“属灵领袖的能力”。除此之外，我们也特别邀请新加坡神学院辅导部门主任 吴永成博士（Dr Danny Goh）将会传讲关于“辅导浅谈”的专题- “一门最想学习的课题”- 在2008年营会里青年的回应。营会的详情如下：


主题 ：“属灵领袖的能力”
讲员 ： 陈文才牧师 （长老会伯特利堂的同理牧师）
专题 ：“辅导浅谈”
讲员 ：吴永成博士 （新加坡神学院辅导部门主任）
日期 ：2009年2月20-21日 （星期五傍晚6：30点--星期六傍晚6点）
场所 ：长老会伯特利堂
地址 ： 12， Jalan Lateh, 新加坡 359110.
营费 ：$15 –个人（包括食物和住宿）
年龄 ：16-25岁

若您想知更多详情， 请联络许联发牧师（大会青年干事）。
电话：63387268(办公室)，83335679（手机）；63394076（传真）.
电邮：vincent@presbysing.org.sg，vk2724@gmail.com
网址：www.presbyterian.org.sg, 进入网页 “Youth Blog” 或 http://synodym.blogspot.com/

盼望您能在您的2009年教会青年事工计划书中列入此领袖训练营的时间表，并鼓励您的青年领袖报名参加。请将报名表格(附件1)和营费在2009年2月10日之前交于许联发牧师。
地址：, 新加坡长老大会所，132 Sophia Road, S (228186)。
支票抬头请写 "Synod of the PCS" 和 背后注名 “教会名字“和“大会青年事工”。

谢谢您。
呈敬

林文远牧师
大会青年理事会主席


二零零八年十二月十五日