9Apr2006: These dancers are really making great leaps of improvement! They look very professional yesterday during the practice. Next Sunday (2pm at True Way PC) will be their last practice before the combined rehearsal on 22nd Apr 2006, 6pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and the actual 125th Anniversary Celebration Worship on 23rd Apr 2006, 10am at SIS.
Visit flickr.com (click on the photo above or on the sidebar on the right) for more photos!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Tambourine Dancers for PCS 125th Anniversary Celebration Worship
Friday, April 07, 2006
125th Anniversary of PCS - Front Page
Date: 23rd Apr 2006
Time: 10am
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
See you there!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Seating Plan for Churches in SIS
Here is the seating plan for the participating churches. Also in two versions for your convenience.
Locality Map of Singapore Indoor Stadium
Here is a locality map of Singapore Indoor Stadium, to help us get there for the 125th Annivesary on 23rd Apr 2006, 10am. There are two versions for download at flickr ("TIFF" for print or presentation; "JPG" for emails).
The Day Supercop Fell
Cops are ever so smart in their uniform. If my St John uniform was half as impressive, I’m certain I would have won over half-a-dozen girls in my secondary school… So much for my wild imagination… back to the real stuff!Just 2 weeks ago, I went to Malacca for a self-help holiday. Everything about the trip was nice and smooth until I came to the last stop of my tour – the Malaysian custom.
Just when I was driving away from the custom, I noticed a burly Malaysian policeman signaling to me to pull over. I thought immediately that he wanted to check my car boot for illegal stuffs. So I stopped, opened the boot and stood beside it in my usual humble stance.
The impressive cop strode towards me and asked for my driving license. After receiving it, he asked me whether I knew I did not put on my seat belt. I said, “yes” and “sorry”. So he said he could fine me for RM120. Naively, I pull out my wallet to see if I’ve got enough money to pay the fine.
On seeing the wads of cash in my wallet, Mr Policeman got all thrilled and excitedly commanded me back to my driver’s seat. At that moment, I understood him. How silly of me. Our Mr Nice never wanted to fine me. He just wanted to share MY money with me.
For a moment, I thought to myself, “Is RM20 enough to dismiss him?” But our good old H.S. interrupted immediately, “Dear PASTOR, I look forward to your sharing to your congregation that you just bribed a policeman in Malaysia.” I realized this must be some form of “suffering for Christ sake” that the Bible talked about.
What happened subsequently was almost comical. While I tried to act blur, the cop tried his utmost to hint to me his need for a bribe. Finally, in his frustration, he said, “Don’t you understand? You just need to give me some coffee money!” At that, I have to come into the open too. I replied, “I can’t do it. It’s wrong. Please issue me a summon.”
He was taken aback. I could see his struggle on his face. A few seconds later he passed my license back to me. Then he gave me a verbal warning and asked me to move on. I said “thank you” humbly and flew away!
What is the moral of the story? You might suggest something like: “When you honor God, God honors you in return!” I guess that’s not wrong. You might have thought I would be elated about the “escape”. But I was actually sad, very sad.
The smart-looking policeman’s behavior reminded me of how deeply mankind is bonded in sin. Who has the power to save us ?! Our Lord Jesus Christ! He has broken the chains of sin and brought us into victorious living. We saved ones have the duty to bring this news to all who bother to hear! Woe to us if we slack on this duty!
The rest of my journey home, I was praying for that poor policeman. I pray that he would be convicted of his sins and be given an opportunity to hear the good news. Salvation is at hand, we need not wallow in our sins no more…
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
School and Home
Hi Everybody,
As God would have it, immediately after I sat down to write that letter exuberating about being so free with nothing to do, I have been swamped.
Have been busy and on the go. First there was Paul's submission for a coming competition - of course we hope that there is a possibility of his work to gain some exposure in his time here. Except that as we tried to print the photos out in the computer lab - the colours came out very differently from the colours at home. So I bue pai seh and went to Technical Support and had help to reconfigure our PC image for Mac. Wah - print four pieces practically took the whole day!
Then came the museum visits and changing the car battery (before it decides to die in the middle of the road!) and answering a series of important emails and preparing to go back.
*
Regards being away from home, it really dawned on us three weeks ago - one Saturday when Paul was studying late - as usual ... I had a nightmare about family and woke up in a sweat. Scolded him that the light was still on - 12:30am and nagged him to go to bed. All his fault - it was so bright and that's why I had that horrible nightmare! So reluctantly, he switched off the lights and got ready for bed, and within five minutes, my phone rang. Groggily I jumped out of bed to answer the call - it was a wrong number from Singapore. Now I really couldn't sleep and decided to call home.
"Janet, something has happened. We are all at the restaurant celebrating Ngou Tzek's birthday today - and Dzee Gou just fainted. She may be choking on something - we can't revive her." Thoughts just raced through the mind - praying ... numb.
I think that is the type of thing we fear most when we travel - that something bad may be happening at home when we are so far away. Praying and worrying - fearing that you may need to change your ticket home because of sad matters ... both of us so helpless because we are miles away.
Called back half an hour later and heard that Aunty managed to get a doctor from nearby in time. And Dzee Gou has been sent to the hospital - suspected stroke. She is now recovering in hospital.
We are very thankful to God that our family is spared this. Especially when Dzee Gou's grand-daughter has just left for Canada to study. In a big extended family, where some are old, it is a concern to the ones travelling as well as to the one at home. Thank you Lord.
*
Paul has 'handed in' his first assignment - a presentation for a piece of artwork to his classmates at the NSW Art Gallery - he said he 'preached' it in a didactic style and thinks it was quite well received. Thanks to the BGST course on public speaking that church sent him for in 2003 - Seng Chuan's training has really come in handy and we are very grateful. Paul pressures himself quite a bit - partly it's his make-up, and partly we sometimes do feel our age. All things considered, we are doing well.
Gotta go ... thanks for enduring my ramblings ... again.
See you soon.
Blessings,
Janet Tanchio
As God would have it, immediately after I sat down to write that letter exuberating about being so free with nothing to do, I have been swamped.
Have been busy and on the go. First there was Paul's submission for a coming competition - of course we hope that there is a possibility of his work to gain some exposure in his time here. Except that as we tried to print the photos out in the computer lab - the colours came out very differently from the colours at home. So I bue pai seh and went to Technical Support and had help to reconfigure our PC image for Mac. Wah - print four pieces practically took the whole day!
Then came the museum visits and changing the car battery (before it decides to die in the middle of the road!) and answering a series of important emails and preparing to go back.
*
Regards being away from home, it really dawned on us three weeks ago - one Saturday when Paul was studying late - as usual ... I had a nightmare about family and woke up in a sweat. Scolded him that the light was still on - 12:30am and nagged him to go to bed. All his fault - it was so bright and that's why I had that horrible nightmare! So reluctantly, he switched off the lights and got ready for bed, and within five minutes, my phone rang. Groggily I jumped out of bed to answer the call - it was a wrong number from Singapore. Now I really couldn't sleep and decided to call home.
"Janet, something has happened. We are all at the restaurant celebrating Ngou Tzek's birthday today - and Dzee Gou just fainted. She may be choking on something - we can't revive her." Thoughts just raced through the mind - praying ... numb.
I think that is the type of thing we fear most when we travel - that something bad may be happening at home when we are so far away. Praying and worrying - fearing that you may need to change your ticket home because of sad matters ... both of us so helpless because we are miles away.
Called back half an hour later and heard that Aunty managed to get a doctor from nearby in time. And Dzee Gou has been sent to the hospital - suspected stroke. She is now recovering in hospital.
We are very thankful to God that our family is spared this. Especially when Dzee Gou's grand-daughter has just left for Canada to study. In a big extended family, where some are old, it is a concern to the ones travelling as well as to the one at home. Thank you Lord.
*
Paul has 'handed in' his first assignment - a presentation for a piece of artwork to his classmates at the NSW Art Gallery - he said he 'preached' it in a didactic style and thinks it was quite well received. Thanks to the BGST course on public speaking that church sent him for in 2003 - Seng Chuan's training has really come in handy and we are very grateful. Paul pressures himself quite a bit - partly it's his make-up, and partly we sometimes do feel our age. All things considered, we are doing well.
Gotta go ... thanks for enduring my ramblings ... again.
See you soon.
Blessings,
Janet Tanchio
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Noah's Ark...
interesting article of the Noah's Ark from wikipedia.orgIs Noah Ark a myth (a legend) or a historical event recorded and written by Moses?
What are your views on this? Feel free to comment.
Some other interesting websites on this subject:
WorldNetDaily: New photo resparks 'Noah's Ark mania'
The Search for the Ark
NoahArkSearch.com (Ararat Anomaly or Noah's Ark?)
Ararat Anomaly
Has Anyone Discovered Noah's Ark?
Friday, March 24, 2006
Training in Mission (TIM) 2007
Any youths who is single and between the ages of 20-30 years old and is from any of our member churches within the Presbyterian Church in Singapore and who is interested in exploring the mission field for 10 months in South Africa and India, please contact Wilson Tan for more information. Or, visit the TIM webpage.Tel: 63385837
Email: wilson@presbysing.org.sg
Application is now open for TIM in Feb - Dec 2007.
CWM: Myanmar's Presbyterians expand evangelism goals
The Presbyterian Church of Myanmar is planning to share the Christian message beyond the Chin tribe that makes up the majority of its membership.
At their 50th anniversary celebration on 4 and 5 February they resolved to evangelise in the whole of Myanmar, said visiting CWM executive secretary for mission programme Rev Dr Jooseop Keum. "It's possible this will be dangerous. But they want to dare to witness to the good news in their society."
The church's golden anniversary was marked with plays about culture and Christianity, singing, dancing, exhibits of historical materials and seminars on the challenges of mission. The theme "stand on your feet" reflected the church's desire to be self-reliant after facing serious financial crisis in recent years.
Fellow members of the CWM family of churches agreed to support the education work of the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar at a roundtable meeting before the celebrations.
The Presbyterian Church in Singapore and the Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia agreed to support a church planting project in Yangon and a hostel for students in Mandalay. The United Reformed Church is continuing its support for the church's nurses' training and will provide an English teacher at its theological college in Tahan.
The Presbyterian Church of Myanmar's overall focus in mission programmes with CWM is on rural development and leadership formation.
Beccy Beard
(news article taken from CWM website,
picture courtesy of Rt. Rev. Phua Chee Seng)
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Synod 32nd Session AGM 2006
AGM2006_025
Originally uploaded by synodym132.
We survive another Synod AGM!!! Hurray!!! For those of you interested in seeing some pics of your pastors in "action", do check out these photos at flickr.
PCS Family and Food Carnival 18 Mar 2006
The day started rather early at 9am, with some crowd coming in from all over little Singapore. Some stalls were still in the process of setting up. The organisers were busy naking sure everything is in place. I must say that this Carnival was pretty fun! More fun than the recent ACJC Fun-O-Rama in Feb. Firstly, the food here was way more decent. Second, the games stalls were more suitable for visitors of all ages! OK, maybe i am getting a little old. But i really enjoy the archery and the dunking station very much. The prices here were way cheaper than other fun fairs that i've been too. seriously, i think most people priced their stuff too cheaply. in the end, many people still had many coupons left over and there was not much left things to be bought. Small problem, considering our fun-fairs are once every 5 years!
See you in 2011!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
A reflection on the Synod Youth Leaders' Adventure Camp...
The Synod Youth Leaders' Adventure Camp was held from the 20th – 21st January 2006 at Jubilee Presbyterian Church. This was a milestone event organized by the Synod Youth Council as it sought to bring together members from different Presbyterian Churches from all over Singapore for a youth leadership camp for the first time ever.
Glory Presbyterian Church’s Youth Fellowship sent out a total of 18 youths and 7 coaches to attend the camp, and our dominating presence was represented by our sheer number as compared to the other churches. Nevertheless, we had a great time of bonding and interaction as we got to know the other church youths better.
The camp focused a lot of leadership, and especially the concept of leadership in a church environment. This was covered in a series of talks, and was particularly useful to the people who attended as they were preparing themselves for service as leaders in the youth ministry for the coming year of 2006.
The talks were complemented by a night of challenging brainstorming games as well as the highlight of the camp- an adventure obstacle course as Sentosa. We were put through a series of obstacles that required us to work as a team. From balancing a plank in unison as a team, to supporting each other physically as we crossed obstacles via think steel cables, we worked together as a church and successfully completed all the obstacles. The final obstacle was a challenge to scale a 5-metre wall, and to get every single person up on the wall. As a camp we worked together relentlessly and after one grueling hour, we completed the task!
There were many valuable take-aways from this particular camp, especially in aspects of team-bonding and leadership. The TLs, ATLs, coaches and ministry heads were definitely well-equipped with the knowledge and zest for service in the Lord’s ministry in the year ahead!
Terence Yeo
(Glory Presbyterian Church)
Glory Presbyterian Church’s Youth Fellowship sent out a total of 18 youths and 7 coaches to attend the camp, and our dominating presence was represented by our sheer number as compared to the other churches. Nevertheless, we had a great time of bonding and interaction as we got to know the other church youths better.
The camp focused a lot of leadership, and especially the concept of leadership in a church environment. This was covered in a series of talks, and was particularly useful to the people who attended as they were preparing themselves for service as leaders in the youth ministry for the coming year of 2006.
The talks were complemented by a night of challenging brainstorming games as well as the highlight of the camp- an adventure obstacle course as Sentosa. We were put through a series of obstacles that required us to work as a team. From balancing a plank in unison as a team, to supporting each other physically as we crossed obstacles via think steel cables, we worked together as a church and successfully completed all the obstacles. The final obstacle was a challenge to scale a 5-metre wall, and to get every single person up on the wall. As a camp we worked together relentlessly and after one grueling hour, we completed the task!
There were many valuable take-aways from this particular camp, especially in aspects of team-bonding and leadership. The TLs, ATLs, coaches and ministry heads were definitely well-equipped with the knowledge and zest for service in the Lord’s ministry in the year ahead!
Terence Yeo
(Glory Presbyterian Church)
Friday, March 17, 2006
Are you aware of God’s presence?
I came across this poem during my quiet time. My soul is awaken by the gentle breathe of God. Here He is, all this while, in my life and all around me. Hope to share this joy with you
I was awakened by a tiny gleam of light
it slipped through my curtain, onto my face.
It drew me to my feet and on to the window
Drawing back the curtains
dawn stepped softly into my room.
I knew it was God.
In the middle of my loneliness
the phone rang.
A voice I knew so well, said
‘Hello, I love you.’
Love stirred in my soul
I knew that it was God.
Rain fell gently on the thirsty ground.
Slowly, carefully, steadily it came
to an earth parched with waiting.
Through those holy raindrops
I walked, unafraid – without an umbrella.
I knew that it was God…
It was only a Silver Maple
But in the morning’s sunlight
it was filled with heaven.
I stood in a trance
as one touched by angel wings.
I knew that it was God.
By Macrina Wiederkehr, taken from Joyce Huggett, “God’s Springtime” pg. 22-23
Pr. Lai Kein
I was awakened by a tiny gleam of light
it slipped through my curtain, onto my face.
It drew me to my feet and on to the window
Drawing back the curtains
dawn stepped softly into my room.
I knew it was God.
In the middle of my loneliness
the phone rang.
A voice I knew so well, said
‘Hello, I love you.’
Love stirred in my soul
I knew that it was God.
Rain fell gently on the thirsty ground.
Slowly, carefully, steadily it came
to an earth parched with waiting.
Through those holy raindrops
I walked, unafraid – without an umbrella.
I knew that it was God…
It was only a Silver Maple
But in the morning’s sunlight
it was filled with heaven.
I stood in a trance
as one touched by angel wings.
I knew that it was God.
By Macrina Wiederkehr, taken from Joyce Huggett, “God’s Springtime” pg. 22-23
Pr. Lai Kein
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Priorities Mixed Up?
As Christian, we must understand that if our priorities are mixed up, then our values are confused.
Matt 6:33 spelled it clearly: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Many individuals have problems in their lives because their priority is not the kingdom of God, nor is it the righteousness of God. The Bible teaches that we must seek first the kingdom of God. Where there is a kingdom, there is a king. The king is supreme in his kingdom. The king is first in His kingdom. The king is number One in his kingdom, nobody comes before the king. In the Kingdom of God, God is the king. God is supreme first and the number One in His Kingdom. Therefore, we must put God first in our lives. We have to make Him the priority.
Let me ask you a question: “Is God first in your life?” I am not asking if God is a resident in your life, but I am asking is God the President of your life! I am not asking if God has a piece in your life or if God has a place in your life or if God has a part in your life. I am asking is God the priority in your life. If not, then ‘what is your priority?’ How can I make God the priority in my life?
Firstly, we can give God the first thought of everyday – Ps 5:3 “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” & Ps 63:1 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Secondly, we can give God the first consideration in every decision.
Col 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
2 Cor 8:5 “And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.”
Let us sets our priority right. Let us inquiry of the Lord first – “where shall I go” & “What shall I do Lord”! Amen.
Matt 6:33 spelled it clearly: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Many individuals have problems in their lives because their priority is not the kingdom of God, nor is it the righteousness of God. The Bible teaches that we must seek first the kingdom of God. Where there is a kingdom, there is a king. The king is supreme in his kingdom. The king is first in His kingdom. The king is number One in his kingdom, nobody comes before the king. In the Kingdom of God, God is the king. God is supreme first and the number One in His Kingdom. Therefore, we must put God first in our lives. We have to make Him the priority.
Let me ask you a question: “Is God first in your life?” I am not asking if God is a resident in your life, but I am asking is God the President of your life! I am not asking if God has a piece in your life or if God has a place in your life or if God has a part in your life. I am asking is God the priority in your life. If not, then ‘what is your priority?’ How can I make God the priority in my life?
Firstly, we can give God the first thought of everyday – Ps 5:3 “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” & Ps 63:1 “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Secondly, we can give God the first consideration in every decision.
Col 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
2 Cor 8:5 “And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.”
Let us sets our priority right. Let us inquiry of the Lord first – “where shall I go” & “What shall I do Lord”! Amen.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Unpaid Ad: Presbyterian Family and Food Carnival
Want to get “dunked” for a good cause? Come visit the dunking station at the Presbyterian Family and Food Carnival on March 18. Come prepared with your coupons and extra clothes!!
( OR.... get your youth leaders or pastors to come with their extra clothes!! Don't miss this ONCE-IN-A-LIFE-TIME OPPORTUNITY! )
Jas
( OR.... get your youth leaders or pastors to come with their extra clothes!! Don't miss this ONCE-IN-A-LIFE-TIME OPPORTUNITY! )
Jas
Did Mary become Mrs Jesus?
In the book "DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown, he quotes from the Gnostic Gospel -- Gospel of Philip: "And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene. Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth." Mrs Jesus herself is then supposed to be the legendary Holy Gail, the royal bloodline of Jesus. And the misguided theory was "Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secretly married and had a child!" Honestly, this makes for juicy scandal material but lacks any grounds to take it too seriously. In fact, Dan Brown's dubious 'sources': The Nag Hammadi texts (Which contain the Gnostic Gospels) an unreliable source: Written neither by apostles, nor by the companions of the apostles, the Gnostic Gospels were written under a pseudonym --that is, the author used the names of the apostles just to gain credibility. Hence, we have the Gospel of Thomas, or Gospel of Philip, etc, but they were not actually written by these apostles. (article from "Beneath that smile", pg 8)
For more information of DVC --check this website http://www.davincicode.org.sg/
Great flash video too! =)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
School has finally started at SCA
Hi Everybody,
School has finally started.
Courses in SCA (Sydney College of the Arts) seem to be based very much on the students' independent development, and that can be quite formidable. As a skill based training, the requirement is 90% of attendence as prerequisite for assessment. (No marks for guessing the grade if the work is not assessed.)
But it is like teaching a person to blow glass and expect them to infuse their work with meaning. In the intro lecture, different supervisors showed slides of past years' work. One of the most imaginative and sophisticated works we saw was done by a Korean artist who made a thousand ceramic bowls and laid it out on the gallery floor to form . . . an aerial view of a fingerprint. The interplay between the microcosmic view and the big picture was simply awesome.
Brings one to a position of worship. A fresh realisation of what a meticulous God who made us. What has white ceramic bowls got to do with worship? That's the brilliance of a beautiful idea I think.
Photomedia and painting seems to be the most popular studios - and I was wrong in that about 10% of the freshmen population are Asian. The challenge ahead is for Paul to pick up the skills, and to produce work that is both thoughtful and thought provoking. No mean feat for logical left brainers like mua. May God be gracious and merciful
---
We have been staying at this lodge for a week now. The neighbour to our right smokes (we hope cigarettes) and holds long dialogues at night. Upstairs, someone (or some people) likes rock music - there's a dull thud, thud, thud of the drums and the bass guitar - a background of sounds that permeate the days and sometimes the nights as well. Oh well, we can conclude that HDB is not privacy-deprived as we used to think.
The cost of everything around (except car and petrol) means that it is DIY for most things. Experiencing the satisfaction of throwing star anise into the pot (after about a week of oregano - for some reason, curries just evade my thinking). Driving 25km to reach a chicken factory (no kidding) and a beef wholesaler seems totally sane now - the sanity occupies a space just adjacent to the unspoken prayer for a bigger fridge - at least a bigger frozen compartment . . . All we need to be totally happy now is finding a vegetable farm willing to sell us a sprig of parsley (grin).
Seriously what is insane is paying $9 for twenty minutes parking. I was in the heart of Sydney getting information about my conversion course - literally ran with the information - because another ten minutes and I would be paying $18 for a hour's parking in a disused train tunnel that has been converted into a very, very expensive carpark. To think that we complain about paying for parking in the CBD!
In Sydney it takes two to drive - one to commandeer the vehicle ("Turn right after the third traffic light") and the other to drive. I wish I could say that we are quite democratic about it and have equal chance to drive, but until now ... (no marks for guessing who is the spatially challenged one who gets relegated to driving.) We are quite thankful to get an inexpensive 1993 3L 6V Mitsubitshi - it is no looker - likely was a langa car - but structurally sound and the engine is great - smooth and silent. Thankfully we are neither of us speed demons - the last owner gave it up to get a sports car. But after six years of driving a van, it's a treat to be able to pick up like the rest, and not be left chasing ... a trail of dust? Well, the car does 6km to the dollar, and that means a trip to school is about 40 - 50 cents - sures beats a $2.80 bus trip followed by $2.80 rail per person.
We are pleased to realise that we have visited two of the four surrounding churches. No Mr Yap, we did not start with the Roman Catholic one. But we attended high church in the morning - complete with pipe organ and unrecognisable hymns. You would have liked it. And in the evening, our worship was 'fueled' by drums, a bass guitar, keyboard and two MCs. Never heard the songs before, but their lyrics were quite theologically sound and musically satisfying ... felt right at home. The bassist is a "four week old" grandad (we saw the photos of baby). Anyhow, we have had a good diet of new songs since we came to Aussieland. PP was so disappointed that both churches had no choir - Bethel can be quite pleased that a small singing team is better than no choir at all.
Mr Yap - you asked why was I "writing for Paul". I suppose those who have exciting, challenging lives - live it. And those who don't - write about it. I ask him how was his day, and while he used to always want to talk to me and complain that I was not listening - now I'm all ears, and he's too tired to talk. Well, that's how I find myself writing long, long letters, and ... somehow this one sounds like ... Seinfield ??? ...
---
Anyway, we're both enjoying the scenery .... and scaring (myself) reading Michael Critchon (free from Annandale community centre), and getting on the MSN, and watching Paul prepare for his coursework and enjoying the idea that I presently have nothing more important to do than writing nonsense that you guys will trash ... no confidences to keep, no problems to solve ... just watching Paul busy with school work ... and ... enjoying God ... and ... soooooo very anxious to change visa and get a job.
I'll stop talking nonsense by then ... promise.
Janet Tanchio
Eccle 3 : 1-14
Malachi 4 : 2
School has finally started.
Courses in SCA (Sydney College of the Arts) seem to be based very much on the students' independent development, and that can be quite formidable. As a skill based training, the requirement is 90% of attendence as prerequisite for assessment. (No marks for guessing the grade if the work is not assessed.)
But it is like teaching a person to blow glass and expect them to infuse their work with meaning. In the intro lecture, different supervisors showed slides of past years' work. One of the most imaginative and sophisticated works we saw was done by a Korean artist who made a thousand ceramic bowls and laid it out on the gallery floor to form . . . an aerial view of a fingerprint. The interplay between the microcosmic view and the big picture was simply awesome.
Brings one to a position of worship. A fresh realisation of what a meticulous God who made us. What has white ceramic bowls got to do with worship? That's the brilliance of a beautiful idea I think.
Photomedia and painting seems to be the most popular studios - and I was wrong in that about 10% of the freshmen population are Asian. The challenge ahead is for Paul to pick up the skills, and to produce work that is both thoughtful and thought provoking. No mean feat for logical left brainers like mua. May God be gracious and merciful
---
We have been staying at this lodge for a week now. The neighbour to our right smokes (we hope cigarettes) and holds long dialogues at night. Upstairs, someone (or some people) likes rock music - there's a dull thud, thud, thud of the drums and the bass guitar - a background of sounds that permeate the days and sometimes the nights as well. Oh well, we can conclude that HDB is not privacy-deprived as we used to think.
The cost of everything around (except car and petrol) means that it is DIY for most things. Experiencing the satisfaction of throwing star anise into the pot (after about a week of oregano - for some reason, curries just evade my thinking). Driving 25km to reach a chicken factory (no kidding) and a beef wholesaler seems totally sane now - the sanity occupies a space just adjacent to the unspoken prayer for a bigger fridge - at least a bigger frozen compartment . . . All we need to be totally happy now is finding a vegetable farm willing to sell us a sprig of parsley (grin).
Seriously what is insane is paying $9 for twenty minutes parking. I was in the heart of Sydney getting information about my conversion course - literally ran with the information - because another ten minutes and I would be paying $18 for a hour's parking in a disused train tunnel that has been converted into a very, very expensive carpark. To think that we complain about paying for parking in the CBD!
In Sydney it takes two to drive - one to commandeer the vehicle ("Turn right after the third traffic light") and the other to drive. I wish I could say that we are quite democratic about it and have equal chance to drive, but until now ... (no marks for guessing who is the spatially challenged one who gets relegated to driving.) We are quite thankful to get an inexpensive 1993 3L 6V Mitsubitshi - it is no looker - likely was a langa car - but structurally sound and the engine is great - smooth and silent. Thankfully we are neither of us speed demons - the last owner gave it up to get a sports car. But after six years of driving a van, it's a treat to be able to pick up like the rest, and not be left chasing ... a trail of dust? Well, the car does 6km to the dollar, and that means a trip to school is about 40 - 50 cents - sures beats a $2.80 bus trip followed by $2.80 rail per person.
We are pleased to realise that we have visited two of the four surrounding churches. No Mr Yap, we did not start with the Roman Catholic one. But we attended high church in the morning - complete with pipe organ and unrecognisable hymns. You would have liked it. And in the evening, our worship was 'fueled' by drums, a bass guitar, keyboard and two MCs. Never heard the songs before, but their lyrics were quite theologically sound and musically satisfying ... felt right at home. The bassist is a "four week old" grandad (we saw the photos of baby). Anyhow, we have had a good diet of new songs since we came to Aussieland. PP was so disappointed that both churches had no choir - Bethel can be quite pleased that a small singing team is better than no choir at all.
Mr Yap - you asked why was I "writing for Paul". I suppose those who have exciting, challenging lives - live it. And those who don't - write about it. I ask him how was his day, and while he used to always want to talk to me and complain that I was not listening - now I'm all ears, and he's too tired to talk. Well, that's how I find myself writing long, long letters, and ... somehow this one sounds like ... Seinfield ??? ...
---
Anyway, we're both enjoying the scenery .... and scaring (myself) reading Michael Critchon (free from Annandale community centre), and getting on the MSN, and watching Paul prepare for his coursework and enjoying the idea that I presently have nothing more important to do than writing nonsense that you guys will trash ... no confidences to keep, no problems to solve ... just watching Paul busy with school work ... and ... enjoying God ... and ... soooooo very anxious to change visa and get a job.
I'll stop talking nonsense by then ... promise.
Janet Tanchio
Eccle 3 : 1-14
Malachi 4 : 2
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Lenten Sermon Series
For those are are in preparation for Lent and is also a huge fan of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
The folks at Goettinger Predigten im Internet have a have listed a 2006 Lenten Sermon Series celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birth. Texts for the sermons are supported by background writings from Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison. You'll find the column for the English language sermons on the right-hand side of the page.
Taken from textweek blog
The folks at Goettinger Predigten im Internet have a have listed a 2006 Lenten Sermon Series celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birth. Texts for the sermons are supported by background writings from Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison. You'll find the column for the English language sermons on the right-hand side of the page.
Taken from textweek blog
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
New Books for the Synod Youth Resources Library
1. Four Views of Youth Ministry and the Church (Paperback) - Wesley Black, et. al.2. The Youth Worker's Guide to Creative Bible Study (Paperback) - Karen Dockrey
3. The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry (Paperback) - Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster
4. Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers (Youth, Family, and Culture) (Paperback) - Chap Clark
5. Partnering With Parents in Youth Ministry (Paperback) - Jim Burns and Mike DeVries
These books and more are available for borrowing. Just pop by the Synod Office and look for Wilson Tan. For the full list of books available and their current loan status, check out our Synod Youth booklist.
If you find these books useful, you can easily buy them from SKS Books Warehouse @ 315 Outram Road #09-03 (Main) & #10-05 (Youths), Tan Boon Liat Building, Singapore 169074. Tel: 622793700 Fax:62214595
Email: sksbooks@pacific.net.sg
Website: SKS
Opening Hours: Mon - Fri / 9:00am - 7:00pm
Sat / 9:00am - 6:00pm
Greetings from the Land of Aussies! (Pastor Paul and Janet Tanchio)
Hi Everybody,
We are shifting from the Hills district into the inner west suburb of Annandale in the city today.
It'll be five minutes away from campus, and orientation starts tomorrow.
We are thankful that God has eased us into Sydney in stages.
While at the Hills district, we have been staying with Singaporeans - pastors,
fellowshipping with Asian people - S'poreans, M'sians, Philipinos who have lived here a good part of their lives. Learning our way around.
We will be moving into 32/106 Johnston Street, Johnston Lodge.
It's a one room studio - quite clean and secure -
bed and things like fridge and micro-wave are provided for, oven and laundry is shared facilities,
but we may not be able to get broadband in the building.
Since dail-up may not be a viable option, we may be living there temporarily for 13 weeks.
Sydney seems to be having a shortage of rental apartments,
so we'll see what the situation is like in three months time.
PP quite ready to settle in to study -
(but) he's still looking for his package of reference books that we had to leave behind.
Seems quite lost without his books.
It was 37kg, so we'll have to find some way of bringing it here soon.
At Annandale, we will be surrounded by a Catholic church diagonally across the road,
a Uniting church in front of the lodge we are staying,
a Presbyterian church to our right,
and a 'Christians in the Media' Anglican church to our left.
Any idea which church we should visit first? (Grin)
And we'll will be visiting this Asian church we have been worshiping at once a month
(or maybe bi-monthly - still not used to long journeys).
We look forward to settling in - and will update you when we have opportunity.
Shalom,
Janet Tanchio
We are shifting from the Hills district into the inner west suburb of Annandale in the city today.
It'll be five minutes away from campus, and orientation starts tomorrow.
We are thankful that God has eased us into Sydney in stages.
While at the Hills district, we have been staying with Singaporeans - pastors,
fellowshipping with Asian people - S'poreans, M'sians, Philipinos who have lived here a good part of their lives. Learning our way around.
We will be moving into 32/106 Johnston Street, Johnston Lodge.
It's a one room studio - quite clean and secure -
bed and things like fridge and micro-wave are provided for, oven and laundry is shared facilities,
but we may not be able to get broadband in the building.
Since dail-up may not be a viable option, we may be living there temporarily for 13 weeks.
Sydney seems to be having a shortage of rental apartments,
so we'll see what the situation is like in three months time.
PP quite ready to settle in to study -
(but) he's still looking for his package of reference books that we had to leave behind.
Seems quite lost without his books.
It was 37kg, so we'll have to find some way of bringing it here soon.
At Annandale, we will be surrounded by a Catholic church diagonally across the road,
a Uniting church in front of the lodge we are staying,
a Presbyterian church to our right,
and a 'Christians in the Media' Anglican church to our left.
Any idea which church we should visit first? (Grin)
And we'll will be visiting this Asian church we have been worshiping at once a month
(or maybe bi-monthly - still not used to long journeys).
We look forward to settling in - and will update you when we have opportunity.
Shalom,
Janet Tanchio
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
A Day in the Life of a 传道 a.k.a Preacher
Ever wonder what a pastor does? If you ask me, I’ll be hard press for words. Some times I feel like I am an event organizer, a counselor, an administrator, a bible teacher… all rolled into one. But there are moments in my busy schedule when I experience something more, something profound; moments when I find myself a channel of God’s grace.
It was one of those moments one Sunday evening in Feb. I had a very full work week, had to preach a sermon, chair a meeting, lead training and bible study... then my senior pastor asked me to preach a funeral sermon on Sunday evening. I’m a fairly new preacher (2 and ½ years) and this was my second funeral sermon. I don’t know the family at all, so that makes it very tricky. Moreover there wasn’t any time to prepare. Nevertheless I started praying about it, asking God to reveal to me which bible passage to preach from. I sensed God wanting me to preach on the resurrection of Lazarus. Now to me, that is a very strange passage to choose for a funeral sermon, because although the passage began as a funeral, the deceased end up coming alive and walking out of his tomb! I wonder, what could God possibly want me to say to a grieving family from this passage? So I tried looking up the bible for more ‘appropriate’ passages for funeral sermon amid my hectic work week, but to no avail.
By Sunday late afternoon, I finally had a chance to talk to a sister who knew the family. It was then that I understood why God wanted me to preach on Lazarus’ resurrection. Martha and Mary thought if only Jesus were there earlier, their brother Lazarus would not die. They knew Jesus loved them. They fully believed Jesus is able to heal. They trusted Jesus. But they could not understand why Jesus did not heal their brother. Such was the struggle of this family too. They had a dramatic experience of Jesus’ healing. But this time round, though they prayed, God did not heal. Although they were able to accept their lost and rest in God, a nagging ‘why’ remained in their hearts.
That evening, standing before the family, I had the privilege to be God’s vessel, to bring God’s message of comfort to this family. I saw how they were touched by God. When I sat down after delivering the sermon, I knew in my heart, those were not my words, but God’s.
It is in these moments that I am reminded; being a pastor means I am a servant of the Almighty
Pr. Neo Lai Kein
It was one of those moments one Sunday evening in Feb. I had a very full work week, had to preach a sermon, chair a meeting, lead training and bible study... then my senior pastor asked me to preach a funeral sermon on Sunday evening. I’m a fairly new preacher (2 and ½ years) and this was my second funeral sermon. I don’t know the family at all, so that makes it very tricky. Moreover there wasn’t any time to prepare. Nevertheless I started praying about it, asking God to reveal to me which bible passage to preach from. I sensed God wanting me to preach on the resurrection of Lazarus. Now to me, that is a very strange passage to choose for a funeral sermon, because although the passage began as a funeral, the deceased end up coming alive and walking out of his tomb! I wonder, what could God possibly want me to say to a grieving family from this passage? So I tried looking up the bible for more ‘appropriate’ passages for funeral sermon amid my hectic work week, but to no avail.
By Sunday late afternoon, I finally had a chance to talk to a sister who knew the family. It was then that I understood why God wanted me to preach on Lazarus’ resurrection. Martha and Mary thought if only Jesus were there earlier, their brother Lazarus would not die. They knew Jesus loved them. They fully believed Jesus is able to heal. They trusted Jesus. But they could not understand why Jesus did not heal their brother. Such was the struggle of this family too. They had a dramatic experience of Jesus’ healing. But this time round, though they prayed, God did not heal. Although they were able to accept their lost and rest in God, a nagging ‘why’ remained in their hearts.
That evening, standing before the family, I had the privilege to be God’s vessel, to bring God’s message of comfort to this family. I saw how they were touched by God. When I sat down after delivering the sermon, I knew in my heart, those were not my words, but God’s.
It is in these moments that I am reminded; being a pastor means I am a servant of the Almighty
Pr. Neo Lai Kein
Friday, February 24, 2006
Bible Tools
Bible Tools: A great place for biblical definitions and resources...a little like a Christian wiki library.
Adventure Camp Reflections: No walls too high…
So glad that at least for a day, I could join my youths and friends from the other Presbyterian churches for the recent Synod Youth Leader’s Adventure Camp (Yah lah… this kind of thing how can miss out?). Besides, when it comes to our Synod Youth’s events, our track record has been pretty good… All thanks to our faithful God and the folks who have been most supportive!Trust me, I was pretty knocked out by the flu bug earlier on. Even on the day when I joined them, I was still a little under the weather and started doubting my own wisdom in wanting to rough it out together with my team who attempted the Low-Element obstacles. But I just couldn’t bear to leave my 16-17 year olds to be on their own. I mean, this was the first time they attended a Synod Youth Event and as their pastor I should at least be there to give moral support right?
In the end, it was my own spirit which was lifted up. You see, for my own youths, I think my short “absence” helped them to be a bit more independent and forthcoming in rallying together as well as learning to come out of their comfort zone. I was thankful that they enjoyed themselves and more importantly, caught a glimpse of the bigger Body of Christ found in the bonds we share as fellow Presbyterians.
The Lord also laid an impression upon my heart when I saw the camp participants taking leadership and showing determination in their quest to get everybody over the final Low Wall obstacle. What I envisioned was the future of our denomination. Young lives yielded to the hands of our Almighty God, with all the purposefulness, potential, passion and perseverance. Who can imagine how great an impact they can make for Christ in our churches, marketplace, nation and the lands beyond when they so go forth with the abundant resources God has blessed them with in their lives?
You know, you could sense the youth’s triumphant joy and relief each time they managed to get someone over the wall. Everybody pitched in, lend a hand or two and I noticed some sacrificially offering their backs time and time again as a “launching pad” so that others could reach the hands that were stretched out to them from above. The task at hand was more important and it was no longer just the business of Jubilee, or Covenant or Glory, etc. Indeed it was just amazing how things came together even though the youths hardly knew each other before this and there was no clear designation of roles assigned to them. As the Psalmist says “... with my God I can scale a wall” (Ps 18:29). Imagine how much further we can go, when our brothers and sisters are there to lift us up and look beyond the horizons…
Pr. Edwin Wong
Monday, February 20, 2006
Bono on Grace
With their haul at the recent Grammys, grandpa band U2 proved they were rocking more than their chairs.
Bono, their lead vocals, is one rock star whose actions in fighting poverty in the world are expressly motivated by his trust in God and God's view of the world.
And he had this to say about his faith in his not-so-new biography:
Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?
Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.
Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.
Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.
Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me.
Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.
Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.
Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.
Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.
Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled… . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.
Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?
Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched …
Aging rocker or not, salty language or none, the actions and words of high profile people are ready-made opportunities to start conversations about the gospel with our unbelieving friends and family. Let's make the most of them! :-)
*image from amazon.com
Bono, their lead vocals, is one rock star whose actions in fighting poverty in the world are expressly motivated by his trust in God and God's view of the world.
And he had this to say about his faith in his not-so-new biography:
Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.
Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.
Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.
Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me.
Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.
Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.
Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.
Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.
Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled… . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.
Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?
Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched …
Aging rocker or not, salty language or none, the actions and words of high profile people are ready-made opportunities to start conversations about the gospel with our unbelieving friends and family. Let's make the most of them! :-)
*image from amazon.com
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Introducing Me... (one "humble" contributor)
Hi guys, just like to introduce myself before I do some serious posting.I'm the youth pastor of Katong Presbyterian Church, I'm married to one wife, and I'm a father of 3 kids - 1 girl 2 boys.
Other then my work (which I enjoyed more than my hobbies), my other interests are jogging, swimming, camping, reading (Bible and serious Christian books - cool?), sleeping, idling, eating, talking rubbish, holidaying and playing with my kids!
I used to worship at Orchard Road Presbyterian Church. That's where I came to know Christ and decided to become a pastor. After graduating from Trinity Theological College, I started serving at Sion Presbyterian Church and then Sembawang Presbyterian Church. Last month, I just transfered to Katong Presbyterian Church. (OK, OK, I sounded pretty much like a church-hopper! But heh, God leads me in all these "hops", alright?)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing with you, whoever you are, all the wonderful things God has done in my life and in the churches around me. I'm sure there'll be interesting stories from Katong too as time unfolds.
God bless you! (for more of my rantings... click here!)
Are we guilty as charged?
Straits Times, d. 6 Aug 2005:
What should our Christian's response be to such a claim? Do you think it's true in your school? Is it really a casue for concern?
Please comment.
3D Carcassonne by Dustin Miller! Modeled in 3ds Max 7, Textures Created in Photoshop
Check out BGG for more information about this wonderful game, Carcassonne, designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede! There is also a Christian-Jewish theme version of this game, The Ark of Covenant. Some say it's even better than the original.Wilson's comments on Carcassonne:
"imo the best introductory game for new comers! i love it so much, it has been travelling with me to various places, "preaching" its gospels everytime, and winning many believers! the river expansion adds a whole new dimension to the game. i love it when the big cities are completed!"
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
the infamous hula hoop game!
super fun...much harder than it looks. As a team, we need to lower the hula hoop together. Very, very hard...but some teams cheated! Hee! Hee!
Friday, February 10, 2006
The awesome Worship Team from Jubilee Youth Ministry...
Some comments from the feedback forms:Great! Can see people really worshiping, very good! Well-coordinated, suitable songs, good powerpoint slide, impressive musicians, cool! esp. the drummer, smooth transition, mix of sound was generally great, could see the effort put into preparation of this worship session…
Our friendly volunteers...
from Jubilee Youth Ministry helping with the registration...Thanks guys and gals!
Freebies!!!
Pastor Siow Hwee: Come! Come! Collect your freebies here! ...you, dun run away, take this and this and this! : )a "possible" re-enactment?
Many thanks to Pastor Siow Hwee and his Jubilee gang for helping with the registration and distribution of materials.
The early birds from Covenant PC...
Welcome to Jubilee Church, our dear "sisters" and "daughters" of Jubilee!P.S.: Covenant PC was branched off from Jubilee Church in 1989
Synod Youth Leaders' Adevnture Camp 2006
Finally, the photos of the Adventure Camp is up!! Well, at least some of them are. Thanks for your understanding. Here, Pastor Wesley leading his "troops" from Glory Presbyterian Church for Registration. We have 100+ youth leaders from about 10 churches attend our very first leadership camp. Way beynd our expectation in numbers! Praise God for He was good, real good to us. It was held at Jubilee Church on 20-21 Jan 2006.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Kien Seng: Hamsterology
In my kid’s talk last month, I shared about the death of my hamster, Snowflake. Some people came up to me afterwards to ask how he had escaped from the cage and how he had found his way to the gully. So I will take this opportunity to complete my story and reflections on Snowflake’s death. Ai Tin, my wife, has given me much input with regards to the lessons learnt. For the sake of those who had missed the kid’s talk, I am going to briefly repeat my earlier sharing.
Snowflake was given to my children by their uncle. My children loved him very much. I was a little apprehensive initially to allow my children to have pets in the house because I foresaw that once they grew tired of the pets, the latter would become my ‘baby’. After much persuasion from Gaius and Gracia, promising that they would be committed to take care of Snowflake, I acceded to their request. Well, they did show much enthusiasm in looking after the hamster, ensuring that he had enough food and water for the day, and cleaning the cage (with the parents’ help) once a week. After school everyday, Gaius would take Snowflake out of the cage and allow him to run around a certain corner of the living room. He had also built some obstacles using his Lego set for Snowflake to manoeuvre. After returning Snowflake to the cage, the children would usually not put back the cover. I did not object to it since I felt that if I were in the shoes of the hamster, I would like the cage to be as open as possible. However, I was always afraid that the hamster would climb out of the cage since he definitely had that capability. So as long as there was someone who could keep an eye on the cage, we left it open. I guess you can sense that disaster was looming ahead.
One Saturday night, we all went to bed without putting back the cover! I only noticed our neglectfulness the following morning when I woke up to find Snowflake missing. I looked all around the house for him but other than some hamster’s droppings in Gracia’s room, there was really no trace of Snowflake. I eventually had to wake everyone up to join in the search. There is an opening below our kitchen cabinet which allows water to flow down to the gully if we were to wash the kitchen floor. However, the opening does not lead directly to the gully. There is some distance between the opening and the gully, like a narrow tunnel that runs beneath the cabinet. We suspected that Snowflake might be hiding in that tunnel so we put his favourite sunflower seeds outside the opening, hoping to lure him out. I then made my way to church (recall it was a Sunday morning). Ai Tin called me later when she realised that the sunflower seeds had been shelled. Who else could have done it except for our dear Snowflake yet he was still no where in sight! By now, Ai Tin and the kids had to leave for church and so we thought we would try to lure him out again when we returned home in the afternoon…Well, you know the end of the story. Snowflake must have ventured too far into the tunnel, at the end of which was the fateful drop into the dark and damp gully.
Lesson 1: Boundaries are important. They were important for Snowflake because they served as a hedge, a protection to keep him safe and secure. He might think that the cage was a nuisance and that he was a captive, but he did not realise that outside those boundaries laid dangers that he knew not of. I was told that hamsters like to burrow and it’s their natural inclination to crawl into holes or tunnels. In the house, we know where those holes or tunnels lead to, that was why we could not afford to let Snowflake run around the house unsupervised. Only if he had faith in us that we were doing everything for his sake. Likewise, boundaries are important for us. In Deuteronomy, we know that the law was given to protect
Lesson 2: The God who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4). We did not cover the cage in the day because we could keep watch over the hamster. If Snowflake tried to climb out of the cage, we could always gently put him back. However, in the night when the whole family went to bed, in our slumber, we had no chance to put Snowflake back into the cage when he attempted to climb out of it. So his escape and eventual death was really part of our fault because we did not fulfill our responsibility in making sure that the cage was secure. Aren’t we glad that we are under the ever watchful eyes of God who neither slumbers nor sleeps? The psalmist says, “You know when I sit and when I rise…You discern my going out and my lying down, You are familiar with all my ways…You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me…Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (Psalm 139:2-6) With such a God watching over us, we can be sure that if we allow Him to rebuke and correct us, and often He does so through His Word and the Holy Spirit, we can have the confidence that we will never fall away.
Lesson 3: We may not be harmed the first time but that does not mean that the dangers are not there. The hamster went into the hole and thought that he had found his freedom and he was very likely feeling comfortable in that cool tunnel beneath the kitchen cabinet. When he saw the food, he came out to get it and he went back to the seemingly safe refuge that he had discovered. Little known to him that if he continued to stay in that tunnel and if he were to venture beyond a certain point, dangers were awaiting him. Sometimes we find ourselves in similar situations. We may engage in something that is not right but it is exciting and we enjoy it. We think it is safe because we haven’t experienced any ill consequences. Yet we may not understand the dangers that lie ahead. Satan is a deceiver. He would like to lure us slowly into the trap so that before we know it, we are on our way to destruction. We may not get burnt when we play with fire the first few times. But subsequently, the fire can become a furnace that will destroy our whole life. Is there something that you are doing which is not right? You know that it is not right but you are not too concerned because there doesn’t seem to be any repercussions. Repent before it is too late!
Lesson 4: I wonder whether for a moment Snowflake knew that he was lost and as much as he wanted to get back to his comfortable cage, he was not able to. Was he really so contented with the tunnel he was hiding in? Just assuming that he wanted to get back to the cage but he did not know how to, what should he have done? Staying put may be a good idea until help comes. The more we try the messier things may get. I am not advocating passivism here. But I am thinking of people who are trying to get their lives straighten out but the more they strive, the more they spiral downwards. They try to fill the vacuum in their hearts with all sorts of things and activities but their hearts remain restless. If you are in such a situation, allow God to come to your aid. You may want to consider letting go and letting God take control. We believe in a God who is the good Shepherd. He will go all his way out to look for the one lost sheep, even it means leaving behind the other ninety-nine sheep. (Matt. 18:12-14) Such a Shepherd will definitely be able to seek us out.
It was indeed our carelessness that had led Snowflake to his dreadful fall and we ask God for forgiveness for not being good stewards of something that was entrusted to our care. Snowflake will always remain in our fond memories, for the good times we had with him when he was alive, but also for the precious lessons he had taught us through his death.
Pastor Kien Seng
20th November 2005
Jasmine: Karyn with her pants on her head
Hi! My name is Jasmine. I'm serving the Lord as a pastor of the Children and Youth Ministry in Bethel Presbyterian Church. I'm married to Boon Lee and we've a little baby girl named Karyn Kua (left)! She brought lots of joy and laughter into our home! Her Chinese name is Ke Fangting, "Fang" is for fragrance and "Ting" for family. It's our prayer that she will bring the fragrance of Christ to our family and our extended family!
The unofficial launch of the Synod Youth Ministry blog
Greetings in the name of our Lord, on behalf of the Synod Youth Council, I welcome you to our Synod Youth Ministry blog! We have 16 contributors, mostly in pastoral (youth) ministry, some as lay-leaders, and a youth from my home church, Jubilee Church. We are all amatuers here in the blog world. We are no Mr Brown here! So, we do beg your pardon if things are not as professional. I will leave each contributor to introduce themselves.
This is a blog about events and life in the Synod Youth Ministry. The Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore (PCS) is the collective body of about 35-40 Presbyterian congregations in Singapore (not counting the Bible Presbyterians churches nor independent Presbyterian chuches). We hope to use this opportunity to share about the news and updates in the Synod Youth Ministry, provide a platform for healthy discussions on youth (or non-youth) related issues.
The Synod is the head-quarter of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore. We have only 4 full-time stuff here at the Synod. Elder Richard Chong (Prinsep Street PC) is the Executive Secretary of PCS, Deacon Goh Huey Huey (Chen-Li PC) is the administration assistant to Eld Chong, Sister Bao Hui is the administrative assistant of the Chinese Presbytery, and I am the Synod Youth Executive.
Technically, the Synod is not a church in the common sense of the word (even though we have an Elder, a Deacon, a young Preacher, and one lay- member). The Synod does not have a congregation, although Maranatha Presbyterian Church uses our compound for their service on Sunday regularly.
For my "first" post, I would like to share the good news that the Synod Ex-Co has just recently accepted Jubilee Church's (my home church) nomination for me to be confirmed as preacher of the Chinese Presbytery. Usually, new preachers begin their pastoral ministry at a local church for a year as preacher-on-trial, or probational preacher before they are confirmed as official preachers, but as i was serving at the Synod, the current constitution does not provide for this adjustment. So i had to wait for a year for the Synod committees to sort out this matter. My was a special case, and they back-dated my preacher-on-trial status to the day i started work at the Synod, on 1 Feb 2005. I will need to say my preacher vows in Mandarin at the next CP meeting in April. And so, in Rev. May Tan's words, "I was a probational preacher for a year without knowing it!" :)
This is a blog about events and life in the Synod Youth Ministry. The Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore (PCS) is the collective body of about 35-40 Presbyterian congregations in Singapore (not counting the Bible Presbyterians churches nor independent Presbyterian chuches). We hope to use this opportunity to share about the news and updates in the Synod Youth Ministry, provide a platform for healthy discussions on youth (or non-youth) related issues.
The Synod is the head-quarter of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore. We have only 4 full-time stuff here at the Synod. Elder Richard Chong (Prinsep Street PC) is the Executive Secretary of PCS, Deacon Goh Huey Huey (Chen-Li PC) is the administration assistant to Eld Chong, Sister Bao Hui is the administrative assistant of the Chinese Presbytery, and I am the Synod Youth Executive.
Technically, the Synod is not a church in the common sense of the word (even though we have an Elder, a Deacon, a young Preacher, and one lay- member). The Synod does not have a congregation, although Maranatha Presbyterian Church uses our compound for their service on Sunday regularly.
For my "first" post, I would like to share the good news that the Synod Ex-Co has just recently accepted Jubilee Church's (my home church) nomination for me to be confirmed as preacher of the Chinese Presbytery. Usually, new preachers begin their pastoral ministry at a local church for a year as preacher-on-trial, or probational preacher before they are confirmed as official preachers, but as i was serving at the Synod, the current constitution does not provide for this adjustment. So i had to wait for a year for the Synod committees to sort out this matter. My was a special case, and they back-dated my preacher-on-trial status to the day i started work at the Synod, on 1 Feb 2005. I will need to say my preacher vows in Mandarin at the next CP meeting in April. And so, in Rev. May Tan's words, "I was a probational preacher for a year without knowing it!" :)
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Narnia tracts
I got some (300 remaining) FREE tracts from Golden Village about the recent movie Narnia, jointed venture with Bible Society of Singapore and Fellowship of Evangelical Students. So, if you want to distribute them to your youths, feel free to come by the Synod to pick them up. priority will be given to those who came for the mass-viewing on 27 Dec 2005. more can be obtained from Bible Society of House. they are quite an easy read, more for awareness than informative. for those who want to know a little more about the significance of Christian symbolism and the film, you can visit these websites...
Bible Society of Singapore: Narnia and Christianity
The United Methodist Church: Lewis, Narnia and Christianity from scratch
Washington Jewish Week: Is 'Chronicles of Narnia' a Christian allegory?
Bible Society of Singapore: Narnia and Christianity
The United Methodist Church: Lewis, Narnia and Christianity from scratch
Washington Jewish Week: Is 'Chronicles of Narnia' a Christian allegory?
Friday, December 16, 2005
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Catch the exciting movie of the Chronicles of Narnia with other Presbyterian Youths at Plaza Singapura on 27 Dec 2005, 3pm! Please inform your youth pastors or youth workers asap if you are interested as the seats are limited.
Visit Bible Society of Singapore for some interesting facts about Narnia and the Bible.
Edit: Wow, we actually had a turn-up of 256 youths and young adults watching Narnia together in two cinemas at Plaza Singapura last week (27 Dec 2005)! It was great...and we hope to organise more of these sort of events. Keep tuned!
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