Closing thoughts on 2013

The clock is ticking, another year is coming to and end. In a matter of hours, my wife and I will be in church to have fellowship with our church family. We shall then have our worship and at the stroke of midnight greet the New Year 2014.

Tomorrow we shall use a new calendar. What will the new year bring? Alvin Toffler wrote a book called "Future Shock,"  I wish I could write one on "Future without Shock"

One thing we know there will still be trouble in this sin sick world. Disease, viruses, sickness will still be around. Believing in God does not place us in a bubble that protects us from germs or viruses. But we believe He is the Healer we can trust. He may heal us and prolong our physical life, He may not for He wants us Home with Him. He knows best. When the time comes for us to leave this earth He will come for us to take us Home. It's a  future without shock.

There will be disasters - floods, earthquakes, droughts on earth. It is a fallen world.There will be fightings and war between nations and civil wars within the nations. The word of God says so. We are not to hang our hands in despair, but to look up and keep our faith in Him strong. "My help comes from the Lord." Psalm 121:2.

We do not have to meet trials and tribulations alone, but in the company of our Lord who is independent of time and things. The future has no terror when we have faith in Him.

In those closing moments of the year, keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

"I shall not fear though darkened clouds may gather round me;
The God I serve is one who cares and understands.
Although the storms I face would threatened to confound me,
Of this I am assured: I'm in His hands.

I'm in His hands, I'm in His hands;
Whate'er the future holds
I'm in His hands,
The days I cannot see
Have all been planned for me;
His way is best, you see;
I' m in His hands.  Stanley Ditmer.

Ministering in the name of our Lord

Yesterday, we visited a saintly elderly lady of 95, a lovely Christian. She is mentally alert, but physically frail. She is either in bed or in a wheel chair. We went there to sing and pray with her. We were there to bless her, but in turn were greatly blessed.

The journey takes more than an hour each way on the bus.On the way home we had planned to visit two handicapped women at Dover Road but it was getting late and raining too, so we had to change our plans to return home. We shall make it another day.

People need the Lord. We thank Him daily for grace and strength to try to meet human needs.

Prayer:

Lord thank you, I can hear everyday sounds; music and the voices of friends and loved ones. I can tune on to the radio or television, hold a conversation, There are many who are not so privileged. Help me to be considerate to the deaf; kind to the one suffering from memory loss, and grant me the wisdom to minister to those who feel isolated. Except I am moved with compassion, how dwells Your Spirit in me. Lord fill me this very hour.

Be still and know that I am God

"Lord in the world of trial, trouble and turmoil; riots, threats of war, rebellion, disasters natural and political, I thank You for the inner peace You give to Your trusting children. We confirm our trust that You are on the Throne and in control of every situation. We can confidently rest in You and leave the future in Your hands.

We rest in the assurance given by You through your servant, "Be still and know that I am God."

Christian fellowship

Christian Fellowship is one of the blessings we enjoy in church, and that I mean belonging to the body of Christ. We may belong to a different race, speak a different language, still we relish the opportunity to interact with each other.

On Christmas Day we were at Balestier. A lady in her eighties who does not speak or understand English on arrival at the church made a bee line towards the Indian pastor and gave him a hug. She is not a Salvationist, but loves to worship in The Salvation Army at Balestier because of the wonderful comradeship in this Church. Walk into the compound and there are always people to welcome you. I would rate Balestier as one of  the friendliest churches we have in Singapore! There is always a welcome for visitors.

The folk keep a record of names, addresses and contact numbers of the visitors. During the week the pastor or other members would make contact with them. No wonder the church is growing.

Good King Wenceslas -a carol for Boxing Day

Today is Boxing Day and my mind goes back to the old carol - Good King Wenceslas.  Some people do not accept this poem as a carol. Whether we agree with them or not it does not matter, but the song tells the story of a King or Duke who went out despite the cold winter to bless the poor and needy. That should be our mission as Christians.

It was an ancient custom that on the day after Christmas to pack the left-overs and other gifts, put them in boxes and given to the servants and those in need. Hence the term Boxing Day.

The mission of The Salvation Army has always been 'to save souls, grow saints and care for suffering humanity.'  In our celebration of Christmas, let us not forget those who are less fortunate than we are.

I have not heard this carol sung for some time. It came to my mind and I have been singing it today.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay 'round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine-logs hither
Thou and I shall see him dine
When we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, good my page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shall find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's step he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye, who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.   -John Mason Neale

Let us follow in the footsteps of our Lord everyday. "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me" says the Lord.

Christmas Day at Balestier.

Christmas Day. We were invited by Captain Hary to conduct Christmas Day meeting at Balestier Corps. What a great time we had with the folk. The hall was packed to capacity. Local folk took part in reading the Scriptures, leading carols and presenting items. Good to see the church growing. New people are being added to the church. God is blessing Balestier. Hallelujah!

After the benediction, we adjourned upstairs to have Christmas lunch provided by the members.

It was a busy day for us; we thank God for giving us the strength to continue serving Him in the way we do. There is no retirement from ministry. "As thy day so thy strength shall be."  This is the Lord's promise to us.

Christmas celebrations with family and friends.

Christmas Eve was spent with our son's family and friends at their home. We had great time of fellowship and dinner together.

On Christmas Day, we had dinner with our daughter's family at the new Plaza called JEM. There we celebrated Christmas and also our grandson Emmanuel's 19th birthday.

Christmas is a family festival and we thank God for the two families - each with three children. We thank God they all know the Lord.

Our third child Dora Poh Chin is a resident at Peacehaven Nursing Home, very well cared for by the nurses and staff. We are always grateful to these caring folk. We wish would could have her join us in the festivities, but this is not possible in her condition.

We had 'tim sum' at Teochew Seafood Restaurant at Centre Point earlier on with a very good friend we have known for more than 70 years. She used to be the Central Corps pianist and was also my wife's Sunday School teacher. She now lives alone with the maid. Every now and then we would get an sms message inviting us out for lunch.

God has blessed us with many friends who share blessings with us.

Christmas Day

Happy Christmas to all who read this blog. In a few moments we shall be going to my  Home Church at Balestier Road to lead worship and preach the Christmas message. For me it is Balek Kampong - returning to my old Home. What a joy to be invited to share worship there.

Here is a Celtic Prayer - Christmas

"The Child of Glory,
The Child of Mary,
Born in a stable
The King of all.
Who came to the wilderness
And in our stead suffered;
Happy they are counted
Who to Him are near."

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But better far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

Jesus, only our joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.  Bernard of Clairvaux - translated by Edward Caswell.

Singing carols at National Hospital

We joined the carollers at the New Wing of National University Hospital, Kent Ridge.  Gina a Salvationist nurse working there got permission for us to sing carols this morning on two levels.
What a joy to share Christmas blessings to the visitors, staff on duty  and patients.

From there, we took the train to Marymount Station, and Bus 54 to Territorial Hqrs where we joined the staff and officers for the Christmas lunch and celebration.

Christmas dinner and concert at William Booth Corps

December 20th - a full day for us, but happy to be busy. After we got home from Kallang, we took a short rest, watered the plants in the garden, and did some housework. Soon we were downstairs welcoming visitors to the Christmas Dinner. Folk in the kitchen and social hall were busy getting the food ready. Yes, we had roast turkey, roast lamb, beef, chicken, an assortment of western, Chinese, Indian, perakan food.

Soon our Major was on the scene and after saying grace gave the usual announcements "Please let the elderly take the food first." We helped some of the elderly especially those from Bukit Panjang Centre to queue up. The social hall was full. There were many visitors.

Meal ended, we made our way to the main hall. Again we helped to welcome the people. The hall was packed and many moved to the balcony upstairs to watch the concert.

There was plenty of singing, then we had a musical drama, written by Zarrah. It was a good musical, the best ever performed on our stage. It had a message related to the season. Congratulations to the leaders and participants. You did us proud to belong to the Corps and The Salvation Army.

The musicians were excellent. There was a ensemble comprising the best players from our band.

Our Corps does have some very talented folk who very willingly gave of their precious time to serve the Lord.

Kallang Ministry to the Elderly

Yesterday we were invited by Captain Hary to join in the celebrations at Kallang Outpost. I was the speaker for the Fellowship for the Elderly. Two Salvationists Alwin and Tommy led the singing in Chinese, singing Hokkien and Mandarin songs. Alwin is a taxi driver but gives his Friday afternoon ministering at Kallang. Tommy used to run his own pizza business. He sold it and now concentrates on his family and ministry. They are lovely Christians who give of themselves to the Lord's work. I believe God sent them to help Captain Hary in reaching out to the folk in Kallang.

Normally Alwin translates for Captain Hary, but yesterday, I gave the Christmas message in Hokkien without using and interpreter.

My wife and I had a great time and we thank Him for health and strength to continue in ministry.

Good neighbours

We live in one of the units on Level 4, Apartment 04-04 at Praisehaven. 500 Upper Bukit Timah Road. Directly opposite us is our pastor, Major Ruth Pascoe.

Right on the opposite end we have the Aux. Captains Raymond and Cathy Aloba and their daughter Zahra. They are from the Philippines, but have been in this country for quite a long time. They assist the Major at the Corps and Bukit Panjang Centre.

Opposite them in Unit 04-08 there is an Indian couple - Lieutenants Alwin and Dolly who are in charge of the Eratchippu Corps (Tamil congregation.)

And now Majors Lee Kong Yee and Irene Chang and their two boys, Calvin and Brendan have come to Singapore. Major Lee is the Education Officer at the Training College and his wife Irene is the Candidates' Secretary and also assistant in the Personnel Department. They now occupy 04-07. Its great to have them as our new neighbours.

There are eight units - now five are occupied by our own Salvation Army personnel. The other three are rented out to guests.

We have lived here for the last ten years. We have good neighbours for which we thank God. We share the same mission and love and serve the same Lord. We are all one in Christ.
 

Christmas greetings from all over the world

We are receiving Christmas greetings from all over the world via the internet. But there are a number of our friends who are not internet savvy, and we still get their Christmas cards via snail mail.

Quite a number of our friends begin with this lament, "Where has all the time gone?" "The year has gone by very quickly." "It's that time of the year again and here I am sending you greetings for the season." "How fast time flies."

Health issues - " Our health has taken a turn for the worse." "My husband/wife had a stroke this year." "My... has been in and out of hospital." "Sadly I have to tell you, my wife/husband has dementia and now I have to spend much time looking after him/her." "Our travelling days are now over as age catches up with us."


Some brighter note: "We have welcomed our first, second.... great grandson, grand daughter." "This year we are spending Christmas with our son and family. We'll be surrounded with grand children"

Change of address. "We have just moved into a unit in a retirement village" "I am now in a nursing home and I am getting a friend to send this card to you."

We live in a world of change. Circumstances change. Thank God, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

His Name is called Emmanuel - God with us. Yes He is with us in all circumstances.

Kettling with Concertina

A few years ago I was doing my  'kettling' at Holland Village near the Cold Storage. The normal way is to ring the bell to draw the attention of passers-by. I thought for a change I would play carols using my concertina instead. The sound from this ancient musical instrument soon drew crowds who stopped to listen and one or two even requested me to play their favourite carols.

One hot, humid afternoon I was playing "See amid the winter's snow" perspiration was dripping down my body. I stopped for a while just to wipe the sweat away. My legs were aching after standing for a couple of hours. I decided to sit down on a stool provided by the kind shop keeper.

Obviously, someone had noticed my discomfort. She went to the Cold Storage supermarket and came out with a packet of cold drink for me. She said to me, "I saw you wiping away your perspiration and looking very tired. I thought you could do with a drink. And here's a small donation for the work of The Salvation Army." She then put $50.00 into the tin. She told me she was a member of Queenstown Methodist Church. God bless the Methodists. Our Founder William Booth was a Methodist Minister.

There are many kind people in Singapore ever willing to help The Salvation Army.

Christmas Kettling - Fund raising

My wife and I have stopped "kettling" - ringing the bell at shopping malls etc and inviting passers-by to donate to The Salvation Army. Our Corps Officer suggested to us to relinquish this responsibility. We have enough volunteers at our church.

We started our first "kettling" in 1997 when we returned to Singapore to retire.

Before we left Singapore for overseas service in 1983 we used to go out carolling usually two weeks before Christmas. While the majority sang or played instruments, the collectors would brave fierce dogs to knock on the doors to wish the residents "Happy Christmas" and solicit donations for the work of The Salvation Army. We were happy when the residents hearing the singing would come out to join us.

The primary purpose for our carolling is to proclaim the coming of Jesus into the world to be our Saviour. At the same time we also advertise the work of The Army. Some Corps (church) still go out to sing carols.

Our William Booth Corps Band is on duty every Tuesday and Saturday playing carols outside Tang Plaza. The Central Corps folk carol for a few nights at Thompson Plaza.

We did our first kettling at Ang Mo Kio shopping Centre when were temporarily in charge of the Singapore Central Corps in 1997 for a period of three months. Later on when we were in charge of the Pasir Panjang Corps, we used to stand at Holland Village. My wife and I took turns to ring the bell and man the kettle.

Later on when we moved to Upper Bukit Timah, we used to stand outside Centre Point at Far East Plaza or at Centre Point.

In everything there is a season - a time to take up responsibility, a time to relinquish it. There are other things we can do to keep us busy. We recognise that age places limitations to our activities in the Army.

At Thy feet I bow adoring

"A small cathedral outside Bethlehem marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus. Behind a high altar in the church is a cave, a little cavern lit by silver lamps.

You can enter the main edifice and admire the ancient church. You can also enter the quiet cave where a star embedded in the floor recognises the birth of the King. There is one stipulation, however you have to stoop. The door is so low you can't go in standing up.

The same is true of the Christ. You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Saviour, you have to get on your knees." Max Lucado (The Applause of Heaven


At Thy feet I bow adoring,
Bending lower, and lower still;
Giving up my all to follow,
Just to do my Master's will. Susie Barker

O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord

Who is Jesus?

What is there about Him that makes Him so compelling that
.......some of the greatest architectural achievements in Europe
were built for worship of Him.
.......some of the world's most beautiful art was created to honour Him?
.......some of the world's glorious music was written to praise Him?

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. He claimed to be God walking the earth in a
man's body. Do you believe Him?

What do you say He is?

Anne Graham Lotz (My Jesus is everything)

O come let us adore Him Christ the Lord.

Robin Red Breast

Why the Robin's Breast is red?

Did you ever hear the story
Why the robin's breast is red?
It happened, O so long ago
On Christmas Eve, 'tis said.

He fanned the tiny candlelight
To keep the Christ Child warm,
In that stable scene in Bethlehem
The night that Christ was born.

He got so close to that small light
In his eagerness, 'tis said,
He scorched his breast and ever since
The robin's breast is red. Viola B Gleeson.

Advent Story - He gave out of his poverty.

Rodney Bungay was a boy when he came with his parents, Majors Roy and Joy Bungay to serve in Singapore and Malaysia in the 1970's and early 80's/ He is now an officer in The Salvation Army in Canada. He shared this story on Face Book, and I have copied it to share with my friends.


Advent Lesson of the week...
So my dear Centre of Hope Resident friend comes up to me pulls me a side and quietly says "Captain I want The Salvation Army to have $50.00 of my government cheque" ..... Adressing him by his first name, I protest ...friend I cannot do that.... you need this far too much this Christmas Season. When your cheque comes you Hang on to it and I know you will need it.

No Captain you don't understand!! I really want you to help me use this money to genuinely help someone who is facing a difficult time this time of year. If I do not give it to The Salvation Army I know will blow it on my addictions and no good will come of it- This way I know I can really make someones day a little brighter and if I do need help I know The Salvation Army will be there to help me through the day.

Friends through the amazing encounters I am blessed to experience in my ministry there are some days I am convinced that we come in contact with Angels in disguise without even knowing it and I am more convinced than ever that they hang out in the most unlikely of locations.

Mark 12:44a (NIV)
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty

Nelson Mandala - promoted to Glory

Mandala has gone to be with the Lord. Salvationists refer to death as "promotion to Glory"

He was truly a saint. He bore no grudges against his persecutors and tormentors. Twenty seven years in prison, that's a very long time. That man when he came into power called for reconciliation. No call for revenge. Let me quote one of his sayings:


“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” What humility! It is worthy of emulation. I am reminded of Jesus' words on the cross, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

We thank God for saints like Mandala.

The gift of goodwill

You will not find it on any shopping list. It does not come wrapped in Christmas paper and tinsel. It cannot be bought with money. It is the heartfelt spirit of Christmas.

It does not matter where we live - in cold countries with snow laden street; or in hot humid places of warm sunshine, or in lands hit by typhoons and earthquakes. Christmas is the same all over the world - east, west, north or south; if the glowing spirit of sharing is present.

Let us all practise the spirit of goodwill. "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth goodwill to men."

This is my story - 90 - Philippines

90 – Visiting the southern division

During the term of our service in the Philippines, the territory had three divisions – the Central, Northern and Southern Divisions, the latter comprise the Visayas and Mindanao, a very extensive area. Many of the Corps and Army centres were quite isolated.

The city of General Santos is the southernmost city in the archipelago. We would go there by plane and then travelled by road to visit other areas. The country roads were often rough and transportation poor. In many of the places where The Salvation Army was at work, there was only one jeepney per day, plying to and from the town. Our officers and comrades in these isolated areas seldom had visitors and everywhere we went we were warmly welcomed -expressed with the hugs and embrace!

Some of the places we visited were simply beautiful, for example Lake Sebu which is on high altitude, lovely and cool. In this visit we arrived in time for lunch after which there was a Home League meeting for the ladies. My wife was the speaker for the afternoon.

Immediately following this was an evangelistic meeting but it had to end before the curfew began at sun down. Lake Sebu at that time was a stronghold of rebel forces and no meeting could be held after dark. All had to remain indoors.

Water was a problem. The officers had to depend on rain water or fetch it from the river a few kilometres away. They would also do their washing there. Most of the time, they would have their bath in the river. We did not want to burden the officers, so we made our way to the river to have our bath before sundown. In our travels to these areas, we made sure we had our sarongs with us. We just had to learn to adapt to the Filipino way of doing things, as the saying goes, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do.’

We stayed overnight at the Corps quarters which was a nipa hut. The bedrooms were on a higher level while the floors were made of split bamboo about three to five centimetres apart. We had to be extra careful not to drop anything or it would be lost between the gaps, through which the breeze came. It was natural air conditioning! Below us was the home of animals –goats, dogs, cats and even pigs! Well, Jesus was born in a manger and He and his earthly parents shared the stable with God’s creatures.

Because of our tight schedule, we could not stay longer, but had to leave early the next morning for another isolated Corps at a village called Lamsine in a remote area. We had considered closing down this little Corps because of opposition from a local church mission and our own shortage of officers. However a number of Salvationists pleaded with us to continue working despite the difficulties. Funding was made available to expand our social services to this area and also provide the village with a pump-well for the villagers.

I had a strange experience during our visit. While I was preaching a gecko fell on my head, then bounced on to the interpreter who screamed thinking it was a snake. The small hall was jam-packed with many standing outside the window participating in worship. That interruption did not in any way mar the spirit of the worshippers. At the conclusion there were many seekers at the altar.

Two days after we had left the area a French Catholic priest was kidnapped and being held for a ransom of 10 million pesos! This was one of the ways these rebels raised funds for their operations against the Government.

After lunch we left for General Santos to conduct the salvation meeting in the evening. The ride was not only bumpy but also the afternoon sun beating down was very strong. The corps was situated in a stronghold of another faith and work was extremely difficult and progress slow. We had been travelling and our uniforms needed to be washed. The officers’ daughter insisted on washing them for us and put it out to dry during the night.

In the early hours of the morning, we heard dogs barking incessantly. When daylight came we discovered that thieves had stolen my pair of trousers. Just before we left to continue with our journey, we discovered the pants some distance away. Dogs must have tussled with the thieves for the trousers and bitten holes. Fortunately the tear was near the waistline and my wife was able to mend it. The jacket was all right so the mended part was hidden under it.

The next Corps was Wali. The quarters was quite new and only been recently dedicated. We were privileged to be the first to stay in it for the night. Both of us slept on a single wooden bed without a mattress. Wow, for city people like us, the old bones did ache! The Divisional Commander, who drove us, had a bigger old bed, but it was broken. The Corps officers must have felt it could not take weight of two people.

Not too far from Wali was Lebe about 30 minutes ride in the jeep. My wife did the Home League while the Divisional Commander and I spent time discussing matters with the Corps Officer. In the afternoon we were on our journey again.

We then made our way by plane for Cebu where we did the Good Friday meeting. It was a big corps with a lovely brass band, good songster brigade and singing company. The hall was packed and at the end of the meeting there were many seekers. It was a well organised Corps under the direction of a single woman officer.

We moved from the city to visit a small Corps at Liloan the hall and quarters badly damaged by the recent typhoon. However the comrades were in good spirits. We assured them that there were funds available for repair. The Advisory board at Cebu also promised to raise funds for this small Corps. Most of the Advisory board members were ethnic Chinese businessmen and very supportive of the Army.

The next day we moved to Bayanihan for the dedication of a new hall and quarters. The old hall was destroyed by typhoon, but thank God funds came very quickly from USA to rebuild the new facilities. We rushed to Lapu Lapu for a women’s rally planned for the afternoon then the evening salvation meeting.

Then we had to be back to Cebu for the Easter Ecumenical Sunrise Service scheduled to start at 4.00 a.m! The Army band provided the music. The next day we had the graduation of the students of the skills training programme at this Corps. It was a packed week or so and we were glad to get on the plane to return home to Manila after more than a week away.

It was a very tiring time for us. We did thirteen meetings in ten days visiting a total of nine corps. From this experience, we learned not engage in such a tight and hectic schedule in future. Never mind, we got home safely. Nick was at the airport to meet us and it was Home sweet home again. The Lord always provides grace sufficient for our needs. “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deuteronomy 33:25.

O little town of Bethlehem

"Bethlehem - just a little town, or village in Israel, perhaps we might call it "a little red dot" five miles south of Jerusalem. Come Christmas time, we sing again and again this beautiful carol of Bethlehem which literally means "House of Bread" There in this little town was born our Saviour who made the claim, "I am the Bread of Life."

Jacob's favourite wife, Rachel died at childbirth and was buried just outside Bethlehem. She named him Benoni meaning "son of many sorrows" but Jacob changed it to "Benjamin" meaning,"at my right hand." The "Man of Sorrows" died on the cross, rose again from the dead and now "sits at the right hand of God."

Ruth the Moabitess an ancestor of Jesus - she found her redemption from pain of the past at Bethlehem. She found grace, mercy, love, acceptance and hope at this little town of Bethlehem.

David "the man after God's own heart" was from Bethlehem. And the Saviour was from David's line.

Contrast the littleness of Bethlehem, like "a little red dot" with the greatness of the ruler who would come out of this place. Strange that God would choose Bethlehem as the birthplace for His Son Jesus Christ.

O little town of Bethlehem

In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 27, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen."

First Sunday in Advent at Changi Corps

My wife and I were invited to conduct the meeting at Changi Corps (church) to day.

Danny Tong and his wife Siew Kim were here early this morning to fetch us. We’ve known Danny since 1969 when he was just a small boy in Ipoh. Now he and his wife Siew Kim are parents of four lovely children – Bernice, Eunice, Glennice and Philemon, all belonging to Changi Corps.

We arrived at about 9.45 a.m. for the meeting at 10.00 a.m. so did not have too much time to chat with our many friends till after the meeting.

For the first time we attended a meeting without the ‘Praise and Worship’ segment, but that did not mean there was no praise. Certainly we were there to worship God. Somehow no one had been delegated to prepare or lead this particular section, an indispensable part of modern worship, it seems to me. The Corps Officers (pastors) were away on furlough) so were a number of comrades who were out of town.

We had a good pianist in the person of Clara at the keyboard. That was the only instrument used, quite a change with no guitar or percussion. Clara certainly played well in accompanying the singing. Although the congregation was small, they sang wholeheartedly the lovely song, “Joyful, joyful we adore Thee”

As it was the first Sunday in Advent, we sang only three carols – “O little town of Bethlehem” just before the message to fit in with the theme- "The significance of Bethlehem" based on Micah 5: 1-5. For our reflection we sang “Thou didst leave Thy throne above” after the message. We ended the meeting with “Hark the herald angels sing” then the doxology.

We joined the comrades for lunch of porridge and noodles prepared by the ladies. We thank God for another good day of fellowship and worship with our brothers and sisters in Changi. Go bless Changi Corps.