Light of the World - Bedok Methodist Church

By Denise ChengFinally Here!9We waved frantically as soon as we sawthem appear in the restricted area ofthe Changi Airport arrival hall on 20August 2005. Smiling, happy little facesgreeted us, as the 11 children from COSIChildren's Village in Cambodia ran intoour arms.It was like a homecoming. After fiveyears of building up the orphanage inCambodia, the children were finallycoming home - to see the church whichstarted it all.The opening of the COSI ChildrenVillage was officiated by the PrimeMinister of Cambodia, Mr Hun Sen, on30 May 2002 and attended by BishopRobert Solomon and key leaders ofBMC and MMS.For those of us who have been part ofthe Lord's work in Cambodia from thestart, it was a gratifying moment,knowing how faithful the Lord has beenin providing financially and spirituallyfor these children through the years.Looking back, it has been such aprivilege to have been part of their lives,moulding them into Christ-likenessthrough Character First, a programmeimparting Christian values that is taughtat COSI. Over the years, seeing the kidsgrow in the Lord is our great reward.But the children were oblivious to allthis, wide-eyed and awe-struck byeverything they saw in this country,which they had heard so much aboutfrom the groups of Singaporeans whohad visited them through the years.On 21 August, the second day of theirvisit, they came to BMC and performedtwo traditional dances at our Sundaymorning services, wowing the BMCcrowd with their charming smiles andfancy footwork.The highlight of the day must have beentheir trip to the zoo in the afternoon.From huge, furry polar bears to longneckedgiraffes, zebras, rhinos andflamingos, the kids were fascinated bythe wonders of the animal kingdom."Do you know the difference betweena jaguar and a leopard?" a zookeeperasked them."No!" chorused the children."Well, a jaguar has a black spot inside aring of spots on his coat. A leopard doesnot."Such nuggets of interesting informationawaited the kids at every animal enclosureand feeding station. The kids enjoyedthe zoo thoroughly, taking snapshots ofeach other on the digital camera at everycorner.When the day was finally through, thekids piled into the bus, tired but happy.Hand-in-hand, with their Singaporeanfriends, they made their way home. Thatspecial bond of friendship between ourBMC members and the children is aprecious thing, forged over the years asthey grew up in the love and care of"aunties" and "uncles", "sisters" and"brothers" from BMC.As these children grow up to be youngmen and women of the Lord inCambodia, it is our hope that BMCSingapore will always be home to them.A Public Affairs Officer with the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, Denise Cheng is a member ofthe BMC Missions Committee.

10By Joanna ErTHE SECRET TO PEACE & RESTTruly, they walked by faith and not by sight.Sermons at thanksgivingservices are often about givingthanks to God for His provision,protection and care through the year.While a sermon on thanksgiving is aneeded message, it seems to me thatpeople in our day are more preoccupiedwith problem-solving than withthanksgiving. For this reason, I thoughtit was apt that this year’s sermonfocused on the secret to peace and rest.Rev Dr Jonathan Seet’s sermon wasbased on Matthew 6:25-34. In particular,it was mentioned in the sermon thatthe faith of the people in Jesus’ timewas only enough for salvation but notfor daily living.BMC 59 th ANNIVERSARYThis is the same today. We often haveenough faith to believe Jesus for oursalvation. Yet for some inexplicablereason, we do not have that same faithto trust Him to deal with our problems.This is inexplicable because logicdictates that if one can do the greaterthen he can surely do the lesser. Assuch, if we believe God can do themore difficult task of resurrecting ourspiritually dead bodies, then it is foolishnot to believe that our Almighty Fathercannot provide for our daily needs.Today, it is this combination of a lackof faith, an abundance of irrationalthinking and misplaced priorities in lifethat leave our problems unsolved andour search for peace and rest an elusiveone.Moving Forward as A People of Praise, Prayer and Power

In fact, the secret to peace and rest issimple. We have to set our prioritiesright and to trust in God one day at atime. Jesus made clear in Matthew 6:33that our first concern in life should beto learn God’s character and His plansand purposes in our lives. I am certainthat the founders of Bedok MethodistChurch did this in 1946 when ourchurch was started.It must have been daunting to plant achurch in those days. Our foundersfaced the problems of financialuncertainty, growing a membership andthe task of discipling its members. Ifour church founders tried to deal withall these church-planting issues at onego, they would probably have given upby the end of the day. We should bethankful that their first concern was tofocus on God’s plan for Bedok and tofollow His instructions. They trustedHim to provide them with wisdom andability to carry through this task eventhough they did not see what BedokMethodist Church would be 59 yearson. Truly, they walked by faith and notby sight.Bedok Methodist Church is now in its59th year of existence. It is a livingtestimony to Jesus’ promise that whenwe determine to seek first the kingdomof God and His righteousness, He willprovide us with all other needs. This isthe simple solution to all our problemsand the very secret to peace and rest.We would do well to put this truth intopractice.Joanna Er is a corporate lawyer. She is involvedin the areas of social concerns andcommunications in BMC.

12VACATION BIBLE CAMPThe Vacation Bible Camps (VBC), held from 23 - 26November, saw the entire church packed with about 500 adults,youth helpers and children. 161 pre-schoolers had fun Learningfrom Jesus and 195 primary children were Hooked on the Book.We rejoice that many pre-believers came for the camps. In all,25 pre-school and 12 primary children prayed to receive theLord’s salvation.“I learned about loving others, forgiving, and not to tell lies.Jesus touched me and I want to know more about Him.”- Kenn Seah, 7, accepted Christ during VBC"Very organised and orderly despite the large attendance. Thematerials and freebies provided were above expectation. Thecurriculum was structured and the delivery was creative,motivating and effective. Emma had great fun making friendsand enjoyed the games tremendously, and was very happy withher teachers."- Karen Koh, mother of Emma, 5, OLPS Church“God’s presence was definitely with us! Both the kids andadults felt the Lord’s favour. The good weather God gave atthe right time during the programme was evidence!”- Christina Ong, Organiser, VBC (Primaries)

BMC teems with life in the month of November whenever church camps for theyoung ones are organised. The most beautiful thing is that as campers live andlearn together under one roof, they are drawn to witness and experience the loveof God and His people. Here are some spontaneous quotes…JUNIOR YOUTH CAMPThis year, the Junior Youth Camp (JYC) was held between 11- 14 November, at the Scripture Union campsite at Sentosa.Targeted at Primary 6 to Secondary 3 youths, 67 campersattended the camp. The camp speaker, Rev Alvin Chan, spokeon the theme, One Step More.13“The camp was really fun! I had the new experience of being‘babied’ by big brothers and sisters. The camp committee reallyput in a lot of effort!”- Rebecca Ng, 12“The camp was fruitful, especially the Concert of Prayer. AfterRev Joel talked about the topic of abuse, we were led to prayfor ourselves and our friends, such as overcoming verbal abuse.”- Teo Guo Nian, 15“I experienced the joy of seeing young people rise up to leadtheir peers and younger ones. It is special to see such bondinghappening.”- Judy Foo, Lay Ministry Staff (Youth)

14By Ivy WongWhen God’s People Pray...“...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn fromtheir wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”2 Chronicles 7:14ne of BMC’s key priorities for the next three years(2006-2008) is to strengthen and build up a cultureof PRAYER in our church. If the community Oof God stands at its watch and commits its every plan andcourse of action to God in prayer, imagine the tremendouswork He can do through us! Ivy Wong shares this heartbeatof God.A Call To PrayerGod desires for more of His children to rise up to the callto prayer and intercession. To have a healthy balance to ourChristian life, prayer and intercession should be a pivotalpart of our life in Christ. Much like revival in a church,which begins with individual hearts being ignited withpassion for Christ, prayer revival starts when the fuel ofprayer is ignited in individual hearts and then as a body ofChrist coming together in prayer. Such united prayer canbring forth power and unity that is potentially explosive andmay usher in signs and wonders. The saying goes, “OnlyGod can move mountains, but prayer can move God’s handto move mountains.”In his book, Gap Standing, Hedge Building, Ps Frank Damaziodebunks the myth that intercession is for a “selected fewwho are called”. Indeed prayer intercession is every believer’sresponsibility. Intercession, which stems from prayer itself,is not an office (as in the office of apostles, prophets,evangelists, pastors and teachers in Ephesians 4:11-12).Neither is prayer a gift of the Holy Spirit, like speaking intongues or healing in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. An office is aspecial calling, while gifts are given to some and notnecessarily to others. It is not that way with prayer. Prayeris available to all.Prayer is a privilege as well as the responsibility of everybeliever. Just as every one of us is called to worship andA prayer watch in session.evangelise, we are to pray. In the case of prayer andintercession, some may devote themselves to great studyand skill development, but all believers are called to participatein it. Intercession is not for a ‘gifted’ few. This false beliefserves only to spiral the church or ministry down into astate of prayerlessness.If all of us can come to embrace the fact that everyone isand can be an effective intercessor, it will release us to thework of prayer and ultimately, restore a healthy spiritualbalance in the church. A prayerful ministry is a powerfulministry.“O Lord, hear my voice when I call to You. May my prayer be setbefore You like incense…” Psalm 141:2Even as we examine our own prayer lives before God andseek to restore our altar of incense, our motivations areimportant. The Psalmist says, “Who may ascend the hill ofthe Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart”. Ourwanting to seek God in prayer should not be borne out ofguilt or duty. Instead, it should be driven by our love forGod Himself and fellow men. As we respond to God in

love through prayer, His agape love willso fill us that we will be “burdened”as we see and feel the needs of othersaround us. Our burden of comingbefore God in prayer for others thenbecomes our intercession. The worldaround us is full of needs. Many haveyet to know the saving grace of theLord Jesus Christ. How about fellowChristians who are undergoing trialsof all kinds? God waits “for a manwho would build up the wall and standin the gap” on behalf of others(Ezekiel 22:30) in intercessory prayerfor Him to bring about breakthroughsin the spiritual realm and enforce thevictory Christ had wrought for us onthe cross.“We, through prayers of intercession,meet the powers of darkness, enforcingthe victory Christ accomplished whenHe met them in His work ofintercession.”Dutch SheetsIntercessory PrayerBrothers and sisters in Christ, theeffect of prayer on the church istremendous. Prayer brings resistanceto division, disloyalty and disunity. Itdraws the body of Christ together,creating interdependence on oneanother. Today, let us advance intoour prayer closets to seek His faceduring our personal time with Himand ask Him to ignite our hearts withthe coals of prayer passion. Let usalso come together to strengthen eachother in prayer at our church prayerwatches.Ivy Wong worships at BMC with herhusband and Associate Lay Leader,Winston, and her three children, Sophie,Adriel and Daniel. She leads Prayer Sparks,the Children’s Ministry’s children intercessorygroup.Prayer WatchCome for our BMC Prayer Watch on Thursday, 8 pm at the Prayer Room.Experience intimacy with God through prayer. Join God’s intercessors to watch,listen, and release His anointing to the world.Prayer Sparks, a children’sintercessory group from the Children’sMinistry, was started in 2002 to encourageour Sunday School children to pray. Today,about twenty children meet to pray twoSundays a month. Below is a testimonyby one such young intercessor, VeenaRachel Amudhan. May we too beinspired!“My brother, Ashvin, and I joined the PrayerSparks (PS) last year. I personally always foundit hard to pray out loud and desired to changethat by joining the group. I thoroughly enjoy PSmeetings as we pray for each other’s friends andfamily if they are sick or need prayer. By doingthis, we have learnt how to care for one anotherI have also made many new friends.At PS, every member owns a prayer journal inwhich we write prayer requests. We further havesynchronised prayer every night at 9 pm. AuntyIvy also gives us a list of scripture verses we canclaim in prayer. I have found these very useful.My most memorable experience in PS has to dowith my grandmother, Mrs Christie. In July lastyear, she had to have her left leg amputatedbecause of her diabetes and she was feeling veryapprehensive about the operation. I shared thiswith the others in PS and they began to pray forher. Aunty Ivy even asked everyone to makecards for her. Aunty Ivy and her son, Daniel,Ivy leads young prayers warriors from Prayer SparksThe Prayer Sparks children are visited by a gratefulMrs Christiealso visited my grandmother in hospital to giveher the cards personally and to pray with her.My grandmother was very touched by this andthe cards gave her much needed encouragement.After the operation, which ran smoothly, one ofmy grandmother’s first outings was to BMC tothank everyone in PS for their prayers andencouragement. Later, she shared with me thatshe was very touched by the fact that thesechildren, who were total strangers, could writesuch heartfelt notes as if they knew her personally.“They were very encouraging and I cried whenI read them,” she confessed.In the Bible, Jesus said: ‘Let the little childrencome to me, and do not hinder them, for theKingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’(Matthew 19:14) Through my joining PS, I’velearnt that even the prayers of an 11-year oldlike me can have such mighty effects. Being inPS has not only taught me to care for others butit has also made me see the power of prayer andthe wonderful way in which God works in ourlives. Like a spark can ignite a blazing fire, Iintend to change lives for Christ through prayer.”Veena Rachel AmudhanPrimary 5, Prayer SparksIf you like toenquire aboutor send yourchild to Prayer Sparks, please contact Ivyat wisawong@singnet.com.sg

16ALPHA’s Coming!For The RecordWhat is Alpha?Alpha is an 11-week practical introduction course to theChristian faith.Who is Alpha for?Date: 12 Jan - 30 Mar 2006(Every Thursday)Alpha is for everyone, especially:Time: 7.00 - 9.45pm* Those who are searching for the meaning of life Venue: BMC* Those who are exploring Christianity and the church* New Christians or newcomers to the churchHow does Alpha look like?Each session of the Alpha course begins with a sumptuous dinner, followedby a talk. Participants then go into small groups. Any question can beraised for discussion in the small groups.The course explores the following questions and more: Christianity: Boring,Untrue and Irrelevant? Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can I be sure of myfaith? Does God heal today?Why is Alpha so special?It presents Christianity in a clear and non-threatening way. No questionasked is too simple or too hostile. Participants have the freedom to shareor just sit back and listen, have fun and build lasting friendships.What can I do now?Come for the course. Bring a friend along. You can register online atwww.bmc.org.sg or at 64484215. If you have any questions, please emailus at alpha@bmc.org.sg The first session on 12 Jan 2006 is an introductorysession. This is a good opportunity for you to explore Alpha.Please let us know if you are coming so we can cater for you.“...many claim Alpha has changed their lives and appeargenuinely happier for the experience.” Time Magazine“What Alpha offers, and what is attracting thousandsof people, is permission, rare in secular culture, todiscuss the big questions- life and death andtheir meaning.”The Guardian, UKWelcome Back, Pastors!We received good news at the recent 30thAnnual Conference held at Trinity MethodistChurch from 22 - 24 November. Not only didour adult membership roll cross the 1000-member mark, but our pastors werereappointed for yet another year in BMC. Wewelcome back our pastor-in-charge, RevVincent Goh, and assistant pastors, Rev JoelYong and Ps Leslie Lim. Rev Yong was alsoordained as a deacon. Congratulations!Jeremiah 3:15 says, “Then I will give youshepherds after my own heart, who will leadyou with knowledge and understanding.” Maythe Lord’s anointing and guidance be uponour shepherds!Vision aims to develop disciples for Jesus Christ and toprovide practical resources for the understanding andapplication of Scriptures in daily life and ministry. It is publishedthree times a year. Unless otherwise stated, all scripturequotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New InternationalVersion. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International BibleSociety. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.If you have any questions, concerns or comments, pleasewrite to us at:ViSiON NewsletterBedok Methodist Church86 Bedok Road Singapore 46937Website: www.bmc.org.sgEmail: vision@bmc.org.sgEditorial Committee:Choa Bee Hong * Lim See KeenKyle Lim * Bernice Tay * Vimala ChristieGraphics & Photography:Anthony Lam * Julian Poon * Lim Whee BengAllen Lim * Michael Tan * S. Amudhan * Vincent Png© Bedok Methodist Church 2005. All rights reserved.Printed by Integrated Press Pte Ltd