#Unstoppable Love
Written by Ng Zhiwen
85252525 – That’s not a phone number. It’s the changes in group size limit we had to live with over the last 7 months! Doubtless it’s been a year full of disruptions. We moaned the frequent start-stop changes and loss of opportunities to serve in home missions. As if it wasn’t enough that the pandemic threatened to ‘shrink our world’ and keep us from looking outwards.
But if we have learned anything from our study of the ACTS, we have an unstoppable gospel. Last Tuesday evening when our home missions ministry leaders gathered to review the year past, I was so encouraged that the disruptions have not stopped the work:
Our Action Groups (AG) have been organizing themselves to bless the staff and residents shut-in long-term at Bishan Home. One AG took the initiative to befriend seniors beyond Bishan for 3 months.
Our English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and Tuition ministry teachers persevered in engaging their students online. Our Soccer ministry moved its coaching onto Zoom(!), and one ESL teacher even used snail mail to correspond with her student(!!!) We rejoiced that our Tuition ministry students did well enough in their exams to progress to the next academic level. The hard work (with lots of prayer thrown in) had paid off.
We gave thanks for the stories of people drawing closer to Jesus: Someone came to faith during the recent run of Christianity Explored. Some ESL teachers offered to read the bible together with their students, and the response was warm! Our Domestic Helper Fellowship ladies have also been stepping up to lead bible study with others over Zoom, and they plan to ‘go to church’ when they return to their home countries. One tuition student is attending youth camp happening next week.
This coming December, our Soccer and Tuition ministries will be holding Christmas events where the Jesus story and testimonies will be shared. The Living Room (LR) continues to be a great place to invite people in this season to have a Christ-conversation over good food. The LR staff are also excited about conducting the Friendship Meal this year in hybrid mode: deliver food at the doorsteps of needy households, and welcome people to our own doorstep on our church premises like we used to do.
The above activities will happen within the week leading up to Christmas. Pray that people will respond and come for our evangelistic services.
We haven’t mentioned the new work that we started this year (the Migrant Workers ministry and the Safe-Sound-Sleeping place for women), while Seniors360 is actively planning for a strong start in 2022.
All in all, be assured that the Lord’s work will continue in the New Normal as we press on in loving our neighbours. Question is whether we will look around, step out and #GetLost for Christ.
