From there on, I spent much time in this youth fellowship and started teaching in the youth Sunday school and then became the Youth Sunday School Superintendent later and continued serving for many years.
In 1986, I was one of the seven church members together with one church elder to be commissioned by the English Service Church Leadership to start an outreach centre in the western part of Singapore. This task was indeed awesome but challenging as we needed to spend so much time planning and organising tuition classes for needy students there. I thank God for many of the church members offered their time and resources to give free tuition to the community. Praise God that through these tuition services, many youths had come to accept the Lord as their personal Lord and Saviour. Many of them became leaders, got married and today are still serving the Lord faithfully in their ministries.
My daughter was born in 1987, the very same year of our starting ministry. Being a first-time parent was challenging and tough. At the same time serving in leadership also demanded so much time and commitment. My wife was indeed very supportive when often needed to spend many hours in church to discuss various issues and matters that sometimes led into late hours of the nights. By God’s Grace and Provision, the church grew from 7 to about 100 members for the following next 16 years and the tuition centre was later registered as a full Presbyterian Church.
At that time, I was serving as a deacon, Sunday Worship service leader and a Sunday school teacher. The church had undergone many challenges with young pastors that needed much guidance from the leadership. My two young children will always say, “Daddy why not you become a Pastor too since you are always busy with and interested in Church work”.
In 2003, this church leadership had decided to return to her mother church due to swindling membership from about 100 to 40 members. However we were led to move on to another church to start a new journey though it was really painful to see our hard labouring for the Lord for so many years gone. We also missed our dear brothers and sisters that we had spent so much time together as a family. It was a very difficult decision especially for my two children who were there since birth. However, thank God for His comfort and love throughout those times.
After the closure of the church in 2003, one of my close friends invited my family to visit his church in northern part of Singapore. This church had about 900 members at that time. We were total strangers to the church and cannot find any familiar faces other than this friend of mine who attended the first worship service while we attended the second. The Lord Jesus knew our hurting hearts that needed time to be alone for healing. He gave us time and space to recover from those difficult times. We were comforted by God’s Word and were touched by the Holy Spirit at each Sunday worship service.
After one year of resting and recovering in the Lord, I was then invited by the church leadership to serve as a cell leader. In the cell, effort was made not only for the building up of His people through the cell ministries but the greatest joy in bringing the community into the church, touching lives with God’s love and compassion for the lost. Seeing many families coming to know the Lord warmed our hearts and at the same time building good friendships with them. Till now, we’re still keeping in touch with some of them during Christmas times & Lunar New Year seasons. The Lord had truly blessed our labour and friendships with these residents that in return enriched our lives too.
In 2011, this church leadership decided to stop the cell ministry to reorganise the church structure and introduced changes that impacted the whole church direction. From there on, I took a break and started visiting other churches, hopefully to settle into one of the local churches.
The Tree of Life Christian Church
In 2012, I was invited to The Tree of Life Christian Church to witness my father-in-law’s baptism. It was a very special moment for sister-in-law Sally, my wife Wendy, the rest of the siblings and grandchildren to witness God’s salvation that had come upon my father-in-law. We had been praying and labouring for many years, wanting to see God’s salvation coming to our loves ones. Indeed the Lord had heard our groans to Him and answered our prayers in His perfect timing.
I witness TOLCC’s unwavering efforts to reach out to our loved ones with regular visitation from Pastor Andrew and The Evergreen fellow brothers and sisters that make such a great impact to the family. At the first visit in TOLCC, I felt the same warm and welcoming experiences of my former family church days.
I prayed and committed the matter to the Lord Jesus for the last many months for TOLCC to be my spiritual home. My family and I have enjoyed the warm fellowship of the leaders and members that were found missing in those churches that I have visited so far. I’m enjoying the great teachings and the exposition of Pastor Andrew on the WORD of GOD that inspires me very much.
2013 is also a very special year for me to witness my mother’s and sister’s baptism. Indeed the Lord is good and faithful to His promises that salvation will come upon my household with everyone in my family being saved.
As I begin my new journey in TOLCC, I’m praying that I could continue to serve the Lord in whatever capacity that pleases Him and be faithful to His calling.
As I humbly penned my faith journey for the past 30 over years where there were many moments of celebrations and joy, hurting and fearful moments. I want to thank the Lord Jesus for His Love and Grace that always make sufficient for me as He has promised in His Word and His wonderful companion of the Holy Spirit that never fails to inspire and guide me through this life journey.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him; It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (La 3:22-26)