| Life B-P Church Weekly - 27 May 2007
Scripture Memory: Knowing God.
Jeremiah 9:23, 24 "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let
not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which
exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for
in these things I delight, saith the LORD."
* * *
O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness
27 May 2007
8.00 am Worship Service:
Rev Colin Wong (Lessons from Ephesians)
10.45 am Worship Service:
Rev Charles Seet (Manifesting His Glory)
6:00 pm Rehoboth Evening Service:
Rev Colin Wong (Growing In Forgiveness)
3 June 2007
8.00 am Worship Service:
Rev Colin Wong (Lessons from Ephesians)
10.45 am Worship Service:
Rev Colin Wong (Are You a "One Thing" Person?), Lord's Supper
6:00 pm Rehoboth Evening Service:
Ho Chee Lai (Divine Corporate Employment Structure)
* * *
PASTORAL CHAT
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children,
Help those who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
The first line of this hymn provides the theme for
this year’s church camp which is now 2 weeks away. By God’s grace we
have sufficient accommodation at Harris Resort for all 318 campers.
Fifteen others will be joining in as visitors, making a total of 333. As
the camp draws nearer let us pray that it will be a time of personal
spiritual refreshment and a time to strengthen our fellowship with one
another.
Pray also for the camp committee members, headed by
Dn Benny Goh, as they work together on all the final arrangements for
the programme, rooming, logistics, F&B, transport, recreation, WARM
programme, publicity and camp manual. As there is a shortfall of $30,000
an offering will be collected during the camp to help defray this. You
can also help by designating an offering to "Life B-P Church Camp 2007."
This year, we are glad for the opportunity to be
ministered to by Rev Christopher C. Sidwell, the pastor of the Bible
Presbyterian Church of Apollo, Pennsylvania. Pastor Sidwell has been a
gospel minister for 15 years and was ordained to the gospel ministry in
September 1992. He has served at Apollo since December 2003. Over the
years, the Lord has allowed him to preach and minister in churches and
conferences in several states in the USA. He has also ministered in the
countries of Haiti, Jamaica, and Wales. He has led several youth mission
teams to Jamaica for the purpose of summer vacation Bible school, teen
evangelistic meetings, street preaching, and street witnessing.
Pastor Sidwell is scheduled to arrive at midnight on
Wednesday, the 6th of June with his wife, Cheryl, and their two sons,
Jared (5) and Jalen (4). In addition to the camp messages, he will be
preaching at our worship services on the weekends before and after the
camp. Please take note of his 4 Sunday sermons:
10 June: 8 am & 10:45 am –
"The Fragrance of Christ" (2 Cor 2:14-17);
6 pm – "Four Tests of Spirituality"
(James 1)
17 June: 8 am & 10:45 am –
"God’s Gracious Invitations" (Isaiah 55:1-13);
6 pm –"A Revival Prayer" (Isaiah 63:15
- 64:12)
Vacation Bible School 2007
On the mornings of Wednesday to Friday this week, our
church grounds will be filled with about 190 children (5-9 years old)
and 90 adult helpers. This annual gospel outreach to children has proven
to be an effective tool for evangelism. Quite a few Christians I have
met have testified that their earliest contacts with the Gospel came
through attending a VBS. VBS has also provided excellent opportunities
for Lifers to learn precious lessons on trusting God and on working
together in His harvest. The following testimony was written by sister
Lynette Yang 2 years ago:
"Although it is now my second time serving in the VBS
committee, the Lord has so graciously used each time to teach me
different lessons and in the midst of it, drawn me closer to rest in His
heavenly breast and to trust in His sovereignty.
Two weeks before the commencement of VBS, both Ann
and I looked at the list of teachers and couldn’t help but feel worried.
We had many LTFers and YFers coming forward to serve, mostly as
assistant teachers (which we are definitely thankful for), but had only
a handful of adults. Each VBS, a large percentage of the children accrue
from the SCCs, and we sincerely believe that adults, especially those
who love children and have a maternal instinct would help greatly in
imparting God’s Word to these precious souls. These children need adults
who not only love the Lord but are also firm in managing them.
Disappointed, the foremost question that ran through our heads was "How?
Not enough teachers!"
Nonetheless we started to call and God-willing, would
be able to recruit the teachers we had from last year. We met with quite
a few unfavourable responses (mostly due to family commitments) but with
a God who knows our needs, it encouraged our hearts dearly to see Him
providing each step of the way. We had even more helpers coming forward
to help out as assistant teachers on the actual days. Praise the Lord!
This was indeed a lesson of learning to trust that God will surely
provide for this is His ministry.
Indeed the Lord not only provided but had also placed
in the hearts of the teachers and assistant teachers the reverence
toward the Lord’s work. The effort they took in preparing the lessons
was not done in a flippant manner but rather with much hand and heart
preparation. Though at times, spiritual battles were fought as the
teachers shared the gospel with the children during ‘Gospel Time’, God
was faithful and protected both the teachers and the children.
Even though the teachers were in the forefront
serving, many church members had so kindly agreed to help out in other
areas of service. Some ladies in our church were involved in the
preparation of craft which was not only tedious but large in numbers
also. The F&B team for touching the hearts of the staff by specially
preparing something more for the teachers’ breakfast each day. The
logistics, games, transport and administration teams for their humility
and diligence despite the vast amount of planning and coordination
needed.
Little words can express how thankful I am to the
Lord for seeing this VBS through and for teaching me so many precious
lessons despite the many times I failed to trust and depend on His
faithfulness and to look to Him for strength.
The theme for this year’s VBS, "Son-shine in My
Soul," (based on John 12:46) will be communicated to the children
through 3 days of Bible stories, songs, memory verses, games and
personal contact. About half of them will be from our Student Care
Centres and 17 will be from our Far Eastern Kindergarten. We can all do
our part for them through prayer. Pray for their hearts to be prepared,
for their protection and safety, and most of all for the Lord Jesus to
be glorified in their salvation! —CS
The Far Eastern Kindergarten
The Far Eastern Kindergarten (FEK) is an extension of
the Church’s ministry to members and an outreach to the local community.
The FEK is managed based on 2 key principles:
- It will be a ministry of the Church, for the
Church, and supported by the Church;
- The curriculum and programmes will be a balance
between providing quality education and the imparting of sound Christian
beliefs and values.
The FEK is governed by a Board of Directors,
appointed by the Church Session and is accountable to both the Church
and the Ministry of Education, to ensure that its stated objectives are
met and regulatory guidelines are adhered. The Church Session approved
the appointment of the following Lifers as new Board Members of the FEK,
with effect from January 2007:
Elder Ng Beng Kiong Chairman
Dn David Tan Secretary
Mr Jonathan Tan Treasurer
Elder Tan Yew Chong Member
Mr Lee Fong Seng Member
Mrs Yeap Song Ching Member
Mr Peter Koy Member
Dr Koh Lip Hoe Member
The Board of Elders, with the concurrence of the
Session, has also appointed Mrs Ang Chui Hwa as the new Principal of the
FEK, with effect from March 2007. This change is to ensure that the
Kindergarten remains as a vital extension of the Church’s ministry to
children and is supported by the Church, so as to ensure its long-term
ministry and viability.
The policy of providing quality education and
imparting of sound Christian values to the children will remain its
foremost objectives. We intend to commit more resources to improve the
quality of FEK’s programmes and curriculum. The FEK will remain as a
Christian Kindergarten of Life Church, to the glory of God. Church
members who have children between the ages of 3-6 years are strongly
encouraged to register and enroll their children with the FEK for the
2008 enrolment. – Elder Ng Beng Kiong, Chairman, FEK Board
From the Principal:
In order for children to develop wisdom and
understanding, they need to gain knowledge and experience. Far Eastern
Kindergarten aims to increase the children’s knowledge of the world
around them through meaningful experiences that they can engage in
creatively. In the Singapore context, all children should be able to
read, write and count before they enter primary one.
Children will be articulate because of the secured
and supportive environment that we provide. The teachers do not only
teach the content areas but are also interested in unleashing the
potential within every child.
This learning must come with the right attitude, an
attitude of faith and submission, or what is called the "fear of the
Lord". Our children should also be given every opportunity to hear the
gospel and know our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Our
theme verse: "Train up the child in the way he should go; and when he
is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) reiterates the
importance of ‘guarding’ the heart. Positive building of a godly
worldview can only be possible when the child has a regular exposure to
the Truth and living the Truth. Therefore, we are moving towards a
strong emphasis on character development.
It is my prayer that children who attend this
kindergarten be recognized for both their ability and spirituality. —
Mrs Ang Chui Hwa
* * *
1) Life BPC Bible Camp 2007: 11-14 June 07
at Harris Resort, Batam. Speaker: Rev Christopher Sidwell from B-P
Church of Apollo. Camp briefing on 5 June at 7pm.
2) Bob Jones International Family
Conference: (Organised by Jesus Saves Mission) 2-4 June, 7:30 pm
- 9:30 pm at Life Church sanctuary.
Dr Bob Jones III and Dr Stephen Jones will speak on
"The Christian Family - Foundation, Growth & Issues for the Present
Age."
Preaching appointments: Rev Wong at Rehoboth Evening Service,
6.00 pm.
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