TRUE LIFE MINISTRIES

A Report by the Clerk of Session for the Year Ending 2019

The Church was blessed by the Lord with steady attendance at her Worship Services, Prayer Meetings, Sunday School as well as meetings of the respective Fellowship Groups. Average attendance at each Lord’s Day worship service was about 500, including children.

Worship Service

The Church held her Worship Services every Lord’s Day, 10.30 am at the Auditorium of the Regional Language Centre (RELC), 30 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258352. Pastor Jeffrey Khoo was the main preacher and he would administer the Lord’s Supper every 2^nd week of the month. Other preachers invited to the pulpit included: Rev Dr Mark Kim, Rev Lek Aik Wee, Rev Clement Chew, Dr Jose Lagapa, Pr Wang Shuai Yong and Pr Samuel Joseph. The Chinese Worship Service was held every Lord’s Day, at 10.30 am in rooms Tanglin 1 & Tanglin 2 of the RELC. Pr Zhu Jianwei was the main preacher, and Rev Dr Koa Keng Woo would also preach every 4^th week of the month and would administer the Lord’s Supper.

Children’s Ministry

The children would join the beginning of the main Worship Services each Lord’s Day and then leave for “Children’s Worship” right after the Pastoral Prayer.

Prayer Meeting and Family Worship

Prayer meetings were held at Godhill on Friday night at 8.00 pm, with a regular attendance of about 100 brethren. Every 1^st Friday of the month, Family Worship cum Prayer Meeting would be held at the homes of members instead.

Sunday School

Sunday School classes were conducted every Lord’s Day at 9.15 am. The Adult Class held at the RELC Auditorium, had an average attendance of 80. Rev Clement Chew taught the book of Isaiah and in August 2019, Pr Samuel Joseph took over from Rev Chew and continued teaching the book of Isaiah. The Chinese Sunday School with an average attendance of 15 studied Calvin’s Institutes taught by Eld Tai Mern Yee and Pr Zhu Jianwei. The Children’s and Teens’ Sunday School for children aged 3 to 16 was led by Mrs Jemima Khoo and supported by a committed team of teachers and helpers; classes were held on the 6^th floor of the RELC.

Catechism Class

Catechism classes were held for 12 weeks from January to April for those who applied to the Church for Baptism, Reaffirmation of Faith, or Transfer of Membership. Pastor Jeffrey Khoo and Eld Tai Mern Yee taught the English and Chinese classes respectively.

Evangelism

Evangelism was held monthly on the 3^rd Lord’s Day of the month, where an average of 25 brethren would go door-to-door at the housing estate of Bukit Panjang to share the Gospel.

Missions and Outreaches

The Church provided regular support to the following missionaries and mission stations: 1) Rev Errol Stone (Faith Presbyterian Church, Perth, Australia); 2) Eld Dr Wee Tiong Soon (Kemaman Life B-P Church, Malaysia); 3) Thang No (New Life Student Care Centre, Yangon, Myanmar); 4) Rev Danny Awad (Baraka B-P Church, Bethlehem, Palestine); 5) Rev George Awad (Baraka B-P Church, Bethlehem, Palestine); 6) Mission in Mindanao, Philippines; 7) Mission in Cebu, Philippines; 8) Missionary Bai Eun Young (Bible College of East Africa, Kenya); 9) Rev Dr Park Seungkyu (Bible College of East Africa, Tanzania); 10) Chemchemi Kindergarten (Tanzania); 11) Philip Lagat (Radio Ministry, Kenya).

Designated love gifts by worshippers were also channelled to: 1) Rev Nguyen Gia Hien (Brisbane B-P Church and Vietnamese B-P Church, Australia); 2) Pr Sun Sokha (Faith Krang Angkrang Church, Phnom Penh, Cambodia); 3) Pr Tann Heng (Word of Life B-P Church, Kampot, Cambodia); 4) Pr Shobastian (Aviari, Batam, Indonesia); 5) Pr Park Jung Il (Covenant B-P Church, Korea).

Choir Ministries

The Church Choir ministered to the Congregation 1^st Sunday of each month, and also ministered at Vigil Services. The Church Choir would also organise the annual Christmas Carolling to homes of brethren.

The Youth Choir would present their item at the Worship Service 5^th Lord’s Day of the month. For presentations on Special Occasions, the Youth Choir would join the Church Choir.

The Chinese Choir presented their item at all Combined Worship Services (English and Chinese), as well as on multiple occasions at the Chinese Worship Service. The Chinese Choir would also minister at Vigil Services.

Bible Study Groups

The Indonesian and Myanmar Bible Study Groups led by FEBC students met each Lord’s Day at the same time as the Worship Services. These groups catered to those from these countries working in Singapore.

The Chinese Bible Study, which started in July, met every Wednesday night at 7.30 pm except the 1^st Wednesday of the month. The book of Genesis was taught by Pr Zhu Jianwei. Average attendance was about 30.

Fellowship Groups

Adults’ Fellowship (AF)

The AF with an average attendance of 25 met every month on the 2^nd Saturday at the homes of brethren. In 2019, the AF studied the book of Ephesians with Dr Jose Lagapa. The AF also played a part in providing support to missions and needy brethren.

Chinese Fellowship (CF)

The CF met once every 2 months on the 3^rd Saturday at the homes of brethren. Pr Zhu Jianwei taught from the book of Colossians. This was followed by a time of testimony and prayer, ending with fellowship around the dining table. The CF held her 9^th Thanksgiving Anniversary & Gospel Rally in November 2019, and Pr Zhu Jianwei was the Lord’s messenger to present the Gospel to those who attended.

Family Bible Fellowship (FBF)

For 2019, the FBF focused on the theme of “Christians Experiencing the Reality of God” within the context of life in the family and covering topics such as “Fearing God”, “Experiencing God’s Power”, and “Being Thankful and Authentic”. The FBF also stepped up her Visitation Ministry, seeking to reach out to Church members and their families regularly. The FBF was led by brothers Aw Beng Teck and Lam Pin Juh with about 15 to 18 families; 40–50 brethren attending the monthly meetings.

Filipino Bible Fellowship (FilBF)

The FilBF met every Lord’s Day, 3 pm at Godhill with Pr Dr Jose Lagapa as the main preacher, and assisted by Eld Douglas Ho and brother Samuel Goh. In January, the FilBF had a combined meeting with the AF and in March, Pr Joshua Yong spoke at a special Gospel Meeting. The FilBF would also go for evangelism at Toa Payoh, Lucky Plaza, and Dhoby Ghaut each Lord’s Day before meeting; and she also supported missions in Cebu, Bohol and Mindanao in the Philippines, and also conducted Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the Mindanao and Visayas regions of the Philippines. The FilBF had also supported financially the church building of the Lunao Fundamental Baptist Church.

Ladies Fellowship (LF)

The LF met monthly, every 1^st Wednesday, 7.45 pm at Godhill. The book of 1^st Peter was studied with Pr Joshua Yong with a good number of young people attending as well. The LF also supported Missions, in particular the work of the Bible College of East Africa in Kenya.

Men’s Fellowship (MF)

The MF focused on the themes of “Service” and “Issues Common People Face” such as “Loneliness” and “Finding Direction in Life”. Between 12 to 15 brethren attended the monthly meetings. In October, the MF held a retreat in Ipoh, Malaysia and also visited Word of Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (WOLBPC) there. From the visit, the MF learned more about the work of WOLBPC and members endeavoured to visit and support the WOLBPC every 2 to 3 months. The MF was led by a Committee comprising brothers Aw Beng Teck, Roland Tay, Deccarlo Igot, Benjamin Lim, and Eld Douglas Ho.

Young Adults Fellowship (YAF)

The YAF met on the 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th Saturdays of each month at the home of Pastor Jeffrey Khoo or of YAFers with an average attendance of 25. The theme was “The Christian Discipline” and Pastor Khoo taught from the book of Acts, brother Samuel Goh from 1^st Timothy, and Pr Jianwei from the Epistle of Jude. The annual YAF Retreat was held in December at the Resort Lautan Biru, Mersing, Malaysia where Pastor spoke on the theme of “Lifelong Principles for Long Life”.

Young People’s Fellowship (YPF)

The YPF meetings were held every Saturday at 3.30 pm, at Godhill and on every 3^rd Saturday of each month at the home of Eld Han Soon Juan. The YPF studied 1^st Timothy with Pastor Jeffrey Khoo, and the books of 1^st John and Ezra with Pr Samuel Joseph. In addition, the YPF also organised special events: Evangelism, Gospel Rally, Song-leading Workshop with brother Tay Bee Heng, outings to the Singapore Maritime Gallery and to St John’s-Lazarus Islands and a visit to St John’s Home for the Elderly to encourage the elderly and to share the Gospel with them. The annual YPF Camp was held in December at the Resort Lautan Biru, Mersing, Malaysia. The theme was “Lifelong Principles for Long Life” and 30 campers attended.