ZXFET Baptism 2011 from WorldRevivalPrayerFellowship on Vimeo.

Shanghai Night – Kith & Kin 2011 from WorldRevivalPrayerFellowship on Vimeo.

We joined another mission team who were going to Cebu city to visit the work of Grace Community Empowerment. Stephen Tay, the mission board chairman, and pastor Kenny, were there to assess the prospect of future missions exposure and longer term work. The leader of the mission team was Michael Soon, who came with his family and their friend.

We were introduced to the whole work of the ministry by the founder Sharon Tan. We visited the center where the ministry was mainly based. From there we headed to the dumpsite to visit a preschool they have started that teaches phonics to dumpsite children whose parents live and work in the dumpsite. The poverty and the stench and the hopelssness could be felt in the air and seen in the eyes of the poor. We walked around the Tomoy dumpsite and were thankful for the simple things we enjoy like fresh air,  decent jobs, piped water and electricity and food and education.

The second program entailed a wole day of training in dental prevention and dental sealant. The dentist Dr Doug Leung sold his successful practice in Boston and started a community agency called Medical Dental Community Group. He trained us and we had immediate practice on the workers and “scholars” in the center. The next day, we did a service at a school, where we saw about 100 students, gave talks on prevntion and did put some sealants on molars of students.

We had to do some preaching in different settings and paid a visit to the Arrows Bible center, Benny Ho’s ministry initiative, still under construction but due to begin in March 2011. We also paid visits to a place where they hope to start a pre school among the aborigines of Cebu island. On the day we flew off, we travelled far into a mountain village to visit two families. One family has a child who needed nourishment and help with her cleft lip. The other were beneficiaries, and we saw she was looking good compared to when she first went to the center in Cebu and was nurtured out of malnourishment to health.

It was a tiring trip, packed with travel and meetings and activities. We saw what God was doing in this beautiful but poor island through people of faith. We were blessed and left the island impressed with the work.

PRAY FOR:

1.  ALL THE CELL LEADERS AND INTERNS OF THE CHURCH: WITH HUMILITY, TO LEAD; WITH GRACE, TO LOVE; WITH FAITHFULNESS TO SERVE.

2.  THE TWIN EMPHASES THIS YEAR ON THE GIFTS AND FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT; AND DISCIPLESHIP IN COMMUNITY, WILL TAKE ROOT DEEPLY AND BEAR FRUIT.

3. FOR THE YOUTH MINISTRY LEADERS AND MEMBERS: GRACE TO RESPOND TO CHANGES; STRENGTH TO COPE WITH CHALLENGES IN SCHOOL AND LIFE; POWER TO WITNESS TO FRIENDS.

3. ALL WHO ARE ILL AND UNDERGOING TREATMENT: MABEL FROM DFF; AH MUN & MR SOH FROM ZXFET; YIP FROM ENGLISH SERVICE.

4. ALL THE PASTORS, BOARD OF ELDERS AND LEADERS IN CHURCH – FULLNESS OF SPIRIT, FAITH AND UNITY OF HEART.

5. FOR THE NOMINATION OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SENSE OF CALL TO SERVE IN THE ELDERS BOARD.

Meeting on Sunday afternoons is not the norm for us. So to see 130 people turn up for the first run of our Discipleship 1 training track was an encouraging response. Different trainers have been trained to do the teaching and facilitating too. So after lunch it was a short talk followed by about an hour of discussions in small groups. The topic today was “Our Works In God” and Kay Choo gave the talk.

The Strategic Planning and Budgeting course went forward in an efficient, encouraging and relaxed manner from 10am to about 430pm. Each ministry was alloted about 15 minutes and time for feedback and discussion. Everyone had a template of what to present and the able emcee, Daniel Yuen, the Vice President, guided the meeting through systematically. At the end of the day everyone had a big picture of the whole church, and not just of their ministry or congregation. This meeting helped break down the “silo” mentality that easily creeps into any organization. We also saw potential areas of synergy to tap and duplication to avoid. By the end of the meeting everyone went home satisfied.

This is a New Year and the emphasis in the church will be on Revival and Fellowship. Let us pray in alignment to that. PRAY FOR….

1. The church to welcome the person and work of the Holy Spirit into the church when it gathers every Sunday and into the cell every Friday or Saturday. There would be faith and co-operation with the Lord and not resistance to what he is doing.

2. Pray for the New Members Weekend on the 15th, 16th and 17th of January 2011. This weekend is to help members experience the Father’s love, the Son’s delivering power, and the Holy Spirit’s enduement of power.

3. Pray for the Discipleship 1 track held on Sunday afternoons. The Lord will empower the teachers and facilitators, and give transforming grace to all participants as they apply the Word to their lives.

4. Pray for the Youth and Young Adults as they continue to grow in strength and grace following the Christmas events of December 2010. Pray for life transformation and deepening of discipleship as they attend D1 and meet together.Pray for all the youth and young adult leaders and especially for Francis and Deena Shin.

5. Pray for the Annual Strategic Planning and Budgetting Meeting to be held on the 22nd of January 2011.

6. Pray for those under treatment for cancer: Yip and Mabel.

7. Pray for all the Good News Kids teachers and children to continue in faithfulness and grace as the programs planned for their discipleship are rolled out.

8. Pray for the Deaf Faith Fellowship and the Zhan Xin Fu En Tang pastors: pastor Barnabas and pastor Edmund Loong.

9. Pray for the church cell leaders: grace in the midst of weariness; refreshment as they wait on God; creativity in their difficult situations; and strength for each new commitment.

10.  The Board of Elders, the nomination committee and the Annual General Meeting and the election of elders.