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W I T H G O D W I T H O N E A N O T H E R

The Newsletter of Covenant Evangelical Free Church

APRIL 2011 ISSUE NUMBER 5

MICA 214/07/2010

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” FRANCIS OF ASSISI

CONTENTSACK CONFERENCE

A Time Of Being Blessed 1

Not “Back Office”, But A Ministry 4

A Time To Pray 6

AT OUR CORE 8

WIDE ANGLE

OMG – Back From The Dead 9

Saving Lives And Souls 10

RECENT & UPCOMING EVENTS 12

GOD AT WORK

Conversations With An Atheist 12

A Time Of Being Blessed

Wherever he leads, I follow. Whatever I feed, he swallows.” With that tongue-in-cheek statement

made by Pastor Ann Chan, her beloved husband, Rev Edmund Chan stepped onto stage to kickstart his plenary messages.

With frankness and candour, he shared parts of his life journey, as he addressed the attendees of the first ever in-house Intentional Disciplemaking Church (IDMC) conference. With our IDMC conference being sold out one-year in advance, year after year, the SPO team decided it was time to organise a conference specially for Covenanters only. This meant >>>

Covenant’s first ever in-house IDMC CONFERENCE was a blessed time for many, and one where the hearts of our leaders was clearly shown through their service, as Chan Sue Ming finds out.

Whilst on sabbatical in 2010

10page

Hearing the heart of our SP

A childhood photo of a beloved pastor. Turn to

p10 ro find out who he is!

“

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ACK Conference

Spirited singing as they minister to the locals.

Covenant could free up space in the IDMC conference for other delegates, both local and foreign, and focus on blessing the body of Christ at large.

Thus, the “A Certain Kind” (ACK) Conference was born.

“We want to affirm all Covenanters of our vision, values and vehicles as an intentional disciplemaking church,” shares Senior Pastor-Designate Tony Yeo. “Most of all, we wanted to address a critical discipleship issue—cultivating the inner life!”

Senior Pastor-Designate Tan Kay Kiong adds that the church leadership simply desired the congregation to “come simply, humbly and hungrily, and to leave passionately to guard the inner life.”

“We wanted Covenanters to encounter the Lord in an undistracted environment, so they can experience breakthroughs and fully receive the vision of a disciplemaking church,” shares John Chambers, the Conference Director.

With that in mind, the board members, staff team and staff from New Life Community Services (NLCS) humbly

served in the ACK conference, from manning registration booths, to serving as ushers, and even distributing food.

Many were blessed to see Covenant’s board members serving so that the church members could concentrate fully on the conference.

Despite being short of manpower, things proceeded smoothly as Covenanters cooperated well with the organising committee. Many arrived early, way before the conference even began. Covenanters also commented that registration and collection of the workbooks was a breeze. Even meal-time for a staggering 1,500 people proceeded without a hitch, as everyone did their part in making it an enjoyable experience for all.

“I’m so thankful for everyone’s cooperation and how the staff team, board members, and NLCS staff came together to pull this off,” says John Chambers.

SP spoke to us as family, and with the heart of a pastor and shepherd, stressed to us the importance of

“I was REMINDED that I AM A CHILD OF GOD, and that my PURPOSE IN LIFE is to SERVE HIM.”

Dedicating the new Senior Pastor-Designates

Giving the opening challenge on Thursday night

Ministry Staff David Chong leading in worship on the opening night

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“The fruit of the Spirit is

not push, drive, climb, grasp and trample ... Life is

more than a climb to the top of the heap.” RICHARD FOSTER

cultivating our inner lives. His teachings, peppered with transparent sharing of his own walk with God, were precious gems to thirsty hearts. More than just the words he spoke, the conviction of his beliefs came through clearly and left many inspired to follow his footsteps in cultivating our inner life.

Our two Senior Pastor-Designates also gave a joint workshop over two afternoons to align the Covenant family to the church’s mission, vision and values. When asked how it was co-teaching a workshop for more than 1,500 delegates on two afternoons right after lunch, they laughed and said, “It was both a pleasure and a pressure.”

“It was a pleasure working with each other as there was so much synergy and exchange of ideas, and a challenge to keep the delegates awake right after lunch,” they elaborated.

Nonetheless, we were blessed as the two Senior Pastor-Designates shared their hearts, and used various creative means and methods to keep the attendees awake.

Like Pastor Edmund, they spoke to us as family too, and commented that they could “let their hair down

and speak heart-to-heart”. During the Question-and-Answer

session, SP surprised everyone and especially Pastor Tony and Pastor Kay Kiong by inviting them to join in the Q&A too. Handling it with finesse, they in turn shrewdly “delegated” their responsibility to Pastor Chung Kai and Elder Barney too. All joking aside, the SPO team showed themselves to be men of depth, substance and wisdom as they collectively helped to answer the questions posed.

“Before I went for the ACK conference, my heart was hardened with doubts and fears,” shares Leong Siyun. “But God was so amazing. He spoke to me through SP’s messages and reassured me once again how much He loved me.”

Yeoh Yong Chyuan was another person who received assurance from God. “I was reminded that I am a child of God, and that my purpose in life is to serve Him.”

Elaine Meng was another delegate who met God during the conference. She testifies that it was “an insightful conference, as good as the Breakthrough Weekends”. She walked away

from the conference convicted that she had to “examine and make changes to her inner life”.

“This is not a feel-good conference, but one that challenges us to live our lives right before God,” comments Ding Ruihao. “It provokes deep self-reflection, which more often than not, is masked by busyness. Personally, I am challenged to take responsibility of my walk with God. I believe only when we submit to God will we find our hearts radiating with a natural love for the people around us. While self-reflection and application promotes spiritual growth, self-focus leads to nowhere but spiritual death. ACK promotes the former. Overall, it was a blessed experience.”

A blessed experience indeed. We were blessed by God through the speakers. We were blessed by the board members and staff members serving us. Most of all, we were blessed as we were reminded of who we are in Christ, and how much we are loved.

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Operations Department

Not “Back Office”, But A Ministry!

Think Operations in church, and you may think “back office”. When things are running smoothly, no one notices. But when something

goes wrong, everyone notices. “But that’s a misconception,” says

Elder Barney Lau, who heads the Operations team. “I see the Operations department as a support ministry that enables and empowers the church to run and do what it needs to do. When the church is running well, it shows that the Operations ministry is successful.”

The Operations department consists of six sub-departments, namely Building and Facilities, Information Communications Technology, Media and Communications, Human Resources and Finance, Office Administration and Covenant Resources.

The second misconception: It’s just a job. You can do the same thing in the

marketplace with a higher remuneration. That’s not entirely true as every Operations staff is here because of God’s call. Some have left high-paying jobs and successful careers to serve in church.

John Wang, Administrator for MD Ministries, gave up a lucrative career in real estate and answered God’s call to serve full-time. “It is like a new chapter of my life has started,” he shares, with a sparkle in his eyes and a broad smile on his face.

John Chambers, Manager for Covenant Resources, felt God laid upon his heart the burden to leave his business and serve in church. He admits to having “no inkling, desire or dream to work in church” prior to God’s call, but obeyed anyway.

Admin Assistant Elvin Koh recalls being invited by Pastor Tony to consider joining the staff team, and though he had heard the calling by then, he had

some reservations. “I did not apply straightaway,” he shares candidly. Five years later, he is still running strong.

“It all comes back to calling. If you do not have that, nothing else matters,” said Kenneth Cheong, IT Administrator.

For many Operations staff, serving in Covenant is a time for them to not only serve God in the areas they are gifted in, but a time of learning as well. “I always look forward to serving in whatever capacity God calls me as I believe I grow when I serve Him,” shares Chris Pang, Ministry Admin Executive for Sunbeam.

“Flying in formation is important too,” attests Sharon Fong, HR and Finance Manager. “I heartily agree with Covenant’s vision of being a disciplemaking church, and seek to serve alongside to see it fulfill its calling and destiny.”

Mylette Namoc, BPJ Administrator, is thankful for a supportive team of colleagues who even helps her improve

What’s it like serving behind the scenes in Covenant’s church office? Chan Sue Ming gives you a little peek into the lives of the men and women who serve faithfully in the OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT.

The Operations team

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in her work. Most of all, she is glad that the leaders place importance on each staff’s spiritual growth. There is staff devotion for all staff every Wednesday, and a prayer meeting just for Operations staff on Fridays.

Serving as an Operations staff is most certainly not a bed of roses. Tight deadlines and pressures are real but the common echo amongst the Operations team is that there is meaning, purpose and satisfaction in their work.

“Everything has an eternal effect and value,” shares John Wang.

“It does not matter how small my task is because I know I am doing God’s will,” Mylette echoes.

One of Covenant’s longest-serving staff is Admin Assistant Chua Bee Leng who appreciates that “there is nothing to prove”. She also loves the fun times she has with colleagues in the office and at

“When the CHURCH IS RUNNING WELL, it shows that the OPERATIONS MINISTRY is successful.”

Sarah Koh serving in the recent AGM

In action at ACK Conference

Sharon Fong serving food at the recent ACK Conference

team-building activities or retreats. On most Mondays, staff also get together after work informally to exercise and have fun.

Calvin Koh, who serves in the Media and Communications team, agrees this is “a friendly place to work”.

John Chambers shares that the staff team is “authentic” and “truly a community of grace”. “It is something that is easy to talk about but difficult to achieve, but we are living it. It’s like it’s in everyone’s DNA,” he adds.

“When I came back from my maternity leave,” shares Sharon, “it was like coming back home.”

“We are like family,” sums up John Wang.

Covenant sees its Operations team as the seven men “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom”, who were appointed to serve tables so that the apostles could be freed to concentrate on the preaching of the Word in Acts 2:2-4.

If you have a burden to serve and you sense God is calling you, come and serve, because it’s not just “back office’” but a ministry!

Bee Leng and Charlene – colleagues and cell group mates

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Day of Prayer

In the wake of natural disasters in Japan and other parts of the world, and the political upheaval in the Middle East, what better way to spend our time than in

prayer and intercession? February’s Day of Prayer on the 26th

saw Covenanters responding first to the call of personal repentance that leads to restoration. Drawing upon Job Chapter 42, Pastor Kay Kiong shared that the latter part of our lives can be more glorious than the former when we leave the place of resignation and despondency. Fears, failures, despair, hopelessness and everything that hinders were surrendered in exchange for fresh hope and promises from God.

April’s Day of Prayer on the 2nd

Covenant had two DAYS OF PRAYER in 2011 thus far, and Cynthia Oh shares with us what it is like to be there.

Coming back to the heart of worship

A Time To Pray

focused on Covenant’s upcoming Easter outreach Time was also set aside to pray for disaster-stricken Japan.

“When one part of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer and stand together,” said Pastor Tony. After saying that, Makiko Okada and two other Japanese ladies were invited on stage, and Makiko represented the four Japanese nationals who worship in Covenenat to share with the congregation Japan’s prayer needs. Hearts and hands were joined to pray for the Land of the Rising Sun, believing that the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings one day.

The Day of Prayer is a time for Covenanters to come together as a church to pray for the needs of

Passionate sharing about praying for the nations

Joining hands in unity to pray for the Land of the Rising Sun

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“... the LATTER PART of our lives can be MORE GLORIOUS than the former when WE LEAVE THE PLACE OF RESIGNATION and DESPONDENCY.”

10 Apr 2011 Indo China17 Apr 2011 East Asia24 Apr 2011 Southeast Asia1 May 2011 Home Missions / TNG8 May 2011 East Asia15 May 2011 Blessing the Buddhists22 May 2011 Southeast Asia29 May 2011 Indo China5 Jun 2011 Home Missions / TNG12 Jun 2011 Indo China19 Jun 2011 East Asia26 Jun 2011 Southeast Asia6 Jul 2011 Home Missions / TNG17 Jul 2011 Sharing by Regional Coordinators24 Jul 2011 Sharing by Regional Coordinators31 Jul 2011 East Asia

7 May 2011 Day of Prayer12 Jun 2011 Global Day of Prayer1 Jul 2011 – 9 Aug 2011 40 Days of Prayer1 Aug 2011 – 5 Aug 2011 Dawn Prayer5 Aug 2011 Day with Jesus

the church, Singapore and the world. In February’s Day of Prayer, Covenanters had their vision and horizon enlarged as the Missions Committee shared the direction of Covenant Missions 2010–2020.

The five main mission thrusts are Home, Urban, Business as Mission, E-missions and The Next Generation (TNG). Through these different avenues, everyone would be able to participate in missions—even without leaving the shores of Singapore.

In keeping with the The Next Generation’s thrust, Pastor Tony announced that two youth mission teams would be sent to East Timor and Indonesia during the March school holidays. The teams were prayed for and commissioned, and today they are back

with wonderful testimonies of how God used and touched them.

Through worship, exhortations by our pastors, testimony sharing by church members, hearts are ignited, visions are cast, passions stirred, and whatever that is holding us back surrendered. It is a time of personal edification and corporate intercession.

Being at the Day of Prayer left me with a greater desire to pray, for it is in prayer that we draw closer to God, share his heart’s concerns, be touched by his compassion for the poor and destitute, be humbled by how he still chooses to use broken vessels like us to reveal his glory, be quieted by his gentle whispers of love, and be lifted up in our spirits with the knowledge of his holiness and glory.

Contact missions@cefc.org.sg for more information

Lifting up the nations in a time of worship

Prayer Events for 2011

Missions Prayer Meetings

“…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” ISAIAH 56:7

Come join us to pray for Singapore and beyond!

VOICES mission teams

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At Our Core

Values speak of what’s truly important to us. Covenant’s Visible Values are GRACE, GROWTH and GODLINESS. When people think of “a certain kind”, these are the qualities that come to mind. Yet, these are anchored in our Underlying Values of TRUTH, COMMUNITY, STEWARDSHIP, BALANCE and BROKENNESS. Maggie Ng gets up close and personal with some Covenanters and asks them what is one core value they wish to grow in this year and why.

LYNN TEO

I want to grow in

community. I have

struggled with fears

of officially being part

of an institutionalised

body of believers,

because in too many

institutions, being part

of the community is

often confused with

mass programme

participation, as

opposed to genuinely

knowing and caring

for people. I’d like to try

doing both in the right

spirit, and let God deal

with my fears.

community

Esther G

I would like to grow

in stewardship of

my time, talents

and resources this

year, as I believe we

are called to wisely

use what God has

given us, for my joy

and His glory.

stewardship

Chan Sue Ming

I want to grow in my

understanding and

application of the grace

of God in my life. I believe

the values that we pursue

will probably not be

realised unless we truly

understand His grace

from within and once

we do, all the other core

values will fall into place.

Serving in church has

given me the opportunity

to observe how a church

is run and to compare my

experiences with that

of the corporate world.

In the corporate world,

grace is lacking and

therefore the one thing

that I want to grow in

is grace, because that is

what makes us distinct.

I need to have a sense of

brokenness 24/7 in order

that I may glimpse the

redemptive and

restorative powers

of Jesus who alone

transforms broken

vessels to become

perfect and holy

instruments of

righteousness

for His glory.

grace

grace brokenness

Young Kim

Lee Wee King Ares Tan

To grow in my capacity

to reflect God’s grace—

as a father, son and

husband. First to grasp

God’s grace upon my

life more fully, then to

respond by extending

His grace through my

words and actions to

my loved ones.

grace

Alvin Liew

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Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

We are in the season of Lent, a 40-day period that

starts on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter. Its purpose is to prepare Christians to commemorate the Holy Week which begins with Palm Sunday and culminates with Good Friday and Easter. It recalls Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion and resurrection. Preparation includes prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial.

Lent starts on 9 April (Ash Wednesday) and ends 46 days later on 22 April (Holy Saturday). The Sundays during Lent are not included in its 40-day period as each represents a “mini-Easter”, a celebration of Jesus’

victory over sin and death.Covenant has chosen to use Lent

to reach out to our pre-believing FRANS (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbours, Strangers). We are organising “OMG—Back From The Dead!”, a talkshow that introduces Jesus in a creative and relevant way; and begun a 40-day prayer season (21 Mar –29 Apr), asking God for a harvest like never before.

Recently, while talking with my hairstylist about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I asked if he believed in the end of the world. He said that looking at what was happening, he could not NOT believe. I also had the joy of partnering with another Covenanter to connect with a mutual pre-believing friend who was earlier

“The HEARTS of

pre-believers are

READY. ARE WE?”

Pastor Edmund Wong shares his heart with us during this season of Lent, as we prepare to celebrate the RESURRECTION OF OUR RISEN LORD.

Wide Angle — A Column By Our Staff

nodding away while we were talking about God. And a new believer I invited to church brought his pre-believing family along. The hearts of pre-believers are ready. Are we?

May you be part of His-story in the lives of those around you who are lost. And like the initially doubting Thomas, may they encounter Jesus and declare “My Lord and My God!”

Real stories.Real people.

Join us this Easter for an event you’ll never forget ...

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Close Up

Saving Lives And Souls

Abeaming smile and a warm, welcoming handshake greets you when you meet Rev Dr Chua Chung Kai for the first time. Self-effacing

and humble by nature, this impression changes when he steps on the pulpit and preaches the Word of God. He is, simply, transformed.

On the pulpit, “brilliant, funny, eloquent, engaging, charismatic”, would be among the many adjectives used to describe him. He is an Associate Pastor serving in the Senior Pastor’s Office, and oversees the Pillar Ministries (Prayer, Worship, Equipping, Small Groups and Outreach).

Pastor Kai confesses, “I’m a very shy and private person. So it’s really a miracle I got to be comfortable on stage. A lot of it was through the encouragement of

Pastor Edmund Chan, my mentor who kept encouraging and coaching me to improve. Perhaps he saw something that I could not see. Overcoming stage fright was a personal victory.”

In preaching the Word, he is known to have the gift of delivering complex and difficult messages in the simplest ways but with profound insights and practical applications. He is also a versatile ‘linguist’ on the pulpit, switching naturally from the Queen’s English to Singlish with the occasional flashes of dialect and Mandarin, and a few brave forays into Malay and Tamil.

Pastor Kai who is “the same age as independent Singapore” was born into a Cantonese family and as a child he was given the nickname “Kai zai” which means “little chicken” as he jokes, “Chicken Little”, referring to the Walt

Danesh Daryanani interviews Covenant’s one of two Pastor Doctors, and shares with us more about the man who is known for his brilliant yet simple sermons.

Our Pastor-Doctor with his family

Passionate about prayer

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Disney character who attempts to save the world from the falling sky. Well, now “Kai zai” has grown up and he’s saving the world from something bigger than a falling sky.

When pressed for significant events of his childhood days, he rather modestly states he led a “boring life in a quiet family” and was “very square”, did not travel much and was not very sporty. However, with all certainty the most significant event of his youth was receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord in 1984 and his subsequent baptism in 1985 at the then Bukit Timah Evangelical Free Church.

Educated from primary school to junior college in the ACS system, he followed in his father’s footsteps and graduated from Medical School at the National University of Singapore. Soon after, God called him to Singapore Bible College where he graduated with a Masters of Divinity in 2000. He was ordained in 2004 and God has been his roller-coaster pilot since!

Apart from receiving Christ, his other

most significant life event was meeting his then wife-to-be, Tina. A smile exchanged between the two of them at a Christmas rally organised by EFC Singapore was the spark that set them on fire and in love. As Pastor Kai proudly says, “My wife is my greatest fan and stalwart prayer warrior”. The family has now grown to five with their three children, John (16), Joel (14), and Joanne (9).

Work aside, Pastor Kai is an avid runner, loves watching movies, and has recently discovered his “creative side” through photography and muses that it may become his “retirement career”. The word “photography” is derived from Greek and means “drawing with light”. So perhaps this is a natural extension of preaching the Gospel to “show the true Light” to the world (John 8:12). Whether through photography or via the pulpit, we’re sure of this one thing – Pastor Kai’s job will always be to “show the true Light”.

“Our prayer and God’s mercy are like

two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends.”

ARTHUR HOPKINS

SELF-EFFACING and HUMBLE by nature, this impression changes when he steps on the pulpit and PREACHES the WORD OF GOD. He is, simply, TRANSFORMED.

NAME Chua Chung Kai BIRTHDAY16 Jan 1965 DIALECT GROUP CantoneseFAVOURITE FOOD AsianFAVOURITE COLOURS Darker colours like brown and dark greenFAVOURITE VERSE Isa 43:1FAVOURITE BOOK Mere ChristianityFAVOURITE SONG Be Thou My VisionFAVOURITE MOVIE Lord of the Rings trilogyA SIGNIFICANT “CHRIST MOMENT” Planting of a tree in Israel in Dec 2010 as an enacted parable of the Lord fulfilling Isa 60:21 in my family’s life

In A Word

The least known fact about Pastor Kai is that his parents gave him a Christian name that has never been commonly used. The first person to get the name right with an email to publications@cefc.org.sg will win an autographed copy of Pastor Kai’s favourite book, Mere Christianity by CS Lewis.

CONTEST

Following in his father’s

medical footsteps

Ps Kai’s favourite photo

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Recent & Upcoming Events

God At Work

Look out for our next

issue in July 2011!

10 Apr

11-17 Apr

16 Apr

17 Apr

22 Apr

22 Apr

23 Apr

24 Apr

24 Apr

7 May

Membership Acceptance

CG Connect

Membership Class

Baptism Class

OMG—Back From The Dead!

Hokkien Outreach

OMG—Back From The Dead!

Easter Sunday Outreach

Family Lunch

Day of Prayer

BPJ & WDL

BPJ

BPJ

BPJ

WDL

WDL

BPJ & WDL

BPJ & WDL

BPJ

Date Event Venue CREDITS

EXECUTIVE EDITORSandra Chi

MANAGING EDITORChan Sue Ming

COPY EDITORSYvonne Cheong, Edwin Pang

WRITERSPs Edmund Wong, Danesh Darayanani, Audrey Koh, Maggie Ng, Cynthia Oh, Chan Sue Ming

PHOTOGRAPHERSPaul Liew, Paul Samuel, David Chong

ART DIRECTION & DESIGNChristian Subrata

CONTACT USpublications@cefc.org.sg

OUR OFFICE167 Jalan Bukit MerahTower 5, #17-10Singapore 150167T. +65 6892 6811F. +65 6892 1502www.cefc.org.sg

PRINTERYung Shung Printrade Pte Ltd

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Covenant Evangelical Free Church. We welcome

advertisers in CONNECT. However, advertising

in our publication does not necessarily imply

editorial endorsement of either the advertiser

or contents of the advertisement. Unless

otherwise specified, Scriptural references are

from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

© 2011 Covenant Evangelical Free Church

Conversations With An Atheist

The first time I met James was at the English Speaking Corner in a local university. He was a self-professed atheist with a keen intellect

from East Asia. It was hard for him to understand the existence of God. He was also searching for meaning in life and what was most important to him. Our first encounter became a three-hour conversation. We spoke about the purpose of life and I had the opportunity to share my story. I ended our time with praying a blessing for James and teaching him how to pray. I

told him that if he earnestly sought God, God will speak to him.

The next time I met James, he had

moved from

atheism to believing that there is a God! He was interested to visit various churches so we arranged for him to do that. Thereafter James came to Covenant, and now attends Covenant regularly, prays, and attends a Covenant Group! Although James has not made the decision to give his life to Jesus, he is part of the body life of Covenant. To him, this is the way he discovers God and is able to ask questions without having to worry about making mistakes.

Looking at James’ life, I can see how important it is to surround pre-believers with the Christian community and provide a safe environment for them to discover Jesus.

AUDREY KOH, BPJ CENTRE

SHARE YOUR TESTIMONIES!

Write us at publications@cefc.org.sg“The income of God’s Word is the outcome of a changed life.” ED COLE

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