Posts by kenny

City Harvest Church: happy, sad, proud

By kenny, 14 March, 2010, 3 Comments

This past fortnight, City Harvest Church has been in the news several times. They have had happy moments, sad moments and just recently a proud moment.

The happy moment for them was when pastor Kong Hee announced that they will move permanently into the Suntec convention hall next year in March for S$310 million. Take out the fireworks and streamers! However, now with City Harvest Church and New Creation Church, the two largest megachurches in Singapore, sharing unexpanded parking spaces and other facilities in the same building come March, we ought to change the name of Suntec City to Queuing City.

The sad moment for them was when Jack Neo, one of their celebrated church members, an illustrous movie director and producer, had his affair with a young actress exposed in the public media. Suddenly, the once cooing media, became hungry sharks thrashing into the family at the scent of blood. Those sharks should have their fins cut off!

The Saturday papers heralded a welcome change of the tide, in a report that Elim Chew received the Forbes Heroes award for her work in coaching and encouraging entrepreneurs in social enterprises. Elim Chew owner of 77th Street, a chain of street fashion retail shops in Singapore and China, is a committed leader from City Harvest Church. It was a proud moment for the church to have a luminary like her put forward in the media as a model of social responsibility in the dog eat dog world of business.

May the shalom rest upon City Harvest Church.

Li Nanxing’s conversion to Christ

By kenny, 11 March, 2010, 1 Comment

It was a triple fall that led to Li Nanxing’s salvation. First, was a “fall” in his career when he made a politically incorrect statement during his acceptance speech in an awards ceremony. Second, was when an dishonest manager swindled him of his investment in a business. And third was an actual freak fall from an entertainment center in Bangkok. He walked through an exit door that was supposed to be locked but wasn’t, and fell down three storeys, but felt that an angel cushioned the fall and minimized his injury to his foot. His christian friend had been praying for him. Later that friend invited him to the healing rally at Lighthouse Evangelism, and the Lord had mercy on him and saved him. He also saw the Lord deliver him from vices of gambling, drinking and smoking and delivered him from financial ruin. Now he is happy and debt free. Let me supplement what I heard with details from a report by Channel News Asia titled, “Li Nanxing once racked up S$2m in debt, thought of suicide”

Veteran Singapore actor Li Nanxing revealed that he once indulged in gambling, drinking and even had suicidal thoughts when he could not pay off his mountain of debts, said media reports.

Li told his story to a large crowd on Sunday night at an event at the church Lighthouse Evangelism where many showed up after hearing that he would be speaking.

The television actor reportedly said that he racked up almost S$2 million in debt after making a bad investment decision.

He explained that while he was quite popular the first nine years of his career, his career came to a virtual halt after he said he “was fine with it” when he went on stage to receive an award for his role in the 1997 drama “Rising Expectations”.

Li did not manage to get many roles after that incident and decided to try his hand in business, so he took out S$900,000, his entire savings from nearly a decade of acting, and opened a members-only club with his friends.

“I was the largest shareholder at the time! When I finally got a chance to shoot a drama in China, I ‘pre-signed’ a number of cheques and left my business partners in charge of the venture,” said the 45-year-old.

“The six months I was in China, I only communicated with my business partner over the phone. I only found out later that the general manager was dishonest. Besides losing my S$900,000 investment, I still owed suppliers and developers S$500,000. That S$900,000 was everything I had from nearly a decade of work.”

Things started getting from bad to worse for the then-penniless Li. He lost his driving license for drink driving, owed S$45,000 in taxes and even had to borrow S$30,000 from loansharks to avoid losing his house after defaulting on loan repayments in 2002.

Li added that at one point, he even had to scrounge for loose change to buy food. He only had something good when his pay cheque finally came in at month’s end.

Facing such enormous pressure, Li turned to gambling, drinking and smoking almost three packets of cigarettes a day to numb himself. However, this only served to land him deeper in debt and made him think of taking his own life.

“I did not have any friends, I could not sleep… I thought of suicide, to end it all with my death,” said Li who went on to describe those years as the “darkest days of [his] life”.

Li said it is only after he chanced upon religion that he was miraculously “saved”.

His business partner wanted to settle their differences out of court and offered Li S$210,000 while his creditors stopped going after him and instead went after his other two business partners. He also signed with a new management company and managed to get a number of jobs overseas.

All this allowed him to clear all his debt within a year.

“After that, I no longer gambled, drank or smoked. I sleep peacefully every night and have a better temperament. I am a changed man,” said Li.

City Harvest Church: spider with $310 million web?

By kenny, 9 March, 2010, 24 Comments

The personal provision shop

My generation grew up with the provision shop- that disorganized and overpacked grocery that sells the common things a family needed but with less choices. Service was personalized and there’s even first name familiarity. You can even get credit and items purchased delivered to your home. But there are limitations: it does not sell everything a family member may need. You can’t get a haircut, or buy fresh food, or a pair of shoes or clothing. They don’t do banking and you can’t get a meal or be entertained with a movie. Sometimes what you want is there but you can’t find it in the mess. However, this is what we grew up with and are comfortable with, even tolerant of.

Shopping mall generation

There is however another generation, now in their thirties and below, who have grown up in a different world. It is the world of the shopping mall. And in this world, in this one place they can obtain nearly everything they needed. The mall is stocked with all kinds of products from all over the world, whether fresh or packaged. It offers services of all kinds for all the needs and desires of all age groups. Air-conditioned and alluring, it is the consumer’s paradise. It offers choices. It offers lifestyle. It even confers identity. If I regularly go to a particular shopping mall, I am young and trendy; if another, I am an aunty; if still another, I am a sophisticate’ or yuppie or sporty person or bargain-hunter. This particular generation is comfortable in a shopping mall; but it feels disoriented, disjointed, and lost in the good old small provision shop and find it a hassle, so what if the manager calls them by name and knows their parents!

Megachurch growth is sociological and psychological too

That’s why I believe the megachurch is here to stay and is likely to grow stronger. It’s more than just a spiritual thing; it is also sociological and psychological. The younger generation has been culturally conditioned to feel welcome and comfortable in a megachurch structure because it is so much like the shopping mall they have pleasant experiences of. There they get all their needs met under one roof. More resources means more choices, “products”, even branded ones from USA or Australia; and it means varied and better servicing of the attendees’ needs.

Giants in the land

This is one reason for the rise of the contemporary megachurch in our city. Churches like City Harvest Church and New Creation Church are the two notable examples of giants in the land. Are they like spiders organizationally? Without the spider the web will become cobwebs. I say this with deep respect for the pastors of both churches. This is just an organizational metaphor I recently learned. I use them without any sense of contempt or put down so do not inundate this comment box with “Sour grapes” etc etc.

From spider to starfish

There used to be a megachurch that dominated the scene: Calvary Charismatic Center. It used to be a spider. It became a starfish a decade or more ago. A wise move. A starfish when cut up regenerates itself and multiplies. That’s what happened to that megachurch now with a new name, Victory Family Church. You find them in all the suburbs: Choa Chu Kang, Sembawang, Yishun, Jurong West, Tampines and where else? Wonderful. The spider can go away for a year and spin another web in East Timor and things are still well with their churches’ souls.

Happy for City Harvest Church and New Creation Church

Having said that I am glad that City Harvest managed to cut a deal and avail itself to a place huge enough for its growing congregation in the city-Suntec Singapore. $310 million is an amount that seems chewable by 30,000 attendees. Its just about $1000 per year per attendee for ten years. The members must be as happy as when New Creation members heard about their coup at One North, though some may be contemplating a quiet exit . I used to be provocative to stir other Christians to think about issues like stewardship, laws, the lease, alternatives, etc etc. Now I only think up provocative titles, and have come to the view that each church decides what they regard as best in the Lord, and for the church, from the leadership’s discernment. The rest we just leave to posterity to assess. The members who do not like it can zip up their wallet or vote with their feet to the megachurch next door. Or why not walk to the small church next door.

Small church challenges

The small church: well, to be candid, young people are there not always by deliberate choice but because their parents are there; or close friends are there, or they find meaning and purpose in some role or responsibility. But they do feel the pull when their friends talk excitedly about their “shopping mall experiences”. Anyway when was the last time you stepped into a small provision shop? Is this a death knell for small churches of under a hundred? No not really. Haven’t you heard of 7 Eleven? But that is another story: the story of the small church.

Does size matter?

Does size matter in the light of this? Can a megachurch more effectively reach unchurched people who are more used to and comfortable with the shopping mall than with the HDB mom’s and pop’s store? Probably so. However, megachurches do have their weaknesses too. Consumerism, the cultural trait of generation next is one of several things that the megachurch appeals to, and this is the very Achillees’ heel that gives rise to megachurch weaknesses. More on that another time, God willing.

(I am getting lazy. Picked up an old post -28 dec 2007- from my files and just revised it to make it current.)

International Women’s Day: freed from “ugly”

By kenny, 7 March, 2010, 2 Comments

Tomorrow, International Women’s Day is celebrated. I just preached a sermon today titled, “When God says, You are beautiful, don’t say No lah.” It was based on Psalm 45 and how the Royal Bridegroom was enthralled by the beauty of the Bride, which is the church. I talked about the effects of “ugly” on women and adolescents. I read them a poem which I found meaningful. The title is, “The World Never Dared” by Kimberly Anne, a nineteen year old. My hope for women is that they be freed from the social stigma and emotional handcuffs of “ugly”.

The World Never Dared

She thought they called her ugly,

Behind her back,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She was afraid she would never be loved,

That no one could love an ugly girl,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She never saw the strength,

Nor the beauty that she had,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She cried into the night,

Worrying she wasn’t beautiful enough,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She started losing herself,

To the deep throes of what was truly ugly,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She started keeping her distance,

Until she truly believed that maybe the whole world was ugly,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She wandered off into the distance,

A sad look upon her face,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She lifted herself up,

Then let herself crash down,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She lingered in the shadows,

One moment too long,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She fell down the mountain,

Into a crumpled mess of ugly emotions,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She grew believing ugliness reigned,

And that she couldn’t overcome it,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She flew solo,

And never asked for directions,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She broke all the mirrors,

But still called herself ugly,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She hit and kicked,

Out at her soul,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She tried to make it work,

But she let the ugliness rumors overcome,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She followed all the wrong signs,

Into the deep and dark abyss where ugly ruled,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She stopped laughing,

Yet thought life was a joke,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She fell fast and furious,

To ugly’s power,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She stopped listening,

And she never heard the compliments,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

She kept pushing herself,

But still thought they called her ugly,

And the world never dared,

To set her right,

Then one day,

That not ugly, truly beautiful girl snapped,

And the world never had a chance,

To dare to set her right,

She finally stopped fighting,

And let ugliness take her all the way,

And the world never did dare,

To set her right.

Haiti: unreported spiritual happening!

By kenny, 3 March, 2010, 1 Comment

On February 12, 2010, President Préval of Haiti called his nation to 3 days of fasting and prayer in place of the regular Mardi Gras celebration. Over 1 million Haitians attended this epic event. It will be interesting to see what God will do in answer to the cry of a million voices.

Haiti – “A Call To Fasting & Prayer” from anthony gehin on Vimeo.

Learning something new

By kenny, 1 March, 2010, 6 Comments

Took a break from blogging and tried oil painting. Never had proper art classes and was in the science stream but why should I let that deter me from learning. Don’t ridicule my first effort, a painting based on a photograph taken while climbing Mt Kinabalu. I had good help from Peter Tan, an old friend, who also took up painting just a few years ago. It was relaxing, and I hope it will be something I enjoy more and more.

“Dear, don’t bother to come home”

By kenny, 26 February, 2010, 8 Comments

I have followed English football since I was in secondary school. I was even in Bolton, England. The closest I got to a football match was shopping at Tesco under the Reebok Stadium. My daughter Elaine does not follow football. She asks the odd question and get answers from me (Arsenal fan), Joshua (Chelsea fan), and Matthew(Liverpool fan). Yet she has entered the Old Trafford of the Manchester United Football Club and watched a football match where the host played West Ham Utd. You can call this grace! The person who worked got nothing; the one who was not even looking experienced the Old Trafford atmosphere. I sent her a terse message on her wall in her Facebook, “Dear, if you decide to become a Man Utd fan, don’t bother to come home. Love, Dad”

A quiet place for prayer

By kenny, 24 February, 2010, No Comment

In crowded Singapore, there are places of prayer, where solitude, silence and stillness can still be found. These are places where the soul can delight in God and his creation in half days of quiet.

Pastor Rony Tan: what if he were Richard Dawkins?

By kenny, 21 February, 2010, 35 Comments

What if Richard Dawkins, in a public lecture in Singapore, had said exactly what Pastor Rony Tan had said about reincarnation, karma, and Buddhism? What if it made its rounds in cyberspace and YouTube? Would the Internal Security Department have given him a phone call? Would he have transgressed the The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (1992)?

Restraining orders against officials or members of religious group or institution

8. —(1) The Minister may make a restraining order against any priest, monk, pastor, imam, elder, office-bearer or any other person who is in a position of authority in any religious group or institution or any member thereof for the purposes specified in subsection (2) where the Minister is satisfied that that person has committed or is attempting to commit any of the following acts:

(a) causing feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different religious groups;

(b) carrying out activities to promote a political cause, or a cause of any political party while, or under the guise of, propagating or practising any religious belief;

(c) carrying out subversive activities under the guise of propagating or practising any religious belief; or

(d) exciting disaffection against the President or the Government while, or under the guise of, propagating or practising any religious belief.

The answer would be in the negative because he is not “in a position of authority in any religious group or institution or any member thereof” unless Atheism has become a new religion of the masses. Would he be liable by law to any other charge from the Singapore law code?

And what if he had said something incendiary about Christianity like what he wrote in his book:

“”The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

Will he draw angry knee jerk reactions from red-faced Christians? I am sure there are those who will give him an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The majority will just shrug it aside. Some would invite him to a debate. Which was what happened and you can watch it in Richard Dawkins-John Lennox Debate. It is wonderful when intelligent civil discussions can take place in a meaningful way over controversial, volatile issues.

Hopefully one day the issues raised by the Pastor Rony Tan’s webcast on Buddhism and homosexuality can be intellectually dissected and discussed and everybody, Christians and Buddhists and gays, can get enlightened in the process, or at least have their say.

Small church pluses

By kenny, 18 February, 2010, 15 Comments

I love the small church because Christ loved it and gave himself for it. He loves the small church as much as the megachurch. He must love it for there are thousands of them. In fact, the small church is the norm, and the megachurch (over 2,000 members) is the rarity. In all the countries of the world where the church has a presence, the small church of 150 and below, forms the majority. Typically more than 80 or 90% of all churches in each country would be of that size.

More relational, more like family

I love the small church because by nature it is more relational, and less structured and bureaucratic. As a church grows bigger it has to be better organized; hierachical levels increase; policies and standard operating procedures clog the arteries; and institutionalism sets in. Decisions are less concerned with persons than with precedence. Leaders hardly shake your hands and probably doesn’t know you’ve been a church member for five years.

Nurturing and caring

As a member of a small church you get legendary care. When you are hospitalized the church knows it, and prays for you, and the pastor visits you. The pastor knows you by name (and even your family members, dog, and goldfish) and you do not have to press 1, press 3, press 5 before you reach the secretary of the secretary of the pastor, and finally get stuck there. The pastor can give better attention to spiritual growth and discipleship. When your kid’s exams are around the corner, there is prayer and even tutoring. When you lose your job, others are concerned and they pray, and help out, and look out for a job for you. When you get married, many are there to rejoice with you. When you die, many are there to pay their last respects and to comfort the bereaved family, and though you won’t be around to benefit from that, your family will.

Every member involvement and growth

You cannot just attend the worship services. There are more things that needs to be done than there are people to do them. So all hands on board and everybody helps out somewhere, and many have to help out in more than one area. Some Christians don’t like this because studying and working is tiring enough for their packed life. Yet it is in serving one another, contributing to the common good of all, that we also find the meaning of communtiy, and taste a little of the intra Trinitarian love. The small church compels you to serve and thereby discover your spiritual gifts and make significant contributions. It motivates you to invest in what is eternal: serving Christ.

Shaped and sandpapered

While serving and relating, you get shaped or sandpapered: with help from people around you, you get to be all that God wants you to be. Small churches can be “ojama shimasu”(translated: Sorry, but I am going to disturb you). You won’t be left alone in anonymity and untouchability. You will get to know people whose rough edges will scrape on your smooth, soft sensitive skin, and I must say vice versa. In the big churches, everybody smiles because few folks get close enough and stay together long enough to get in your face and step on your toes. In a small church it is so squeezy you have to say, “Excuse me,” or “Sorry”. You step on people’s toes or get elbowed in the narrow confines of true Christian community. It is just one of the major ways that God uses, besides trials and marriage (are these both synonymous?), to change us into His likeness. God loves you unconditionally as you are, but he loves you so much he won’t leave you as you are, in your character. Its the same with our kids, we love them with all their faults and bad habits, but we do not leave them as they are; we encourage change for the better. The small church is very good environment for such change to take place.

Absolutely irreplaceable

Nothing beats being in Christian community. Of course such authenticity can be found in megachurches’ small groups too. However there are special joys in being part of an extended church family network such as is found in many small churches. Staying put over the long haul, building deep abiding friendships through serving, woshiping, praying, dreaming, weeping and laughing together, and having shared experiences over decades is absolutely irreplaceable. I hope and pray that the younger generation will be able experience this kind of rootedness, stability and communal strength too.

B L O G P A S T O R