I am also looking forward to the monthly Church @ Prayer this Friday evening. Being in the season of Lent also adds to the significance of this gathering. It is always difficult to pull away to pray, wait and worship but we need to learn to enjoy the “company of Jesus”, as our Bishop has put it. For me, this is the most important meeting in the Cathedral. So much is happening here and echoing the prayer of Moses, unless the Lord is with us, we dare not.
We also welcome retired Bishop John Tan to the pulpit at the morning Nave Services. I served as a deacon in the Cathedral when he was the Dean then and have many helpful memories of his training and disciplined approach. I will always appreciate those years and am now thankful too for his quiet support and encouragement. I am sure you will be blessed by his ministry.
We are still reviewing our Small Group Ministry cum spiritual growth track, building on what has been built up in previous years. To help us to remember, the acronym ABCDE is useful:
A stands for Alpha, our evangelistic thrust where pre-believers can explore the Christian faith
B stands for Baptism/Confirmation course where new believers will be taught foundational truths which prepare them for baptism and confirmation.
C stands for Cells which focuses on building koinonia (community life) and on deepening our spiritual roots through gathering around the Word.
D stands for Teleios Discipleship Training which focuses on intentional discipleship in small groups.
E for Empowering Leadership to train leaders for our Small group Ministry
All 5 tracks are done in small groups and should be seen as a discipling ministry, which by that we mean helping another person to follow Jesus. “D” remains a more intentional and intense approach at helping the believer to grow in his Christian faith and life.
We will be broadening and refreshing the Cell Ministry and raising the profile of cells. By “broadening”, we want our Cells to be diverse enough to fit most groups. It is not a “one size fits all” thing, given the diversity in our society. As long as the leader is appointed by the Church and the material is approved by the Church (for mutual accountability), it is a Cell. The venue for a cell meeting can be anywhere and at any time. A Cell can also specialise in serving together (e.g. flower arrangement team!), as long as they don’t neglect studying the Word and caring for each other.
BD is headed by Pas Alvin and C by Pas Lian Swan. Do liaise with them and we continue to appreciate the feedback we are getting. We plan to re-launch the Cell ministry in April with the commissioning of cell leaders & assistants at the various Services. We will introduce a new set of cell materials (on the Book of James), written by our pastors.
On a small but important note, the Finance and Property Committee is working at replacing and renewing our 15-year old sound system in the Nave. If the preacher sounds like he has marbles in his mouth or talking in a bathroom (!), this is because more than 50% of the speakers are faulty. Appreciate your patience and prayers.
