I am continuing with the tone from last week, where I asked for participation.
The next Alpha Course is coming up. Revd Hambali and team will be leading in the organising of this round. The key to a good Course rests with each of us. It is not about the creative publicity or quality of food. Think and pray about a friend to invite. Each Service should work at forming the small groups. The strength of each Course rests on the dynamics of the small group. If we have a small group host team that cares, prays and meets up by themselves to evaluate how they may serve their seekers better, it will improve the Alpha experience for each seeker. It will be easier for this to happen if the host team comes from the same Connect Group or Service. They should bring their guests back to the Services and Connect Groups post Alpha.
My point is this: we may have the best of facilities, the best of programmes (and indeed the Alpha Film series is excellent), excellent home-cooked food, great welcoming atmosphere and so on. But it is the care and commitment of the small group hosting team which will make the Course special and life-changing for the guests. This is also very much in line with our Small Group approach (ABCDE) in the way we organise our Cathedral ministry. In sharing this, I hope to encourage your prayerful participation.
Do you know that there are security concerns every weekend when so many are gathered? SAC is very porous. We do employ security guards. But your eyes are important. Stealing, harassing, molesting, cheating and so on do happen in churches! And the innocent young do need to be protected. There is also the issue of safety. I love the koi pond at the north-east garden. But do you know that an unattended child can easily fall into it? So, if you notice anything amiss, do let the staff know. And if appropriate, do something about it.
Correspondingly, there are people with deep needs in church. The pastors do their best but your hearts are important. If you notice someone in distress, reach out. If you see someone by himself or herself, quietly and alone, maybe greeting the person can be a way of showing some care. And if further help is needed, and you are not able to assist, let the pastoral staff know.
As for administrative efficiency, the church operation staff are seeking to grow and improve all the time. We are looking into better ways to communicate, to respond to enquirers, to follow up on requests, to help SAC to be a welcoming place, sensitive to the needs of visitors and so on. There will always be gaps and here is where your feedback can be helpful. Not every feedback can be practicalised, of course, but we will listen. In fact, some feedback has helped us to do some things better.
We do want SAC to be a church that “makes sense” where things are done well, good policies are made and where we are never afraid to improve to keep up with societal changes. There are deep and rich resources in the community.
The Church is digging deep when each of you participates.
Note: If you like to volunteer, please email info@cathedral.org.sg or call 63376104.
