Vol XXXXX No. 22 (For Private Circulation only) 28 May am (English-Mandarin Combined)

Transcription

1 Vol XXXXX No. 22 (For Private Circulation only) 28 May am (English-Mandarin Combined) 1

2 PASTORAL TEAM Senior Pastor Rev Oh Boon Leong Missions & Strategic Planning Rev Peter Teo Ladies, ConnexUs & Rhoda Ps. Assoc. Ang Lee Luang Children Ps Asst Margaret Ong Youth & Family Rev Jabez Chia Young Adult & Youth Ps Asst Marianne Wong Pastor-at-Large Rev Daniel Chua SEMS Ps Asst Joyce Goh Mandarin Service Rev Goh Ngiam Heng Remnant Korean Service Rev Ezra Jang BOARD OF ELDERS Eld Bruce Lockhart (BOE Chairman) Rev Oh Boon Leong (Session Moderator) Eld Yeo Siew Yam Eld Ho Peng Kee Rev Peter Teo Rev Jabez Chia Worship Leader: Dn Adrian Wong Speaker: Rev Oh Boon Leong Prayer: Rev Daniel Chua Scripture Reader: Kim Kijin Translators: Rina Lai, Brian Hwarng Silent Prayer & Meditation Prelude Call to Worship Opening Songs Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee Thanks To God! Opening Prayer Gloria Patri Responsive Scripture Reading Isaiah 12; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8 Worship in Songs 主爱有多少 Grace Alone My Heart is Filled Choir Presentation: A Jubilant Song; We are the Church Offertory & Thanksgiving Prayer Doxology Welcome Guests Congregational Prayer & Announcements Scripture Text Matthew 25:14-30 Message What is your view of God? Closing Song In Your House Benediction Three-Fold Amen Worshippers are invited to come forward for personal prayers with elders/pastors in the front pew. 2 2

3 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10) WORLD CONCERNS Pray for peace and comfort be upon the bereaved families and friends of the victims of the recent terrorist attack at Manchester. Pray for wisdom upon British government to manage the security concerns. Pray for exercise of vigilance against more threats of terrorism in Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia. CHURCH CONCERNS Church s 50 th Anniversary: Praise God from whom abundant blessings flow! Thanksgiving to God for He has blessed our church from her humble beginning to what she is today. May we always remember His faithfulness, guidance and grace to us, all these years. May we be a church that exalts His name, honours Him in everything we think, say and do, and be a living witness of Jesus Christ. May God be our eternal vision for the many years ahead! May we be the light of the world, salt of the earth on West Coast Road, in the communities near and far, within Singapore, and beyond! Journey Mercies (An Original Musical) on Capitol Theatre: Pray for the cast as they continue with rehearsals the next few weeks. Pray for the team working on the props every Saturday that there be safety, excellence in workmanship, and timely completion of works. Thank God for good response to ticket sales thus far. Pray for the ticketing team as they go for roadshows in churches to promote and publicise the musical that these will generate good responses, too. Pray for unity of hearts and minds, good health, protection and wisdom upon the entire production crew and cast as they serve God together with their gifts. Vacation Bible School on 30 May -1 June (Tue-Thu): Thanksgiving for 94 children coming for VBS, and a team of 49 co-workers serving together. Pray for salvation/assurance of salvation amongst the children. Pray for wisdom, strength, good health and unity of hearts and minds upon the team of co-workers. May all bear Christ-like testimony in word, thought and deed during the 3-day ministry-event. Pray for safety and good learning experiences for all participants: worship, Bible lessons, learning center lessons, games, meals, counseling, debriefing, etc. Pray for Henry Tio and Sharon Auyang as they facilitate the special programme Fun and Wonders on Thu afternoon. June Holiday Combined Programme for P1-6 (9.00 am and am): Pray for wisdom and strength be upon the facilitators, in their preparation: Sangkim Lienthang (worship leader), Celeste Yee (4th and 18th), Mr and Mrs Mathew (11th), Margaret Ong (25th). Pray for children to commit to their memory "The Apostles' Creed" and to understand its teaching and application in their daily lives. Ancient Oils of the Scriptures on 10 June (Sat): Pray for Lilian Ng as she prepares to share on the essential oils mentioned in the Bible, and their uses in ancient and present times. Pray for blessed time of learning and fellowship amongst participants. PERSONAL CONCERNS Pray for safety in all travels (local, overseas) and wonderful/quality time of rest, relaxation, bonding for families and friends during June school holiday period (27 May to 25 June). Come, join our prayer warriors in Room #03-06 on 7.45 pm! 3

4 Memories of Mt Carmel Part 3 - The Church Is Not Static "With joy & thankfulness to God, we celebrate Carmel's Jubilee Anniversary today! Today's editorial features the final of the 3-part article by Dr Chua Choon Lan. The history of Carmel is the history of God's faithfulness and hand at work in raising a generation of faithful servants and leaders. As we begin a New Year of worship, ministry and witness, let us continue to look unto Jesus!" Most churches go through periods of growth and stagnation. Sometimes, the decline can be terminal, after all even churches planted by the Apostle Paul could disappear, as any visitor to modern-day Turkey would soon discover. Kent Wilson (formerly associate publisher, Discipleship Journal) maintains that churches are dynamic. They change with the people who define them and sometimes God uses you to change the church. Overall, Carmel was riding on a crest of growth as more Singaporeans responded to the gospel. This was the trend in Africa and Asia despite civil violence or ethnic warfare in post-colonial African states and severe persecutions and mass sufferings in Maoist China. In 1970, the global South was home to 76% of the world s total population but only 43% of all Christians. By 2010, almost 60% Christians lived in global South. In Asia, the Christian population doubled from 7.8% to 15.2% (Center for the Study of Global Christianity 2013, Gordon Cornwell). Western Europe was declining in the faith and moving steadily from Christian Country to Civilized Society, according to Hugh McLeod in his book, The Religious Crisis of the 1960s. As the years rolled on, we would read about 400 churches closed! Pastors killed and imprisoned! in Third-World countries but in Western societies, it was 400 churches closed because communities don t want them around! Over in the United States, there was rejection of the institutionalised church. People experimented with alternative religions in yoga, transcendental meditation, Buddhist mysticism and even Hinduism. The world watched with apprehension as America seemed to tear itself apart in self-destruction. The 60s began with great hope in America with the election of its youngest president, John Kennedy but things began to turn sour as the years unfolded. The Cuban missile crisis almost plunged the world into a nuclear war. John Kennedy was assassinated on 22 Nov 1963 (incidentally, the same day when C S Lewis & Aldous Huxley passed away). As the American Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on 4 April The Vietnam War fomented widespread discontent and caused Lyndon Johnson to withdraw from his presidential re-election in March Senator Robert Kennedy was attracting crowds when he was shot dead in Los Angeles on 6 June 1968, a day after winning the California Presidential Primary election. The young people s disillusionment fuelled the rise of Hippie Movement and the drug culture, symbolised in 1969 by Woodstock Festival which attracted some 400,000 to three days of music, drugs and liberated sex. Timothy Leary, a Harvard psychologist, was advocating psychedelic drugs and LSD to achieve a higher level of consciousness. God s answer to the turmoil was the Jesus Movement which mobilised the evangelical youths to more vigorous evangelism, simple lifestyles and communal living. They also influenced churches into using guitars and drums, besides pianos and church organs. On the intellectual front, the Christian high ground was recovered by Evangelicals 4

5 through the works of C S Lewis, Francis Schaeffer and Paul Little (IVCF) and others. Billy Graham was converting thousands in his gospel rallies and he remained the most admired person in America, while John Stott was particularly influential with his bible expositions and challenging his readers to live a Christian counter-culture life-style. Despite the upheavals elsewhere, Singapore was surging ahead with its manufacturing industry becoming more sophisticated and moving into computer systems, semi-conductors and integrated circuits, away from textiles, garments, wood products etc. To our political leaders, the costly (and morale-sapping) US military interventions in Vietnam bought time for the Asian tigers, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to emerge economically and even weather through the 1975 world recession. The 70s decade saw a steady stream of Carmelites leaving school and joining the work force. At the same time, there was an undercurrent of restlessness as people grew out of the Youth Fellowship niches. Unless they joined the Sunday School teaching ranks, the boys were in a limbo and just going out on Saturday nights for fellowship and feastings (bao-eating contests) before they enrolled for National Service. Formerly active members became detached and pursued diverging interests elsewhere, leaving a void to be filled by a shrinking pool of willing workers. A contributory factor for the diminishing resource was the birthing of new congregations. Branching Out In 1971, the Gospel Mission appeared vibrant as it had more than doubled in size to strong after only 4 years in the new premises. The young people were fielding 22 Sunday School classes for 230 students. An offer came from Galilee deacon, Vincent Leong to start an outreach in his Margaret Drive (Queenstown) flat after his initial offer to his church was not taken up. A group of enthusiastic Carmelites felt it was a pity to miss such an opportunity. As Elder Ang Beng Chong recalled of the Hebron outreach, We said Yes first and thought about the implications later. They launched their foray into Queenstown with 3 gospel meetings in Dec 1970 and began worship service in Jan While Hebron branch was still finding its foothold (now 25-strong) and had to move in Sept 1974 to Holland Drive flat (the Leongs were expecting a 2 nd child), Carmel continued to be very adventurous, if not foolhardy to say the little. But thank God for innocence, idealism and the willingness to strike out. Finding it difficult for church-groups to tender directly for shophouses, Elder Tan Kim Ping proposed the way forward in church-growth strategy was to start a business front in order to secure a HDB shophouse which could then be used for Christian outreach. He and his wife set up the Swee Pharmacy in 1975 at the new Telok Blangah Estate. It was a novel idea but unfortunately, it was ahead of its time. At that time, Singaporean heartlanders were not used to patronising a pharmacy (unlike successful outlets today, like Guardian Pharmacy, Watsons, GNC etc). Besides, Telok Blangah was so new that many residents had not moved into the estate. Hence walk-in patronage was poor. Carmelites who could help by buying the products were newly married and did not have family and household needs to stock up much supplies. The business folded up subsequently but the outreach went on to become Hermon B-P Church. Soon, before the dust had settled, yet another opportunity came along in As Hebron and Carmel members set up homes, they noticed being allocated the newly-minted Clementi Estate units and in some cases, even bought 5-room flats in the same block. A Hebron couple, Richard & Angeline Ang offered their three-room flat in Clementi Ave 2 for a new outreach work by Hebron. Some 20 Hebronites and Carmelites (Lee Lian Song, Leng Kum Hon, William Chooi, Wong Kar Fatt, Tan Tock Loon, 5

6 Kong Eng Teck, Lewis Ting, Henry Lee, Andrew Lim and their spouses) anchored the outreach for two years ( ). Later, to lessen the load on any particular couple, they even experimented with having Sunday gathering rotated in different homes. However, in July 1979, the government issued pronouncements against holding worship activities in HDB flats (initially in response to complaints about temple shrines). The group did not want to jeopardise anyone s home and felt discretion was the better part of valor. They also decided Clementi group was not growing enough to establish a congregation in another place and everyone went back to their respective roots. There was to be a prolonged quiescent period before Mt Carmel started another outreach the Horeb group in Oct Left Behind The rapid expansion out of Lengkok Bahru to new branch locations had sombre effects on the mother church. New outreaches meant the loss of several key leaders and mature members. The Carmel group saw both elders and their families (Ang Beng Chong and Tan Kim Ping) and stalwarts like Lee Lian Song and Philip Lee & their spouses, Ng Chey Keng, Yip Soh Moy, Peggy Yeo moving away to the outreaches. Like the human body which had sudden haemorrhage, it took time to recover. And when 2-3 outreaches were attempted in 5-7 years, the effect on manpower was sorely felt and morale in the mother church sapped. Take the Sunday School, for example. It was not easy to find enough teachers. Much credit must go to the women-folk who manned the fort despite the difficulties. There were insufficient male role-models for the kids and scarce manpower to help physically. In the sultry hot afternoons, conditions were not entirely pleasant for the teachers or the students; and classes in the hall had to contend with one another separated by curtain partitions. The superintendent, Lim Chong Teng had to laboriously set up and dismantle the canvas tent (often single-handedly) outside the premises so that classes could be spread out. The atmosphere of dispiritedness and discouragement was rather pervasive, even infectious. The church was in the doldrums in the mid-1970s. We had a part-time pastor Dr R K Nghakliana who was from India and pursuing theological studies in Discipleship Training Centre (DTC). There was even the feeling that our sister group in Hebron was more vibrant. At one point, the Hebron group (with attendance of 70) felt it could manage its own affairs and in 1977, toyed with the idea of going independent as the mother-church seemed to drifting along. Carmel was sustained by plodding leaders and members who showed faithfulness and stayed at their posts. Rev John Ting helped greatly to rejuvenate the group as a stand-in pastor when Pastor David Wong went for further theological training in Manchester. As Corrie Ten Boom said, When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. The numerical growth in Lengkok Bahru crept up gradually and soon we were overcrowded again. The committee obtained permission from HDB to construct a glass panel between the office and the main hall so that young parents could participate in the worship service through the intercom. Prior to that, most of us took turns with our spouses at baby-sitting to enable the other to worship in peace alternate Sundays. Around this time, the leaders decided to air-condition the Lengkok Bahru premises and replace the ineffective air-duct ventilation system. There were some reservations expressed about indulging in a luxury out of sync with the community. Certain members 6

7 pointed out that money could be better spent for places like India where people walked for miles and endured the hot sun to attend church service in a shed. However, the improved physical condition saw an end to some fainting episodes and probably attracted more newcomers, resulting in the 2 nd Worship Service being instituted in Transitions In The Church The nation-wide phenomenon in those days was Christians tend to drop out of church after they started work, entered National Service, graduated from the university or after getting married. Mt Carmel was blessed with members remaining faithful with church-going following the post-student phase. With the Singapore economy improving, more were enjoying the blessings of life and travelling on conducted tours to Europe and UK. The fall of South Vietnam on 30 April 1975 caused some Singaporeans to migrate down south to Australia. The TV images of North Vietnamese tanks moving onto the presidential palace and the scrambling evacuation by helicopter was disconcerting but the young adults in Carmel did not have much assets to worry about. We were fortunate to have the help of OMF missionaries who were in Singapore for the Orientation Course. In those days before the immersion policy took place, OMF missionaries stayed in Singapore for three months doing language studies in Chancery Lane. Ailish Eves taught us in the Sunday School in 1969, while Judith Hopley helped for almost 9 months to guide and influence many of the YF members. In the 70s decade, as Carmelites found their life-partners, the Elders were concerned about the singles feeling neglected. They tried identifying suitable prospects for not-so-subtle outings to concerts, ballets, musicals etc, though it was not known how successful were their SDU-type efforts. They were ahead of the government in this respect, for it was only in the 1980s that Dr Eileen Aw was tasked by the authorities to deal with the singlehood issue. The late 70s was blessed by an infusion of fresh talent. But circumstances had changed for the newcomers did not come with a single wavelength of mindset and they did not grow through the Youth Fellowship. In that wave were Siew Kim Siang, Chin Hoong Chor, Steven Lau, Koh Tien Lai, Ho Peng Kee, Chow Chee Yan, Teo Chee Kiang, Priscilla Choy, Amy Khor, Chia Choy Ping, and Penny Yang etc. They strengthened greatly the EFU work and the social outreach programme. There was openness in engaging the newer generation in leadership positions. This gave breadth to the Carmel pool of reliable workers and served it well when the move to Clementi Bible Centre came in the next decade. The Hebron and Hermon congregations were also stabilising and it became a tradition for all three groups to gather for a stay-in year-end conference to listen to bible exposition, trace the progress of each group and engage in a lively AGM discussion of church affairs. Looking back, we can say that Mt Carmel grew through slow nurturing, faithful service and corporate effort, not through entertaining, spectacular programmes or through a charismatic preacher-figure. As Billy Graham commented, mountain-tops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys. The Shop-House Era Was Over For a time, Mt Carmel was enamoured of its witness in a low-income housing estate and its happy experience in establishing a vibrant congregation in a shophouse. We never pondered much whether our presence (and singing and laughter) posed a nuisance to the neighbours living just above our unit. Despite past experience of having to vacate Redhill premise due to neighbours complaints, we were not savvy 7

8 enough (or not shady enough) to send goodwill gifts (hampers were probably not a booming business yet) during festive seasons to show appreciation for their forbearance. Their patience was surely stretched and sometimes, exasperation expressed itself. For there were a few occasions when litter (dirty but not the killer-type) was thrown and water (of uncertain origin, but looked suspiciously like human efflux) was splashed from the higher floors onto the pavement outside the Gospel Mission premises as we chatted in scattered groups after worship. Thank God the Meet-the-MP Sessions were not so well-publicised or so well-organised in those days. Though Letter to the Press was a novel Singaporean way of highlighting issues and social unhappiness, the Lengkok Bahru neighbours did not use those avenues. We might have missed an opportunity to co-own a freehold land. In 1977, an ex-vcf friend told me about his Brethren church (New Bridge Road Chapel) having to re-locate due to expiring lease. As the average age of their membership was only 22, they were exploring partners to build a new church for an impossible $1 million at Pasir Panjang. When the Carmel Session was relayed this piece of news, the swift reply came that the Carmel pattern of growth was through multiplying congregations in shop-houses or such similar locale. So we did not explore further. Of course, it was questionable whether Pasir Panjang Hill Brethren Chapel would have accepted us (the Bible-Presbyterians) for in the end, four Brethren groups (New Bridge Road Chapel, Clementi, Exodus and Angora) came together for that joint effort. It was warnings from the HDB and Ministry of National Development about use of homes and shophouses for worship that jolted Mt Carmel into action in Jan 1980 and to search earnestly for land. Actually, the MND directive did not apply to existing shophouses, for we were able to pass the Lengkok Bahru premises to Horeb. To Go or To Stay There was a groundswell of support from the three sister-congregations for the acquisition of a permanent home for Mt Carmel. As the CBC building was taking shape in 1984, a lively discussion arose in the Session as to whether to amalgate the three groups or to stay as separate distinct groups. Uncle Robert Ong, the founder of Mt Carmel, pitched the case for bringing everybody together, likening to a father who had built a house for his family. Incidentally, this was the stratagem of our CBC co-owner, The Bible Church. However, most Session members representing their groups were reluctant to abandon their congregational identities. As a result, it was decided Mt Carmel would occupy the morning slot, while Hebron would worship in the afternoon slot and Hermon should settle in the Lengkok Bahru premises. Hence, our co-owner Bible Church was to discover (too late) that their partner in CBC had two wives though they were assured their deal was with one party and anyway, we kept activities strictly to equal time-slot usage. It was really interesting that Carmel members were ambivalent about moving to CBC despite digging deep into their pockets for the building. It was as if Scot McKnight, author and Professor of New Testament (Northern Seminary in Lombard, Ilinois) spoke for them, I don t remember thinking if we didn t like things we could change churches when I was young. The church was stuck with us and we were stuck with that local church. We were, after all, Baptists and we weren t about to cross the street and become Lutherans. They probably weren t saved anyway. 8

9 The Elijah Musical was staged in 1977 by the YF for the 10 th Carmel Anniversary and re-staged in 1980 to reactivate the largely dormant Development Fund. It helped to engage the members and created camaraderie among the three congregations. The 2 nd Musical, Give Me This Mountain was remarkable for it showed the generosity and big-heartedness of our three groups. It raised $ 50,000 but kept half for its own building project and gave $ 25,000 to Galilee B-P Church for their Phase II Extension. The Hermon congregation remained loyal to their group despite the attraction of a better place. Many Carmel members (32%) in Lengkok Bahru resolved to stay behind and join the Hermon group to continue the witness in the area. Others felt the need to stay back for a year to help in the transition of Hermon in its new location. The Session leaders were reticent about publicising plans for Clementi Bible Centre (CBC) for fear of causing an exodus which could weaken the existing groups. It was inclined to let each congregational member make his/her own unsolicited choice. Session organised two Celebration Sundays (3 rd & 10 th Mar 1985) at West Coast for all three groups after which everyone returned to serve in whatever respective congregation he/she felt called. It was only at the last month before the physical move that Session approval was granted to designate the 1 st Worship Service at Lengkok Bahru as for the group heading to the new venture while allocating the 2 nd Service for those staying behind to join Hermon. The CBC Task Force had only 4 Sundays to share its plans and to identify the potential workers. Hence, it was with some trepidation that 75 Carmelites and 9 regular friends made their debut at the inaugural worship service on 17 Mar 1985 at CBC. Some key leaders stayed back for a year to help the Hermon group (40-45 strong) transition into Lengkok Bahru with Carmelites who were joining their ranks. When the dust settled down a month later in April 1985, there were 200+ adult worshippers in Mt Carmel (CBC), 100 in Hebron and 120 in Hermon. At CBC, it was a joy to see every Carmel member pitch in. Our veteran SS teachers, Joyce Ho and Lili Tham were the departmental superintendents who helmed the Christian Education programme with Koh Soo Keong as the General Superintendent. Lim Meng Kin spearheaded the Fellowship Ministry for YF & AF. In their first gathering, they had to contend with a flooded Fellowship Hall when the canal overflowed due to heavy rain coinciding with high tide at sea. To accommodate the influx of newcomers, every ministry was started from scratch - toddlers club, children s programme, Sunday School, adult fellowship, adult bible classes, CGs etc. It was a privilege to be part of the generation which saw the church growing tremendously in West Coast and to receive a helping hand from fellow-bp members (Paul & Janet Phua, Henry Heng, Chia Hong Kuan & Mary, Ang Lee Luang, Chai Chin Loon & Chor Tiang etc) who came from other B-P churches for various reasons. The events from the dizzying days of 1985 onwards would fill many pages for another narrative... But, just in case we miss the wood for the trees and allow this trip down memory lane to veer us from our Carmel motto, Looking to Jesus, let everyone remember you can be committed to church but not committed to Christ, but you cannot be committed to Christ and not committed to church (Joel Osteen). Chua Choon Lan Survivor from Redhill Days 9

10 1960 Dec Mt Carmel starts as Sunday School at Redhill Close Oct Carmel was in Rumah Tinggi 1967 May Moves into shophouse at Lengkok Bahru and inaugurates Gospel Mission Jan Launches Hebron outreach at Margaret Drive Jan Becomes Mt Carmel Bible-Presbyterian Church Oct Starts outreach in Telok Blangah, later named Mt Hermon Oct Appoints David Wong as our first home-grown pastor Jun Sept 1979 July Starts outreach at 3-room flat in Clementi (merged in 1980 with Hebron) HDB serves us quit notice to stop religious service at Lengkok Bahru shophouse. Ministry of National Development warns against homes used for religious service Jan Launches search for permanent base for Mt Carmel Sept 1982 Mar 1985 Mar July Loses appeal for conversion to religious use for land at Jubilee Road. With the Bible Church, wins tender for West Coast HDB church site. Moves into Clementi Bible Centre: 221 adults and 69 children attended first Morning Service. With the Bible Church, dedicates CBC July Holds first Missions Conference 1988 Jun Oct Mt Hermon BP Church becomes independent, the first born of Mt Carmel. BP Synod dissolves BP Church in Singapore Nov Launches Mt Horeb Lengkok Bahru shophouse Jan Dedicates Mt Carmel BP Church, Madras, India Dec Rejoices with the Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST) at Inaugural Service Jan Starts Noon Service to cater for growth Oct Hebron BP Church becomes independent. Tenders unsuccessfully for HDB church sites at Bukit Batok (Dec 91) and Choa Chu Kang (May 92) 10

11 1992 Jan Begins celebration of Silver Jubilee Year. Oct Announces Westpeak Declaration. Oct Hebron BP Church wins tender for Choa Chu Kang Dec Pastor David leaves Carmel for Haggai Institute in Hawaii. Pastor Daniel invited as next Pastor May 10 wonderful years of Grace and Growth at CBC Feb Hebron and Hermon take possession of Choa Chu Kang Bible Center Jan ACM and Conference to discuss the Carmel-2010 Vision May 33rd Anniversary celebrations May 34th Anniversary celebration focusing on Spiritual Renewal Jan May May Nov CBC Development - Phase 3 presented to congregation during ACM. Building Plans submitted to authorities. Saturday Evening Service (SES) started Phase 3 building in progress 2003 Jan Rediscovering Discipleship: Building a community of disciples which disciples in community May Sept May Sept Celebrates 37th Anniversary in New Sanctuary! Combined Thanksgiving Service to celebrate completion of Phase- 3 development. Celebrates 38th Anniversary in refurbished HOPE Sanctuary Mount Horeb B-P Church becomes independent May 40th Anniversary celebrations. Restages Love Above All 2008 Mar Launches of Sunday Evening Mandarin Service (SEMS) May 45th Anniversary celebrations May Completes SOPM (School of Pastoral Ministry) to train 40 pastorselders in Nepal over 4 years May 47th Anniversary and endorsement of Carmel@50! Jan 2016 May 2017 May Pastor Oh Boon Leong takes over as Senior Pastor. 49th Anniversary celebrations. Celebrates 50th year launches Jubilee Magazine and stages "Journey Mercies" Musical in Aug. 11

12 Dear guests, we trust that you have a meaningful time of worship. We invite you to join us again next Sunday and stay behind for Welcome Tea in the Fellowship Hall after Service. CHILDREN MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL "The Jesus Expedition: Exploring the Miracles of Jesus" DATES: 30 May to 1 June (Tue, Wed, Thu) TIME: 9.00 am to 1.00 pm (Tue, Wed), 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Thu) VENUE: Clementi Bible Centre All children should reach church by 8.40 am for registration and orientation by respective class lift lobby on 30 May (Tue). Come in Sun School attire, with cheerful face and teachable heart! Bring along a small bag/backpack with water bottle, cardigan/sweater, Bible and basic stationery (additional two items for P1-6s). JUNE HOLIDAY COMBINED PROGRAMME: DATE: 4, 11, 18, 25 June (Sunday) TIME/VENUE: 9.00 to Room 03-05/06; am to Room 01-03/04 GROUP: PRIMARY 1 to 6 TOPIC: THE APOSTLES' CREED PRE-CAMP BRIEFING FOR CHURCH CAMP Venue: ACE Room - Date: Sunday, 4 June Time: Session AM, Session PM WARDEN ON LEAVE The church warden, Malcolm Ho is on leave from 29 May (Mon) to 2 Jun (Fri). Ah Jia, the cleaner will be taking care of opening and closing of the premises during his absence. NEW BIRTH Congratulations to Victor Kang and Lee Choon on the birth of a baby boy, James Kang on Thursday, 18 May

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14 NEXT SUNDAY 4 Jun 2017 MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 1ST Service MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 2nd Service Ushers Youth Covenant CG Refreshment Legacy CG Worship Leader Benedict Leow Congregational Prayer Rev Oh Boon Leong Musicians Shirley Yeo Scripture Readers Chai Chor Tiang Tan Mui Hong Welcome Corner Tan Choon Kiat Sim Chui Hoong/Joyce Lin Librarians - Library closed until after Musical - AVA Crew Yu Ta Wen/Lee Sin Yee Chan Wen Hui/Christie Phua ATTENDANCES / OFFERINGS / PLEDGES (Last Week) Service / Sunday School Attendance Offerings / Pledges ($) 9.00 AM Service AM Service SES Youth Chinese SEMS Rhoda Remnant Korean Service KidSpark (SES) Kingdom Seekers (SES Youth) Preschoolers Primary P1-P (include adults) 17, , , , , Total , Carmel Jubilee Fund $19,025 (cumulative balance: $69,660) Prayer Meeting 11 Please make all cheques, including those for the Development Fund, payable to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd (exact payee name must be stated on the cheque). Please note that NO receipts will be issued for cheques received by the Church below $5,000 except upon request. All Offerings and Pledges to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd is not tax deductible. Extract of Collection of Offerings / Pledges Collection of As at 21 May 2017 (S$) As at 22 May 2016 (S$) General Offerings / Pledges 901, , General Missions Fund 144, , Total General Offerings / Pledges & General Missions Fund 1,045, ,036, Carmel Jubilee Fund 69, This is an update of our church s collection of offerings / pledges for this year from 1st Jan 2017 to 21st May 2017, with a year on year comparison of the collection. Let us continue to give faithfully and cheerfully in response to the love and grace that abound in Christ. (2 Cor 9:7-8)

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16 Mandarin - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary am Rhoda - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary am Youth - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary am Remnant Korean Service Chapel 2.30 pm SEMS Service Sanctuary 7.45 pm Ushers: Clementi Woods CG/Shalom CG Refreshments: - AVA: Timothy Chiam/Fiona Chee/Daryl Tan/Loh Kum Hoe Welcome Corner: - Closed - Librarians: - Library Closed - Thanksgiving Flowers: Mrs Yeo-Ho Chui Hong Choon Kiat & Hai Loo Wednesday, 31 May 7.45 pm ACE Room: Prayer Meeting Chairperson/Devotion: Rev Daniel Chua Thursday, 1 Jun - No Thursday Men s Group (TMG) Thursday 8.00 pm ACE Room: Choir Practice Saturday, 3 Jun 5.30 pm Chapel: SES Worship Leader: Andrew Tan Congregational Prayer: Tan Thien Choon Speaker: Eld Bruce Lockhart - The Divine Mystery in Christ (Ephesians 3:1-13) English Services Hope Sanctuary 9.00am/11.00 am Speaker: Eld Bruce Lockhart - The Divine Mystery in Christ (Ephesians 3:1-13) Rhoda - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary 9.00am/11.00 am Youth - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary 9.00am/11.00 am Mandarin Service Chapel am Remnant Korean Service Chapel 2.30 pm SEMS Service Hope Sanctuary 7.45 pm SUNDAY Services English Services 9.00 & am 华文崇拜 (Mandarin) am Rhoda Fellowship am Youth Service pm Remnant Korean Service 2.30 pm 华文晚堂崇拜 (SEMS) 7.45 pm Classes Children Sunday School 9.00 & am Youth DCG am (except 1 st Sunday, Jun & Dec) 华文儿童主日学 am 成人班 / 乐龄班主日学 pm 16 SATURDAY KidSparks (Children) pm Kingdom Seekers (Youth) pm Saturday Evening Service 5.30 pm