Reunions

Reunions can be a mixed experience.

When your “Class of 92” gathers, those with stable careers and families usually feel confident about meeting up. However, if you are out of a job, or have just suffered a stroke (and offer a limping hand for a handshake), a class reunion may feel far less

enjoyable. And if your spouse has changed, there can be awkward moments when old classmates ask about your former sweetheart. So you may decide not to turn up at all. This describes quite well my experience at a secondary school reunion last year.

Reunions within Christian communities—whether school- or church-based—can be very different. Over the years, I have belonged to four local church communities, two school-based fellowships, and spent a season with the Alpha ministry community. Each was rich and deeply meaningful. In each, we shared a journey of spiritual friendship. For some, I had a hand in their conversion and growth. I have never truly left any community except when I went overseas or moved due to my postings as an Anglican clergyman.

Some friendships go into what I call “ember mode”—never quite snuffed out. They are easily rekindled in later seasons when occasions arise. Thankfully, Singapore is small enough, and even neighbouring Malaysia is just a drive or flight away. This has been my experience in recent years. At times it can feel dizzying to keep up, but each reunion becomes a window into a particular season of walking with the Lord and His people. While my life and ministry experiences have been rich and varied, it is these friendships that give me glimpses of how I have walked with the Lord through the passage of time.

Each community had its own vision, direction, and passions. As a leader or pastor (a role I often played), people and resources were never merely stepping stones to accomplish something. We prayed together, ate together, laughed and cried together. A “Canon” I may be, but such titles quickly fall away when I am invited back. I am no VIP (in need of special treatment) and certainly no king (my friends were not my minions). Those who have known me in the past will know they are meeting me as I was—and still am.

We do, of course, mature with time. We gain a better grasp of Scripture and history and become more theologically astute. Often, we simply say that we have grown wiser. Yet some fundamentals—some heartbeats—never change. My living relationship with Christ remains at the core of everything, and from it flows the koinonia I share with my friends.

Time has a way of showing us what matters most in the Christian walk. It echoes Jesus’ words to Martha: “Only one thing is necessary.”

My relationship with God is paramount. So too is my fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. While I carry many Christian communities from the past, my present calling is to MPCC. This is why I do not believe any Christian should stay away from a

local church. Without one, I would be everywhere—and yet nowhere. It is the“somewhere”—and we may have a few along life’s journey—that anchors us in God’s family: a place where we worship, serve, love and are loved, and live in accountability and responsibility, together serving a world in need.

As we mark our 50th Anniversary, we look back and retrace these shared walks with the Lord and with one another. I joined MPCC five years ago (as of 1 January), so for some reunions, I can only observe or facilitate.

And as you attend a church reunion, be comfortable in the only skin you should ever wear permanently: “a sinner saved by grace”, who is simply glad to see again those who once shared the same journey.