Transition To A New Sunday Rhythm

Here we are at our final 9.00 am Service, which has been part of our church life for nearly 50 years. We also bid farewell to our 11.30 am Service. These are significant moments, and we give thanks for all that God has done through these services over the decades.

From here on, the shape of our Sundays will change. Some will come earlier and spend time in the Community Hall over coffee. This is a good way to welcome and orientate guests, offering them a gentle pre-Service experience before joining worship. In fact, many churches have found that effective pre-Service refreshments and welcome form a ministry in their own right.

Our 10.00am Service will provide a fuller integration of our Filipino community. Some will participate through the dance ministry, and we hope, in time, to see people from other nationalities join as well. We will continue to tweak the service flow along the way. For a start, we will slightly increase our worship time. As Vicar, I also hope to share regularly in the prayer and notices segment together with our lay service leaders. Without the pressure of clearing the sanctuary for another service, let us work towards allowing more time for prayer, especially for those in need.

Post-service refreshments will continue as usual, anchored on different Sundays by various Cells, the Filipino group, and our staff (including Ps Serene Kong and Ps Jocelyn).

We welcome some others who may want to anchor this for some Sundays. With the rest of Sunday now freed up, we can look forward to more seminars for skills development, particularly for our Filipino community. Some of these will also be open to others and will serve as meaningful outreach opportunities. There are further possibilities to host Christian education classes and discipleship groups.

The move to a 10.00 am Service will provide a richer and more welcoming Sunday experience for our guests. We pray that it will also become more natural for us to invite our non-churchgoing friends to join us. We recall Revd Joseph You’s inspiring sermon on evangelism last Sunday, especially his three simple yet powerful exhortations: pray, care, and share.

Related to our 50th Anniversary in 2026, we are also praying that the “nextgen" members amongst us will play a bigger role in shaping the Service as we look to the future. This can gradually happen and some rise to the fore.

Finally, next Thursday’s Christmas Celebration will be another special opportunity to invite friends and loved ones. Please do take this opportunity to reach out and invite them to join us.