“Fifty Years – and Counting”

You are probably wondering what happened in August – and so are we. It just flew by. The reason is that the church celebrated its 50th Anniversary with major events going on from the beginning to the end of the month. We praise the Lord that the planning and organizing of the events took place way before we arrived.

It started on the 1st weekend, with “Family Day”. It was a huge carnival event that took place on the church campus. There were all kinds of games and food like you would not believe. And, it was all FREE! The community was invited to come – Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, everyone. It was a joy to have them and to host this event. It was estimated that there were about 750 people in attendance. The church family responded with such gracious and generous hearts.

There were several significant projects presented during the month long anniversary. On the 2nd Sunday, a quilt made up of over 200 handmade squares was unveiled. Each square is a special remembrance of the 50 years. For some the square had a verse, for another a hymn, a simple praise, and or an image tied to a special event. It hangs on a wall on inside the sanctuary for all to see and praise God over. It is quite impressive and very touching.

In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary a scholarship fund was presented to a local primary school in the community. The scholarship is for $5,000 per year for 5 years. PTL, the church has raised the total $25,000. The school had a signing ceremony as part of their celebration of National Day – equivalent to our 4th of July celebration. It was really quite a ceremony. I got to represent the church and sign the official documents in front of the student body and faculty. The funds will go to deserving students designated by the school. The principal of the school is Muslim, and she has attended several church events as a way of promoting a community partnership with GBC. We praise God for her openness and friendship.

The highlight of the Anniversary was a special Sunday worship service and the luncheon that followed. So much work went into this event. There were special guests, a 100-voice choir (that sang in Chinese & English), and a special video with testimonies from people who had grown up in the church. There were around 900 people in attendance including guests, members, former members, and regular attendees.

This was followed by an 8-course lunch (yes, lunch) at one of the hotels. In all, there were 800 people in attendance for this part of the celebration. More wanted to come, but the facility was maxed out. The lunch program was filled with all kinds of memories, skits, gifts, and presentations. One of the unique gifts was a music CD produced by the young adults in the church. It contained songs written by them, plus one hymn. Each person got to take one home.

The formal anniversary celebration was capped by a 3-day Missions Conference. There were preaching sessions, seminars, panels, booths, and Q & A sessions with missionaries. The church brought home as many of the missionaries as they could for the event. In the end, all but 2 families were able to attend. It is truly amazing what God is doing in this part of the world.

In all, the whole month was a great tribute to the Lord’s faithfulness. God has been so faithful and seen this church through both good and not so good times – but, He has sustained them and grown them along the way.

On a more personal note, we can share with everyone that we will be having two new grandchildren in February 2010. Lisa is expecting #3 and Elena #2. It is a bit too soon to know if they will be boys or girls. Effie’s plan is to return to the States to help out a bit. Then, Lord willing, she will come back to Singapore, and we’ll fly together to Dallas in May for Kara’s graduation from dental school. We hope to have a big family reunion at that time.

An added blessing has been some visitors from the States. And, we have begun meeting some ex-pats from the States who are working here in Singapore. It is just amazing how people know people, who know people, etc. The world is truly getting smaller. If you ever want to join the throngs visiting Singapore, just let us know – we would love to see you.

In terms of prayer requests, please pray for us here in Singapore. Pray for wisdom as we start the next 50 years of GBC. The Lord has given many great gifts to GBC that can be used for Him. To whom much is given, much is expected, Lk. 12:48b. Pray that the Lord will use us and the whole GBC family to glorify Him by reaching the lost in these special times.