20170425 GRII Pleno Meeting

Finally. One year later at the Pleno Meeting, where I swore last year that the presentation the Evangelism team will give will never be the same again. And I kept to that promise. With my co-lead sharing the same determined fire to wipe that shame away from our church's face.

Today's Chill Lax presso was my co-lead and I's first time presenting together. And it went really well with God. It spoke to His heart.

"Even the name is dodgy" someone said last year when we first started but looking at it a year on, he came up to me before the presso during lunch time and was filled with regret / remorse in his tone, saying how the name put him off at first. But I laughed it off, saying "what's good about it, is that now Chill Lax is official, it's no longer a trial, and the name is now Officially Dodgy" XD

Chill Lax was mentioned so so many times during PaBudy's sharing today that one of the Tante E came up to me and said thank you for your work in Chill Lax. I'm not exactly sure what they heard but well, i praise You for it! You know that it's Your work, right?

I was so glad when my co-lead mentioned how Evangelism is a relationships based ministry and the need to invest in people in building quality relationships. It really spoke to my heart.

Today, then, when I introduced the Triangle leadership team for the structure, and mentioned my favourite lieutenant co-lead and the two Offices that support us, and mentioned that the SMO will tackle both the Gospel Mandate and the Cultural Mandate -- those down the stage laughed incl Andika and Solo looked at Andre and Nael and just laughed knowing how difficult it is to do the both -- like one of them is already enough to handle.

Leadership team: with aim to become a "Powerfully Equipped. Fully Functional, Courageous Army of God's Disciples" --- Pa Mattias had this look of disbelief on his face telling me that it was too hard.

Well I guess, next year, we will just have to surprise them again. When The Lord Works... Wonderous things happen.

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Sharing about the English Ministry and I said some really harsh words to challenge the church body to think beyond just a simple Sunday service but rather into a Body of Christ.

Challenged them to shift focus from the numbers to look at the demographics and our identity as an international, inter-generational community of born again Christians. And actively called for the family groups to join the international community instead of the indo.

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And I still can't believe that PsBudy texted me just this morning to tell me to translate at the booth Eng to Chn next week and announced it at Pleno this morning that we are going to try this 3 way translation starting next week...

... but... I didn't say i want to join the interpretation team... =(

In fact i was most hesitant to join because... if I did I... won't be able to sit with my friends whom I bring in.. and I find it more important to do that.... And also, I will personally be isolated from fellowship.... and don't they understand that even I have needs?

Despite my will, seems like that's how it turned out... so... let's just give it a few weeks and see... I'm not very happy though... but I don't know what to do ... because there is a need.

Sighs

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CHILL LAX Pleno Sharing Transcript

<CO LEAD>

VISION + MISSION:

* What is Chill Lax?

    * Many may not have heard of this ministry before …

    * English social + conversational club, meeting on a regular basis

    * Basically a Christian ESL program, where we introduce unbelievers to the Bible perhaps for the first time in their lives, in a friendly + relaxed, non-intimidating environment

* Why Chill Lax?

    * Our Mission: simply, to obey the Great Commission

    * Recognition of the need to reach out to English-speaking unbelievers

    * To support English service - many empty seats

* Why ESL?

    * Really big potential

    * Massive interest in learning English

    * Often international students + workers looking to create friendships + build relationships

    * Particularly fruitful: people from China

* The method:

    * Asking someone to attend church, giving out flyers for KKR not enough - it's a starting point 

    * Bridge between flyer-giving, street-outreach and becoming true members of our church family

    * Evangelism is relationships-based - the need to invest in people

    * Fruits of our ministry: Zoe + Emma

RECRUITMENT 

* Recruiting for:

    1. Activists 

    2. Core committee members (those who understand the importance & want to contribute more)

* Who is it for?

    1. Those with doctrinal knowledge

    2. Those already evangelising on streets / to friends, but want to introduce them to a Christian community and to the Bible

    3. Those who haven't begun evangelising, but want to start

* So basically, everyone here! 

    * Evangelism is our true calling as Christians

<Me>

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ENG / ALL NATIONS MINISTRY Sharing... (even though I had to do the whole sharing myself and have Fvid be at the crowds giving moral support)

I was so nervous... more nervous for this one than Chill Lax.... but co-lead prayed with my and I felt covered. And my Chill Crew were in the crowd. And God said, "Go! I am with you!" So I did....

Want to Explore this aspect of church life with you. 1) Praise God for those who faithfully serve in the English service week after week. 2) We praise God for Sunday attendance now -- average between 30-50 people weekly -- but if all we see are the numbers we're looking at the wrong metric Instead, let us shift focus look at the terrain-- 3) Demographic consists of two main groups: PP from REF and Chill Lax -- age group mainly under 25, with those MYAFs and Parents who teach Sunday school in the morning also coming periodically. 4) Begs to ask What are we? Us who gather in the afternoon... Are we a random group of people who just gather on a Sunday for 2hrs or are we in fact a Community of international Born again Disciples of Christ? Difference in focus between a Sunday-only thing vs a Community will mark the difference in strategy that we need to employ so that next year we can look back and say we've deliberately and significantly progressed towards it. 5) Risks/Opportunities brings us into 2017 and beyond - At the core-- people who come into this family need to know that they can expect to see the same faces every week but not just that, these faces are also present in every other activity this all nations family engages in. An wholistic Christian habitat/eco-system that touches every aspect of their life -- not just on a Sunday Think back to 20yrs ago for Indo Ministry we need groups of families to actually migrate and settle... and now have PP youths who join these ranks of people who are willing to sacrifice themselves and their lifestyle -- at their inconvenience -- so that with tears, their sound is collectively gone out to fulfil the Great Commission for all nations. No pain no gain. No sacrifice no Crown. To start to cater for that, -2016 we started Chill Lax as the main ministry deliberately so that these who are outreached can be led into the English service -- which the Lord is blessing with progression including conversion. And that a community begins to be built because those who come can build relationships with the Chill Lax who are here in the afternoon consistently. REF also comes along to this party, together they cater for the age group of under 30's. - A pseudo working group was created late last year to devise a strategy including Herly, Reagan, Jordan, Andika, DFrank, Rachel, Jin, Min -- with Rachel, one of the key drivers, now left. -I praise God for all the challenges because when there are challenges that means there are opportunities. If we trial out opportunities that means we are moving like living water and we're not stagnant. -2017 presents opportunities for new recruitment into the working group + consistent family who participates in this lifestyle. Especially a team that ranges through all ages including family group. So that the all nations ministry gradually develops into a healthy, intergenerational community of disciples. MIN We've catered for under 30's as much as we can. Ask you to dig deep your heart - has The Lord prompted. Key prayer point. THIS ALL NATIONS MINISTRY NEEDS Y.O.U. <Fviddd can we do this TAGLINE?? XD>

Luke 15: Even the elder son gets found

Easter Monday night, 17Apr17, around 9-10pm. Doncaster East.

I just want to capture the moment where he sank quietly in a moment's thought into that bouncing ball and something in him opened up. It was like a flower blossomed. And he was enabled to think past himself to see the needs of others.
It was supernatural but I saw it. That something he was holding onto so tightly he finally let go. He realised that there are gaps and loopholes. It started with the recognition of Luke 3, when instead of allegorising something into the spiritual meaning behind a passage, he realised that repentance is so tangible. And rather than thinking up who you are and then influencing into what you do, it is the Hebrew thinking that is the other way round -- that what you do defines who you are, and repentance is so practical -- repentance is apparently to give one of you ur tunics to another. Apparently for tax collectors it is to not collect more than you are supposed to...

"John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." Even tax collectors came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" "Donʼt collect any more than you are required to," he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Donʼt extort money and donʼt accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.""
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:7-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.us/111/luk.3.7-14.niv

And we talked about the painfulness of a defunct brotherhood and I saw him being released from such a pain by God while I mentioned about my own sister and how the faith God is working in her towards is quite amazing ... one that I, a person who is naturally more obedient, may never be able to understand.

For the first time I saw him stressed when he thought about the lack of discipleship in amongst Christ's churches. For the first time we mentioned about leadership, mentoring and discipline intergenerational and asked if he has ever mentored anyone when he mentioned there was a lack. For the first time I saw him see that the church being the state it is in has got something to do with him and how he is part of an active link. For the first time I heard him say he missed KTB fellowship at the car when I was leaving.
I made a fancy observation that the way he behaves in the morning service and the evening service are very different. How he hung out with his close friend during the morning but stepped out of his comfort zone to talk to Kelvin even though awkwardly after a few sentences they ran out of conversational topics. As he sat on that silver bouncy ball, and talked about the church the way he did, I told him that ... I saw a leader in him just then.
For the first time we did a prayer marathon and prayed in turns again and again, because we had more questions and frustrations and stresses and worries and concern than answers. For the first time I held God to His promise to draw all men to Him now that He has resurrected, and for the first time I heard him pray for God's Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. For the first time out of desperation that we are losing grip on some of our sheep especially those who came from China and are highly and sophisticatedly educated, we cried out for God The Holy Spirit to "do something! If You don't draw them to you who's gonna do the work for You?"
For the first time we concluded with The Lord's Prayer together.
For the first time he mentioned to me to keep him accountable to the effects of this prayer -- to be the leader he wants to see; to be the discipler he longs to be discipled by; to be the mentor for the young the way he never had.

O Lord, make me a channel of Your peace,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.
O Master, grant that I may never seek --
So much to be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Last night, I found a soldier who could stand beside me in war. No longer the little kid, he's grown up now into a person fully accountable to God of his own. Just like when the Jews reach 12.

him and I, we can fight together now,
And that's why, he's my beloved co-lead.
I won't give him up for anything. Despite all the struggles and the numerous times his prickles made me cry. Just like this, we will 行完上帝的旨意 fully accomplish the entire will of God, unto the Father in eternity.
That's why, rather than think of anything romantic, I'd rather see him Powerfully Equipped, fully functional and courageous.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

It was like he stepped out of whatever shell that encases and trapped him. And it might have to start with forgiveness. And I realized that with Jesus's parables there are always a part II that awaits us to continue -- and in this case, even the coin that was lost at home who didn't know it was lost; the elder son in the prodigal Father / son story -- even the elder son is found. And to be a bystander to witness this supernatural happening of a story -- this is the work of The Lord, and isn't it amazing to me???