Diocesan Digest July 2024

DIOCESAN DIGEST Issue 281 / July 2024 The Diocese of Singapore www.anglican.org.sg MPC (P) 073/12/2023 Living Out Love, Centred on God’s WordAdvisor The Most Revd Dr Titus Chung Editorial Team Ms Mabel Tan Mrs Cherlie Cheong Copyeditor Ms Olivia Chang Designer Mrs Jael Ong Email [email protected] Website www.anglican.org.sg Contents Presidential Address at Synod - May 2024 Feature Article Unreasonable Hospitality Diocesan News Parish Spotlight • Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of St Andrew’s Cathedral Mandarin Youth & Young Adults • SERVE Academy 2024 • DYB Prayer Night Anglican Schools Making a Difference as One - The 90th Anniversary Celebrations of St. Hilda’s Schools Community Services Into the Light: Bringing God’s Love to the Community Provincial News Provincial Synod Meeting held in Singapore in January 2024 Gazette Copyright notice Diocesan Digest © The Diocese of Singapore All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. 4 8 12 20 24 26 27 Contents 2Living Out Love, Centred on God’s Word 4 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS AT SYNOD 17 TH MAY 2024 by The Most Revd Dr Titus ChungLiving Out Love, Centred on God’s Word Brothers and Sisters-in-Christ, Shalom. I bring to you some updates on clergy movement within our diocese. Firstly, I want to thank Revd Rinzi Lama, Revd Shyam Nepali and Revd Norpu Lama who will retire this year. We thank God for their faithful service in building up our work in Nepal. Let us pray that the Lord will continue to guide them in the next season of their life. I also wish to update regarding Revd Canon Dr Lewis Lew, who has been on extended medical leave since December 2023. From what he has shared with me, his doctors have strongly recommended that he stop work completely in order to rest. After much prayer, Canon Lewis has tendered his resignation and I have accepted it. I thank Lewis for his significant contributions to the ministry, both locally within Singapore and across our deaneries throughout his service. Let us continue to pray for Canon Lewis and trust God to bring about complete healing to him. Holding Fast As I pause to reflect on what has happened within our diocese over the past six months, my heart is filled with joy and thanksgiving to God for what He is doing in our midst. We have several parishes having milestone celebrations this year. First, we have St Andrew’s Cathedral Mandarin (SACM) celebrating her 70th anniversary. We thank God for the significant growth in the Chinese-speaking work in SACM and look to Him for continued growth as she faithfully serves God’s purpose. In addition, St Hilda’s Church celebrates her 90th anniversary while St Hilda’s Schools celebrates her 90th Founder’s Day. It is encouraging to witness how both the parish and schools have diligently upheld the legacy of the late Archdeacon Graham White, and we pray they continue to build up Christ-centred lives through the education and church ministry. It is also encouraging to observe that the parishes within the Area Groups are collaborating more and more, leveraging on each other’s strengths and resources. Working together has enabled our parishes to execute large scale outreach efforts such as Easter musical productions which would otherwise have been challenging to do alone. I wish to share with you one particularly inspiring example of one parish organising a fundraising concert for another parish. This selfless act epitomises what we are striving to cultivate within our Anglican Body, that of love, mutual support and solidarity. I pray that we can draw inspiration from this and continue to foster partnerships that uplift and strengthen us all. We thank God for His favour and blessings as we seek to bring the Gospel to our deaneries. This year marks the 25th year since the start of our ministry in Nepal. Let us rejoice and continue to support the ministry in the Deanery of Nepal. We also celebrate the steady growth of other deaneries, made possible through the unwavering support of both Singapore and deanery parishes. In addition, we must not forget that our sister dioceses within the Province are also in partnership with us in the work of the deaneries. Let us pray that the Lord will open more doors for our deaneries to partner our sister dioceses to expand our mission work in these 6 countries. 5 I wish to share with you one particularly inspiring example of one parish organising a fundraising concert for another parish. This selfless act epitomises what we are striving to cultivate within our Anglican Body, that of love, mutual support and solidarity. by The Most Revd Dr Titus ChungForging Ahead Brothers and sisters-in-Christ, it is undeniable that we are navigating through very challenging times. Wars persist, devastating natural disasters continue to afflict many countries and amidst all these, uncertainty looms in our socio-economic climate. During this period, I believe many of our members are concerned about the state of the world and its effect on our lives. While most of us may not experience the direct physical impact of wars and natural disasters, as a globally interconnected society, we are susceptible to the ripple effects of such events on our economy, security, and society. On top of this, the rising costs of living can create significant challenges, leading to stress and anxiety. With so much that is happening, our members may feel lost and hopeless. As pastors and lay leaders of the flock, the best thing we can do for them is to lead them to have a living relationship with God, leaning on Him for guidance and depending on His Word as the light to their path. Even as the world goes through such turmoil, the Church is also not spared from trials. In November 2023, the General Synod of The Church of England voting in favour of holding standalone services of blessing for same-sex couples on a trial basis has caused concern amongst many believers. As highlighted in the Pastoral Letter from the House of Bishops from our Province, circulated in March 2024, we as the Diocese of Singapore and the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia, firmly disagree with the decision. The motion, carried by a vote of 227-203, with 53% in favour, reveals a severe division within The Church of England. We need to recognise that there are still numerous members in the Church of England who remain steadfast in their adherence to Scripture and disapprove of this development. We need to stand in solidarity with these orthodox believers, offering our prayers and unwavering support during these challenging times. This does not contradict our unequivocal stand that we disapprove of the decision to endorse same-sex unions. This nuanced position acknowledges the intricacies within The Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion. Now more than ever, those who stand firm upon the truth of God’s Word must stand together, seeking His wisdom and guidance in the days ahead. With so much that is happening, our members may feel lost and hopeless. As pastors and lay leaders of the flock, the best thing we can do for them is to lead them to have a living relationship with God, leaning on Him for guidance and depending on His Word as the light to their path. 6 We need to stand in solidarity with these orthodox believers, offering our prayers and unwavering support during these challenging times. This does not contradict our unequivocal stand that we disapprove of the decision to endorse same-sex unions. Members of Synod, let us not be distracted by all that is happening in the world. Scripture has forewarned us that “ For many will come in (Jesus)’s name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:5-8). Knowing all these, what should our response be? Let us ground ourselves in the Word of God, to know and discern all the distractions that may come our way and not be led astray. Let us also do what the Lord requires of us as His disciples - to obey the New Commandment and fulfil the Great Commission. I believe many of our parishes are engaged in various forms of outreach through chaplaincy in schools, community services or special events. However, in an increasingly fast-paced society where time is so precious to an individual, what would make a non-believer want to come to church? What would make them stay in your church after an outreach event? Recently, some of our parishes have introduced the concept of showing exceptional hospitality to people, believing that every human being desires to feel valued and loved. In a world that believes there is no free lunch, where everything is transactional, an act of extraordinary hospitality is countercultural and is a tangible way for non-believers to experience the love of God. As we continue to show love to the world, I pray that we will do it out of the love for God. For if we love God with all our heart, our capacity to love others will grow. Amen. 7 The Most Revd Dr Titus Chung The Bishop of Singapore Knowing all these, what should our response be? Let us ground ourselves in the Word of God, to know and discern all the distractions that may come our way and not be led astray. Let us also do what the Lord requires of us as His disciples - to obey the New Commandment and fulfil the Great Commission. In an increasingly fast-paced society where time is so precious to an individual, what would make a nonbeliever want to come to church? What would make them stay in your church after an outreach event? Recently, some of our parishes have introduced the concept of showing exceptional hospitality to people, believing that every human being desires to feel valued and loved. ” 8 by Ven Daniel Wee FEATURE ARTICLE UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY ” Unreasonable HospitalityAs Singaporeans, we are probably familiar with the idea of spotting exam questions - trying to guess what the exam questions might be or what might be the important topics. What if we were to try to spot the questions for the great final exam of life? What would the questions in our final exam be when we stand before the Lord? Would the Lord be interested in our doctrinal purity and precision? Would he be impressed by our worship playlist? Surely he must be interested in our effort at preaching the gospel to our neighbours? What about the hours we spent on our knees raising up prayer requests and interceding for our missionaries? Just what would the Lord be looking for in that final exam? Fortunately for us, we don’t have to guess too hard because the bible gives us some pretty good clues. Matthew 25:31 paints for us the scene of the final judgement when all are gathered in the valley of decision where the sheep will be separated from the goats. In that judgement, one criteria stood out from all the rest as the determining factor - the final exam question was on hospitality. Hospitality? No one told us that hospitality would be this important in the grand scheme of things but there it was, plain and simple in verses 34 to 36: “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.” And if that were not clear enough, to those who did not exhibit hospitality the Lord said in verses 41 to 43: ”Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.” Hospitality was the defining characteristic of a true disciple of Jesus. It was what kingdom-minded communities exhibited and what drew people to the church. And yet, among the many qualities that Christians are encouraged to have, hospitality often finds itself in the backseat, often as an afterthought. 9 ” ” Matthew 25:31 paints for us the scene of the final judgement when all are gathered in the valley of decision where the sheep will be separated from the goats. In that judgement, one criteria stood out from all the rest as the determining factor - the final exam question was on hospitality. ” ” Hospitality was the defining characteristic of a true disciple of Jesus. It was what kingdom-minded communities exhibited and what drew people to the church. And yet, among the many qualities that Christians are encouraged to have, hospitality often finds itself in the backseat, often as an afterthought. Christians must be hospitable. We must actively and intentionally work on how we treat the people around us because this will be on the final exam. Churches will be judged not on how “powerful” the sermons or worship services are, or how profound the teachings may be, but on how hospitable they are to people. They will be judged based on how they treat people. That is a sobering thought indeed but why “unreasonable” hospitality? Why not just “reasonable” hospitality? The goal of hospitality is not merely to make guests feel welcome in our church services. What we want to do ultimately is to touch someone’s heart with our loving care and service. The question is not whether we have said our “hellos” or offered our services. It is whether we have touched someone’s heart. If this is the goal of our hospitality, I have found that the best way of doing this would be to exceed people’s expectations of what hospitality might look like. It is going the extra mile and doing well beyond what anyone might reasonably expect. When the owner of the store I go to for lunch found out that I liked iced Milo, she went and bought a tin of Milo and surprised me with a cup on the house every time I ate there, even though that was completely off their menu. That hospitality was beyond what I had expected and certainly touched my heart. It was unreasonable hospitality. If Christians consistently touch the hearts of people around them, we would have an easier time convincing them that God loves them and that we love them too. Far too often we speak a good game but fail in delivering the goods when it comes to loving people. “Unreasonable hospitality” is a great way to put feet to everything we have learned about being a disciple. As the popular adage goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Why don’t we show them just how much we care? Their surprise and joy is a reward in itself, not to mention the friendships and warmness that often ensues. Hospitality is the one thing that any Christian and church can do, and excel in. The best part is if you do this right, you’re going to ace that final exam in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. ” Churches will be judged not on how “powerful” the sermons or worship services are, or how profound the teachings may be, but on how hospitable they are to people. ” 10 FEATURE ARTICLE UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY ” ” It is going the extra mile and doing well beyond what anyone might reasonably expect. ” ” The goal of hospitality is not merely to make guests feel welcome in our church services. What we want to do ultimately is to touch someone’s heart with our loving care and service. The question is not whether we have said our “hellos” or offered our services. It is whether we have touched someone’s heart.