Debt Management
The session on debt management was given by John Lam, an elder of City Harvest Church. It served to teach attendees the methods one can adopt to prevent getting into a huge amount of debt. John, who has achieved much success in his career with wise financial planning, is certainly the perfect candidate to host this elective. Attracting an audience of more than 30 people in this elective, John shared information that was relevant to every single person.
For 28-year old Cedric Ong, the session was useful for him as someone who “has just started out in his career”; it provided insight on how to avoid getting into debt. Samantha, a young professional, came looking for much-needed advice on “practical ways of clearing debts already incurred.”
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:07 AM
Being a good personal assistant to your Pastor
In her 40-minute speech, over and above giving advice on administrative skills, Jacqueline emphasized heavily several beliefs and attitudes that are essential to being an effective assistant and helper to one’s pastor. With the right belief system, said Jacqueline, one will have the right attitudes, which will lead to excellent and effective performance in one’s job. This is extremely important as a job is a calling from God. Jacqueline shared that a PA may be seen as merely an assistant, but it is a job not to be belittled.
Said Jacqueline: “As a PA of the Pastor, even the tone that you use to reply emails on behalf of Pastor will reflect on him, as well as give the recipient an impression of your church.”
She also highlighted the crucial role of administration in the church, instilling the principle that administration is as important and spiritual as preaching and teaching, and is an element of the church that should never be downplayed or overlooked.
“Administration supports how far the ministry goes, how far and how much members can grow.”Despite the fact that she is no longer serving Pastor Kong as a PA, Jacqueline’s passion for her former job was apparent as she shared how there was a joy that came when one has worked hard and helped to bring a vision, such as the organization of the Asia Conference, to pass.
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:06 AM
God’s Recipe for Effective Evangelism
Pastor Seow How wasted no time in laying out the three basic steps of evangelism: Incubation, Invitation and Integration.
Teaching from the book of Genesis, he showed how a non-believer’s journey to faith could be likened to the creative work of the Holy Spirit hovering over the face of the Earth.
In similar fashion, as believers we have to incubate, through prayer and fasting, in order to birth forth new souls. Physical processes should never be a replacement for our partnership with the Holy Spirit.
This spiritual truth was echoed in Pastor Abraham’s message as he taught, in a blazing red Ed Hardy top and blue jeans. Systematically, he shared New Life Church’s evangelism strategy, beginning with spiritual adoption as the key foundation to effectiveness. Spiritual adoption meant persistent prayer and intercession not only for friends but their families as well. Pastor Abraham used his church’s prospect list card to demonstrate how evangelism is not a mere act but a lifestyle begun with prayer and followed through with practical acts of love for the lost.
In concluding, the challenge went out that evangelism is not for the indecisive, there being no middle ground to be taken, as there exists only “do” or “do not”, and the desire to do the will of God. With Pastor Abraham’s challenge for resolve, the attendees left the room with expanded minds about evangelism: to set the spiritual before the practical and physical
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:05 AM
The Power of Organizational Leadership
“Leadership,” Pastor Jeffrey explained, “is about adding value to people’s lives. It is leading an organization to a better place and a higher level.”
He delivered a no-holds-barred look into the life cycle of an organization. The five stages are as such: An organization is born; it grows, reaches its prime, ages, and then dies.
“The good news is, unlike human life, the death in an organization can be avoided,” assured Pastor Jeffrey.
Tapping into his personal experiences, Pastor Jeffrey advised leaders to look out for signs of their organizations reaching stages of decline and death, and dished out tips on how one can keep an organization in its prime state.
Having worked in Indonesia’s largest private bank in the 90’s prior to leading megachurch Jakarta Praise Community Church for the past 10 years, Pastor Jeffrey is well-versed in leadership and organizational issues concerning large enterprises.
Keeping the vision fresh and alive, having a willingness to start anew, and engaging young leaders are all part and parcel of constantly re-energizing an organization and its people, he shared.
Pastor Jeffrey’s parting shot to his audience was: “The wisdom of the older generation, coupled with the creativity and energy of the young, makes a very powerful combination. Always invest in the next generation!”
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:04 AM
Finding The One
Being spiritual, communication, and physical attraction are crucial factors for choosing the right partner, they shared. However, they also emphasized the importance for one to be physically attractive.
It was a dose of realism for the listeners as Pastors Yuzhuang and Audrey said, “If you want a spouse that’s a perfect ten, you will need to be a perfect ten yourself!”
As the session came to a close, there was a question and answer segment where issues on online-dating, interreligious, interracial and long-distance relationships were raised.
Yong Te Sen from New Life Church Taipei, said, “The session gave me a clearer knowledge about relationships. The Q&A session was also very helpful as it answered some of the issues I was previously not very clear about.”
Audiences who enjoyed the message can get a copy of Rev. Kong Hee’s “Choosing the Right Partner” series at Attributes.
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:04 AM
Effective Counseling for Effective Ministry
Pastor Mike Connell is the Senior Pastor of Bay City Outreach Centre and he moves powerfully in the prophetic, deliverance and inner healing gifts. His love for people has enabled him to minister effectively and bring healing to the hurt and broken, making him the perfect speaker for this elective.
Pastor Mike shared three important points for effective counseling, namely how to identify problems plaguing our counselees, recognizing hindrances and exploring issues faced by counselees and encouraging change in the life of our counselees. The lively session was infused with plenty of personal experiences and anecdotes.
The highlight of the session was undoubtedly the Q&A section. Many delegates took the opportunity to raise specific problems they encountered in their ministry. For example, questions like how to counsel a homosexual and how to deal with counselees between the ages of seven and 15 were raised.
The session ended with Pastor Mike reiterating the need to implement Biblical methods in the process of counseling while maintaining the balance of allowing counselees to make their own personal choices.
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:04 AM
Maximized Manhood
Speaking to an all-men audience, the effervescent preacher commented, “The strength of the church can be seen in the strength of its men”. He also said churches need to rearrange their priorities and channel more resources into the men’s ministry.
To build a men’s ministry from scratch, Pastor Greg suggested forming men’s connect groups that can meet regularly.
The results speak for themselves. Statistics show that the success rate for a man to reach out to his entire family and bring them to Christ after he is saved is a whopping 83 percent, compared to 27 percent for a woman.
In addition, having such a ministry in church equips men with the knowledge to deal with issues like relationships, sexuality, character and health. Pastor Greg emphasized that it is crucial for the church to reach out to the community more effectively. It is when men build stronger marriages and become better fathers that society will be transformed.
Lim Chin Siong Bevan Arthur blogged at 12:03 AM
May your light shine...
in the darkness...
I HATE SATAN DEVIL.