The Herald Weekly Vol XV : 6

Herald’s 13th Church Anniversary

The early church was established after Christ ascended into heaven. He told His disciples that “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

These were Christ’s last words to a group of followers, and they included the closest 12: Simon Peter, his brother, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot. (Matt 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, and Luke 6:13-16).

Our Lord Jesus spent three years with them, teaching them about His Father and His truths. Following His death and resurrection from the dead, the Lord fully commissioned the apostles (Matthew 28:16-2, Mark 16:15) to advance God’s kingdom and carry the gospel message to the world.

These men became the pioneering leaders of the New Testament church, but there was no church building. This was a group of men who were not without faults and shortcomings. The 12 made up of a few fishermen, a tax collector, and some activists. It is interesting to note that not one of the chosen 12 was a scholar or rabbi. They had no extraordinary skills. They were neither religious, nor refined, but ordinary people, just like you and me. God chose them for a purpose, and that was to spread the gospel across the face of the earth. These had no experience in starting a church, but when the Holy Spirit filled them, they were fearless, and mightily used by God.

Today’s 13th Church Anniversary celebration is a simple one. But it is a celebration of how God moved 12 believers in Dec 2003 to come together for prayer. It was through prayer that God gave us the vision to start Herald B-P Church.

But how does a group of 12 believers start a church? With money? A building? Lots of resources? No! God just needed people who were willing to carry out what He wanted us to do…and that was to establish a witness, a testimony of God’s faithfulness, goodness, guidance, wisdom and blessings on those who obey Him.

Why Do We Celebrate?

God reminds people to tell all generations of His wonderful works. Psalm 150:1-6 tells us to:

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

In a church anniversary, we must preserve the memory of how God has worked in our lives. When we have a strong sense of the history of our church, we will have a better sense of identity to build on for the future. Every now and then, we should look back to rediscover how our church came into being, what its early ministry was like, and how it has grown and changed over the years.

A church anniversary celebration gives members and friends the opportunity to join together as a body of believers who have been blessed by the Lord through the different ministries in the church. It is also a time for all in the church, both young and old, to tell and hear stories of the past and present days of the church.

Indeed, “the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Ps 100:5)

What can we thank God for?

1)Thank God for all that He has done in Herald for the past years; for giving us two sanctuaries which we can worship in. Thank God that we need not move about like nomads looking for a more permanent place.

2) Thank God for those in the Session, full-time workers, past and present, faithfully serving through the years.

3) Thank God that many have come to know Christ through our evangelistic outreach through the Parents’ Nite, Evangelical Nite, the MCF outreach to the mainland Chinese workers, and through our visitation programme. Thank God some elderly parents/relatives have also acknowledged Christ as their Saviour before they were called home to glory.

4) Thank God for raising our own Team of Preachers who have been trained to preach God’s Word from the pulpit, and they continue to learn and grow in Him.

5) Thank God for individuals, couples, and families who have joined us. May each one continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

6) Thank God many are involved in the different areas of ministry in Herald – Bible Study, Herald Care Groups, Ladies Fellowship, Youth Fellowship, and in the Mission teams.

7) We remember those whom we prayed for in illness and were restored in health. We also thank God for sustaining those still undergoing medical treatment; and also for those whom God has called home to glory.

8) Thank God for our musicians, van drivers, those who provided or arranged the flowers in church, those who provided for our Tea Fellowship.

9) Thank God for those who faithfully supported the work in Herald and our overseas mission work; for those who have gone overseas for work, marriage, studies, and are still supporting us in prayer.

10) Thank God for those who had served with us, and moved elsewhere. We appreciate the support they had given in our earlier years too. May they continue to grow wherever God leads them.

What more can we do?

After the celebrations, what else can we do?

1. We can continue to serve Him faithfully even as we move from one year to the next. God has called each one of us for a special purpose, and He will give us the grace and strength to carry on no matter what happens.

2. We can continue to bring others into the church – our loved ones, friends & colleagues; we can invite them to the gospel outreach on Evangelical Night (4 March). Perhaps we can book a table as a way to reach out to our loved ones and friends.

3. You can join the visitation team, bringing God’s Word of comfort to the sick, the elderly, newcomers, friends at home, school, or at our workplace.

4. You can join the Synchronised Prayer (via WhatsApp) and pray for the needs of individuals, families and the church., and see God do great wonders in our lives.

5. You can join me and others in mission trips to China, Malaysia, N Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Kenya. Thank God many are already involved in the N Thailand ministry.

6. We can continue to give to the Building Fund and help to clear all interest-free loans.

7. We can be involved in the worship service as new chairmen, scripture readers, musicians, servers in the PA team, contribute to the Tea Fellowship, teach in the Sunday School classes, and many other areas of ministry. Indeed, we can all continue to serve our God faithfully, diligently, and joyfully till He calls us home.

As we look to the future, it is important to know what we do today will have a far reaching impact on people whom we do not even know. As we seek to serve the Lord the fruit of our ministry will touch many in Singapore or overseas, directly or indirectly, as we remain committed to Christ and His commission.

A blessed 13th Anniversary to all!

Pastor Bob Phee

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