Diocesan Diocese of Singapore • www.anglican.org.sg MCI (P) 060/03/2020 Issue 274 | November 2020 DIGEST The consecration and enthronement of The Rt Revd Dr Titus Chung as the 10th Bishop of Singapore on Sunday, 18 October 2020 Contents EDITORIAL TEAM 01 Editorial ADVISOR The Rt Revd Dr Titus Chung 02 Bishop's Synod Address EDITORS 05 Church in Singapore: Consecration and Enthronement Revd Canon Terry Wong Mrs Karen Wong Service Ms Sasha Michael 09 Church in Singapore: Thanksgiving Service DESIGNERS Ms Joyce Ho 12 Teaching Article: Spiritual Formation in a Leader’s Life Mr Daniel Ng email: [email protected] website: FROM OUR MINISTRY FRONTS www.anglican.org.sg 16 Deaneries and Global Missions 26 Youth and Young Adults 30 Anglican Schools 36 Community Services 45 Chinese-Speaking Work 46 Indian-Speaking Work 48 Parish Spotlight: Chapel of the Holy Spirit 51 Singapore Highlights 54 Diocesan News 59 Diocesan Listings 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 an means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. EDITORIAL “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 4:15 By Revd Canon Terry Wong n my editorial piece for the December 2012 issue of the Diocesan Digest, I had reflected on the passing of the baton from Bishop John IChew to Bishop Rennis Ponniah: Reflecting on the years under the ministry of Bishop John Chew, I can vividly recall how I visited some friends with him in Edinburgh. One of them was Revd Canon Titus Chung, who was finishing his doctorate in the cold of Edinburgh. He was terribly homesick. We actually arrived on his birthday. The company, dinner and pieces of bak kwa brought some comfort and ‘home’ to him. I could see then the importance of this bishop’s visit. While there was neither ceremony, staff nor crook, this visit was at the heart of a bishop’s work. He was our “father- in-God”. This phrase sounds divine, familial, earthly and homey all at once. I recall with fondness how I felt about the changing of guards eight years ago. Little could I guess that this homesick doctoral student who was So we bid farewell to Bishop Rennis Ponniah paying a heavy price in the cold of Edinburgh will even as we welcome Bishop Titus Chung. He and I one day also assume the responsibility of being have spent years serving as colleagues, including our next father-in-God. a five-year stint together at the Cathedral. Now that he has stepped into office, this “father-in-God” I had gone on to say: role will be accentuated for me, as it will be for all of us. Undoubtedly, Jesus Christ is the Shepherd of the Church. And this is precisely the reason why all who “Keep him in our prayers” is our usual refrain. follow Him will invariably be most Christ-like when And indeed, we must. We too need to pray for they live out this fatherly role. It transcends one’s ourselves. We do well to seek to understand the personality and human traits. When we minister nature of the church, her offices and ministry as a spiritual father, it brings encouragement and orders. In embracing his role, we also embrace strength at some of the deepest levels of our being. ours, whether lay or clergy. Sometimes, this fatherly role is discharged in the form of discipline. Executed rightly or wrongly, And in recognising his fatherly role, I also come “children” (and we always are) will be helped in the to grasp my own as I step into another parish, for midst of it to understand that fathering and family we are fathers and sons too at the same time. brings along with in the usual share of pain as well, justified or otherwise. When we understand this, it May the Father heart of God be reflected in helps us to forgive more readily. Or even better, we every corner of our diocese and deaneries. benefit and grow from it. https://www.anglican.org.sg/diocesan-digest 1 BISHOP’S SYNOD ADDRESS BISHOP’S SYNOD ADDRESS By The Rt Rev Dr Titus Chung the scene, and we pray that our good Lord will Greetings bless you and your families. Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ, a very Although some among us are less ready than warm welcome to you and thank you for attending others to adapt to change, we can no longer our synod meeting this morning. ignore the fact that the use of the virtual platform We wish to acknowledge the presence of our is here to stay. We need not go into detail at this brothers and sisters from the six deanery countries. point about its pros and cons, or the positive Although we cannot be physically together, your and negative impact it has on our church life. online participation is significant to us because Discussions, however, should be encouraged we are one big family under God. The diocese in our parishes. Our aim is to take advantage of belongs to all of us and we pray that in Christ technology without falling prey to it. we will continue to grow in unity regardless of Related to the use of online-platforms to meet nationality, culture and race. pastoral needs is the subject of Online Communion. We also wish to congratulate our clergymen Bishop Rennis had permitted it mainly for the Moses, Ezra, Glenn, Ian, Kiat Lern and Thomas Archdeaconry of Singapore for a period of three on your ordination to the Order of Priesthood in months. This dispensation expired on 31 October August. We will keep you in prayer and may our 2020. After receiving feedback from clergy good Lord shower you with grace and mercy, and colleagues here and with a clearer understanding anoint you with the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that of the needs and challenges of some churches you can be effective and faithful in serving the in administering the Holy Communion, we have people God has entrusted to you. decided to extend the dispensation for the Archdeaconry of Singapore to 31 January 2021. Current Challenges We wish to underscore that Online Communion is The fact that we have to gather for Synod in this an unusual practice permissible only for a period manner a second time is telling of the situation of time in extraordinary circumstance. we are in. It is not an overstatement to say that the Besides Online Communion, the dispensation impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on humanity is encompasses Reserved Communion and Onsite historically unprecedented. The scale of its impact is Communion. The intention behind providing direct, widespread and extensive, from economics options here is to enable us to better serve and geopolitics, to medical infrastructure, social the people God. The vicar or priest-in-charge security and religious activity. The reality is that therefore has the liberty to decide which option nobody is spared, albeit in different degrees, to appropriate, including a combination of two, or as the virus recognizes no boundaries. The even all three. The point is we have to be sensitive challenges facing each of the seven countries in to our different church contexts and reasonable in our diocese are unique, due to differing national our administrations. contexts. Amid great difficulty and profound Although online worship is now the new norm, complexity, our primary task is to take good care we ought not to forget it can never replace onsite of the elderly and children among us, and ensure or physical worship in the church. As leaders we that our people comply with safe management need to consistently educate and remind our measures. As leaders, whether clergy or laity, it is church members the importance of returning our duty to keep our worship environments safe to church as a form of spiritual discipline, with and protected, and pray that with God’s help we safe management measures in place. However are void of cluster transmissions. convenient it is to just turn on the television or Our pastoral duties ought to continue in the computer, our people should be mindful that this face of daunting obstacles. We praise God that is only a stopgap measure. The danger of sliding with swift adaptation and use of online-technology, into spiritual sluggishness is very real if we are church activities in our diocese are able to continue. not careful. Returning to church for service is a Not only have we found this a good platform for Sunday services, Christian education classes and fellowship gatherings, some of us have put our God-given creativity to good use by making it a friendly and effective place for evangelism. Efforts to continue ministries and ensure spiritual provisions have not been hampered by the crisis. This deserves acknowledgement and encouragement. We thank all of you who have worked so tirelessly and conscientiously behind 2 BISHOP’S SYNOD ADDRESS BISHOP’S SYNOD ADDRESS LIKE IT OR NOT, THE WORLD AND THE CHURCH ARE BEING FORCED TO PAUSE. WE HAVE COME TO A STANDSTILL. lot more meaningful and significant especially We need to take stock and, if necessary, prune as the Christmas season draws near. As God’s away things peripheral, however good and pretty chosen leaders, we have to step up in guiding and they may seem.