On TRAC Together for God’s Word, Worship, Welcome, Witness and Wonder 2 nd 9 ISSUE 201 On TRAC together Rev Dr Gordon Wong TRAC President’s Message On TRAC Together “From (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16) The apostle Paul pictures disciples as belonging to YMLC that brought together almost 300 of our one body, growing and developing together, with young adult members over three days of learning, each member playing its part. Paul is clear that there laughing, crying, praying and growing together. are many different parts in a body, and different parts play different roles. The body grows best when each But this issue looks beyond past events to the very near member plays its particular part. future as well. There are many different and edifying ways to celebrate Christmas, and none of us can This picture of members working together, and offer everything to everyone. But together, we can supporting each other, is what we try to encourage celebrate Christmas, and invite others to celebrate with in the phrase: On TRAC Together. We hope to help us, in many different parts of Singapore, at different each other by working together for the good of the times, and in many different ways. So let’s be OnTRAC whole body. Together in celebrating Christmas in at least one of many ways this December, to the glory and pleasure This issue of OnTRAC features some of the events of God. that have brought us together. There is a report of a Worship conference that saw members from our My family and I wish you and yours a blessed Advent different local churches coming together for a time and Christmas season. or worship, learning and sharing. Our youth members came together for an energetic and inspiring evening that was called Unite. There is also a report on our By Rev Dr Gordon Wong 02 ONTRAC Rev Dr Eddie Ho THE YOUNG METHODIST EADERS CONFERENCE – L Methodist Conferencing Every year in July, around three hundred young leaders I was not sure how young leaders would feel about a from twenty-one TRAC churches would meet for a time three-day conference examining historical events of the of connecting, learning and praying. This is probably the 18th century historical events, and so I spoke to a few largest gathering of TRAC leaders besides the Annual delegates to find out. Conference in November. Most Surprising Discovery This meeting is affectionately known as ‘YMLC’ although Many delegates I spoke to were pleasantly surprised to no one can actually pronounce the four consonants put learn of the Rev. John Wesley’s love life and how human together. Many people think it is a conference for youths he was. They knew of him as an ‘untouchable’ spiritual and youth leaders, and others may think it is a mid-year giant, yet they discovered that Wesley was like any young meeting for young leaders before the older one at the person today – constantly struggling with spiritual and end of the year. life issues, and even making mistakes along the way. This gave them hope that their struggles were not in vain. Neither is true. Many shared with me that they felt God’s assurance of love and were encouraged to press on in seeking God, Firstly, no one pronounces ‘YMLC’ as a word - it is simply even a ‘heart-warming’ encounter with God. the Y-M-L-C, an abbreviation for the Young Methodist Leaders’ Conference. Secondly, the YMLC is organized Most Impactful Moment for leaders of any ministry (not just youth ministries) aged And the Holy Spirit did indeed move at the Conference. between 19 and 35 in the 21 TRAC churches. Lastly, Besides the lively corporate worship and the time of delegates to the YMLC need not necessarily be delegates pausing for personal devotion, the participants were to the Annual Conference. prompted to pray for each other one, even delegates they had just met. However, it was the unseen activities outside This year’s theme was A Revival of Holiness, with the the curriculum time that spoke volume of the power of the intention of discovering our Methodist roots. Holy Spirit. I spoke to 20-year-old Joshua who was struggling to keep Rev Dr Chiang Ming Shun brought to life his church small group intact. Several members of his interesting stories of the Wesleyan revival in 18th small group were non-committal and frivolous, sometimes century; petty even, and at odds with each other. He was crying to God for help before coming to the Conference. Rev Malcolm Tan shared how the Methodist After the final plenary on the ‘class meeting’ at the tradition helps be faithful disciples of Christ; and Conference, members of his small group who were also at the Conference were so touched by the Spirit that they Rev Anthony Lee explained the engine of wanted to (in Joshua’s own words) “do a class meeting Methodism, the ‘Class Meetings’, which was now!” It was a breakthrough that night. There were th the driving force behind the 18 century revival confession, repentance and reconciliation. Joshua’s small and how it remains applicable today. A ‘class’ group had an awakening and the fire was still burning as in Wesley’s time is synonymous to today’s Small I checked on Joshua three months after the Conference. Group ministry. ONTRAC 03 The One Takeaway When asked about their one takeaway from the Echoing the same sentiment, Jana from Christ Methodist conference, many participants recognized the need to Church said she realized that the Christian walk is “get right” before God. The Wesleyan question “How something we cannot do alone, and she rests on the fact does your soul prosper?” left a deep impression on that there is a big family (the church community) wanting Dominique from Fairfield Methodist Church. She said, to journey with her. “Although it may be a simple question, it carries a The Verdict? profound message. Everyone faces their own struggles It turns out that 18th century faith and life remains relevant and difficulties in their daily walk with God, and it is easy for modern Christians. Christians 300 years ago and to get caught up in our own problems that we neglect the Christians today share similar struggles, and we can glean people around us. Asking this question challenges us to practical wisdom from the past. When asked if they would be more intentional in encouraging one another, which return next time for more ‘Methodist’ Conferencing, the I think is very important in creating a strong Christian answer has been an overwhelming “yes!” community.” YMLC Notes Wondering what the speakers spoke about Methodism in YMLC’19? Here’s a hand-drawn notes by Dominique Chan of Fairfield Methodist Church. 04 ONTRAC Ps Allan Lee hollered the greeters stationed at the entrance to the Shine Auditorium. The tantalizing smell of popcorn filledUnite the atrium on the evening of 3rd August as the queue for bubble tea grew with each“Welcome passing minute. to Over Unite!” on another side of the foyer, some could be seen taking selfies with the splendidly decorated backdrop; posting and sharing them via Instastory or Telegram. As the doors to the Shine Auditorium opened and seats began to fill, a few members of the audience were invited on stage to participate in a round of games. Hilarity ensued as they attempted to guess the name of worship songs through charades, or humming with their mouth full of marshmallows. ‘Better Together, Stronger Together’ God’s Great Story and Our Place in But this was not the opening act of your typical worship His Plans concert. Neither was this an entertainment act at a After a time of worship, Rev. Shaun Chong brought the carnival. This was the precursor to Unite, a night when message to those in attendance. First, he impassionedly youth from our Methodist churches and schools came reminded us that the world may tell us that we’re together to worship God as one body in Christ. important, or how we feel is important. However, the truth is that it is not about us, but God and His plan. “Unite is a call for youth to come together as a single This call to look beyond ourselves was followed by a whole unit for a common purpose and action,” says reminder that God’s plans are bigger and better than Benedict Ooi, Youth Worker with TruthMin and also ours. As such, we need to move beyond replicating Chairperson for Unite, “to lift the name of Jesus, to what seems to work for others, thinking that if we do expand our youth’s perspective that we are bigger the same, the Spirit of God would be there as well. than just our local church and together, we are ‘better together, stronger together’.” Finally, Rev. Chong exhorted those in attendance, and youth ministries in particular, not to compare among That Unite managed to bring together more than 100 themselves. Instead, we ought to celebrate each volunteers from different churches was a testament to other’s faith and successes because we are united in being ‘better together, stronger together’. These youth God’s great story. and young adults served selflessly and sacrificially in different areas, ensuring that the event went smoothly. One can only imagine the time and effort put in but the worship team and dancers of Vessels Unveiled. The ushering and decoration teams also played an important part in ensuring that all who came had a wonderful experience.