Vicar Writes 17th Jan
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This weekend, I will be away preaching at St John’s St Margaret’s Church. I am grateful to Revd Hwa Chih and staff for covering my duties.
Do pray as some of us gather together on 30th Jan for our Leaders Conference. This coming Leaders Conference will be important for all our leaders to know what is being planned church-wide and across our various ministries. Our ministry staff/leaders will also present their year plans at this conference. It will also be a wonderful occasion to interact across ministries. I will also ‘reveal’ our first SJC journal, with the 5-year vision as the theme. It will be given to every SJC-er and we will brief you on how you can use it effectively.
The new building and facilities at Leedon Road present a new season for us here in SJC (photo: the old building completely demolished). Let us seek the Lord together as to the kind of services and ministries that He has in store for the years to come. In some areas, new wineskins may be needed. In others, they are to be strengthened. There can be new possibilities too. Let’s pray, seek and think together. How is society changing? How should the church respond? 18 months may seem like a long time but before you know it, we will be back.
I have been blessed by rereading a book I read many years ago entitled, “Loving God with all your mind” by J.P. Moreland. He taught on the need for the church to recognise the role of reason and the need for Christians to develop a sound and mature biblical mind. After all, St Paul reminded: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2). He did not say we had to go for more altar calls, make more New Year resolutions or have more experiences of God. St Peter likewise said, “Prepare your minds for action…” (1 Pet 1:13). In a year when we want to strengthen our culture on evangelism, it has to begin by preparing our mind for action. The clearer we are about the truth of Christianity and its relevance in the world of ideas out there, the more effective we will be as His witness.