Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
GEPC's Annual Family Camp ~ Day 3
Another bright new day kicked off with good breakfast (breakfast is a must, people!). When everyone had settled down, the third session of congregational worship was led by sis Zi Hui.
Then, it came to the time of sharing by Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry. As we sat in groups, we were asked two questions:
What are the hindrances that keep you from finishing well in a race?
What are the motivation factors that help you finish well in a race?
Many great answers were written on the board, among them were "married non-believers, overburdened with life commitment and discouragement" (for the first question) and "perseverance and patience, lasting compassion and strong relationship with God" (for the second question). For each of the question, Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry shared their own experiences and beliefs on how to start well, continue well and finish well in a race.
"We are called to be world Christians, not worldly Christians."
At the end of the sharing, the pastors opened the altar for us to come forward and sign our commitment to God. Many of us took the step of faith to trust in God though the challenges might overwhelm them at some points in their lives in the future. Praise the Lord for we know that He will always be faithful to carry us through it all! Amen!
Before proceeding to lunch, we had a short time of sharing and appreciation to the camp committee who had worked very hard to get everything in order.
Congratulations and thank you for a job well done!
Then, it came to the time of sharing by Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry. As we sat in groups, we were asked two questions:
What are the hindrances that keep you from finishing well in a race?
What are the motivation factors that help you finish well in a race?
Many great answers were written on the board, among them were "married non-believers, overburdened with life commitment and discouragement" (for the first question) and "perseverance and patience, lasting compassion and strong relationship with God" (for the second question). For each of the question, Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry shared their own experiences and beliefs on how to start well, continue well and finish well in a race.
"We are called to be world Christians, not worldly Christians."
At the end of the sharing, the pastors opened the altar for us to come forward and sign our commitment to God. Many of us took the step of faith to trust in God though the challenges might overwhelm them at some points in their lives in the future. Praise the Lord for we know that He will always be faithful to carry us through it all! Amen!
Before proceeding to lunch, we had a short time of sharing and appreciation to the camp committee who had worked very hard to get everything in order.
Congratulations and thank you for a job well done!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
GEPC's Annual Family Camp ~ Day 2
By 9.30 am, almost everyone was already in the hall, enjoying breakfast with hot milo.
When everyone was ready, we had another session of congregational worship, this time led by sister Melissa! Then, Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry started off their sharing by conducting another activity. Five brothers and five sisters volunteered and they were given the task to bring the long pipe in their hands to the ground at the same time! Whenever either one of them went down faster, they would have to start all over again. You could see their frustration slowly building up after each failure, but they pressed on. After many trials, they completed their mission (albeit with the help of Ps. Sherry).
The message behind this was in our Christian walk, one can never walk alone. Had any of them tried to lower the pipe faster than the other, they would have to restart the whole process. We are one body with Christ as our head. We need to cooperate and work together, each supporting the other. Wow! I just marvel at how such a simple activity can have such profound meaning behind it!
Next activity was the two workshops, planning your future conducted by Ps. Rueben and character by Ps. Robert.
I believed that all who attended either one of the workshops learnt some pointers to improve themselves, either to plan a better future according to God's will or adopting godly characteristics. Amen!
Now, here comes the time for (drum rolls.....) BAPTISM!!!!! Woohoo!!! We were extremely enthusiastic, excited, joyful and glad when two faithful members of GEPC decided to proclaim in public that they would follow Jesus Christ, their Lord and Saviour, for the rest of their lives. They were...... bro Joseph Woo Zi Xin and sis Lathasharmila!!!
It was incredible and wonderful to be able to witness their water baptism as brothers and sisters in Christ. Congratulations, Zi Xin and Sharmila!!!
After that, it was time for... "fear factor" aka outdoor games such as flying fox and kayaking. Whew... I really want to thank God for protecting everyone who participated in the games because some went back to shower with bruises on the arm, shoulder and leg. Who knows how terrible it would be if God was not protecting them.
Finally, it was barbecue time!!! We would like to thank the good samaritans who stood and cooked for all the campers. It was definitely a delicious assortment of prawns, chickens, hotdogs and squids. Thank you to those who made this barbecue possible!
While enjoying the barbecue, we were entertained by talented "actors and actresses" as each cell group came forward with a sketch. Though they brought the house down with their jokes, each sketch portrayed a hidden meaning that could be applied in our daily lives.
Congratulations to every cell group for your effort. Also, congratulations to...... CGO2 for winning the competition!
The last event for the day was the walk of faith. Basically, you will be blindfolded and led to a rope whereby you would have to make your path just by hanging on to that rope in your hands. This symbolised our own walk and relationship with God, which could only be strengthened with our faith.
Congrats to those who made it through. Hopefully, this will help increase your faith to the next level! Amen!
When everyone was ready, we had another session of congregational worship, this time led by sister Melissa! Then, Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry started off their sharing by conducting another activity. Five brothers and five sisters volunteered and they were given the task to bring the long pipe in their hands to the ground at the same time! Whenever either one of them went down faster, they would have to start all over again. You could see their frustration slowly building up after each failure, but they pressed on. After many trials, they completed their mission (albeit with the help of Ps. Sherry).
The message behind this was in our Christian walk, one can never walk alone. Had any of them tried to lower the pipe faster than the other, they would have to restart the whole process. We are one body with Christ as our head. We need to cooperate and work together, each supporting the other. Wow! I just marvel at how such a simple activity can have such profound meaning behind it!
Next activity was the two workshops, planning your future conducted by Ps. Rueben and character by Ps. Robert.
I believed that all who attended either one of the workshops learnt some pointers to improve themselves, either to plan a better future according to God's will or adopting godly characteristics. Amen!
Now, here comes the time for (drum rolls.....) BAPTISM!!!!! Woohoo!!! We were extremely enthusiastic, excited, joyful and glad when two faithful members of GEPC decided to proclaim in public that they would follow Jesus Christ, their Lord and Saviour, for the rest of their lives. They were...... bro Joseph Woo Zi Xin and sis Lathasharmila!!!
It was incredible and wonderful to be able to witness their water baptism as brothers and sisters in Christ. Congratulations, Zi Xin and Sharmila!!!
After that, it was time for... "fear factor" aka outdoor games such as flying fox and kayaking. Whew... I really want to thank God for protecting everyone who participated in the games because some went back to shower with bruises on the arm, shoulder and leg. Who knows how terrible it would be if God was not protecting them.
Finally, it was barbecue time!!! We would like to thank the good samaritans who stood and cooked for all the campers. It was definitely a delicious assortment of prawns, chickens, hotdogs and squids. Thank you to those who made this barbecue possible!
While enjoying the barbecue, we were entertained by talented "actors and actresses" as each cell group came forward with a sketch. Though they brought the house down with their jokes, each sketch portrayed a hidden meaning that could be applied in our daily lives.
Congratulations to every cell group for your effort. Also, congratulations to...... CGO2 for winning the competition!
The last event for the day was the walk of faith. Basically, you will be blindfolded and led to a rope whereby you would have to make your path just by hanging on to that rope in your hands. This symbolised our own walk and relationship with God, which could only be strengthened with our faith.
Congrats to those who made it through. Hopefully, this will help increase your faith to the next level! Amen!
GEPC's Annual Family Camp, 10th - 12th July 2009
Greetings everyone! How are all of you after the camp? Probably some of you slept through the day, but nonetheless it was an enjoyable camp altogether! I'm sure all of you benefited in one way or another from the camp's activities. Can I hear an Amen?
So far, we had our previous two church camps in Rawang and El Sanctuary, Malacca. This time around, it was held at Outbac Adventure Camp, Broga, where the campers, together with two invited speakers from Cambodia, Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry, were surrounded by nature. You might think that it's no big deal, but before you make any conclusion, let the photos below have a chance to speak for themselves.
Upon arriving at the campsite, we were briefed about the camp rules and regulations before having our sumptious dinner.
We had a fun time breaking the ice with our dear sister, Amabel Seow leading us. Three cheers to her for successfully leading simple games yet gaining everyone's attention before proceeding onward.
Then, we had our first session of congregational worship. We were very blessed to be able to watch the video clip put together by the two pastors about White Lotus, the organisation that they had established specially for sexually abused girls.
It was a wonder to see the sustaining passion that Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry had for these girls. They had shared that God wanted them to be missionaries despite their own "jobs" back in their homeland. It all boils down to being obedient towards God's calling. All of us as disciples of Jesus Christ should be obedient to God even when we don't understand His ways. Amen!
So far, we had our previous two church camps in Rawang and El Sanctuary, Malacca. This time around, it was held at Outbac Adventure Camp, Broga, where the campers, together with two invited speakers from Cambodia, Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry, were surrounded by nature. You might think that it's no big deal, but before you make any conclusion, let the photos below have a chance to speak for themselves.
Upon arriving at the campsite, we were briefed about the camp rules and regulations before having our sumptious dinner.
We had a fun time breaking the ice with our dear sister, Amabel Seow leading us. Three cheers to her for successfully leading simple games yet gaining everyone's attention before proceeding onward.
Then, we had our first session of congregational worship. We were very blessed to be able to watch the video clip put together by the two pastors about White Lotus, the organisation that they had established specially for sexually abused girls.
It was a wonder to see the sustaining passion that Ps. Debbie and Ps. Sherry had for these girls. They had shared that God wanted them to be missionaries despite their own "jobs" back in their homeland. It all boils down to being obedient towards God's calling. All of us as disciples of Jesus Christ should be obedient to God even when we don't understand His ways. Amen!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
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