Refreshing the Church-School Relationship
On the morning of 29 October 2022, 40 members from HVMC's Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) and the various church ministries, gathered at the Olive Ballroom of the Metropolitan YMCA, for a retreat. The purpose of the gathering was to pray, discern and generate ideas to "Refresh our Ministry to ACS (International)".
The objectives of the retreat were to affirm God's call to place HVMC within the grounds of ACS (International), to provide Christian ministry and be a "beacon of truth and light"; to recognise that the School is one of HVMC's key platforms to building up and reaching out to the next generation; to make an impact on the students, staff and parents by developing action plans leveraged on existing ministries.
After a buffet breakfast, an ice-breaker game was played where participants revealed which Old Testament character they most admired. Then Pastor Jeremy gave an exhortation to all to live as though Christ's return was imminent. He also shared relevant information, like the percentage of Christians in ACS (International) among the student, teacher and worker populations.
The participants were then divided into six breakout groups and the discussion began. It was a fruitful session, as ideas were exchanged, concerns voiced and solutions worked on. After a delicious lunch provided by the New Ubin Seafood Restaurant, each group presented what was discussed, followed by a consolidation of action points.
Here are some thoughts and insights from attendees:
Imelda Fyffe was indeed refreshed and encouraged by the unity of ideas from all the ministries. "The worship was very uplifting and I was edified and exhorted by the Word Pastor Jeremy shared during the meeting," she said. "Leaders should meet up, pray together and encourage one another."
Brandon Chee said, "During the retreat, we learned about how Christ has blessed HVMC and shared how we can push on to be a blessing to ACS (International) with like-minded individuals. We will cherish this opportunity."
Janine Boon said she liked that this year, the retreat started in prayer and reflection, helping to set the tone for the entire retreat. She felt it was also refreshing to hear the thoughts and opinions of the non-LCEC members in her group, which made the discussions more robust. "There was a lot of alignment in what the group discerned, namely in the 3Rs: relationships, relevance and responsibility. We continue to seek God's leading on how to implement these into the Youth Ministry in the next year," she said.
Alex Lum found greater awareness and alignment on how each ministry within HVMC can play a role in reaching out and strengthening the ties with the teachers and students of ACS (International).
Ng Wan Ching
