Life Bible-Presbyterian Church
Children's Ministry
|
|
|
"Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey...And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deut 6:3, 7) In the beginning With the founding of the Life Church English congregation in the old Prinsep Street Life Church, children were gathered together to study God’s Word at the feet of faithful Sunday School teachers. Later the Sunday School decided to start a Junior Worship Service (JWS) to help our children learn and practise corporate worship at the earliest age possible. Elder Edmund Tay was the progenitor of the JWS. Under his leadership, the Sunday School continued to support the JWS ministry. It was with this simple objective that the Sunday School continued to have a JWS under its supervision for many years. Formation of Children’s Ministry In the 1980’s, the Junior Worship grew to a sizable group, and the leaders felt that it was time to restructure the entire JWS. The JWS had been blessed by having many speakers from visiting missionaries, pastors, full-time workers and students from the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC). We remember fondly speakers such as Mrs Lehia Paauwe, and Rev. and Mrs Jim Turner. Rev. Peter Clements, who was still studying in the FEBC, was another regular speaker. We also had our own missionary to Thailand, Mrs Jess Tamee, who was in-charge of the JWS for many years. Other supervisors of the JWS were Mrs Tan Poh Yok, Mr Chua Teow Tzing, Mr Yeap Khek Teong, Mrs Priscilla Ng and Mrs Lee Liuh Chie. Meanwhile, Mrs Tan Poh Yok proposed the formation of the Life Church Children’s Ministry. The JWS would become one of the six groups under this Ministry. Rev. Dr Patrick Tan was the adviser to the Children’s Ministry. In 1993, it was handed over to me as the new Chairman-in-charge. Need for Teen Worship Service – Young Lifers’ Worship In the 1990’s, the Children’s Ministry grew to about 250. The older children who had just finished their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) found it difficult trying to follow the adult worship. The sudden transition from the JWS was recognised as a problem that needed immediate attention from the leaders. There were many teens who decided to drop out from the Church. Hence, the immediate action was to re-organise the order of worship for the JWS, trying to choose hymns normally used in adult worship. This affected the other children who were new to the JWS. Hence, the Children’s Ministry committee put forward a proposal to the Life B-P Church Session to incorporate a new teen ministry under the umbrella of the Children’s Ministry. Several names were considered, such as Children Ministry Extension and Teen Worship Service. Finally, the committee decided to call it the Young Lifers’ Worship (YLW). This name reflects the age group of the young worshippers, and the transitional nature that they are being prepared for the adult worship. Apart from having the format and hymns planned as closely to the adult worship as possible, the YLW also joins the adult worship at 10.30 a.m. on the first Lord’s Day of the month to observe the Holy Communion. The topics planned for the YLW cater to the needs of their spiritual growth. The speakers come from the Session, the Sunday School, the FEBC and parents of the teens. This new ministry has been blessed of the Lord. Since its inception on 5 October 1998, the number of teens coming to the YLW has increased from 25 to about 60 today. Many of these teens have joined the adult worship after they left the YLW, instead of dropping out from the Church. Praise the Lord! Conclusion The Lord has blessed the Children’s Ministry and the Young Lifers’ Worship in many ways. The children are taught the Word of God as instructed in Deuteronomy 6:7. Parents of the children and teenagers also benefit from their involvement with the work of this ministry. Our prayer is that God will raise church leaders and full-time workers from this ministry, both from the parents and their children. Amen. Elder Sherman Ong Eng Lam |
|
Send mail to webmaster@lifebpc.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|