FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
-
Upload
fundamental-christian-ministry -
Category
Documents
-
view
215 -
download
0
Transcript of FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
1/24
1
Report on FCM Camp 2008
Overcoming the Snares of
the World
Text: FCM Camp Committee
Photos: James Tan
Overview(by Jason Liew)
The FCM Camp 2008 was held fromMay 26-31, 2008 at Calvary Pandan B-P
Church under the theme, Overcoming the Snares
of the Worldwith Pr Dennis Kabingue as the
main speaker. Evening exhortations
pertaining to The Life of Contentment were
given by Elder William Seah, Dn Peter Phoa
and Bro Joshua Yong. Yield Not to
Temptation is our theme song and the theme
verse, taken from Titus 2:12 reads, Teaching usthat, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world.The Camp Committee comprised Low
Boon Siang (Camp Master), Jason Liew
(Assistant Camp Master), Karen Lee
(Treasurer), Elena Ang (Publicity I/C), Ho
Xiao Wei (Logistics I/C) and Ruth Low
(Food I/C).
As FCM had many years of history in
organising camps (the first camp was in 1988),
we give praise and thanks to God for handed-
down guidelines from which we were able to
adopt certain good practices and streamline
processes to ensure the smooth planning and
running of camp. And as with every year, we
had our share of struggles and trials but theLord proved Himself to be faithful. First
there was a lack of camp committee members
but the Lord in His own perfect timing
assembled together the team. Next as the
weeks passed, both Boon Siang and Jason
discovered that they could only attend on a
part-time basis due to vocational
commitments and uncertainties abounded
regarding the regularity which bottleneckedthe planning process but they trusted in the
Lord and eventually, the Lord delivered them.
2008/3 FCM Newsletter Jul Sep 2008
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
2/24
2
As to the intricacies of the testings of
our faith and how Gods mysterious yet
marvelous hand was at work amidst His
people despite their innumerable
idiosyncrasies, the camp committee could butonly document a number because there were
too many to tell. Nonetheless, even as you
read through these daily reflections of Gods
goodness in the lives of His people, we pray
that you will be encouraged and edified. And
so, the camp begins
Day One, Monday 26/05/08(by Jason Liew)
The 1st day of camp! Aloof from the
allures and attractions of this present world, a
fellowship of fifteen faithful few gathered
together in anticipation and hunger for a week
of spiritual feasting. FCMers and friends from
various churches rejoiced to see one another
and were quickly catching up with oneanother. Of course, there were those whom
some of us only knew by faces beforehand
but walked away forging deeper friendships by
the end of six blessed days.
The camp kicked off at 10.40am with a
time of intercessory prayer committing the
various items, events and people of the camp
unto the loving hands of Our HeavenlyFather for without Him we can do nothing
(John 15:5). Looking back, the Lord has
indeed inclined His ear unto our prayers and
blessed each and every one of us richly. The
group gathered on stage then began
introducing themselves to one another. To
assimilate the icy barrier, we played whacko.
After which, we sought to uncover more of
each other through a blanket game wherebywe must ascertain the other persons identity
and attributes. We then moved on to our
dormitories to unpack.
Lunch was next on the menu. After
physically filled, its time for the spiritual. The
1st theme message given on the 1st day by Pr
Dennis Kabingue of Gethsemane BPC who is
our camp speaker for the 1st time was indeed
a heart-reckoning and soul-searching sermon.
We praise the Lord for the faithful exposition
of Gods Holy Word. To sum up the opening
message, I quote (from the camp notes), The
best way to overcome the entrapments of the world is to
study the mindset of the world from a Biblicalperspective. And this we did, being taken
through passages of scripture revealing to us
the worlds leader (i.e. the god of this world)
and system (i.e. the rudiments, elements,
pollutions and wisdom of this world). Not
only so, we were reminded that the world has
its own leaders and teachers (i.e. the wise, the
scribe, the disputer of this world, the mighty
and the false prophets). While the glitters,gold and glamour of this world endeavor to
ensnare us, we should glorify God by
guarding ourselves with Gods given Word.
We must trust and obey.
An exhilarating Captains Ball got
everyone on their feet late afternoon. Thank
God for safety and good weather. The plan
was to have outdoor games the first day and
indoor object lessons on the second. Indeed,
God was gracious to grant us sunshine on
Monday and downpour on Tuesday.
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
3/24
3
Elder William Seah of Calvary Tengah
BPC ministered to us after a delicious dinner.
He spoke on The Life of Contentment and
Trialsusing the acronym TRIALS to illustrate
his point and I quote, TRIALSare sent to...
Test our faith in Him, Refresh His grace toward us,
Inculcate dependence on Him, Acknowledge His
Sovereignty, Let Him have His way with us &
Sanctify us for His service. We were greatly
encouraged. The night closed warmly with a
fruitful time of dorm fellowship.
Day Two, Tuesday 27/05/08(by Low Boon Siang)
The 2nd day of camp began with a
devotional message entitled God is Our Refugeand Strengthby Bro Jason Liew. He led us in
the meditation of Psalm 46, which expresses
thanks for the deliverance of Jerusalem, the
city of God. Three precious points were
extracted from this beautiful psalm, namelythe
Protection of God, the Presence of Godand the Peace
of God. As children of this loving and mighty
God, we were encouraged to hope and trust
in His power, providence and gracious
presence, even in tumultuous times. In closing
of the devotion, we sang Hymn 46 of Revival
Hymns and Choruses A Mighty Fortress is our
God on which Psalm 46 was based. This
hymn was penned by the great Reformer,
Martin Luther, who wanted to praise God for
His preservation and defense of His church
and Word.
In the 2nd theme message, Pr Dennis
Kabingue helped us understand the Character
of the World from Ephesians chapter 2. The
Devil is the father of this world and the
characteristics of his household are
categorized into 1) Godless, 2) Ignorant of
God, 3) Haters of God, 4) Lovers of sin and 5)Haters of Gods people. In this Christ-less
condition, without the knowledge and saving
interest in the Messiah, they are strangers to
the covenants of promise. They have no hope
beyond this life and no hope of spiritual and
eternal blessings. We, as the household of
God should, and must be very different from
the household of the Devil, because we are
governed by different laws and differentmanagement. We are exhorted to examine our
own lives and walk worthy of the Lord in all
that we do. We are also warned to be careful
in our friendship with our peers that we may
not fall into the snares of the world.
After a sumptuous lunch, we had a
short siesta followed by an evangelismworkshop conducted by Rev Wee Eng Moh,
Pastor of Berith BPC and Bible Study Leader
of FCM NTU/NIE. Thank God for a very
powerful and necessary exhortation on the
necessity and importance of sharing the
gospel to lost souls. We were then divided
into groups to discuss various scenarios to
prepare us for effective tracting in the real
world outside. We also discussed on theanswers for common excuses and objections
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
4/24
4
by unbelievers, be it friends or strangers. At
the end of this workshop, all of us were
further strengthened in fulfilling the great
commission.
At 4.10pm, the campers participated in
a Pictionary and team-bonding object lesson
called Blindfold. We had a jolly good time
of laughter and interaction drawing and letting
group mates guess the weird pictures. The
most challenging part came when a
blindfolded group mate from each group had
to overcome obstacles with their eyes
blinded. The rest of the group members
must direct with limited vocabulary so that
the sheep can follow the voices and reach
the destination. Not only was this game full of
excitement, it had a very serious object lesson,
which is to listen to the voice of our true
Shepherd and follow His leading in our lives.
The 2nd night closed with a session of
Prayer Meeting and Dorm Fellowship. TheLord is good. He had seen us through another
blessed day of spiritual feasting and sweet
fellowship.
Day Three, Wednesday 28/05/08(by Ruth Low)
Morning devotion by Bro Ko LingKang on Psalm 73 taught us not to envy the
world with all its wickedness. Let us beware
lest we be like Asaph who almost stumbled
when he was envious of the worldly ones who
seemed to be prospering and living a
luxurious life (vv. 2-4). Their seemingly good
life leads to pride and greed (vv. 6-9). Theirmoral standards are different from ours. They
have no qualms about committing sin they
live for self. Only when we come to God will
we realise that envying the ungodly is wrong
(v. 17). Judgment will come upon them. Their
destruction will be as quick and complete as a
dream that suddenly vanishes (vv. 18-20).
Rather than envying the unbelievers, they
should envy us instead. Verses 23-28 give thereason why. God guides us, holds us and
finally receives us into glory. We have peace in
the Lord. These make the big difference
between believers and unbelievers.
Morning Message by Pr Dennis
touched on the need for Christ as a way of
overcoming the snares of the world. Christ is
the Saviour of the world (Jn 4:39-42) Light ofthe world (Jn 9:5 8:12) Prophet of the world
(Jn 10:36 11:27 6:14) Bread of life (Jn 6:33)
and Intercessor of His people (Jn 17:11-15).
To overcome the snares of the world, we
must abide in Christ always. We must not
have any spiritual diets but constantly and
faithfully feed on the Bread of life. He also
promises to be with us till the end (Matt
28:18-20).
The Bible Quiz was held in AV room
and led by Xiao Wei. It was a blessed time of
interacting with own group members, testing
our Bible knowledge and learning new things.
It was raining during the quiz but it stopped
for us to go out tracting. A short exhortation
done by Ruth on 2 Cor 12:14-15we must
spend and be spent gladly for the work of thegospel in spite of rejection, inconvenience etc.
Next, we went in our 3 groups to Jurong East
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
5/24
5
central, namely the bus interchange, entrance
to JEC and near the library. At least 3 souls
(school girls) were saved that day. One is Kai
Ting, and the other 2 are Indian girls. Karen is
doing follow-up with them.
Thank God for:
a) stopping the rain
b) the 3 souls added to the kingdom of God
c) all whom we managed to converse with
and share the gospel. Pray that the Lord
will allow the seed of the gospel to grow
in their hearts and that the Holy Spirit will
quickly convict them of their sin and need
for a Saviour
d) giving us utterance, especially those less
proficient in Mandarin
e) a new opportunity for those who have
not evangelised or done tracting before
f) the new lessons learnt (see next column).
Pray that the Lord will help us remember
those lessons and apply them the next
time we evangelise. Pray also that our
love and desire to reach out to the lost
will increase and be sustained
During combined sharing at night,
many experiences were shared. Heres a
summary of some lessons learnt:
a) Preparation of heart and mind (to have
the passion for souls, and wisdom to
know what to say and how to react)
b) Courage (to stand up for the gospel and
share it freely)
c) Persistence (of sharing the good news and
not to give up easily)
d) Sharing of personal testimony of salvation
and a new life in Christ (to show the
reality and fruit of believing in Christ)
e) Follow-up (i.e. get the name and number
of the person and make sure we contact
them)
f) Show pictures/read from the tract/read
from the Bible (so as to capture and hold
attention, and verify what we say)
Thank God for a blessed time of
sharing and learning from one another.
Sharing session was closed with Boon Xiangand Joshua praying for the above lessons
learnt as well as for the new believers and all
others whom we met.
Night message was given by Dn Peter
Phoa of Calvary Tengah BPC on the topic
The Life of Contentment and Finances. Some
important points he highlighted in addition to
those found in camp booklet:
a) Covetousness is idolatry (Col 3:5)
b) We are to possess wealth, and not let
wealth possess us
c) We are to be rich toward God (Luke
12:16-21)
d) We are to ask for just enoughnot too
little or too much (Prov 30:8-9)
e) Luke 12:15 says, Take heed, and beware of
covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
6/24
6
abundance of the things which he possesseth
(emphasis added)
f) Matthew 6:21 says, For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also. For where your
treasure is our treasure ought to be in
heaven. There will your heart be alsoif
our treasure is in heaven, our heart will
also be towards heaven, and not the earth
Day Four, Thursday 29/05/08(by Ho Xiao Wei)
The days morning devotion was led by
Bro James Tan from Psalm 77 and was simply
entitled Remember. He referred us to
Lamentations 3:21 and quoted a portion of
Charles Spurgeons morning and evening
devotional book. Having pointed out that
memories are important and they affect our
thinking and who we are, he encouraged us to
know that remembering the Lord is a solution
to our troubles. In this Psalm, in the day of
trouble, the Psalmist sought the Lord for help.
Yet, even when the Psalmist did so, he was
still troubled and his spirit was still
overwhelmed. Verse 11 gives us the solution
I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I
will remember thy wonders of old. An account of
Gods mighty work serve to prove Gods
faithfulness and power, and by meditating onthem and reflecting on what God has done in
his life, the Psalmist finds comfort. So should
we.
Pr Kabingue brought us through the
penultimate part of our study on
Overcoming the Snares of the World with
the first 4 of 11 steps in which Soldiers of
Christ could use in their battle and in
overcoming the snares of the world through
obedience in Christ. 1) A void Living in
Darkness of the World (John 12:46) 2) Be
Transformed From the Mindset of the World
(Romans 12:2) 3) Conform To Gods Word
(Romans 12:2) 4) Do not try to Gain the
World (Matthew 16:26).
After lunch, the campers spent time
with their FCM Camp group, getting to know
each other better, and preparing for the
special item on Friday. Following that, a
creation science video on The Age of the
Earthby Kent Hovind was screened.
For the night message, Bro Joshua
Yong from Truth BPC spoke on The Life of
Contentment and Relationships, expounding onEphesians 2. He quoted what Elder William
Seah defined as contentment during the first
night message. Our relationship with God is
the basis of our contentment and a right
understanding of it is crucial. Godliness brings
about contentment, not the other way round.
He also showed us our similarity to the people
in the city of Ephesus and the relevance of
what Paul has said to them. He then showedus the basis of our relationship with God
His mercy, love and grace shown to us in
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
7/24
7
Christ, despite our unworthiness. This basis is
totally the work of God and is steadfast and
sure. This relationship of ours with God is the
basis of our relationship with men. As we
serve God together in this present world, weought to rejoice and not envy or covet, being
guided by the Word of God and the Holy
Spirit. Are we in Christ satisfied?
We then ended the night with dorm
fellowships, wonderful as usual.
Day Five, Friday 30/05/08(by Karen Lee)
Morning devotion for the day was led
by Bro Joshua Yong from Psalm 78 and was
entitled We Must Not Forget the Works of God.
Walking through the beginning verses of the
Scripture text, we were led to see how we are
commanded not to hide what we have heard
and known of Gods Word, but to show to
generation to come the praises of the LORD,
and His strength, and His wonderful works
that He hath done, that the generation to
come might know them, that they might set
their hope in God, and not forget the works
of God, but keep His commandments. We
see the marvelous and wondrous works of
God that He did in the sight of the fathers of
the children of Ephrahim, in the land ofEgypt, how He divided the sea and caused
them to pass through and made the waters to
stand as a heap, and how in the daytime He
led them with a pillar of cloud, and all the
night with a pillar of fire. We see also how
God had caused the rocks in the wilderness to
give them drink as out of the great depths,
and brought stream also out of the rock, and
caused waters to run down like rivers. Yet,they sinned more against Him by provoking
the most High in the wilderness, and tempted
God in their heart by asking meat for their
lust. The children of Ephrahim kept not the
covenant of God, and refused to walk in His
law and forgat His works, and His wonders
that He had shewed them. So oft had theyprovoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved
Him in the desert. They turned back and
tempted God, and limited the Holy One of
Israel, They remembered not His hand: nor
the day when He delivered them from the
enemy, or how He had wrought His signs in
Egypt, and His wonders in Zoan. Nonetheless,
He, being full of compassion, forgave their
iniquity, and destroyed them not, and many atime turned His anger away, and did not stir
up all His wrath. We are reminded not to be
forgetful people like them, but to remember
the works of God that we may not be as them,
a stubborn and rebellious generation, a
generation that set not their heart aright, and
whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
Pr Dennis Kabingue brought us
through the final part of our study on
Overcoming the Snares of the World with the
remaining seven steps in which Soldiers of
Christ could use in their battle and in
overcoming the snares of the world through
obedience in Christ. The seven remaining
steps discussed in this final part of our study
are: E vangelise the World (Galatians 6:14),
Fight the Ungodliness of the World (Titus
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
8/24
8
2:12), Grapple with the Power of the
Darkness of the World. (Eph 6:12), Hate the
Life in the World (John 12:25), Illuminate the
World (Matt 5:14), Judge the World (Hebrews
11:7,38) and Keep in Mind the ComingDestruction of the World (1 Cor 11:32). As
the study comes to a conclusion, it is our
prayer that God would help us to be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of His might, and
to put on the whole armour of God, that we
may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil, having the assurance and confidence
that we can have victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ who has overcome the world (see1 John 4:4-5).
After lunch, the three groups broke off
for Siesta. There were some groups which
chose to set off early to plan and prepare for
Fridays Special Event. Each group was
assigned different categories of dishes to
prepare for the Special Event, and the
assigned task includes not only to come up with a dish under the category allocated to
them, they are required also to explain the
significance of their choice dish, and prepare
sufficient amount to feed at least ten. The
group had to shop for the necessary
ingredients within a budget of $20, and to
prepare the dish at the home of one of their
members. The objective of the Special Event
is to encourage deeper fellowship amongbrothers and sisters in the group and learning
from one another as they work together in
planning and preparing. Thank God for
seeing each group through a blessed time of
working together and in coming up with
delicious dishes for Fridays dinner. Thank
God also for the great creativity and excellent
culinary skills He has given the members to be
used to bless others.
As the camp comes to a close, the
campers gathered together to testify of the
Lords goodness in their life, and how He has
worked in the hearts of each one of them to
walk away from the camp resolved to live forHis glory. Indeed, the LORD hath done great
things for us whereof we are glad (Psalm 126:3)!
All praise and thanks to our God Almighty,
who had made the camp possible, and who
has blessed us greatly through it.
Day Six, Saturday 31/05/08(by Jason Liew)
We broke camp at 10.45am after area
cleaning and breakfast.
May the Lord continue to bless each
and every one, especially the camp committee,
who has served the Lord with distinction and
toiled laboriously in the Lords vineyard in
preparation and participation of this years
camp. In retrospect, it was truly a blessed
experience. How we wished more could come
and partake in this wonderful blessing. Will
you not join us next year?
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
9/24
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
10/24
10
Thank God for the
opportunity to serve in the
FCM Camp Committee this
year. It has been my privilege
and joy. Thank God for the
sweet fellowship among like-
minded brethren, somethingthat is very hard to find
elsewhere. FCM Camp 2008
has truly blessed me in many
ways. Thank God for this
time of spiritual feasting.
May God help us to keep in
mind the lessons we have
learnt from the camp and to
live a victorious Christian life.~ Ho Xiao Wei, FCM NUS
The Lord had used this
years camp to show me how
He is able when I am unable,
and how He can use even the
unworthy and useless me if
He wills. Having theunderstanding of that, I rest
content in His will, not
wanting any more or
complaining of any less.
Being part of the camp
committee is not because of
any extraordinary skills orgifts God has bestowed upon
me, which I dont have and
being fully aware of that
brought about many
uncertainties and fears in the
process of carrying out my
duties and responsibilities.
The ability to fulfill my role
and to carry out chairingduties is hence only by the
grace of God, whose works
is manifested in my inabilities.
At the end of the camp, I
stand in awe and with a
thankful heart how my
Almighty God had brought
me through the many things
I well knew I cannot do without His help. I thank
Him also for being my
faithful God whom I know I
can always trust to provide
and to sustain, and to guide.
The camp has been a time I
find myself coming before
God in total dependence on
Him to see me through what
I needed to do, a time of
learning to trust, and to
commit all things into His
hands. It was also a time I
see Gods mighty hands at
work, in overseeing the
events of camp and in using
each of the campers to be a
channel of His blessings to
another. It humbled me
greatly to see how He is able
to use even a small number
of His children to be an
instrument in bringing to
others the saving message ofthe Gospel, whether it be
sowing of the Gospel seed or
to witness Him bringing
some out of darkness into
His marvelous light simply
through the Gospel message.
Indeed my God is so great,
so strong and so mighty,
theres nothing He cannot do!Despite the smaller number
of campers who were able to
attend the camp compared to
previous years, they are in no
wise of any less importance,
nor does the smaller number
discourages me in anyway,
for they are all precious in
His sight, and are beloved ofour Almighty God. I thank
God to be given the privilege
of serving Him and His
beloved children in even the
smallest ways. What great joy
it is! And what blessedness to
know that we share a
common love and a common
bond in our Lord Jesus
Christ! I thank God for the
many blessed moments He
has blessed us through the
camp, whether it be playing
of games, the deep and open
sharing over dorm fellowship,
one moment laughters and
one moment tears,
encouraging one another and
learning from the Word of
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
11/24
11
God together, coming before
His throne of grace
interceding for one another,
or helping one another in the
many different ways. I thankGod most for the
contentment, the satisfaction
of the heart, mind and soul
that we can have in Him as
His children. What rich
people we are, for godliness
with contentment is great
gain! (1 Tim 6:6) Giving all
praise and glory to our GodMost High, who hath done
great things for us whereof
we are glad! (Psalm 126:3) ~
Karen Lee, FCM NUS
I thank God for the
opportunity to attend the
FCM camp. It is an eventthat I look forward to every
year, for it is a week of
spiritual nourishment,
refreshment, and also a great
opportunity to have blessed
fellowship. This year, though
the numbers were slightly
smaller, the blessings were
no less abundant, if not more! We learnt much during the
short week that we had
together. Spiritual resolutions
and convictions were made,
friendships were forged and
strenghtened, and most
importantly, we all drewcloser to God in our spiritual
walks. As we press on ahead
together, may the ministry of
the FCM continue to be a
blessing to the people who
attend, and may it continue
to grow from strength to
strength, until the Lord
returns. ~ Ko Ling Kang, FCMNUS
Had a most edifying time
during girls dorm fellowship
where we wept for our sins
and confessed them one to
another, with no judgment
made against each other buttogether sorrowing for our
own selves and each other.
Together, we realised how
weak, helpless, sinful and
infirmed we were but more
so, how good our God has
been to us, that He would
care to condescend to our
estate and help us creaturesthat are so often stubborn,
depraved and weak in sin.
Truly, how great is the God
we adore! Looking forward
to next FCM camp! ~ Debbie
Tay, FCM NUS
FCM Camp 2008 was truly a
blessing to me. From the
messages, I was taught and
reminded of many lessons,
and I was also rebuked and
exhorted towards a closer
walk with my Lord and more
fervent service for Him. I am
especially thankful for the
tracting experience, for it has
served to remind me that
untold millions are still
untold, and to spur me on to
reach out to all the many lost
souls around me. Thank God
also for the blessedfellowship, it was truly a
wonderful time to be in the
company of Gods people
who have been a great
encouragement, be it in their
sincere and open sharings,
testimonies and even their
willingness to lend a helping
hand at all times. Praise Godfrom whom all blessings flow!
~ Ko Ling Ting, FCM NUS
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
12/24
12
FCM Camp was a blessing as
a spiritual retreat and the
delightful fellowship. the
messages, devotions and
sharings during dorm
fellowship and discussions
were heartfelt and warm, thatboth rebuked and also
encouraged me to have a
heart renewed for service to
the Lord. Thank God also
for having been able to learn
much from other campers
who shared so freely their
experiences and showed so
much humility andcheerfulness in serving one
another. (: ~ Joy Ng, FCM
NUS
It was indeed the Lord's
providence that led me to
FCM Camp 2008. Term was
still on for me in that week,but by His grace my tests had
ended and I was able to leave
school surprisingly early
some days to attend parts of
the morning message and
evangelism workshop, and
come for all the nightmessages. Though I only
came on a part-time basis, I
was richly blessed. In
particular, the messages
about the life of contentment
and trials by Elder Seah, and
Elder Boon's own testimony
on stewardship ministered to
me at a time when I waspersonally struggling with
submitting to God's will
regarding my school
environment. And despite
the small number attending,
the fellowship of these
brethren who have obtained
like precious faith was a great
encouragement to continuein the Lord. Kudos to the
committee for their labour of
love for Christ in organising
this spiritual feast. ~ Jonathan
Tay, FCM NUS
FCM Camp 2008 was the
first FCM Camp Ive
attended. However, I could
only attend the Monday and
Thursday night messages due
to an internship stint. I thank
God for granting me
attentiveness andreceptiveness during the
messages despite my physical
fatigue. The acronym
TRIALS for the purpose
of trials in a believers life
was thought-provoking, and
I could relate it to Jobs
attitude amidst his trials
But he knoweth the way that Itake: when he hath tried me, I
shall come forth as gold (Job
23:10). I hope to be able to
adopt this same thinking in
my life when faced with
difficulties, especially to Let
Him Have His Way With Me.
Another valuable lesson
learnt from the messages isthat contentment is not a
state of emotion, but rather,
knowledge of the
relationship between God
and man. Having attended
church since young has
translated into a taken-for-
granted mindset with respect
to my relationship with God.
I had forgotten what a
privilege it is to be elected by
God to be His child.
Through the Thursday
message, I was reminded of
this fundamental truth. All in
all, attending the night
messages was spiritually
refreshing to me after being
immersed in the realities of
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
13/24
13
the working world, and I
have been richly blessed. ~
Teo Jun Zi, FCM NTU/NIE
FCM Camp 2008 was the
second FCM camp I
attended. Although some
faces remain familiar as when
I first attended camp 2 years
ago, whilst others are new, I
must say the fellowship and
blessedness that FCM camp
provides is still the same!
This years camp theme
taught me much about how
to overcome the snares of
the world, with a
comprehensive step-by-step
guideline, which follows A
through K alphabetically for
easy memorizing! I also
learnt to be wary of thesnares of the World, and am
resolved after camp, to make
my life count for Christ and
walk in His ways, with His
enablement. One thing to
note! It is never a valid
excuse not to attend FCM
camp because you dont
know anyone, becauseeveryone is very warm and
friendly, so do join us and
see you next year! ~ Charlene
Tan, FCM NTU/NIE
Thank God for the FCM
camp. I have been greatly
blessed through it. It is
wonderful to see God
working through the ministry
of the FCM to bless
Christians who have gathered
to learn Gods Word. Thank
God for the Word faithfully
preached by Pr DennisKabingue, for the time of
discussion, for sharings in
dorms and in groups, for the
singing of praises to God, for
prayer, for fellowship, for
games, for cooking time
and for quiet time spent
alone with God. It is a
blessing to think upon thegoodness of God. Thank
God also for the opportunity
to serve in the camp. Thank
God for the grace God has
given to the camp committee
to plan and run the camp.
This camp has been a
wonderful time of spiritual
refreshing. Psalm 145:10,All thy works shall praise
thee, O LORD and thy
saints shall bless thee. ~
Joshua Yong, FCM SMU
Thank God for the FCM
ministry in Singapore. The
amount of blessings I have
received over my short
involvement in FCM thus far
are too many to name.
Although I was not able to
attend FCM camp 2008 full
time, the fellowship and
spiritual feeding was still very
warm and sweet. While I was
away from camp I yearned to
return to partake of the
messages and fellowship.
Really appreciate the youth
that our Lord have raised to
lead this ministry in these last
days. May we all remain
faithful and encourage moreto be blessed by this ministry!
~ Elvin Siew, FCM SMU
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
14/24
14
Initially, the topic seemed to
be a rather common one,
alongside the usual lines of
the themes of spiritual battles
against sin, temptations and
all that, stuff which we might
have heard countless timesover the pulpit. However, it
was surprisingly refreshing...
I would liken this camp to a
much needed visit to the
optician/optometrist, where
we improve our "spiritual
vision" to look out and be
aware of certain traps and
pitfalls in our lives. From the
reflections, sharing and
discussion sessions (which
we might usually lack aftermost messages), we are able
to clearly see, and realise how
certain things that appear as
the norm in our lives, can
easily lead to an opening for
temptation, or conceal a
hidden snare. Besides the
messages, FCM camp has
never failed to ensure ahealthy amount of fellowship,
which just simply adds
flavour and sweetness to the
whole experience... Praise
God! ~James Tan, FCM Poly
Thank God for the FCM
camp. Even though I was
there for a grand total of 12
hours, including sleeping
time, from the sharings from
the others in the camp, thank
God that we had a good time
of learning and
fellowshipping. J ~ Grace
Auyong, FCM Poly
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
15/24
15
Debbie Tay
BA (English Literature, Theatre Studies)National University of Singapore
So, the day finally arrived. Although I
was waiting for this day, I think my parents
were more excited about it than me because...
they don't have to fork out money for my
studies anymore? I don't really know. Its a
mark of achievement for them that they had
successfully funded my educational path? Or
maybe, the prospect that this is payback time
(literally)? Oh well, I think I was more happy
that I have no more excruciating assignments
where I have to continually stare at a blank
page with nothing to type, no more frustrating
confusing group work (and worrying if you
have competent group mates and about group
dynamics), and most of all, no more tiringexams where fingers fly from start time to end
time, or mind-boggling ones where... uhh...
the mind boggles. Hmm, although I think Im
going to miss the three month long breaks
and FCM and chilling out with my friends at
the Olive Cove and... Well, the fun part ofstudent life I guess.
But reality hits. One stage of my life
has ended and another is beginning. And
before I go on to the next stage of my life, I
think it'll be worthy to look back on how God
has brought me through. To reflect, to
meditate, and to think on God's goodness and
the lessons that He had taught me that theselessons, together with its fruits: faith, trust,
patience, and hope, may prepare me for the
next stage of my life.
In essence, I thank God for my
smooth journey through, but I thank God
more for the rough bumps along the way,
because it is through these bumps that I
experienced more deeply, (or more 'obviously'for someone like me who takes things for
granted) the grace of God. And through my
student life in NUS, these three lessons stood
out the most:
1. Not to run ahead of God.
2. Take a stand for what is right, no matter
the consequences
3. Everything is a choice. Be convicted in
whatever you choose.
GRADUATION TESTIMONIES Debbie Tay Ho Xiao Wei Karen Lee Low Boon Siang Benson Ang Shirlyn Tan
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
16/24
16
As I was pondering what to write and
perusing what little bits of journaling I had
made of my student life for the past three
years, I realised I had made many plans and
often, I wondered if God was in the equationor if I had placed my will before His. This one
incident stood out: I was planning to go for
an exchange programme for a semester in
Sweden / Ireland / Australia / Norway /
Finland. They call it the SEP: Student
Exchange Program. My grades were quite
alright and I was probably just sucked into the
excitement of living the life of a poor student
in a foreign country and experiencing lifeelsewhere (and thinking of nothing else but
that recall the words 'sucked into'). I was
very excited and made many plans, such as
taking SEP loans, checking out courses,
calculating expenses -- all of which were
legitimate except that I had forgotten to seek
the Lord's will. No, rather, I had sought the
Lord's will but I did it merely to appease my
conscience my mind was already made up. Inthe end, God had to stop me in my tracks by
giving me a D in English Language (how
ironic when I'm majoring in English
Literature!) which, suffice to say, made me
ineligible for SEP. Caught up in my
excitement, I had run ahead of God, tried to
do things my way instead of God's way, and
was unwilling to submit my life into God's
hands. Now, I learn: Don't run ahead of God.
REALLY seek His will without your mind
being made up already and fully submit your
life to His leading.
The second incident was quite recent.
In my last semester, I was involved in a
compulsory play module which nature was
not very edifying even though the director
was a Christian. We can't really do muchbecause we were students and this was a
lecturer and the module was compulsory for
graduation. Although I thank God that I
wasn't involved in too much of it (I was just
doing costumes), the time that we had spent
slogging together for it bonded all of us andmade us really close. So much so that, when
the time has come for me to make a right
decision, it became really hard to do the right
thing. You see, after our compulsory module
has ended, an opportunity arose for us to tour
another city, Shanghai -- for free! I had to
make a decision whether or not to follow and
had a hard time debating within myself and
justifying myself for going (Hey! Im onlydoing costumes!). But after some serious
discussion with a fellow sister-in-Christ in the
play and another sister in church, and
humbling myself and giving serious thought
to it, I decided eventually not to go because
the play itself was immoral (nevermind my
part) and a Christian ought never to be found
involved in this. And now that I have a choice,
how can I enter this immoral play knowingly?So even though my heart ached (a lot and a
lot) I made the decision not to go... I guess
sometimes, the hardest decisions made are
also the best ones. I think some of my friends
weren't too happy. I might have offended
some more friends, my bad grade could have
been because of that, but because I made that
choice based on my conviction, I had no
regrets no matter the consequence -- which
brings us to our last point.
Above all, I learnt that everything is a
choice. I can choose to submit to God or run
ahead of Him, I can also choose whether or
not to stand for what is right. I can choose to
seek God or the world. I can choose to while
my time away or do something profitable. I
can choose to edify my brethren when wemeet or talk about something else less
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
17/24
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
18/24
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
19/24
19
church due to the VPP issue. It filled up the
slot where I would have otherwise been found
in the previous church prayer meeting, until in
Gods good time I was able to attend the
prayer meeting of the new church. It was alsomy only fellowship group before God led me
to join the new churchs Youth Fellowship
meetings. When great vexation of the spirit
set in while reading men-elevating, God-
denying theories and writings during the
school semester, the weekly FCM meetings
had been a relief to my soul.
God has blessed me greatly throughthe Fundamental Christian Ministry, and I
believe He has so for all who are part of the
group. It is my prayer that we will not forsake
the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is but exhorting one another:
and so much the more as we see the day
approaching (Hebrews 10:25).
May the Lord help us, also, to hold fast
the profession of our faith without wavering
(for He is faithful that promised) and to
consider one another to provoke unto love
and to good works (Hebrews 10:23-24).
Thanking the Lord for Fundamental
Christian Ministry and for His faithful servant.
All thanks and praise to Him, the Source of allgood things.
Karen Lee, FCM NUS (2006-2008), is a member of Truth Bible-Presbyterian Church.
She is now a Master of Divinity (MDiv) student at the Far Eastern Bible College.
Low Boon SiangBSc (Ed) (Physical Education & Sports Science)
National Institute of Education
Into the 7th week as a full-fledged
teacher, my heart is filled with thankfulness to
God, for He has so graciously seen methrough my 4 years of Teachers Training in
NIE. He has also given me grace and wisdom
in each and every assignment, project and
exam. Indeed, He is my Provider and
Sustainer.
Since the beginning of this year, I have
been looking forward to the start of my career
as a teacher in July, because there will finally
be no more exams (after 16 years of exams),
and I will finally earn a living. However, I also,
with much anxiety and fear, anticipate the
trials and stresses that will bombard me very
soon (especially after hearing countless scary
stories from all my teacher friends for the past
4 years).
Nonetheless, I must remember that
this life itself is an exam. How I walk every
day of my life and how I use every moment ofmy time must be according to the Setter and
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
20/24
20
Examiner of this exam. I thank God for
giving me good secular grades, but I pray that
I may walk worthy of His name and receive
an eternal reward from Him, which is
incomparably more precious than thosegrades.
Where He leads me I will follow,
Though the way may be unclear.
For I know Im in His keeping,
And that He is always near.
The Lord is exceedingly good. He
helped me through these first few weeks of
culture shock as a Beginning Teacher, and Iam starting to adapt to this new life now
Four years ago, when I entered NIE, it
was the Olympics. Now, as I leave NIE, it is
again the Olympics. Indeed, time flies. So
what have I gained spiritually during these
years of tertiary education? I must thank God
for providing me with FCM, and every
opportunity to attend the Weekly Bible Study,
combined fellowships, outings and annual
camps. Here I learnt many invaluable lessons
from Gods Word, made several close friends,
built strong relationships, enjoyed sweet
fellowship and gained ample opportunities toserve God.
Opportunity is the flower of time or
the most precious part of it, which if once lost,
may never return.
Dear Brethren, may we sincerely thank
the Lord for His providence in sustaining
FCM, for the faithful and unfailing preaching
of Gods Word, for the Bible Study Leadersand fellow FCMers who encourage and pray
for us every meeting, and for the wonderful
fellowship in outings and camps. All in all,
praise God for His love for us. All glory be
unto Him. Amen.
He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered:
the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
~ Psalm 111:4 ~
Low Boon Siang, FCM NTU/NIE (2004-2008), is a member of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church.
He served as Overall Student Coordinator (2006-2008) and is now a teacher at Lakeside Primary School.
Benson AngBEng (Environmental), Nanyang Technological University
PGDE, National Institute of Education
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
By Gods grace, He has seen me
through 4 years of undergraduate studies
(Environmental Engineering) in NTU and 1
year of Postgraduate Diploma in Education
(PGDE) in NIE. In fact, the Lord has blessed
me with excellent results. I would also like to
thank God for the baptism of my family andmy fiance.
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
21/24
21
I could still recall when I was in my 1st
year of study, I was a hostelite and students
from the Campus Crusade came knocking on
my door asking me to join their cell groups. I
was an unbeliever then and I rejected themciting reasons like Not enough time for my school
work etcI came to know of the Lord when
my aunt brought my sister and me to
Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church. It
was through church service that I got to know
Brother Boon Siang (then also a student
teacher in NIE). He encouraged me to join
the FCM NTU/NIE conducted by Pastor
Wee and Aunty Helen to have fellowship withfellow undergraduate brethren. That was in
2004 and I was in my year 2 of engineering
course. Thankfully my timetable on
Wednesdays (the day on which FCM meetings
are held) usually end 1 to 2 hours before FCM
commences leaving me sufficient time for
dinner and freshen myself up. It would have
been a great temptation to skip FCM if my
lessons were to end in the morning /afternoon. Praise the Lord for He had not led
me into temptation, instead He knoweth my
weakness and delivereth me from it.
You may be wondering why a trainee
engineer (like me) is joining the teaching
career? By Gods grace, He has granted me a
scholarship to do my Industrial Attachment in
Shanghai, China. I was attached to the localutilities board as a trainee engineer designing
the layout of gas and water pipelines for the 6
month stint. While on the job, it dawned on
me that theory does not equate to practice
and the job requirements of an engineer isnt
suitable for me. I prayed about it and asked
for Gods direction and guidance for my
career in future.
When I returned to Singapore after my
6 month stint, I was back attending FCM in
my final year of studies in NTU and that was
where I met Brother Randy (from Calvary
Pandan BPC). He told me about MOETeaching Award (TA) as he just received one
and he was taking his PGDE under this award.
I prayed to the Lord and He moved me to
apply for the TA too. By Gods grace, MOE
accepted my application to be a teacher and
granted me the TA. With that, I knew that
God has called me to be a teacher rather than
as an engineer.
Right now, I have completed my NIE
training and will be formally inducted into the
teaching profession. I pray therefore that God
will lead and sustain me in the teaching
profession. I would also like to encourage
fellow brethren like brothers Boon Siang,
Herbert, Randy and sister Sherry who are all
in the teaching profession to stay passionate
and continue to our calling to be teachers andincorporate elements of Gods Word into our
teachings.
All I can say in conclusion is that the
workings of the Lord in my life are countless.
If time permits, I would want to continue
listing all of them down even till today I still
taste the goodness the Lord has bestowed
upon me. I urge all fellow FCMers tocontinue to pray, trust and stay faithful to our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In difficult and
trying times, be it at work or in studies, our
Lord knows and hears our prayers and He will
deliver us from our enemies and troubles. Let
us all fight the good fight of faith! Praise the
Lord from whom all blessings flow.
Benson Ang, FCM NTU/NIE (2004-2008), is a member of Gethsemane
Bible-Presbyterian Church. He is now a teacher at Greenview Secondary School.
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
22/24
22
Shirlyn TanBSc (Hons) (Banking & Finance), University of London
Dip in Banking & Financial Services, Nanyang Polytechnic
Looking back, I have joined FCM for
about 4 years ever since I entered polytechnic.
I got to know about FCM through my cousin
Serene Lee who invited me to FCM Camp.
When I first joined FCM, the Bible Study
Leader then was Preacher Ho Chee Lai and
the Student Coordinator was Clarice Lim.
Thank God for the zealousness of Pr Ho in
teaching Gods Word and the commitment of
Clarice in coordinating the meeting. =)
We touched on many different topics
such as denominations, cults, the study of
Minor Prophets and issues such as situational
ethics, the Ten Commandments and lots
more. Through FCM, I have learnt more
about the issues that I have stated above andalso learnt to lead in singspiration. I have also
enjoyed my time tremendously in every FCM
meeting despite the tiredness as I would head
down to FCM after a long day in school.
Thank God for that. Coming to FCM enables
me to fellowship with likeminded Christians
as most of us are from the same
denomination and we are able to share our
poly experiences with one another, be it
struggles or blessings. Thats one advantage
when all of us are in poly. We will meet every
Friday at 6.30pm for dinner and we will have
the message at 7pm till about 9 plus.
Sometimes we will even go for supper and we
could fellowship even longer. There are someoccasions when FCM is held in the various
polytechnics and for me, it is held in a room
at the Engineering Faculty in NYP. Dn Peter
Phoa led us in Bible Study there, where we
had the message concerning the coming of
Christ. I enjoyed the fellowship and was truly
blessed by all the messages.
However, even after I graduated frompolytechnic to further my studies in UOL-
SIM, I continued attending FCM, making us
the alumnus in FCM. What keeps me going to
FCM is the studying of Gods Word and
fellowship. Having been a student in
university, I felt that having Bible Study is
important as it helps you to grow and make
decisions that are well-pleasing to God in our
everyday life. After some time, I took up therole as a treasurer in FCM Poly and served
God in FCM. At this point in time, the baton
of the Bible Study Leader was passed to Bro
Lim Jun Sheng and Luke Tan became the
Student Coordinator. Thank God for a
helpful Bible Study Leader and a generous
coordinator. =) I was also blessed by the
messages and the messages include submitting
to authorities, personal witnessing, salvationand a life in holiness and lots more. At this
time, FCM Poly is now meeting in Ngee Ann
Polytechnic (NP) and after the messages we
would have snacks, while pondering on some
discussion questions. Sometimes we would
also have FCM outings to celebrate our
members birthdays. This further strengthens
the bond of fellowship.
I would like to thank God for my Bible
Study Leaders and FCM Coordinators who
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
23/24
23
NEWS & NOTES
have made a decision to serve God in this
area. Thank God for the effort that they have
put in to prepare the study notes, to the
coordinators for their time spent in SMSing
everyone every week regarding theprogrammes on that particular week, for the
individual members who have led
singspiration and the people who have made
an effort to come to FCM.
Well, for the people entering
polytechnic (or who are already in it),
although sometimes we might be too
preoccupied with the many deadlines forassignments, projects and tests, we need to
feast more spiritual food so that we would not
be overly distracted by the cares of this world.
One avenue for you to have your spiritual
food is to join FCM Poly, where we can study
Gods Word together and enjoy the warmChristian fellowship with like-minded
brethren.
Last but not least, I would like to
thank God again for making all these possible.
It is by his mercies that we are not consumed
and I would like to thank Him for all the love,
care, provisions and blessings that He has
bestowed upon me. May all glory, praise andhonour be unto Him!
Shirlyn Tan, FCM Poly (2004-2008), is a member of Galilee Bible-Presbyterian Church.
The first FCM Combined Meeting 2008 was held at Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church on
February 29, 2008. The Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy, Pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church and Dean of
Students at the Far Eastern Bible College, delivered the Lords message. He spoke on the topic, Onward Christian
Soldiers.
The second FCM CD entitled, Onward Christian Soldiers was released on February 29, 2008 in
conjunction with the combined meeting. It was jointly produced with Bible Witness Web Radio and has 20 tracks.Kindly approach any of the Student Coordinators if you wish to order the CD.
The FCM Camp 2008 was held from May 26-31, 2008. Pr Dennis Kabingue of Gethsemane Bible-
Presbyterian Church spoke on Overcoming the Snares of the World. Night messages by Elder William Seah, Dn
Peter Phoa and Joshua Yong dealt with The Life of Contentment.
Calvary Tengah Bible-Presbyterian Churchwill be having its 14th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service
on August 3, 2008. The Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew will be speaking on The Lord Hath Done Great Things For Us,
Whereof We Are Glad. All FCMers are invited to attend.
The new Student Coordinators for AY 08/09 are Jason Liew (Overall), Joy Ng (FCM NUS), Teo Jun Zi
(FCM NTU/NIE) and Samuel Goh (FCM Poly). We also welcome Joshua Yong (DipTh, BRE, MDiv cand) as he
joins us as FCM SMUs new Bible Study Leader.
-
8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2008_V3 (Jul-Sep 08)
24/24