Church News (Page 69)

By Not Known April has an important day on the British calendar this year. It is not the 22 April Good Friday, but the 29 April Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. “Look how the whole world has gone after them!” someone enviously exclaimed. Indeed, quick- thinking businessmen have already cashed in on them with the sale of “William…

By Not Known This week’s title is my contribution to the acronyms of Singapore (reducing everything to initials!). For some reason Singaporeans love acronyms. They seem to be used not just for convenience and brevity like shortening Orchard Road Presbyterian Church to ORPC, but for effect, conveying a message or image or identity. This passion for catchy acronyms…

By Not Known I was still an impressionable schoolboy when John Lennon uttered these words at a Royal Variety Show performance in London in 1963: “For the people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands… and the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewellery.”  I had…

By Not Known Since returning to Singapore, several people have commented, possibly a little out of politeness, that I still look as young as when I left 13 years ago. To which my standard reply has become “I must have looked very old then!” Youth Sunday made me reflect on my own youth, and our attitudes to young people. I realised that as older people we still…

By Not Known What if God had created human beings without tongues? Our world would be void of great speeches that have otherwise shaped our history – the call to peace, the rousing to war, the shout of protest, the arbitration of conflict, and the consolation of suffering. There would be no poets, philosophers, singers and orators. Collective memories of human…

By Not Known The cry for freedom is universal. It was the cry behind the French and American revolutions. It was the cry of the Chinese revolution under Dr Sun Yat Sen. And since the second world war we have seen how in all continents the cry of freedom has brought ‘winds of change’. In Europe we have seen the fall of both fascist and communist political…

By Not Known In our world today, the big debate continues.  What is more important: faith or works?   There are many in this world who do good works with plenty to show for it. Yet they may not have faith in God.  Still there are also many who claim to have great faith in God but when it comes to good works, we see none. This argument is not new. It took…

By Not Known The time after the departure of a minister, especially one who has served for a long period of time and who has established himself in the life and hearts of the congregation, has been compared to the period of grief following death. Some of you may be going through such or similar feelings at present. The change over of the overall shepherd, who in ORPC is…

By Not Known This is a message I never expected to write. I have been a retired minister for 6 years now and the last place I expected to be, was back at ORPC. When I first received the news of a possible invitation to serve as ISM (Interim Senior Minister) for a few months, I shared it with several people. And I discovered two distinct reactions. There were those who…

By Not Known Back in 1997, Calvin Miller wrote The Book of 7 Truths; an interesting tale within a tale about a mysterious man who forever changes the lives of another.  He spoke of the enduring powers of faith and demonstrated the true meaning of generosity and forgiveness.  One of the 7 truths in the book is: You cannot help people if you are always with…