Acts 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Agape Methodist Church reaches her “Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth”, all in one week.

Our Samaria - Batam

On 30^thAugust (Tuesday), Agape members reached out to “Samaria”, that is, our neighbouring country. Thirteen of us headed for Batam, where the orphanage we have been supporting for the past years is located - the Berkat Bangsa Orphanage. Seeing the children grow taller and happier over the years makes us feel so happy. When we handed out the teddy bears, food and clothes to them, we were richly rewarded by their wide smiles. We were further captivated and charmed when they sang two songs for us, acapella. What resonance! What exultant voices! We loved it!

After lunch, when we went to pick up groceries for the families in the slums, we met other Agape members! They were in Batam to help in the children’s day camp organised by Carol Lim of Kum Yan Methodist Church. The Indonesian church we were working with ministers in 11 slums! We left the clothes we brought for needy families with the church, and proceeded to visit the Christian families living in the slums. We wanted to support them in love and deeds in their adverse circumstances. We brought them rice, sugar and oil and entered each home for fellowship, and to pray for these brothers and sisters. Sitting on their living room floors of bare concrete covered by a simple rug or linoleum, measuring approximately 6 square metres, we were glad to be there for them, even if for only half a day.

Our Judea - Taman Jurong Community

On 3^rdSeptember (Saturday), Agape members reached out to “Judea”, i.e. our own countrymen. More than 140 of us stood at our stations, all ready with our best smiles, to welcome the residents of the three neediest blocks of flats in Taman Jurong, as well as 60 needy families identified by our Lakeside Family Centre. Our 100% Day had finally arrived! Our tagline was “100% Day – where everything goes free!” It was the culmination of three months of hard work, collecting, sorting and wrapping more than 4000 items donated by Agape members, friends and well-wishers. Thank you, too, Rev Lai Kai Ming, Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon, Rev Paul Nga, Rev Daniel Tan Boon Liat, Rev Malcolm Tan, Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, Trinity Methodist Church, Living Waters Methodist Church and Barker Road Methodist Church! And thank you, too, boys of the Boys Brigade from Boon Lay Secondary School, who actively participated in every way on that day. From the first resident (who waited from 8.30am – the event was scheduled to start at 1pm) to the last resident who came in at 5.45pm (the event closed at 6pm), we saw the remarkable Agape spirit in our members. Members took the initiative to bring a chair for the first person in the queue, who was an 80 year old lady, as well as to provide lunch packets for the early birds in the queue. All the residents followed the directions of our ushers so well that the residents thought we were veterans in this “business”. Many of them couldn’t believe that we were giving away so many varieties of products, even new electrical appliances... for FREE!

Ends of the earth - Chinese Nationals

On 4^thSeptember (Sunday), Agape members reached out to “the ends of the earth”, that is, foreign workers from faraway China. More than 40 of us rolled up our sleeves and helped to roll out a warm welcome to these Chinese nationals. Coming from various provinces of China, they enjoyed the fellowship of their countrymen and found that there was, after all, a spot of warmth in a foreign land and a place to find friends in Agape. Our tambourine ministry danced their hearts out for our guests. Roland set the stage by his genuine acceptance and willingness to help them in their times of need. Philip rocked the house with his wit and games. Samuel, with his songs and musical gifts, and Mrs Bai, with her gentle words of encouragement, ministered to our Chinese friends. The rest of us helped to serve food, put makeup on the dancers, formed the welcome team, became bus captains, and basically helped out in every way possible. It was a heart-warming night for all.

What a week! God took us by hand and led us through it. It was truly a privilege for all of us to be in His work, to show the world what love is all about and to learn what being a missional church means...