CK/CKS Anniversary

On January 24 the Covenant Keepers (CK) and Covenant Keepers Seniors (CKS) celebrated their anniversaries--15 years for CK and 7 for CKS.  The event was chaired by Yang Zhi, and Elder Lee Kong Wee gave an exhortation on Psalm 139:23-24, the CK/CKS theme for 2015.

Yang Zhi

Elder Lee

After the exhortation Yang Zhi explained the purpose of CK/CKS and their committees, who was on each committee, and plans for the coming year.  New members were also welcomed to CK and CKS, and gifts were given to those who have helped the CK/CKS in the past year and to the committee members.

Some of the new members with Yang Zhi:

Kuang (CKS), Zi Hui (CK), and Jessica (CK)

Presentation of gifts to those who have led Bible studies 

or given speeches in the past year

Others who prepared or led Bible studies

Tian Loong, Cheryl, Lisa, Cornelius, Yang Zhi

2015 CK/CKS committee members

Jemima, Cheryl, Daniel, Yang Zhi, Bernice, Lisa, Marcus, Tian Loong

One of the young men put together a great video of the past year's events and also included pictures of Prof. & Mrs. Hanko during their visits to Singapore with a letter from them, and pictures and a letter from Prof. & Mrs. Dykstra.

Parts of Prof. Hanko's letter

We got to "meet" some of the Dykstra family through the pictures Prof. sent.

Two men from church own a brownie shop and once again provided a beautiful brownie cake for the occasion.  After the cake was brought out, group photos were taken.

CK and CKS

Everyone who was at the anniversary celebration, 

including special visitor John VanBaren

The celebration concluded with dinner.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart:  try me, and know my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  

"Singapore Scenery and Life"

This past Sunday two more people joined CERC through confession of faith.  Both came from outside CERC, and we welcome Zong Jie and Poh Har to our fellowship as confessing members!

But with no pictures of that and nothing else happening lately, it's time to dig through one of my computer folders and post a "miscellaneous" blog.  I have a growing folder on my computer called "Singapore Scenery and Life"--pictures of what life is like in Singapore.  It includes pictures you have already seen, such as the scenery, the idolatry, some local funeral customs, all the high-rises, etc.  And then there are daily living experiences we would not have in the U.S.  Here are some of those...

First, a few pictures from our flat.  One day our building was tested for leaks in the bathrooms--would water from the bathrooms leak into the flats below?  Each bathroom of each flat got tested.  In the following picture you see all the sealing that was put around the outside of the bathroom and the drain; then the guy filled up the bathroom floor with an inch or so of water, left it for a couple hours, and then came back to check on things and drain the water.

Living in a high rise, everyone has trash chutes.  Ours is in the kitchen.  Every few months these chutes are fogged for cockroaches.  Notices are placed by the elevators downstairs so that we know to tape our chutes completely.  If we don't do this, cockroaches trying to escape the fumes will come into our flat.  As it is, when the tape is pulled away, a few dozen dead and dying cockroaches fall onto our kitchen floor.  I am never anywhere near the kitchen when this is going on!!

The corner of our kitchen while the fogging is going on--windows shut, 

chute taped--and that cockroach trap is always on the floor there.

At the bottom of the chute outside--The outside downstairs is always 

littered with dead cockroaches after the fogging is finished.

Home repairs don't seem to be done quite the same way here either.  This is the wall in our bedroom after some air conditioning repair was done:

Next, some pictures of the car wash we use--all done by hand.

Drying by hand

The vacuum area, and under the red canopy in back is the employee break room

A few pictures of "sticker shock" at the store (right now one U.S. dollar = $1.33 Singapore):

$23.85 for 2 pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream on sale

(And I'd thought it was expensive at Meijer!)

$78.80 for a box of cherries

$53 for a small "log cake" at a local restaurant

$10.50 for a big box of Cheerios

With a lot of people in Singapore and little room for everything, the grocery store aisles are narrow and crowded.  Here are the checkout lanes one day--and another day I counted over 40 people in the express lanes at another local grocery store!

I have more, but I will save them for another time. :-)

Open Sunday

The first Sunday of each year is referred to at CERC as "Open Sunday."  All regular classes are cancelled so that the whole congregation can meet together between services for a review of the last year's CI classes and a look ahead (or opening) to this year's classes.  "CI" stands for Covenant Instruction and includes all the catechism classes, the Sunday School and practical religion classes, and the Bible classes for the older youths on Sundays.  During the Open Sunday program we see what some of the classes have learned in the past year. The program is also meant to encourage the students and teachers as they begin another year of this work.

As usual, this year's program began with an exhortation and a review of the coming year's church calendar for all CI classes.  This year's exhortation was on Psalm 126:5-6, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Exhortation

Introduction to the new year of classes by Elder Wong

It seems not to be any secret that the highlight of the program is the singing presented by the different CI classes. :-)

Ages 2-12 sang Psalter #53, Psalter #203, and "The Lord's Prayer."

(Side note--I love Jael and Megan holding hands while they sing!)

A group of the youth sang Psalter #268 and "How Deep the Father's Love For Us."

Here is a short video of the end of that last song.  Those who get my blog emailed to them will have to go directly to the website to watch the video.

Thanks to all the teachers of CERC's children and young people for your work in the past year and in preparing for this year.  May God bless the coming year of covenant instruction.

First Church Event of the Year

Each New Year's Day, CERC gets together for a church retreat--a few hours at church where the church theme for the year is introduced and there is an exhortation, games, and lunch. To give credit where credit is due, I was not able to make it to this year's retreat, so all my information and photos come from Daniel Tang!

Exhortation and introduction of the church theme

After the presentation, everyone headed to the lunch room for group games.  The first thing everyone had to do was write a thanksgiving or prayer request, and then share those with the others in their group.

When this was finished, there was a competition to see which group could turn their papers, and extra papers, into the tallest tower using no adhesives.

Given and Eric starting the project

Planning

Building

Almost finished!

Here are some pictures of the final projects, which I include because they are such good pictures of so many of the people from church.

As our church theme this year reminds us, may the gospel of the kingdom continue to be preached in all the nations of the world in this year too, as we wait for our Lord's return; and we pray that the fellowship enjoyed at this year's church retreat will continue in CERC throughout the coming year as well.