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Dearly beloved,
As 2008 draws to a close, there will be a flurry of
activities coming up in the last weeks of November and
December. Below is a list of activities and special events
so that you pray for them and also to attend.
21-23 Nov – Choir Mission
trip to Evangel BPC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*
26 Nov – 2 Dec – Mission
trip to North Thailand led by Eld Mak
*
29 Nov (3-5pm) – Combined Church Seminar at Moriah BPC. Dr
Scott Pearson will be speaking on “The Lessons and Legacies
of the Protestant Reformation in a Post-Modern Era”
*
2-5 Dec – English Junior
Camp for children from Primary 3 to 6
*
7 Dec (10:00am, 4:00pm) –
Baptismal Sunday
*
8 Dec (10:00am) – Awana Leaders’ Training
*
8-9 Dec – Mandarin Young
Adults’ Camp
*
8-13 Dec – English Youth
Fellowship Camp
*
15-18 Dec – Mandarin
Junior Camp
*
17-20 Dec – Mandarin Youth
Fellowship Camp
*
20 Dec (5:30pm) – Carols Alive!
*
21 Dec (10:00am) –
Christmas Sunday
*
21 Dec (11:30am) – Hokkien
Worship Service Christmas Gospel Meeting
*
24 Dec (7:30pm) – Christmas Praise Service
*
25 Dec (4:00pm) – Mandarin Christmas Service
*
31 Dec (8:15pm) – Combined Year End Service
*
4 Jan 2009 (10:00am) – 36th Anniversary of
Calvary BPC and Dedication Sunday
For those who are new to our church, let me draw your
attention to some of these events. Awana Leaders’
Training (8 Dec, 10:00am). The Awana Club is a
children’s ministry held every Saturday afternoon from
3:25-5:00pm during the school year. Every Saturday
afternoon, there are about 70 children who come to our
church. The programme consists of a Bible story, Scripture
memorisation and games. If you want to invest your time
wisely, invest them in the spiritual training of children.
Please come for this training session.
Carols Alive!
(20 Dec, 5:30pm) is our annual combined Fellowship and
Bible Study Groups gathering. The evening begins with a
singing of Christmas carols followed by dinner and ends with
testimonies of God’s people and more carols. The English and
Mandarin congregations have fellowship groups that cater to
every age group. If you do not have a fellowship group,
please join one that is suitable for you.
The church also has many Bible study groups that
meet throughout the week in members’ homes. If you are
interested in joining a Bible study group, come to Carols
Alive! Here is where you will meet the various Bible
study leaders.
Christmas Praise Service (24 Dec, 7:30pm). There will be
something special for our Christmas Praise Service this
year. The church choir will be presenting a new cantata by
Joseph Martin titled Season of Wonders, and for the
first time, they will be accompanied by a string and wind
ensemble. The Mandarin Congregation will be celebrating
their Christmas on 25 December at 4:00pm. If you have
Mandarin speaking friends and neighbours, bring them along
to the Christmas Day Service.
Year End Service (31 Dec, 8:15pm). The English and
Mandarin congregations will be coming together to praise God
for His blessings for 2008. The Lord’s Supper will be
served. Spend the last hours of 2008 in God’s house.
Calvary BPC’s Music Policy (Part II)
Last Lord’s Day, we published the philosophy of Calvary
BPC’s music ministry. The key points are that the music in
our church must…
1. Extol God and His salvation.
2. Be rendered by the redeemed.
3. Bear a definite distinction from that of the World.
4. Be dynamic in the sense that we will introduce new compositions
when they meet the biblical principles.
5. Be an offering to God so we will strive to give our best.
6.
Seek to edify the faith of the worshippers.
Today, we published the rest of the Music Policy which deals
mainly with the practice and implementation of our church’s
music policy.
1. The Congregation
Our Lord Jesus said, “true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such
to worship him.” (John 4:23). In other words, worship as God
desires it brings us into His presence; it’s meant not to be
passive but participative.
A church without a choir can and must still sing.
In this regard, we acknowledge that the congregation is the
first and most important choir in CBPC. Congregational
singing is absolutely essential for worship, and dynamic
congregational singing is a reflection of a believer’s
attitude in worship.
To aid in the congregation in its worship, it is
important to have the text of the hymns draw us to the same
truth as the sermon and the rest of the worship service. In
this regard, the worship leader must, with prayerful
consideration, choose hymns that are appropriate to the
sermon topic. Wise selection of hymns would also involve
careful consideration of both the text and the music.
2. The Church
Musicians
The music ministry in CBPC is to be presented by members and
regular worshippers of the church. Besides the organ and
piano, we would like to see members who are proficient in a
musical instrument to render items of praise during the
worship service.
At CBPC, we recognise that more important than
musical ability is a whole-hearted service to God. We do not
insist that all music presented at CBPC be of similar
quality to those performed by professional musicians. But at
the same time, inadequately prepared and poorly performed
music hinders the worship service. So, at CBPC, we encourage
all musicians to be faithful and to serve God to the best of
their abilities, and to offer their music as “sacrifices of
praise” unto God.
In this regard, I personally find applause
completely out of place in corporate worship. We serve as
unto God and not unto men. Anytime the worshipper’s
attention is drawn away from God and to the performer, the
musician and the congregation rob God of His glory.
3. The Choirs
The church choir is made up of members and regular
worshippers of CBPC. The church choir has an important place
in CBPC because it is an avenue of service for our people.
We are not professional singers, and reading music is not a
requirement; however, we do insist that the choir members be
faithful and committed.
4. The Children
Because praise and music is important to God, our children
need to experience and learn the joy of worship through
hymns and spiritual songs. At CBPC, we strive to make music
a major part of our children’s ministry.
By the grace of God, we pray that the music that is rendered
to God in our church will stand out not just because of the
skills of the musicians or the voices of the choirs, but
that our music stands out because it is rendered by a
thankful people to our God, Who alone is worthy to be
praised.
Lovingly in
Christ,
Pastor Isaac Ong |
