alpha news jan 2012 edition

8/3/2019 Alpha News Jan 2012 Edition

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ALPHANEWSMICA (P) 140/01/2012

The Alpha Singapore NewsletterJanuary - April 2012

In thisedition:

Sign up now:Relationship Central

Workshop, 18th Feb 2012

Book Review:The Parenting Book by

Nicky & Sila Lee

TRANSFORMED

LIVESInside: personal experiences ofpeople from all walks of life who

have attended an Alpha Course


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THE EVANGELISATION OF OUR NATION...

AttheirWeekendAwayheldattheNationalService Resort&

CountryClub

I was initially concerned about connecting with theyouth to get them to open up so they can share their

opinions on the talks or the discussion questions. It was

hard to know exactly what went on in their minds during

the two months. But as time passed, they shared their

personal experiences and opinions and even started to

bond with each other. Over the Weekend Away, some of

them accepted Jesus as their Saviour even though they

were not receptive at the beginning. Being a leader on

Youth Alpha has been fullling as it gave me the chance

to show and spread the goodness of Christ to the

younger youth. It also brought me closer to God. I really

enjoyed helping out.

- Claire Tng, 17 years old.

At rst when I was asked to help out during Youth

Alpha, the rst thought that came to my mind was how

to cope with my busy school schedule! I also felt that

my faith wasnt that strong. But when I chose to serve

in this Youth Alpha, I knew I had made the right decision

despite challenges along the way.

I discovered that helping out actually strengthened my

faith. Honestly I doubted God at times especially when I

had problems at school or with friends, but as I saw how

He worked in the lives of the youth, my faith gradually

grew stronger.

Being a Youth Alpha leader has helped me see the

changes in the lives of dierent people from dierent

backgrounds, how God moves between each and

everyone of them. I have learnt how dierent people view

God and how they express their love for Him. Seeing

how people have changed and become better persons

has really assured me that God does wonders.

This has totally changed my view of God and allowed

me to recognize that He will always be there for me. This

experience has changed my life, my mindset, my

thinking and most importantly my faith.

- Benedict Tan, 16 years old.

As the majority were only 13 14 year olds, I was

worried that our talks were complicated for them to

understand. Compared to our previous group this groupwere quite distant from their leaders. No one really knew

their opinion of the Christian faith. All the leaders had

a hard time guring out what was on the minds of each

young person as everyone was so quiet! All we could

do was to pray and rely on God to be sensitive to the

youths thoughts and emotions, and that He would

eventually remove the walls of silence and distance.

Gradually, the youth began to open up and were more

comfortable with each other. Then through games and

interaction during the Weekend Away, walls nally came

down and friendships were made and strengthened!

There were even some youth singing out loud and

worshipping with all their hearts! So at the end, our fears

were unfounded as there was no resistance or

hindrances to prevent the young people from accepting

Jesus into their lives. How great and amazing our God is

and He really deserves all glory and praise!

Indeed, strength will arise as we wait upon the Lord, em-

powering His people to feed the lost sheep and one day,

every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord.

- Jessica Goh, 25 years old

Youth Alpha Leaders and Helpers Share

Their Faith-Affirming Experiences

Having abreak during the weekend away

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Life is certainly full of challenges, and a

challenging life used to be something I

embraced. Whenever there were diculties in

my life, I would always overcome it on my own

and never felt a need to have a God in my life.

Because logic was important to me, I hated

religion and superstitions as I believed that there

was proof and reasoning to everything. So when

things did not go according to plan, I had dicultyin nding explanations

and letting go of failures. I

was an angry, bitter

person and did not have

any peace. Life was

meaningless to me.

However during times

of desperation, I had an

inexplicable urge to go

to church and to read theBible. As I read the Bible,

I wanted to know more,

especially about God and

this person called Jesus.

But the more I read, the

more questions I had and I

would even search the

internet for answers.

When I found out that

Kum Yan Methodist

Church was running an

Alpha Course, I signed upfor it.

My experience on Alpha

was wonderful - everyone

was so friendly. The lively interaction during our

small group discussions and the comfortable

atmosphere of each evening was refreshing for

me. Best of all, no topic was o limits and I took

full advantage of this, voicing out many of my

questions.

And through the discussions I grew amazed by

Gods Word. Human philosophers like Confucius,

Zhuang Zi, or Plato can oer wisdom but they

No More BaggageBy Jeffrey Lim

each have their aws. His Word really made sense

to me and became a light for my path and a lamp

unto my feet. I was no longer a skeptic.

During the Alpha Weekend away, I prayed to

receive the Holy Spirit. I was overwhelmed by

emotions because I saw my past suerings

ashing before me, one by one, disappearing and

taking away the emotional baggage I had carried

my whole life.

From that weekend, I

acknowledged Jesus as the

Lord of my life and that God,

who is our Father in heaven,

is real! I began to experience

His love for me in my

everyday life. I have been

asked whether I have forgot-

ten all my past unhappiness.

And I answer, No, I have notforgotten but the memories

do not make me sad any-

more!

Since I began this relationship

with God, I am overowing

with joy and feel secure, and

I can now understand why

people say Christianity is not

just a religion, but is about

a very personal relationship

with God.

I am still the logical person

I was before, but God has

opened my eyes and I be-

lieve that science and logic do not contradict the

Bible. What is illogical to me now is how we try to

use our limited minds and nite understanding to

understand a God who is innite. And we simply

disbelieve what we cannot understand or prove.

Finding hope in God has been a very precious gift

for me and I feel very blessed. My hope is that

you will nd Him for yourself soon if you havent

already!


[Jeffrey and his dog Lucky]

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Dedicated members from the Catholic

Prayer Society - the Catholic Alpha Cell

(CAC) have been running Alpha in the

Workplace annually during lunch time to al-

low guests working in the nancial district

an opportunity to explore the meaning of life

beyond the rat race for money and power.

Here are the reections of some of theguests from their recent run of Alpha:

Being on Alpha has allowed me to draw closer

to our faith and to gain a better understanding

through the talks, and sharing and reection

during group discussion.

Alpha has reinforced my understanding that

believing in God ought to make a dierence in

the way a person lives. Having a belief in God

also greatly aects how we relate to each otheron a daily basis. To believe in God means to

believe in love, to love Him and to love others.

Initially, it was the group sharing that was

rather intimidating as I am very much a

private person but through the Holy Spirit, I

actually overcame that barrier quite well and

was able to share with the group my deepest

feelings and thoughts, even though I did not

know everyone well.

Having been on Alpha has enlightened mevery much and the mass, gospel and homilies

have all come alive for me as I can now relate

to them better.

Praise to the Lord our God that He has led

me to this CAC where I could meet with other

brothers and sisters from dierent parishes,

and to glorify God together through our weekly

sharing and reection.

The Day Away was amazing and shouldremain as a regular feature of future Alpha

Courses. It was very good spiritual enrichment

to put everything else aside and spend the

afternoon with our Lord.

I was healed completely of a past hurt that I

had harboured for over 40 years. This would

not have been possible without the power of

the Holy Spirit and the strong support and

prayers of fellow group members and facilita-

tors. I now understand the power of Godslove and the way He works to help the release

of this past hurt and have never been happier.

Thank you very much to the CAC team!

My faith has increased and I am convinced

that God is always present among us, any

place, any time.

To nd out more about the next Course email

[email protected] or visit their website for

more details: www.cps.org.sg/

EncounteringGod during

lunch

[Allreadyfor the course!]

[Enjoying adeliciouslunch]

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Parents feel more pressure than ever today and

many are in need of support and encouragement.

The Parenting Children Course and The Parent-

ing Teenagers Course aim to help parents grow in

condence and feel less isolated as they cope with

the challenges of raising young children and guid-

ing teenagers in todays world.

Parenting Workshop EmpowersParents To Build Stronger Families

During a one-day Parenting Workshop organized

by Alpha Singapore last November at The Bible

Church, 20 participants from Bedok Methodist

Church, Christ Methodist Church, Covenant Com-

munity Methodist Church, River of Life Community

Church and St Johns-St Margarets Church were

introduced to the principles and practicalities of

running these two courses.

Apart from the overview, course participants also

took part in sample sessions which encouraged

experiential learning as they went through DVDteaching sessions and group discussions. Topics

covered included Building Strong Foundations

and Keeping The End In Mind.

The wonderful thing about this course is that it is

easy to run you dont have to be a professional;

you dont have to have a perfect family life,said

Daniel Lee, National Coordinator. Our prayer is

that more people will sign up to learn how to run

a course so that churches and the community at

large will be blessed by stronger and more loving

families.

...AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR SOCIETY

[Participants at the Parenting Workshop, 12 November 2011]

Relationship Central Workshop18 February 2012

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Join us for a day of equipping, training, motivating and empowering. There are two tracks to choose from

Parenting and Marriage:

1) The Parenting track will equip you to run the two new courses from Relationship Central: The Parenting

Children Course and The Parenting Teenagers Course

2) The Marriage track will equip you to run The Marriage Course

Date: Saturday, 18 February 2012

Venue: Hakka Methodist Church, 1B Evelyn Road Singapore 309298.

Registration: $25 per person (Includes lunch, refreshments and training materials)

To download the agenda or to register online please visit www.relationshipcentral.org.sg/events-registration

or email [email protected]


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Written with wit and humility, this book is a wealth ofknowledge for parents looking to improve their

parenting skills and their relationships with their

children. It oers practical advice on how to raise

children into condent, secure adults who are able to

full their God-given potential and build good

relationships with others. It also provides valuable

insights on how to spiritually nurture a child.

The authors, Nicky & Sila Lee, have been married for

over 30 years and have 4 children. They both work at

the Holy Trinity Brompton church in London, and have

helped thousands through their courses on marriage,

parenting and family life.

Besides drawing from their own parenting

experiences, the book also contains practical tips from

other parents. It expounds on how the Christian faith

helped the authors raised their children, and principles

of good parenting, which makes the book a useful

resource to non-Christians as well. The book

covers other interesting topics, such as creating

special family time, ways of showing love to children,

building their character through setting boundaries,

and helping them make good life choices. Further-

more, it gives suggestions on how parents can adapt

their parenting style to suit the character and needs of

each child.

The authors never dismissed the hard work and

sacrice of committed parenting, yet constantly

acknowledged that their strength and wisdom as

parents always came from God. They are frank about

their parental shortcomings and frustrations,

making this an assuring read for readers who feel

alone in their struggles as parents. The book is also

littered with many hilarious yet thought-provoking

illustrations by Charlie Mackesy, which pokes fun at

parent-child encounters, providing a tasteful balancein content.

As a parent of a 17-month old (my rst born), I have

found this book to be a useful guide on the practical

aspects of child rearing. More importantly, it provoked

me to intentionally think through how my spouse and

I can work towards shaping our childs character and

values under Gods guidance.

I found the book to be engaging and light, even

though there were more than 500 pages. At the end of

each chapter, there would be a pause and consider

box listing some questions for reection. I have foundthis particularly useful because it helped me prayerfully

reect on the situation in my family, and think about

the lessons I have learnt from the chapter.

I would strongly recommend this book to all parents,

especially rst-time parents looking for a guide to

Christian parenting. The books conversational and

genuine voice, and its rich content makes it a

must-read for any parent committed to bringing up

their child in a loving, God-centered environment.

Reviewed by Ms Mok Wai Mun. Wai Mun was a lawyer

for many years before deciding to embark on a newpath of being a full-time mother. She attends Wesley

Methodist Church.

Book Review: The Parenting Book

by Nicky & Sila Lee

The books conversational and

genuine voice, and its rich

content makes it a must-read for

any parent committed to bringing

up their child in a loving,

God-centered environment.

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BECOME AN ALPHA FRIEND! Freely you have received, freely give... Matthew 10:8bAn Alpha Friend is one who makes it possible for Alpha Singapore to carry out its life transforming missionthrough one-time donations or a monthly donation by credit card. By becoming an Alpha Friend, you willhave the joy of knowing that you are making a meaningful difference, and that you are changing peopleslives forever by leaving a legacy of peace, love, joy and purpose for them.

In gratitude to God for His blessings, I would like to support Alpha Singapore:

One-time Donation: $ _____________________________________Monthly Donation: $10 p/m $30 p/m ($1/day) $60 p/m ($2/day) $100 p/m Other amount: $ _______ p/m

Please mail to: Alpha Singapore, Blk 8D Dempsey Road #03-02, Singapore 249672

DONATION MODE

Cheque (Bank: __________ Cheque No. ___________)Please make payable to Alpha Singapore

PARTICULARS

Name: ______________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________

Handphone: _________________________________________

Place of worship: _____________________________________

Credit Card

Card No.

Visa Master Card Expiry:/

Name on card: _______________________________________

Signature: ___________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

Handphone: __________________________________________


WE HAVE MOVEDAlpha Singapore & Alpha Asia Pacic,Blk 8D Dempsey Road #03-02,

Singapore 249672Getting to our ofce if you are not driving:Dempsey shuttle bus service availableat the following pick-up points:

Dempsey Hill, Blk 8D Bus-stop outside Gleneagles Hospital Bus-stop in front of Thai Embassy Orchard Boulevard Road(In front of Four Seasons Park) In front of Au Petit Salut(Bus-stop B01)

For shuttle service times

please visit our website:alpha.org.sg/contact-us

Bus Services:105 106 123 174 775 77 NR8

FREEPAR

KING!

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The Alpha Course - an opportunity to explore the meaning of life

Dear Friends

Happy New Year to you and your family! All of us at Alpha Singapore are looking forward to many

opportunities to serve churches and organizations and discovering Gods goodness in the year ahead.

We remain committed to transforming lives through the Alpha Course and related ministriesparticularly the new Relationship Central courses like The Parenting Children Course and TheParenting Teenagers Course.

We remain committed to training and ministering volunteers and leaders across churches, cellgroups, youth groups, educational institutions, workplaces and half-way houses.

The challenge of sharing the Good News continues before us and your willingness to sacrice timeand share your resources has been a great encouragement to all of us in the past year.

Indeed we thank you for your prayers and nancial support and look forward to working with you tofulll the Great Commission.

There are several exciting events in our calendar, amongst them are our annual fundraising AlphaPartners Dinner in February, Alpha Training Events in April and May, and the Global Alpha PrayerWeek and Alpha Invitation in July and August.

We prayerfully invite you to join us at these events to impact our nation. With Gods help we will surelycontinue to see more people coming to hear about Jesus.

Blessings,

The Alpha Singapore Team

P.S. If you would like to volunteer in this, please write in to [email protected] or call us at 6469 5085. We

would love to team up with you!

[Newsletter Publisher: Alpha Singapore | Chief Editor: Philip Oh | Editor: Chiam Ai-Ling | Printer: Hock Cheong Printing Pte Ltd]

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alpha news jan 2012 edition

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