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| 2127: Covenant
Evangelical Free Church, Woodlands, Singapore |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Rebirth2006.
The church:
Covenant Evangelical
Free Church, Woodlands, Singapore.
Denomination:
Evangelical Free Church of Singapore.
The building:
They meet at two worship centres in two suburbs of Singapore:
Bukit Panjang and Woodlands. The Woodlands facility was completed
in 2008 and has six levels: two underground for parking and
four above ground for the church proper. The building is served
by two elevators and a dual direction escalator that links
the foyer to the sanctuary.
The church:
CEFC is a church with a vision of producing authentic, intentional
disciples of a certain kind, which is their strategic foundation
of the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20 ("Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations..."). As a result
of this, they have launched a two-year intentional
discipleship training programme that involves scriptural study,
journaling, and a semester exam.
The neighbourhood:
Woodlands is a suburb of Singapore linking the island nation
with the neighbouring city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia. It
is a typical high rise suburb of Singapore, with many flats
towering around the church building.
The cast:
The Revd Edmund Wong was the preacher, and worship was led by
Wei Shing Low.
The date & time:
6 February 2011, 11.00am.
What was the name of
the service?
Eleven o'clock service.
How full was the building?
The sanctuary seats about 800, including a gallery level,
but a third of the seats were cordoned off with covers. When
I arrived, there were only about 50 people, but this began
to fill up to about 500-600 people.
Did anyone welcome you
personally?
There were ushers at the outside of the sanctuary who shook
my hand and handed me the church bulletin. Newcomers were
invited to stand, and we were given some time to greet other
people as well.
Was your pew comfortable?
We had red seats that resembled those found in cinemas, except
that they were joined together and looked more like a big
sofa. They were very comfortable.
How would you describe
the pre-service atmosphere?
The worship team was still testing the equipment but the room
was still relatively quiet.
What were the exact
opening words of the service?
"Good morning, church. Thanks for coming early."
What books did the congregation
use during the service?
A bulletin with sermon outlines and a list of activities we
could take part in. The lyrics, Bible verses and sermon notes
were displayed on screens at the left and right of the stage.
A video feed was placed in the centre.
What musical instruments
were played?
Two keyboards, guitar, bass and drum. There were also six
singers, including the worship leader.
Did anything distract
you?
People came strolling in as the service commenced. It was
also very distracting to rotate my field of vision between
the video feed and the song lyrics, as they were projected
on different screens!
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
It was a typical contemporary service. People clapped during
the upbeat songs and raised hands.
Exactly how long was
the sermon?
45 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10,
how good was the preacher?
9 – Pastor Wong illustrated his sermon clearly using scriptural
and cultural references that were easy to relate to but did
not undercut the seriousness of his subject.
In a nutshell, what
was the sermon about?
CEFC is doing a series on Proverbs for the whole of 2011,
and the sermon was based on Proverbs 1:1-7 (a summary of the
role of proverbs in the knowledge of God). He challenged us
to make two paradigm shifts: (1) from human information to
divine insight, and (2) from reverence of self to reverence
for God.
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
We were asked to pair up with the person we were sitting next
to, and to repeat to each other the six points of wisdom from
the previous week's sermon. It was great in reflecting the
church as a community of believers who do life and study the
Word together.
And which part was like
being in... er... the other place?
I didn't appreciate the fact that people came strolling in
irreverently during the worship.
What happened when you
hung around after the service looking lost?
An usher approached me after the service and invited me to
the connections corner for some coffee and snacks. There,
she kept the conversation flowing (which is what impressed
me the most about CEFC) while at the same time having me fill
in a connection card.
How would you describe
the after-service coffee?
I was served free coffee with the option of milk and sugar,
along with an assortment of Singaporean snacks. When I told
the usher that I was going to have lunch soon after, she smiled
and said that she would share her snack with me instead.
How would you feel about
making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 =
terminal)?
9 – CEFC is a healthy church in the aspect of biblical
discipleship and fellowship. If I hadn't already been attached
to a church in Singapore, I would have strongly considered
attending this church.
Did the service make
you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes, especially a Christian with a love for Godly wisdom,
discipleship and fellowship.
What one thing will
you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The usher who shared her snack with me.
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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