68th Church Anniversary

Anniversaries are events that we put a pin in the calendar to remind ourselves about something that matters to us. As I flipped through the pages of “The Brethren Story” by Tong Suit Chee which depicts the 150 years of Brethren history in Singapore, I wanted to refresh my memory about how YCKC started and to see how God has been directing us as a church.

The assembly at Yio Chu Kang began in 1954 when Christians living in the surrounding district met together to break bread for the first time. In the journey of Yio Chu Kang Chapel, many people have been involved at various stages to shape it to what we see today. God has used numerous people to further His purposes in this local church since then. He is still working out His plans through us today, using different individuals to carry out His purposes. As I consider the different ways in which God is reminding us of what really matters, what comes to mind are the eternal things:

God’s Word (1 Peter 1: 24 – 25 – “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.”)

The comparison made by Peter, taken from Isaiah 40:6-8, is between people and their achievements versus God’s eternal Word given to us. This precious and enduring Word transforms believers who are born again into God’s imperishable Kingdom and purifies those who seek to obey it. We are transformed into Christ’s image more and more as we seek to obey His eternal Word.

The souls of people (Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”)

King Solomon, in his wisdom when penning down his thoughts about having a time for everything and a season for every activity, wrote about this secret element of time that God slipped into the hearts of men. As one is able to observe the appropriateness of responding towards different situations in life, the ability to fully understand the existence of life beyond death remains a mystery. The Architect of life who sets eternity in our hearts desires to spend the rest of eternity with us. God has provided the solution through Christ and calls us to join Him in the battle for the souls of others.

As we continue to live our lives coming out of the pandemic, may the choices we make as Christ’s body centre around the eternal, as we continue to build our love for God’s Word and the souls of people. May our own personal anniversaries reflect things that truly matter, as we ourselves align our wills to God’s – as seen through the actions made by pioneer YCKC members, in the past, till today, and beyond.

May our 68th Church Anniversary be a time of thanksgiving and realigning ourselves to God’s Will. Happy Anniversary!

By brother Joey Hong