Xtreme Prayer Event Update

Well, let me update you all on the Xtreme Prayer. Our brother Liew, was, is and will still be more stressed as the day approaches April 30. (so do remember him in your prayers). So let me do the updating...

Background, always like background info. Gives us perspective. Initially planned as a slumber, but as fate (God) would have it, a group of us went to Indonesia and joined an event called Xtreme Prayer. They have this every month whereby a group of uni students and youth leaders come together to pray for the nation, their church and youth fellowships. They start around 10pm and goes on until 5am. So adopting the Malaysian Spirit of Malaysia Boleh (or piracy...), we decided to adopt and to try out a similar thing in Ipoh. And voila! Our slumber turned into an Xtreme Prayer!!!

Initially, we are hosting this with the AOG youths. Somehow the numbers don't seem right for the musicians part (translation...we lack musicians) We thought of...Ipoh Wesley!!! And so this Xtreme Prayer became a collaboration event between AOG, Ipoh Wesley and EY.

We then started to think bigger...we invited Gerald Ho from GFS Banting to conduct a Worship Leading workshop and Michael Fun from BSGC Petaling Jaya to conduct the drama workshop. The other two workshops are conducted by in house people. Slowly but surely the Xtreme Prayer took on its own direction and growth. The worship session now is being conducted by Ipoh Wesley and EY with the attendance to date is 56 youths and counting.

So and now we wait. We wait upon our Lord, for we are coming together to pray. We believe that greater things are still to come, greater things are still to be done in the town of Ipoh. And it will begin with the people of God going on their knees to pray...

Come, let's us pray.....

Katan

Calling for volunteers!!!

We're currently recruiting helpers for our Children's Holiday Club (CHC). Just in case you don't know, we're having our CHC on the 1st of June to the 5th of June which is the first week of the school holidays. We have a lot to prepare and we need volunteers to help out. Even if you're not free from 1st June to 5th June, you're still welcomed to lend your hand. Currently, we're brainstorming for the crafts and the decorations. Do come to church on any days and help. There's always something that you can do. For those who can be helpers during the period (be it full time or part time), please kindly inform Uncle Jimmy or Aunty Celine. Thank you

Choices...

Coming Soon....watch for it...

12 to 15 December 2009

Katan

How Great is Our God...

People, a slight change in this coming week's program. We are going to watch a video on 'How Great is Our God...' Time and venue are the same, in EY Room at 1530 hrs. So see you all there...

How Great is Our God...

Katan

As You Open My Eyes to The Works of Your Hand...(Part 2)

Initially I wanted to post a series on the mission trip but seeing how the individual members had already posted much and written much on this in their respective blogs, a slight change of plans then.

Allow me then to share what I experienced over there in Indonesia specifically concerning their youth ministries. I had the chance to sit down and chat with one of their youth leader. He is now in his early twenties and was involved in the youth ministries for about 6 years. BTW, the thing that totally knock me off my seat was that their youth meeting was conducted in...get this...a shopping mall.

Now, I know you all won't believe me, well here then is the proof....(Abbalove Ministries is the Youth Meeting)

Now, six years ago they had about 15 youths, today at the youth meeting that we attended, they numbered about 450 people, give a take 1 or 2. 450!!! I was like ...woaw...The meeting that we attended was conducted solely by the youths. From the ushers who welcomed us enthusiaticly to the preacher who was by the way a 16 year old girl. The whole time that I was there, I was saying to myself if only EY was like this, if only...Now don't get me wrong. First of all, I am not saying that EY is not good or it is not functioning. To me, I always thanked the Lord for what EY has become, indeed the Lord has blessed EY much. It is just that when we see God doing something great, we will want the same blessing on EY as well. Only if...

The worship team

A view of the Youth Meeting (450+ youths)

Only if...if what??? The God that we worship here is the same God that they worship in Indonesia. If God can move mountains there, so could He here. SO the difference between them and us is....well us. You and me...do we dare to dream? Do we dare to pray and ask God to show us, to bless us here as well? Praying is easy, but prayer comes with responsibility and change. We cannot asked God to bless us this way if we do not invite our friends for the meeting. We cannot have the authority to invite if we do not live the lives that we proclaim...So the question is do we dare?

Note the children partaking of the Lord's Supper. Young kids, worshipping, reflecting, praying...

The stack of the communion cups...

I came back from Indonesia praying this prayer...I prayed that I can see this in Malaysia, in Ipoh, in EY. Indeed as the song goes, "As you open my eyes to the works of Your Hand..." As God has shown us what is possible with Him, dare we reach out and ask, pray and seek Him for this?

The second part to the song goes like this..."Oceans will part, Nations come at the whisper of your call. Hope will rise, Glory shown as Your will be done in My life" Miracles can happen, and will happen if His will is done in our lives...So come, let us pray, ask and seek that His will be done in our lives that we may see 'oceans parting and nations coming to Him'...

Dare we pray?

Katan

PS: Let's start with this coming month ends program. The Extreme Prayer. We will come togehter to pray, together with the AOG youths, let us start to win the Ipoh youths for Him by going to our knees...

xtreme prayer service
&
labour day's workshop

elimYOUTH & emmanuel AoG youth, do you copy, over??
Please pay attention to the following

p/s - please ask your CHURCH friends to come & let us PRAY together as ONE CHURCH in CHRIST kingdom.

Listen please...

I'm planning to sing this song - Spirit Touch Your Church, this Sunday in AOG. The song list has yet to be finalized.

Jesus, My Beautiful Savior.

Jesus, beautiful Saviour,
God of all Majesty,
Risen King.
Lamb of God,
Holy and righteous,
Blessed redeemer,
Bright morning star.


All the Heavens shout your praise,
All creation bows to worship you.


How wonderful, how beautiful,
Name above every name, exalted high,
How wonderful, how beautiful,
Jesus Your name, name above every name,
Jesus.


Irrelevant, nonetheless, beautiful.


frog

My Comfort Song for The Moment

When everything is so unclear and when we're in times of agony. Do not fear, stop, and hear the whisper of Jesus.

'The voice of truth, says do not be afraid.'

frog

As You Open My Eyes to The Works of Your Hand...

The much delayed post of the mission trip review. Sorry for the delay, was tired, caught up in work, lazy, etc. A multitude of excuses but that said, the things we did for the mission trip from the planning to the practices to the trips and the aftermath should be documented. This is so that we may learned from our mistakes and improved on any future undertakings. We should also not forget that while we practice and perform, God is the One that provides, protects and blesses. So as much as this is about the mission team's efforts, it is first and foremost about God's goodness and greatness.

I will break this series of posts into several parts and would like to call this series "As You open my eyes to the works of Your hand"...part of the lyrics to the song "Oceans will part" by Hillsong that have impacted much of the mission team members. That lyrics in a nutshell summed up what the team members experienced over this mission trip.

Let's start from the begining. (it needed to be said that the insights and views are mine, other team members feel free to add, either in the chat box or comments or msn me so that I can also add into this posting)

This mission trip idea started sometime back. It was aprroximately 3 to 4 years ago where the idea to go for a mission trip was first raised in the YWA group. The plans were made, contacts was established with Ronny over in Philipines (Sorry, Ronny, ended up going to Indonesia). Date was set and members signed up. But somehow, the steam just went out of our engines and the entire trip was postponed.

Last year, the mission trip idea was raised up again. This time round in the EY and the youths were asked to pray and to consider the participation in this mission trip. Coincidentally, our dear Elder went for a Sportds Leadership Training Camp and contacts was made with the Indonesian brothers. We first considered Mynmar, but was rejected due to the high cost of the plane tickets. Then Indonesia and Philipines was considered. Somehow, Indonesia was eventually confirmed as the destination. (A few months back, while we were considering Mynmar, our brother Yeoh said that he felt we will go to Indonesia, that was before even we know we have any contacts in Indonesia). Finally, with the destination confirmed and the people signed up (7 youths & 5 adults), we started to plan and practice.

Sad to say, we did not spend enough time to equip our team members for the this mission trip. Though we may have practice the skits, but the testimony, songs, bible study, sharing and praying part was kinda overlooked. We did plan but we did not really practice. We effectively started practicing somewhere in the month of February. Among the team members, one was away in RBS, two was having a multitude of school activities that kinda tied them up till mid February. So we only have the full team members for about a month before the trip. And even then, towards the mission trip date, another member was called off to be 'brainwashed' (his term) and some are now preoccupied with their university applications.

We decided that the majority of the skits are to be handled by the youths including the testimonies. The adults (William, Kar Wai, Yeoh and Katan) is to prepare messages. All the items; skits, testimonies and messages was to be prepared in Malay. When we started the practices, we did not know what programs we will handle over in Indonesia. We also split the group into two teams in the unlikely event that we will be broken up into two teams. With this in mind, we began our practices.

That concludes our training part. Next up our trip in Indonesia.

Our mission trip t-shirt and logo. Sent to printers on Thursday, the week before the mission trip. Got the T-shirts back on Tuesday, the day before the trip.

We started every practice with a time of worship. The worship though simple and small in numbers was wonderful. Got us into the right frame of mind, reminded us who, why and what we are doing.

We then had a time of prayer as well before the practice.

Some of those not able to go, joined us for the practices, worship and prayer. Would also like to say a big thank you to those who come to lend us your support.

Due to the small number of people in the team, the youths took up the many challenges that they normally would not do. Bernice was tasked to play the guitar even though she had just started playing for about 6 months (Bernice did more...but more on that later)

Katan