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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
As a result of the COVID-19 situation, guest workers in our nation have become especially vulnerable – being financially affected and faced with worries about their job and future.
In response to this urgent need, the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach (AGWO) – a movement of Hope Initiative Alliance – launched the Care Meals Distribution Project on Good Friday, 10 April 2020. Through this project, 9,218 Care Meals were distributed to guest workers at 113 factory-converted dormitories (FCDs).
Due to the overwhelming response to care for the guest workers amid the COVID-19 situation, this project – which was initially organised as a one-day exercise – eventually evolved into a continuous effort during the entire circuit breaker period, and was extended until the end of June.
Through the AGWO – a coalition of over 130 partnering charities and organisations – we have been working to meet the needs of vulnerable guest workers by providing them with daily Care Meals for lunch and dinner. Over the course of the circuit breaker period, we distributed more than half a million Care Meals across 267 FCDs and 9 Zones/Collection Points (as of time of writing).
We are thankful to have worked with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC), who engaged us to supply food and essentials to the guest workers. Thus, we were able to gain access to these FCDs, while ensuring our distribution efforts were safe. We are also grateful to have been granted the necessary permits to conduct these various efforts with volunteers at our designated locations.
The High Commission of Sri Lanka also engaged us to supply daily Care Meals for the stranded low-wage Sri Lankan guest workers in Singapore. We are also grateful for the many dry food and other in-kind donations we received, in support of the initiative and our fundraising efforts.
PARTNERS
Ministry of Manpower
Migrant Workers’ Centre
High Commission of Sri Lanka
10 April 2020 Appeal: Additional Care Packs and Resources for Guest Workers
We are very heartened to report to you that we have received a very positive response on the “Good Friday Care Meals for Guest Workers” initiative over the past two days. Because of your generous giving, we will be able to distribute—the first batch of Care Meals—7,000 packets of food to dormitories starting Good Friday, 10 April (as reported on TodayOnline, dated 9 April).
As there remains much more to be done, HIA has decided to continue its efforts to provide these guest workers with Care Meals and other essential necessities for an extended period of time—as much as we can help—during the “circuit breaker” period.
In recent reports, the government has committed to administering the necessary assistance to guest workers who have been quarantined. Yet, hundreds of thousands of affected guest workers have surpassed those who were housed in dormitories with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Many of them have been financially affected and worried about their job prospects, as well to their health situation in congested dormitories.
After liaising with the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach’s network of contacts who are working on the ground, we have understood the gravity of the situation. We have been working with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Migrant Workers Centre (MWC) and dormitory operators to ensure that the distribution efforts will be in accordance to safe distancing measures and ensure no individuals are placed at risk.
We are also partnering with SATA CommHealth to avail medical assistance, as well as with the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore (IRO) and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) to provide the guest workers with counselling and emotional support.
The essential supplies that we will be distributing—in addition to Care Meals—include food items, basic medication, and other necessities to ensure basic hygiene upkeep within dormitories, such as masks, hand sanitisers, and soaps.
We earnestly appeal to you to continue in your generous efforts to care for the guest workers amongst us. With your contribution, we can make sure that no guest worker shall starve during this challenging period, and that they will receive the essential supplies they need to keep them safe amidst the Covid-19 situation.
We continually urge you to join us in ensuring these individuals in need will receive the necessary assistance. As a vulnerable community who have been separated from their families amidst this trying period, these workers are in need of urgent care, and your partnership will go a long way in meeting their needs. Once again, we thank you for your support and committed efforts to sow good into the lives of the vulnerable.
6 April 2020 Appeal: Good Friday Care Meals for Guest Workers
Over the past days, guest workers have formed the large majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Singapore. Having lived in densely packed rooms, 20,000 guest workers from the affected dormitories have been placed under quarantine.
There are around 80,000 to 100,000 guest workers housed in factory-converted dormitories (FCD). On average, there are 10 to 1,000 housed in one FCD alone—who remain especially vulnerable amidst the COVID-19 situation. With stricter regulations, some of them couldn’t even leave their premises to obtain food and/or essential supplies to cook.
In order to meet their urgent needs and assist the government in aiding this vulnerable community, The Alliance of Guest Workers (AGWO) launched the Good Friday Care Meals for Guest Workers #SowingGoodAmidstAdversity alongside other partnering charities. This initiative followed the SG United Amidst Adversity #CharitiesCaringTogether initiative, which distributed more than 5,000 care packs—comprising surgical masks, hand sanitisers and food items—to at least 5,000 beneficiaries through 50 charities.
Under Good Friday Care Meals for Guest Workers campaign—which was formed with the aim of demonstrating collective warmth as a nation amidst a challenging period—we sought to feed 20,000 to 30,000 guest workers. Each meal—comprised of rice, gravy and a side of vegetables—cost $2 and were delivered to guest workers in selected dormitories or FCDs, on Good Friday.
As part of this campaign, we also distributed Care Packs to the guest workers. These Care Packs consisted of necessities–such as hand sanitisers, surgical masks and food supplies—that they were unable to obtain due to lack of financial resources amidst the COVID-19 situation.
On 31 December 2019, Wuhan, the largest metropolitan region in China’s Hubei province reported an outbreak of cases of people who have become ill with an inexplicable respiratory infection (‘pneumonia of unknown aetiology’). Sequencing reveals that the culprit is a strain of coronavirus which the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2). WHO subsequently named the disease it causes COVID-19.
By the end of March 2020, the deadly virus has spread to 190 countries round the world, leading WHO to characterise it as a pandemic. At the time of writing, there were more than one million coronavirus cases across the globe and a death toll of 59,206. Despite the amazing advances in modern medicine, there is to date no vaccine to protect against the coronavirus and no treatment for COVID-19.
Singapore is not spared from the ravages of this merciless and silent disease. Despite the best efforts of the Singapore government that have won the repeated praises of the WHO, the island has more than 1,000 cases of the disease and six fatalities.
The pandemic has also brought in its wake great economic and social upheavals. Some sectors of the economy, such as tourism and travel-related industries, will be more affected than others. For example, the International Air Transport Association warns that COVID-19 could cost global air carriers between USD63 billion and USD13 billion in revenue in 2020. With stay home and social distancing advisories, restaurants and the entertainment industries will also suffer significant disruption and losses.
Estimates of the global economic impact of COVID-19 vary somewhat. In early March, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that the pandemic will lower global GDP growth by one-half a percentage point in 2020 (from 2.9 to 2.4 percent), while Bloomberg Economics warned that full-year GDP growth could fall to zero should the already dire situation worsen.
The sudden appearance of this novel coronavirus and the speed with which it is spreading across the globe has filled the world with dread. This is in some ways exacerbated by the wide use of social media and made worse by malicious actors, fearmongers who create anxiety and panic by spreading false information.
Catastrophic Disaster
The coronavirus outbreak could be described as a ‘catastrophic disaster’, a term coined by the late pastoral theologian Larry Kent Graham. In his 2006 article published in The Journal of Pastoral Theology, Graham describes the features of this phenomenon in this way.
The first feature of a catastrophic disaster is its intrusiveness. ‘A catastrophe’, he writes, ‘is intrusive because it befalls individuals and communities, contrary to their intentions and expectations, and violently throws their world into misery and disorder, characterised as “disaster”’.
Secondly, a catastrophic disaster is comprehensive in scope. It does not only impact individuals, but families and communities also. As a result of this unexpected invasion, public services are either overwhelmed or temporarily suspended. ‘In worse case scenarios’, Graham writes, ‘the fabric of life is either torn to shreds, or removed altogether.’
Thirdly, catastrophic disasters are tragic events. The term tragic, of course, has a wide range of meanings. But, as Graham points out, ‘[i]n common parlance “tragedy” indicates any unexpected misfortune that negatively alters the expected course of life.’
Tragedy, according to Graham, can either be due to ‘fate’ or ‘flaw’. The former describes the tragedy brought about by events that are beyond our control. The latter refers to ‘a failure of a community or individuals to do the right thing, either out of defiance or neglect, thereby bringing horrendous catastrophic consequences into the world.’
Whether it is the result of ‘fate’ or ‘flaw’, or both, a tragedy impacts individuals and communities in profound ways. Graham explains:
Tragedy therefore inaugurates a very complicated mixture of living with unwanted and unexpected loss and of confronting the perplexing challenge of assigning proper accountability, facing unanswered questions and searching for positive meaning.
Fourthly, catastrophic events often result in what Graham calls ‘evil consequences’, by which he means that they bring about ‘discord or triviality’. The social unrests in Kenya and South Africa sparked by government lockdowns and curfews to curb the spread of COVID-19 are cases in point.
And finally, catastrophic disasters ‘mobilise a huge amount of material and human resources, including massive media attention and involvement and elicit multiple levels of interpretation and evaluation.’
Anyone who has been following the way the new coronavirus has been making its way across the globe (and who hasn’t!) would immediately recognise all these features of catastrophic disasters inherent in this current global calamity cause by COVID-19.
Christians and Pestilences
The Church is no stranger of epidemics and pandemics. Throughout her history she has seen numerous catastrophic disasters that have ravaged cities and empires.
For instance, in the years 165 to 180, the Antonine Plague (also known as the Plague of Galen) broke out in the Roman Empire, wiping out one quarter of its citizens. From 249 to 262, a pandemic called the Plague of Cyprian ravaged the Roman Empire, claiming more than 5,000 lives.
Pandemics were also very common during the Renaissance and early modern period of European history. The renown historian of medicine, Vivian Nutton, has observed that from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, ‘A town would experience an epidemic of plague approximately every decade, and a serious devastation once in every generation.’
In the 14th century, the Black Death (bubonic plague) spread rapidly across Europe, taking more than 30 million lives in the course of five years. And in 1527, a pestilence struck Martin Luther’s Wittenberg which caused great disruption in the university town and many deaths.
Christians throughout the centuries have written what may be described as ‘flight theologies’ as they responded to the devastating contagions of their day. The most famous of which is – arguably – Martin Luther’s letter to his friend and fellow pastor, Johann Hess, entitled, ‘Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague.’
It is not my purpose here to discuss this fascinating letter. But I would like to highlight an important point that Luther makes with regard to an epidemic being a temptation that tests and proves our faith and love.
‘Our faith’, writes the Reformer, ‘in that we may see and experience how we should act toward God; our love in that we may recognise how we should act toward our neighbour.’
In what ways has this coronavirus outbreak tested our faith and our love? What has it revealed about our attitude towards God and towards our neighbours?
A Call to Trust in God
The current pandemic has startlingly and rudely exposed the illusions of invulnerability that we secretly harbour.
In an age where science and technology are advancing in such an unprecedented way, not only offering explanations to what was once seen as an impenetrable mystery, but also solutions to intractable problems, it is not difficult for us to think of ourselves as being somewhat invincible.
Yet, a bug that is so small that it is not even visible to the naked eye could wreak so much havoc, baffle experts across the globe and bring some countries to their knees. This pandemic reveals the unbidden truth that despite its achievements and prowess, the human race remains extremely vulnerable.
Vulnerability is a complex human condition that becomes real in various forms and in different situations, for example, in disease, dying, harm and violence. The Swiss theologian Heike Springhart has helpfully distinguished two forms of vulnerability.
Ontological vulnerability, according to Springhart, addresses the fundamental condition of being human. ‘There is no invulnerable human life’, she writes.
Birth and death mark the vulnerable transitions in which the interrelated dependency, fragility and bundle of possibilities ahead and behind become real. Human life is susceptible to harm and to love, to transformation and violence, to disease and decay.
Although Springhart does not make this connection explicit, we must stress that human vulnerability is due to the fact that we are fallen human beings that inhabit a world marred by decay and death. But ontological vulnerability, it must be quickly pointed out, is not only due to human sinfulness; it is also an aspect of human finitude.
The second type of vulnerability Springhart describes as situated. ‘Situated vulnerability’, she explains, ‘addresses vulnerability in different levels of realisation as there are social, cultural and environmental conditions that increase or lower vulnerability.’ In addition, she points out that vulnerability has somatic, psychic, and systemic dimensions.
It is not difficult to see how these various types of vulnerability are at play in the current coronavirus calamity.
From the standpoint of Christian theology, the COVID-19 pandemic can be said to be iconoclastic. It smashes human ‘colossalism’ and exposes the false sense of security that we have nourished. It challenges all secular ‘eschatologies’ – the utopias that we thought we could bring to realisation through our science and technology – and the ‘titanism’ of the human spirit that inspires them.
The pandemic serves as a reality check and forces us to adopt a more objective assessment of ourselves and our world. Most importantly, it should cause us to repent of our idolatrous self-confidence, and of the ‘atheism’ that shapes our delusional sense of self-sufficiency. It should cause us to disabuse ourselves of the illusion that we are gods, in control of our destinies.
It should drive us to our Creator and Provider and to the humble acknowledgement of our total dependence on him. It should urge us to put our faith (fiducia = trust) in the sovereign One who alone is control of the situation that each day appears to be spiralling into greater chaos because of COVID-19.
A Call to Serve our Neighbour
During the terrible Antonine Plague, Christians went out of their way to care for the sick and serve those who are afflicted by the scourge in whatever way they could. While the pagans speculated about whether this dreadful disease was unleashed by angry gods, Christians made the love of the true God manifest through their selfless service.
In his Church History (Book VII, Chapter 22), Eusebius reported the account by Dionysius, the Bishop of Alexandria, of the self-sacrificial service that Christians showed in caring for one another during the spread of the pestilential disease:
The most of our brethren were unsparing in their exceeding love and brotherly kindness. They held fast to each other and visited the sick fearlessly, and ministered to them continually, serving them in Christ. And they died with them most joyfully, taking the affliction of others, and drawing the sickness from their neighbours to themselves and willingly receiving their pains. And many who cared for the sick and gave strength to others died themselves having transferred to themselves their death.
But Christians did not only care for their own. They extended this self-disregarding service of love unconditionally to non-Christians as well.
Pontius, who served as a deacon under Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, from whom the plague which ravaged the city from 249 to 269 got its name, wrote a biography of the bishop where he described the plague in this way:
Afterwards there broke out a dreadful plague, and excessive destruction of a hateful disease invaded every house in succession of the trembling populace, carrying off day by day with abrupt attack numberless people, everyone from his own house. All were shuddering, fleeing, shunning the contagion, impiously exposing their own friends, as if with the exclusion of the person who was sure to die of the plague, one could exclude death itself also. There lay about the meanwhile, over the whole city, no longer bodies, but the carcasses of many, and, by the contemplation of a lot which in their turn would be theirs, demanded the pity of the passers-by for themselves (Life and Pasion of St Cyprian, 9).
While everyone was fleeing from those stricken by the disease, Christians reached out to them, offering help and care, for they believed that:
… there was nothing wonderful in our cherishing our own people only with the needed attentions of love, but that he might become perfect who would do something more than the publican or the heathen, who, overcoming evil with good, and practising a clemency which was like the divine clemency, loved even his enemies, who would pray for the salvation of those who persecute him, as the Lord admonished and exhorts (Life and Pasion of St Cyprian, 9).
As the COVID-19 situation in Singapore unfolds, the government continues to issue slews of ever stringent measures to halt the spread of the infection and to keep the population safe. Churches are also busy trying to change the way they congregate and worship in accordance with government directives and advisories.
But it is heartening to note that despite all the disruptions and adjustments, Christians here still make an effort to reach out to their neighbours, to help people in need, and to join in the government’s efforts to serve the community. In doing this, Christians are simply obeying Christ’s command to love our neighbour (Mark 12:31).
For example, some Christians assisted Malaysian workers stranded when their country was in lockdown to find accommodation in Singapore. Others joined grassroots leaders to distribute essentials such as soap, sanitisers and towels to those living in rented HDB flats.
These efforts are laudable and Christians can certainly do more to serve the larger community in these perilous times, especially the poor and vulnerable.
To be sure, there is a difference between foolishly putting one’s self and one’s families in harm’s way (for example, by ignoring safe distancing practices) and risking infection in order to help one’s neighbour.
In the wake of the epidemic in Wittenberg, Luther, in his letter to Johann Hess, writes:
… I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbour needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as state above.
This is surely a level-headed Christian approach! As Luther himself puts it, this approach is ‘neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.’
Our Christian responsibility towards our neighbours can therefore be carried out in two ways.
Firstly, we must do whatever is necessary to protect them and ensure their safety. This includes taking all the precautions so that we remain healthy ourselves, such as personal hygiene and responsible social behaviour (e.g., practicing safe distancing).
Christians must also do whatever that is necessary (including suspending church services and small group meetings) to halt the spread of the contagion. We must never endanger others through negligence or recklessness.
Secondly, we must always be willing to help our neighbour when they are in need, even though this might expose us to certain dangers. We must never follow the examples of the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan and leave a neighbour in genuine need unattended.
Our world is gripped by a health crisis the likes of which it has not seen for many decades. As the number of infections and the death toll rise each day, society may descend into fear, uncertainty and despair. Yet in these dark times there are evidences of heroism, courage and tenacity, not least in the fearless and tireless work of our healthcare professionals.
In times like this, Christians too have a role to play as God’s witnesses. Through their quiet and selfless service to their neighbours, Christians can bring solace and hope by imaging the compassionate God who is unbounded love and mercy, the God who never fails or forsakes.
“In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)
February 2020 marked the fifth anniversary of the brutal murder of 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians by Daesh or ISIS in Libya. It is difficult to forget the video of ISIS fighters marching these Egyptian Christians along the beach in orange prison suits.
What is not widely known is that during the 43-day captivity before their executions these Christians were given the choice to live if they would reject their faith and embrace Islam. They refused. In the face of death, these Christians—many of whom hailed from poor villages and towns in Upper Egypt—acted with extraordinary courage and remained faithful till the very end.
The great theologians of the Church—from Augustine in the fifth century to Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth—have produced erudite tomes about Christian courage. Alongside wisdom, temperance and justice, courage is one of the four cardinal virtues, so called because they are foundational to the spiritual life.
Christian courage must never be confused with acts of bravado or even bravery. As the 20th century Christian theologian and philosopher, Josef Pieper, explains, “The virtue of fortitude has nothing to do with a purely vital, blind, exuberant daredevil spirit.”
The Christian faith does not champion valour in itself. Neither does it urge Christians to suffer injury for its own sake. As Augustine said, “it is not the punishment but the cause that makes the martyr.”
The cause for which the Christian must have the courage to suffer and even to die for is not a doctrine, a religious institution or a revered religious tradition, but a person—Jesus Christ, his Saviour and Lord. Christian courage therefore has to do with Christians’ resolve to stand firm in their faith in Christ in the face of opposition, hostility, ridicule, threats, persecution, danger and even death.
Such courage is required not only of martyrs. Ordinary Christians are also called to display this virtue because it requires fortitude to be a faithful disciple of Christ in this sin-marred world.
There are numerous forces at work in our culture that could cow Christians into concealing their faith or acting against their convictions. These forces, which some writers have called “cultural intimidators”, are everywhere—in our homes, at our workplaces, in public spaces, and even in the church—pressurising Christians to “conform to the patterns of this world” (Rom 12:2).
It takes courage to live our lives for God instead of for the world’s approval or applause. It takes courage for a Christian scientist to refuse to participate in experiments that would result in the destruction of a human embryo; for a Christian politician to speak up against injustice and against social policies that would erode public morality; for a pastor to refuse to acquiesce to the secularising forces at work in the church today and pander to the latest fad.
The Christian can only muster such resolute courage when he puts his faith in Jesus Christ. Christian fortitude is possible only when we entrust our lives to the One who has overcome the world and draw strength from Him alone.
As the late Pontiff John Paul II so powerfully put it:
There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not bear with us… This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.
Staying true to our mission to be an aggregator of assistance and services among hundreds of organisations and associates, Hope Initiative Alliance responded to New Hope Community Services’ appeal to rally support for The Innkeeper’s Project. Under The Innkeeper’s Project, homeless individuals will be temporarily housed in HDB estates; each flat accommodates two to four persons. Other partnering organisations include Methodist Welfare Services, Montfort Care and Singapore Kindness Movement.
Through the generosity of our partners and donors—such as CDC Funds, SG Strong, and OSCAR@SG Fund—we have managed to provide various essential items such as floor mats, foldable tables and reusable masks to support the needs of almost 260 rough sleepers.
We have also worked with partners such as SowCare – the charity arm of the Bible Society of Singapore – which supported the project by providing a team of individuals to tend to these homeless individuals, while also handling logistical and administrative tasks. These round-the-clock efforts are inclusive of supplying meals, hygiene essentials and medical assistance – as well as items such as mattresses, pillows, blankets, bedsheets, towels, and many more. These ongoing efforts seek to care for the homeless beyond the circuit breaker period until they are equipped to transition back into a stable and secure environment.
How much do you know about homelessness in Singapore?
A study led by Assistant Professor Ng Kok Hoe from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy found that there are about 1,000 people that live on the streets of Singapore; 87% of whom are men; while 50% are in their 50s or even older.
In light of the COVID-19 situation and circuit breaker measures, beaches and parks are no longer accessible; rough sleepers are now struggling to find a place to sleep and are highly susceptible to contracting the virus. It is more pressing than ever for us to step up and provide holistic care for these vulnerable individuals.
The Innkeeper’s Project @NorthEast #CoalitionToEndHomelessnessTogether is a project organised by the Ministry of Social and Family Development with the Housing & Development Board (HDB), involving several social service organisations.
With New Hope Community Services (NHCS) fronting the logistics and operations for this project, Methodist Welfare Services and Montfort Care working on the case management, Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA) is pleased to assist in soliciting support and in providing holistic care for the 200 homeless individuals who will be temporarily housed in the 1-room or 2-rooms HDB flats. This project is also supported by Singapore Kindness Movement.
The Innkeeper’s Project seeks to provide holistic 24-hour care for the homeless—inclusive of food, hygiene essentials and medical assistance. The fundraising goal is $200,000, which includes ex gratia/allowance for the homeless individuals and staff cost for the 24/7 staff-on-duty, handling the logistical and administrative tasks.
In-kind donations are mostly needed—such as mattresses, pillows, blankets, bedsheets, towels, and many more. (Please refer to the wishlist for The Innkeeper’s Project.) Owing to hygiene purposes and the COVID-19 situation, new and unused items are preferred. To make in-kind donations and arrange delivery, please call the hotline at 6304 3486 or email to covid19@hia.sg.
Let us rally together as one nation to care for the ones who are most vulnerable and in need. Your generous giving will go a long way in allowing these often overlooked and neglected individuals, to know that they matter and are cared for.
Note: When in excess to the needs, we will share the donated resources to other shelters and S3Ps (Safe, Sound, Sleeping Places).
Be part of us in The Innkeeper’s Project @NorthEast.
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”—1 John 3:16-18
As a missions organisation that has dedicated itself to making the Word of God known to all peoples, The Bible Society of Singapore (BSS) has striven to be a beacon of light to the nations by bringing the Word of God to those in need. Through the sharing of the living Word, we hope to shed light on the transformative power of God’s Word and bring a glimmer of hope to the vulnerable and marginalised.
Providing Aid to Alleviate Poverty
With the aim of loving and serving communities in need, BSS has expanded its overseas holistic missions to include meeting the material and physical needs of the poor. In 2019, BSS worked closely with the Bible Society of Egypt and donated USD$15,000 towards a Christmas Distribution project for 20,000 poor children. The children received backpacks filled with Scripture material, games, a towel and a stationery kit—to encourage them to engage with the Word of God, and build them up in their faith. BSS also coordinated a mission trip to Qionghai City in Hainan, China last year. A donation of USD$26,000 was made to help with the construction of a local church as well as provide education bursaries for the village children. (Read more about BSS’ overseas holistic mission work on pages 10-12.)
“We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.”
—St Francis of Assisi
Locally, BSS has kickstarted initiatives to render aid to the vulnerable and marginalised in Singapore. One of these initiatives is SowCare—a charity arm of BSS that aims to care for the
often-neglected facets of society, and create public awareness about their daily challenges and how to meet their needs. In 2019, SowCare partnered with the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach (AGWO) with the aim to provide holistic care for the guest workers in Singapore.
On 8 and 15 December, SowCare hosted two Feasts of Appreciation for guest workers in the construction industry and Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs).
This year, SowCare aims to also look into caring for the homeless in Singapore. Apart from providing these individuals in need with daily necessities, SowCare will also be looking into the possibility of building a shelter for the homeless.
Beyond Physical Poverty
”There’s two kinds of poverty. We have the poverty of material; … where the people are hungry for a loaf of bread—real hunger. But there is a much deeper, much greater hunger; and that is the hunger for love.“
—Mother Theresa
Although meeting the immediate needs of these impoverished communities would help alleviate some of their suffering, the essence of the Gospel encourages us to not only give what we have, but also to reveal God’s heart for His beloved children. This is why BSS strives to go a step further in sowing care for the poor and needy by presenting them with the everlasting and enduring hope that Jesus has promised; for it is only by bringing them back to our Provider that we may live eternal life free of suffering.
For BSS, presenting the hope of the Gospel takes place in many forms. In 2020, BSS also hopes to connect with at-risk individuals, whose emotional needs may not have been met, and require mental wellness facilities and resources. In view of the current COVID-19 situation, SowCare, Hope Initiative Alliance and other partner organisations are also working towards distributing masks and other essentials for this vulnerable community. As we work to create more platforms to build meaningful relationships with these at-risk individuals, we invite you to pray for opportunities to reveal God’s enriching love to those who have yet to experience it.
Continuing with our work in sharing God’s love with the guest workers, BSS will be distributing about $17,000 worth of Scripture materials to the guest worker community this year. It is our hope that the provision of the Word of God will remind these guest workers—who may be susceptible to feelings of loneliness and isolation from being in a foreign country—that they may find comfort in knowing that the God of peace is with them.
Beyond blessing communities with His Word, BSS has also been actively working with our partners to meet the needs of the churches and faith communities that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak through the provision of useful resources and supplies. (More information about this initiative can be found on page 38.)
In this season of Lent, as we reflect on the suffering of Jesus, may we also be encouraged to remember the suffering of those among us, and be moved to take the first step in reaching out to them in love.
Kevin Ng, CEO of Thunderquote, help churches, para-churches and charities to implement their IT road maps. He explains why this is important.
Q: What inspired you to use your expertise to serve the churches in Singapore?
We saw that there was a need among the various churches to do book counting and to help out with good stewardship. We realised that the smaller-sized churches often had trouble implementing or affording such systems. We wanted to do our part to contribute.
Q: How do you think digitalisation can serve as a useful means to encourage churches to practice good governance and stewardship?
Church teams, para-churches and charities are often overloaded and under-staffed. Digitalisation helps to offload a lot of these menial work of purchasing or administration, so that more people can do the things which are directly impacting people. Governance is often seen as a burden, so digitalisation relieves the compliance’s burden from all these already over-burdened church and charity staff.
Digitalisation helps to maintain both a very high standard of governance while also reducing the number of time required to spend on that, so that [church and para-church staff] can spend more time with beneficiaries and focusing on missions and outreach.
For many years now, “leadership” has been the buzzword both in the Church and in secular society. But this ubiquitous “L” word has, of late, become reduced to superficial “jump on the bandwagon” jargon-worn and overused.
Christian books and articles on the subject sometimes present rather secular ideas of leadership, garnished here and there with Bible passages and familiar pious clichés. Besides the occasional nod at the Christian writers of antiquity, very few modern works have plumbed the depths of the spiritual tradition of the Church.
Yet theologians like John Chrysostom (349–407) and Augustine (354–430) have so much more to say about spiritual leadership than modern gurus like Peter Drucker and John Maxwell. Their understanding of leadership is saturated with Scripture and shaped by the immensely rich theological, liturgical and spiritual wisdom of the Church.
Following closely the criteria set out by the New Testament (1 Tim 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9), these early theologians and spiritual writers put great emphasis on the character of leaders. The Christian leader is above all a spiritual leader. Spiritual maturity trumps other qualifications—education, social status, skill sets and even spiritual gifts.
Chrysostom, the “golden-mouthed preacher”, puts this arrestingly thus: “We must bring forward those who to a large extent surpass all others, and soar as much above them in excellence of spirit as Saul overtopped the whole Hebrew nation in bodily stature.”
For these early theologians, Christian leadership had to conform to scriptural requirements and ideals. We could say that their understanding of spiritual leadership was profoundly “beatitudinal”. For them, Christian leaders must, by God’s grace, aspire to embody the virtues and qualities presented in the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–12).
For example, Christian leaders are to be humble, displaying an authentic “poverty of spirit” (Matt 5:3)—a total dependence on God that requires an emptying or denial of one’s self and its ambitions. Pride was what caused God’s most luminous angel, Lucifer, to fall and all the early theologians are unanimous on the supreme importance of humility.
This was the concern especially of Augustine, who writes persuasively that “unless humility precedes, accompanies and follows whatever we do, we will find that we have done little good to rejoice in. Pride will bereft us of everything”.
The Christian leader should also have a genuine concern for those whom God has placed in their care. He must have the capacity to mourn, that is, the ability to penetrate the plight of others—to step into their place, so to speak—and feel the weight of their sorrow and pain.
Only those who truly love can mourn in this sense. Those who love in this way, says Chrysostom, mirror God—for God is love (1 John 4:8)—and will receive “a great and unspeakable reward” in His everlasting kingdom.
Meekness is another quality that the godly leader should strive to cultivate. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines meekness as “[being] deficient in spirit and courage”, and in the echo chambers of our culture, meekness is often taken as synonymous with weakness or flaccidity.
In the Bible, however, meekness has quite a different connotation. The 18th century Church father John Wesley describes the meek as “zealous for the Lord… guided by knowledge and tempered in every thought, word and work with the love of man and of God… They do not desire to extinguish passion, but employ it for the noblest of purposes”. In the Bible, meekness is power under control.
Godly leaders must always pursue justice and righteousness, and promote peace. But in so doing, they must expect resistance and opposition—sometimes from the very people whose interest they seek to serve.
The early fathers of the Church knew this all too well.
Athanasius (296–373), the Bishop of Alexandria and indefatigable defender of orthodoxy, was exiled no fewer than five times by Roman emperors at the instigation of powerful Christians who opposed him.
But godly leaders, shaped by the words of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, must continue to serve their Lord faithfully, despite the opposition they might face.
As Chrysostom puts it, they must remind themselves that although their work is “indeed discharged on earth, it ranks among heavenly ordinances”.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to visit Israel-Jordan? What are some of the highlights of these places? We invite Rev Dr Peter Poon and Rev Dr Fong Mow Hee—both of which have served as Spiritual Leaders on various trips to the Bible Lands—to share some of their experiences.
How many times have you been to Israel-Jordan?
Rev Poon: As far as I can remember, I have been there no less than 18 times.
Rev Fong: I have been there around seven times.
What do you appreciate most about Israel-Jordan?
Rev Poon: For me, it is a ministry. I find fulfilment in seeing participants developing a better understanding of the history, geography and culture, especially when they connect to the history and people of the Holy Land. They always return home with a renewed passion to study God’s Word.
Rev Fong: Visiting Israel-Jordan helps one to move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, and deepen our appreciation of Scripture. This is especially so when one visits Israel—the land where Jesus lived. It is not only a personal experience but also a journey for our soul.
Which site do you like most or find the most meaningful to you?
Rev Poon: Every site has its own merits for meaning. I do not necessarily have a favourite. They are all spectacular and meaningful.
Rev Fong: When it comes to the Holy Land, every site holds great meaning for me. If I had to pick one, it would be Mount Nebo, because of the events recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses reminded them to keep in mind God’s teachings and pass them on to the next generation.
Besides leading tours to the Bible Lands, which countries would you like to visit in the near future?
Rev Poon: Rome, Italy, Scotland, Geneva and Switzerland.
Rev Fong: Currently, I would like to visit the lands that are related to the New Testament, such as Turkey, Greece and Rome.
Any travel tips to share?
Rev Poon: Be physically fit, mentally alert, and have hearts and minds open to look at and understand things from their historical and cultural perspective. Always seek out local foods and visit local markets, for that’s where one may better understand the locals. Be adventurous to try new things, even though they may be beyond one’s comfort zone.
Rev Fong: In light of how well-developed our world is, visiting different countries is no longer a rare opportunity. I would highly encourage travellers to visit the Holy Lands to leave a profound impact on their faith.
