The vision to establish the Singapore Mission School in Laos (SMS) was planted in the hearts of a group of Christian Singaporeans living and working in Laos in the early 2000s. In 2010, the vision took shape in the form of daily English enrichment classes for children between the ages of four and six years. Full day school in English and Lao started later that year.
Who qualifies as a worship leader? This is a question frequently raised in discussions at workshops on worship leading. Worship leading usually falls on people who are skilled in music or gifted with a good voice. But more than skills and personality, the worship leader’s role extends beyond “performance”.
My 16-year-old son tells me that his school (an all-boys school) has a handful of students who have openly declared they are gay, bisexual or gender fluid. How should I handle this as a Christian parent, while showing that it is important to love all our neighbours?
Life’s stories do not always have happy endings. Often, the endings are unexpected. Now this may fly in the face of some of us who consider ourselves somehow protected or blessed in life. Some believers may also hold fast to God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 of his plans to prosper and not to harm.
I’ve had a few failed relationships and I seem to be unable to meet the right one. Friends or peers around me are all happily married with kids, and I feel like I am the odd one out. When I attend weddings, I genuinely share the joy of the couple, but I try not to be reminded of my singleness. Sometimes I struggle because I have been trying to be faithful to serve God and trust that he will give me the best, but my Mum (who is not a believer) especially wonders why my powerful God is unable to provide. How can I cope with my struggle to trust that God is good and believe that he wants the best for me, despite not seeing signs of the right one on the horizon?
I have a couple of good friends, some that I can share things with. However, I do not have a best friend. Also, though I have many friends from different social circles whom I meet with occasionally, I don’t have one particular close-knit group that I often hang out with. I have been wondering for years: Is it normal not to have a best friend at all, or a close-knit social circle? Is there anything wrong with me or my personality?
Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) turns 136 years old this year. During its Founder’s Day celebrations on 25 July 2023, in continuing the pioneering spirit and legacy of its founder Miss Sophia Blackmore in present times, the school will be launching a first-of-its-kind Intergenerational Learning Centre located on a school campus in Singapore.
It is a known fact that Singapore’s population is ageing rapidly. By 2030, 25 per cent of our population is expected to be 65 years or older. In fact, 1 in 10 of those aged 65 and above will most likely suffer from some form of dementia. The statistics point to an urgent need for us to better equip ourselves in caring for the elderly.
In the 1950s, sociologist David Riesman coined the term “the lonely crowd”, in part to describe collectives of people who live according to common traditions and conforming values, but who barely know or like each other. I fear the church is in danger of becoming just such a lonely crowd.
