Worship

Just before we turned in for the night on Christmas Eve, my husband asked: "How was your year?" The question caught me off guard, as he would typically ask about my day, and not an entire year's worth of days. I could not answer immediately, but upon further reflection, I realised that much of my 2023 was spent scurrying from one small task to another in a somewhat endless cycle.

There are always simple melodies of childhood that we remember for life. I vividly recall the bedtime prayer my siblings and I recited during our primary school years.

In a time when many societies and churches are plagued by division and strife, Christian unity is not merely good and pleasant, but an imperative that acts as a powerful witness to an unbelieving world.

The world is currently facing urgent challenges related to inequality, poverty, discrimination, and fractured families. Amid these difficulties, we have a responsibility to fully understand and tackle the complex issues affecting our communities.

PSN, ASD, GDD, CP. Any idea what they mean?

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".

Budding songwriters from Methodist and non-Methodist churches across Singapore congregated in Changi Cove Hotel for a songwriting retreat, called "The Faith We Sing" (TFWS), on 22 and 23 April 2023. The 2-day event, organised by the Methodist School of Music (MSM), was centred on the theme of families.

"Please rise for the Scripture reading." A familiar voice then started on the passage. However, after a few verses, I heard a little voice that seemed to come from the same pulpit, but there was no one to be seen. A second later, I recognised that it was the voice of the lectionary reader’s eight-year-old son.

Years ago, I worked as a composer on a film project. After many hours of work, I produced what I believed was the perfect soundtrack—it hit all the correct emotional moments, the mixing was skilful, the musicians performed their parts beautifully. Pleased with myself, I hit 'Send File', confident that the director would love it.

Have you encountered "charity muggers", the people paid to conduct face-to-face solicitation on behalf of the charities who hire them? Some genuinely believe in the cause that they're paid to promote, while others approach it with the same level of enthusiasm as a rebellious teenager forced to do something against his will.

Through the years, changes in worship style, culture, and musical preferences have increased the variety of congregational songs. There are hymns, contemporary songs, psalm settings, global songs, Asian hymns, gospel songs—among other genres. Which genre does your congregation love to sing?

It is a tradition for choirs to present an offertory anthem during worship. At the TRAC 47th Session Ordination and Closing Service on 24 November 2022, the designated offertory anthem was "Christ Be With Me".