Sunday morning at Living Praise

This morning, while visiting in Singapore, I went with Jim & Monica Davis to the Living Praise Presbyterian Church on the northeast side of the country.  We took the Red Line from the west side of the island north through Woodlands, not far from Malaysia, and then around to the northeast where we got off at the Bishan MRT.  We walked Bishan Street 13 for half a mile, finding the church in among the buildings of the Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School.

We had been invited by friends David and Deb Walker, staff with One Challenge Singapore. There are two churches which meet within the Presbyterian school, so I was not sure I was in the right place until I was greeted by David Lin, one of the church elders.  Jan and I had met David before, and he greeted me warmly and quickly took our group to meet our hosts.

I was pleased to learn that this Sunday was a special joint Mandarin-English service.  The church was accepting new members and installing a new elder and deacon and so the Mandarin and English halves had come together in a single service to worship together.  I am aware of the importance of worshiping God in one's own tongue and I am grateful for a Mandarin-English church in The Woodlands in Texas that ministered to one of our university students back in Huntsville.  It was fun to sing in English, while listening to other sing in Mandarin and I am sure one has to carefully pick hymns that will allow both tongues to sing together!

After the service, we had a wonderful lunch with the church body.  Yes, ministry is facilitated by good food and conversation!

I attach (I hope) a short video of one of the stanzas of a hymn.

Tomorrow we return to our study of Mark.  (In English!)