Watch Night Service, December 2013

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Christmas Carolling, December 2013

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Christmas Lunch, Deccember 2013

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Christmas Service, December 2013

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75th Anniversary

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Anniversary dinner & Celebration meeting.

2. Please intercede for Majors Raelton & Lynn Gibbs.

3. Please intercede for John, Shirley, Cheryl, Robin & Michelle Lee .

4. Please intercede for Hock Sun & Sek Lian, Phee Keat & Peggy, Tuan Ewe, Tuan Ean.

Announcement

1. Youth Fellowship (Drama Practice)
Date: 01/09/13; Time: 7.30pm; Venue: Community Hall
All youth please take note.

2. Soldiers Enrollment
Those who are going to be enroll as senior soldiers and adherent, please see Major Tan after refreshment, thank you!

3. 75th Anniversary Committees Meeting (Final)
Date: 01/09/13(Sun), Time: 12.15pm; Venue Corps Worship Hall
All Committees please take note and attend the meeting.

4. 75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7.00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral.
Please come and share this celebration with us, if possible do come early to help up. We are pleased to inform that, all our table is now sold off, to God be the Glory!

5. 75th Anniversary Celebration Lunch
Date: 08/09/13 (Sun), Time: 12.30pm, Venue: Community Hall.
Please stay back after the Corps Anniversary Celebration for Lunch fellowship.

6. Methodist Bible Conference
Date: 12-14/09/13, Time: 8.15pm, Fees: Free; Venue: Penang Wesley Methodist Church;
Speaker: Rev. D. A. Carson.
All are welcome!

7. Malaysia Day Celebration (Combined Churches Prayer)
Date: 15/09/13 (Sun), Time: 7.30pm, Venue: Komtar G. Dome
Please do come and join to pray and celebration for our nation.

8. Lt. Andrew & Fiona’s Wedding
Date: 14/09/13 (Sun), Time: 10.00am, Venue: Ipoh Corps.
Those who received the invitation card, please reply RSVP to Lt. Fiona, and please inform Corps Officer for transportation arrangement. Thank you.

9. Women’s Camp
Date: 20-22/09/13, Venue: Putri Resort, Melaka; Fees: RM250.00

Unforeseen Consequences

When I was a teenager, I went to a concert, and after it I saw a young woman sitting alone. I offered her a cup of tea. Gratefully, she accepted. She and I have now been married for 43 years, have five children and two grandchildren - and all because of that cup of tea.

We can never foresee the full consequences of even our smallest action. So it was with Adam and Eve. They were warned not to eat the fruit of one particular tree and were told what would happen to them if they did so. But they took no heed and did it anyway. It seems a very small, innocuous thing that they did. Taking a bite from a piece of fruit hardly compares with theft, rape or murder. Yet it resulted in God’s unprecedented anger. Why?

Because God is perfect, even the smallest of our sins offends him and places a wedge between him and us. Not only that, but Adam and Eve showed no regret and refused to accept responsibility for what they had done.

Consequently, they were ‘banished… from the Garden of Eden’ (Genesis 3:23 New International Version). They lost the peace, security and beauty that they had once experienced. Whereas before they would have lived for ever, now they would experience death. They were separated from God - they no longer knew his closeness.

As a result, we have inherited that legacy. We show all the same traits that Adam and Eve displayed. We are born with a longing for what they lost - peace, security, beauty and a never-ending life. Because they do not sense his closeness, many people do not believe that God even exists.

Yet, despite the fact that humankind continues along the path that Adam and Eve took, God longs to give us back what once we had.

UK & Ireland War Cry August 2013
War Cry photo

Prayer Requests

1. Please intercede for Cadets public welcome meeting on 25/8/13

2. Please intercede for 75th Anniversary Celebration and Dinner

3. Please intercede for Thean Sin, Saw Aing, Hock Hin, Grace and Matthew Tan

4. Please intercede for Ang Chye Thiam and family

Announcements

1. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 25/8/13 (Sun), Time: 12:15pm; Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All committee please take note and attend this important meeting.

2. Corps Sport & Outing
Date: 31/08/13, Time: 8:00am, Venue: To be confirm


3. 75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
- We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, those who have financial difficulties may please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.
- To those who still holding the dinner tickets, please return your unsold ticket to Major Brenda as soon as possible.

4. Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka. Fees: RM250
Speakers: Col. Bronwyn & Lt-Col Evelyn. Please see Major Brenda for more information.

What Have You Done?

Tell a young child not to do something and not only do they often do that very thing, but they also may try to get a companion to share in their misdeed. We humans are social animals and tend to find comfort and courage when someone else is supporting us in what we are doing.

So, too, then with Eve. No sooner had she eaten the forbidden fruit than she shared it with Adam 'who was with her’ (Genesis 3:6 New International Version). Adam was by Eve’s side, yet did nothing to dissuade her from loitering near the tree that contained such a strong temptation. He also did nothing to stop her taking fruit from it and eating it. If that wasn’t bad enough, he then accepted her offer and ate the fruit himself. Immediately, the pair experienced guilt for what the they had done.

Even if no one else knows what we have done, we can feel so bad about our wrongdoing that all we want to do is hide. Though our actions may be a secret, guilt can make us feel as as though everyone knows.

We feel shame and regret. We wish the ground would open up and swallow us. We cannot understand how we allowed ourselves to get into such a position. Oh, how we wish we could turn back the clock and do things differently!

Such thoughts were possibly in Adam and Eve’s minds after they had disobeyed God. Feeling the need to hide, they covered themselves with fig leaves (see 3:7). Whereas they had once felt safe and secure in God’s care, now they felt exposed and vulnerable. And there was a new element in their lives - they feared God (see 3:10).

God knew that there was only one reason for this change of attitude. He knew what they had done, but he still wanted to hear it from them. ‘Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?’, he asked (3:11).

When we get things wrong and feel as though we want to hide, God does not abandon us. He is still willing to speak to us. But he asks that we are honest that we have failed.

UK & Ireland War Cry August 2013
Library photos

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for General Elect, Commissioner Andre Cox

2. Please intercede for 75th Anniversary Celebration and Dinner

3. Please intercede for Choon Eng, Jenny, Scott an Chui Peeng

4. Please intercede for Chris, Sheila & Declan Lee

5. Please intercede for Dave, Lilly, Daniel & Jacqueline Clarke

Announcements

1. Youth Fellowship
There will be not program during the school holiday for 2 weeks. All youth please take note.

2. Prayer Ministry
Date: 9/2/2013 (Fri), cancel due to public holiday.
Kindly see Major Tan for a copy of prayer request. 


3. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 11/8/13 (Sun), Time: 12:15pm; Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All committee please take note and attend the meeting.

4.Family BBQ Dinner
Date: 16/08/13 (Fri), Time: 6:30pm, Venue: Penang Children's Home
Please do come and join us for this special event together.

5. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 17/08/13 (Sat), Time: 11:00am, Venue: Community Hall
Please do come and help in the banana leaf ministry. Volunteers needed.

6. 75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
- We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, those who have financial difficulties may please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.
- To those who still holding the dinner tickets, please return your unsold ticket to Major Brenda as soon as possible.

7. Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka. Fees: RM250
Speakers: Col. Bronwyn & Lt-Col Evelyn. Please see Major Brenda for more information.

What Went Wrong?

In his play 'Lady Windermere’s Fan' Oscar Wilde has Lord Darlington boldly assert: ‘I can resist anything except temptation.’ While that may raise the odd smile, real-life temptation is no laughing matter.

In his conversation with Eve, Satan distorts what God had said about not eating the forbidden fruit. He argues that, by commanding Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God is withholding benefits that would otherwise be theirs and stopping them from becoming more like God himself. In effect, Satan is calling God a liar. Contradicting what Eve has been told, he tells her: ‘You will not certainly die’ (Genesis 3:4 New International Version).

The story goes on to say that when Eve ‘saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it’ (3:6).

The sad thing about Eve is that instead of taking herself away from what is tempting her, she hovers around it. We tend to do the same. Instead of turning our minds to other things, we continue to mull over the possibilities and remain enticed by forbidden fruit.

When we want to do something that we should not, we often look for ways in which to justify ourselves and make wrong seem acceptable. Little wonder Satan is depicted as a snake, for we know how, in our minds, he can slither around any obstacle to get us to do what he wants.

Wrong things are not necessarily always bad things. That fruit wasn’t poisonous. It ‘was pleasing to the eye’. What temptation isn’t attractive? It always offers pleasure of some sort. It is always desirable in some way.

But, as Eve discovered, the pleasure or promised benefit of giving in to temptation is short-lived. It leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouths.

UK & Ireland War Cry July 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Requests

1. Please intercede for High Council meeting and General election.

2. Please intercede for 75th Anniversary Celebration and dinner

3. Please intercede for Freddy, Alice, Ailyn, Daniel & Sandy Cheong

4. Please intercede for Kim Aun, Jasinta, Jonathan, Joshua Lim

5. Please intercede for recruits and enrollment of soldiers

Announcements

1. Youth Outing
Date: 28/07/13 (Sun), Time: 7:30pm Venue: Youth Outing
All youth please take note.

2. Cell Group Ministry
Date: 2/8/13 (Fri), Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Corps Worship Hall
Please contact your own cell group leader for more information.

3. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 17/08/13 (Sat), Time: 11:00am, Venue: Community Hall
Please do come and help in the banana leaf ministry. Volunteers needed.

4. 75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
- We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, those who have financial difficulties may please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.
- To those who still holding the dinner tickets, please return your unsold ticket to Major Brenda as soon as possible.

5. Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka. Fees: RM250
Speakers: Col. Bronwyn & Lt-Col Evelyn. Please see Major Brenda for more information.

Is Enough Ever Enough?

When we tell a little child not to do something, what does that child typically do?

As a Father, God was generous to our first parents, Adam and Eve. And the Garden of Eden - where they lived - is described as a place of abundance and beauty. God wasn’t a kill-joy. He wanted them to enjoy his creation and gave them the freedom to do so.

There was just one thing - just one single thing - that God told Adam he was not to do. There was a superabundance of trees providing enough variety and more than enough quantity of food to keep Adam satisfied and free from hunger. But he was told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). For Adam’s own good, God warned him of the consequences of any disobedience - death.

But then Satan, in the form of a snake, questioned what God had commanded. He asked Eve: ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden?”’ (Genesis 3:1 New International Version).

Satan, questioning God, sowed further doubt in Eve’s mind. Eventually, she persuaded Adam. They ate the forbidden fruit and faced the consequences. They were cast out.

Today, little has changed. Satan still questions God, sows doubt, distorts truth and tempts us into disbelief and disobedience.

One consequence is that many people think that God is all about people not enjoying themselves - that he is a thou-shalt-not God. But that’s not the case. On the contrary, he wants us to enjoy what he has given us. Jesus made it clear that abundant life - life in all its fullness - is what God wants for us. It is what he sent Jesus for (John 10:10).

Through his sinless obedience, Jesus also showed that eternal life is not to be found in doing what we prefer or think best, but in living to please God. We have a choice to make.

UK & Ireland War Cry July 2013
Photo credit: The War Cry

Tong Sing & Irene Baby Dedication, July 21, 2013

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Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Jimme Lee & family.

2. Please intercede for Devi, Kaseh & family.

3. Please intercede for Mahen Daren, Lectchimi, Krihore, Dashalini, Pravayarni, Somansri, Vennila, Pavithra.

4. Please intercede for Hock Hin, Grace and Matthew Tan.

Announcements

1. Youth Worship
Date: 21/07/13 (Sun), Time: 7:30pm Venue: Worship Hall
All youth please take note.

2. Soldiership Class
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please stay back for the class. Do see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

3. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 28/7/13 (Sun), Time: 12:45pm; Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All committee members please take note and attend the meeting

4. Prayer Ministry
4th Friday of the month, all brothers and sister are encourage to pray at own convenience time for the Corps Ministries. Please see Major Tan for a copy of prayer request list.

5. 75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
- We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, those who have financial difficulties may please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.
- To those who still holding the dinner tickets, please return your unsold ticket to Major Brenda as soon as possible.

6. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 17/08/13 (Sat), Time: 11:00am, Venue: Community Hall
Please do come and help in the banana leaf ministry. Volunteers needed.

Marriage - God’s Design For Life?

It can be hard to enjoy some of life’s rich variety of experiences when you are on your own. Often we get far more pleasure from what we have or what we experience when we share it with another person.

According to Genesis, Adam - the first man God created - had a comfortable life. God provided ‘trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food’ (Genesis 2:9 New International Version) and company and help in the form of animals and birds. But none of those creatures were adequate companions for Adam.

So, ‘God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man’ (2:21, 22). The debate over whether these words are to be taken literally or metaphorically can mean there’s a danger of losing some splendid truths contained in them.

With a rib missing, Adam would never be complete. In being united with Eve, Adam got his rib back - he was complete once more. Bible scholar Matthew Henry explores this idea further: Eve, he writes, was ‘made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.’

Genesis 2:24 reads: ‘That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.’ The King James Bible talks about Adam ‘cleaving’ to - or adhering strongly to - his wife. This indicates God’s intention for the strength of their bond.

But no relationship flourishes without commitment and the investment of time, care and attention. It is God’s design that marriage should last. A good marriage requires the mutual determination to be married for good.

UK & Ireland War Cry July 2013

Welcome Cadet Sunday, July 14, 2013

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Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for 75th Anniversary Celebration & Preparation

2. Please intercede for SAFE Fellowship, Dr Goh & Capt Harry Haran

2. Please intercede for Seow Hwee, Loo Thoe & Khye Lin

3. Please intercede for Soon Bee, Wei Lin & Ethan Ong

4. Please intercede for Ah How, Yen Wong, and Tian Seng.

Announcements

1. Youth Drama Practice
Date: 14/07/13 (Sun), Time: 7:30pm Venue: Worship Hall
Youth please take note.

2. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please stay back for the class. Do see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

3. Cell Group Ministry
Date: 19/07/13 (Sat), Time: 8:00pm, Venue: Cancel due to SAFE Fellowship on 20/07/13.

4. SAFE Fellowship (Pot-Bless Dinner)
Date: 20/07/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Community Hall
Guest Speaker: Capt Hary & Dr. Goh. Please bring a dish to share and please see Mrs Tan for more information.

5. 75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.

6. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 17/08/13 (Sat), Time: 11:00am, Venue: Community Hall
Please do come and help in the banana leaf ministry. Volunteers needed.

Bowling Outing July 13, 2013

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We're In Charge

Look at the way humankind has taken over the earth. Everywhere we go, from the coldest Arctic or Antarctic to the remotest equatorial rainforest, there are people. And humankind has not only populated the planet, but also taken control of it.

So it’s amazing to read in the opening book of the Bible, written thousands of years ago, about God telling the first people he created to ‘be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1:28 New International Version). It was also God’s intention for humankind to rule over the earth and all the creatures in it.

But is today’s world how God planned it to be? While in many ways we are similar to other creatures, we all know that we are not the same. Something sets us apart. We have an ability to consider and communicate issues which go above and beyond the little world we each live in. We have the potential to choose what is best rather than what is to our own personal advantage. We have these faculties because we are created in God’s image (see Genesis 1:27).

The Bible also describes God as being pure and perfect. In the beginning, humankind was a perfect reflection of what God is like. But then something happened which resulted in that image of God in us being spoilt. Instead of feeling responsible to him for all he had given them and living to please him, the first human beings rebelled and decided to follow their own selfish impulses.

Humankind does indeed fill the earth and has subdued it. But sadly, through selfishness and greed, we have spoilt so much of what God made us responsible for. We have polluted the land, the sea, the air we breathe and even outer space. We have caused the extinction and near-extinction of so many wonderful creatures. We have acquired the capability to destroy ourselves and the world. Sometimes it seems we are in danger of doing so.

Our only hope lies in us restoring our right relationship with our Creator.

War Cry UK & Ireland July 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Major Raelton & Lynn Gibbs and family

2. Please intercede for Steven, Casey and Allison Foo

3. Please intercede for John, Shirley, Cheryl, Robin & Michelle Lee

4. Please intercede for Hock Sun, Phee Keat, Tuan Ewe, Tuan Ean.

5. Please intercede for SAFE Fellowship & Capt Harry Haran

Announcements

1.Youth Drama Practice
Date: 07/07/13 (Sun), Time: 7:30pm Venue: Worship Hall
Youth please take note.

2. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please stay back for the class. Do see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

3. Prayer Ministry
Date: 12/07/13 (Sat), Time: 8:00pm, Venue: Children's Home
All are encouraged to join and share in fellowship.

4.Corps Sports and Outing: Bowling
Date: 13/07/13 (Sat), Time: 3:00pm Venue: Penang Bowl
Please see Sis Jasinta or Bro Kim Aun for more information.

5.75th Anniversary Site Visit & Food Tasting
Date: 13/07/13 (Sat), Time: 5:00pm-7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
Committee members please see Major Tan for more information.

6.75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 14/07/13 (Sat), Time: 12:30pm, Venue: Worship Hall
All committee please take note and attend the meeting 

7.SAFE Fellowship (Pot-Bless Dinner)
Date: 20/07/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Community Hall
Guest Speaker: Capt Hary & Dr. Goh. Bring a dish to share and please see Mrs Tan for more information.

8.75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.

Cell Group & Major Tan Birthday June 21, 2013

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Ending On A High

The Book of Psalms contains everything from praise and wonder at God’s creation to desperate prayers for help and guidance. In this series, we have looked at nine prayers of praise, penance and petition.

Many psalms start with a clear statement of faith and confidence in the Almighty. For example, Psalm 25 begins: ‘In you, Lord my God, I put my trust’ (New International Version). Psalm 27 takes it further: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?’

But, as we also discover, life doesn’t always go according to plan. Difficult experiences sometimes cause the psalmist’s faith to dip for a while. So it is that Psalm 86 does not begin confidently but with the plea: ‘Hear me.’

However, whatever the circumstances, the writer of that psalm never doubts God’s existence. He believes that God will hear his prayers and answer them in his own good time, according to his divine will and purpose.

Neither does he stop his dialogue with God. He may question what is happening to him and ask what God is doing about his problems, but, as he prays, he is reminded of God’s goodness and mercy in his life: ‘You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me’ (86:5-7).

And so the crisis passes, confidence is restored, and once more he is able to sing a hymn of praise: ‘For you are great and do marvellous deeds; you alone are God’ (86:10).

Are the Psalms relevant for us today?

Our modern-day dilemmas may seem very different from Old Testament living, but human nature doesn’t change. We have the same worries, family troubles, disappointments and heartaches - but we also have the same reliable, comforting, loving God to help us face them. If we would like to talk to him about something, we can be assured that he is only a prayer away.

UK & Ireland War Cry June 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for 75th Anniversary Celebration.

2. Please intercede for Thean Sin, Saw Aing, Hock Hin, Grace & Matthew Tan

3. Please intercede for Any Chye Thiam and family

4. Please intercede for Francis, Maggie and Fernando Elias.

Announcements

1.Youth Fellowship
Date: 30/06/13 (Sun), Time: 7:30pm Venue: Worship Hall
Worship: William; Sharing: Major Tan; Games: Sin Kai & Jihhan. Youth please take note.

2. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please stay back for the class. Do see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

3. Cell Group Ministry
Date: 05/07/13 (Fri), Time: 8:00pm, Venue: Community Hall
All are encouraged to join and share in fellowship.

4.Senior Citizen Breakfast Fellowship
Date: 06/07/13 (Sat), Time: 8:00am, Venue: Paya Terubong
All seniors are welcome to join.

5.Corps Sports and Outing: Bowling
Date: 13/07/13 (Sat), Time: 3:00pm Venue: Penang Bowl
Please see Sis Jasinta or Bro Kim Aun for more information.

6.SAFE Fellowship (Pot-Bless Dinner)
Date: 20/07/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Community Hall
Guest Speaker: Capt Hary. Bring a dish to share and please see Mrs Tan for more information.

7.75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, please see Bro Tan or Bro Steven for more information.

Father's Day June 13 2013

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On A Wing And A Prayer

Long before Aled Jones found fame with his version of ‘Walking in the Air’, boy chorister Ernest Lough hit the high notes with Mendelssohn’s ‘O, for the Wings of a Dove’ with the Choir of Temple Church in London. Its release in 1927 caused a sensation, and in 1962 its lasting popularity made it the first classical single to sell a million copies in HMV’s history.

The title of Ernest’s solo, ‘O, for the Wings of a Dove’, is based on verses from Psalm 55: ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm’ (Psalm 55:6–8 New International Version).

The psalm writer wasn’t having a good day. He was busy fighting a battle, his stronghold was under siege
and the enemy seemed to be gaining ground. To make matters worse, he had also been betrayed by someone he thought was a loyal friend. In distress and fear, he makes this urgent prayer: ‘Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught’ (55:1, 2).

But then he does what many of us do. He longs to escape from it all - ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!’ - in the hope that his troubles will somehow magically disappear.

How do we cope when the going gets tough? We may choose to ignore unpleasant situations by burying our head in the sand and hoping they will go away on their own. The bad news is, they usually don’t! At some point, we have to face up to reality and deal with them.

As the psalmist reflects on God’s past goodness towards him, his fears are quelled and his soul calmed. His friend may have deserted him, but he finds peace in knowing that God never will.

We can take his sound advice for difficult times: ‘Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you’ (55:22). God doesn’t promise to make our problems go away, but he does promise to give us the strength to get through them.

UK & Ireland War Cry June 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Tong Sing, Iris & their new born baby girl.

2. Please intercede for Dave, Lily, Daniel, Jacqualine Clarke

3. Please intercede for Sunny, Rachel, Elizabeth, Susan & John

4. Please intercede for Chin Kheng, Ewe Kheng, Cindy, Eng Soon, Eng Heng

Announcements

1. Congratulation
We please to congratulate brother Tong Sing an Iris for their new born baby. Please pray for their family.

2.Youth Outing
Date: 23/06/13 (Sun), Time: 6:30pm Venue: To be Confirm
Youth please take note

3. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Date: 23/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.15pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please stay back for the class starting today, please see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

4. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 30/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.45pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All committee please take note and attend the meeting.

5.Senior Citizen Breakfast Fellowship
Date: 06/07/13 (Sat), Time: 8:00am, Venue: Paya Terubong
All seniors are welcome to join.

6.Corps Sports and Outing: Bowling
Date: 13/07/13 (Sat), Time: 3:00pm Venue: Penang Bowl
Please see Sis Jasinta or Bro Kim Aun for more information.

8.SAFE Fellowship (Pot-Bless Dinner)
Date: 20/07/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Community Hall
Guest Speaker: Capt Hary. Bring a dish to share and please see Mrs Tan for more information.

7.75th Anniversary Dinner
Date: 07/09/13 (Sat), Time: 7:00pm, Venue: Holy Spirit Cathedral
We wish to include as many Corps members as possible, please see Bro Tan for more information.

Freddy & Alice - Son, Daniel Cheong Wedding, 1 June 2013

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When I'm Feeling Blue

Sir Winston Churchill described it as his ‘black dog’ days. Others say they are feeling ‘down in the dumps’. However we label depression, we can take heart from knowing that we are not alone. According to the Depression Alliance, one in five people in the UK suffers from some form of the condition.

Recognising these times of depression to be a natural occurrence is the first step to getting through them. We also need to realise that we are more prone to feeling ‘down in the dumps’ when we are tired or out of sorts. Add worries about a friend or family member, money or work to our lot, and anxiety levels soon start to rise.
Humans are made up of body, mind and soul; so if one part is out of sync, the others are also likely to be affected.

Without the help of antidepressants or counselling, the writer of Psalm 42 had only himself ­ and God ­ to help him battle the blues. Although we aren’t told the cause or nature of his worries, they might well have involved a crisis of self-confidence.

Struggling with depression, discouragement and despair, the psalmist feels that God has forgotten him (see 42:9). He even tries a spot of self-diagnosis: ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?’ (42:5 New International Version). He longs to be restored to his former state, to have an answer to those who ridicule his apparent lapse of faith with their taunts: ‘Where is your God?’ (42:10)

Each Jew was required to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to participate in the major religious festivals. Unable to make the journey this time round, the psalmist tries to console himself with the memory of past occasions. By recalling God’s goodness and unfailing love towards him, he begins to put his present troubles into perspective. He stakes his hope of recovery and restoration on God’s reliability and strength. As a result, his spirit is renewed.

He answers his own question with his own proven remedy: ‘Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God’ (42:5).

On the days when we feel at the end of our tether, we can be assured that God is holding the other end.

UK & Ireland War Cry June 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Requests

1. Please intercede for Lt-Colonels Leopoldo & Evelyn Posadas

2. Please intercede for Freedy, Alice, Daniel & wife, Ailyn Cheong

3. Please intercede for Kim Aun, Jasinta, Jonathan and Joshua Lim

4. Please intercede for Choon Eng, Jenny, Scott, Chiu Peeng Ooi, Chris, Sheila and Declan Lee

Announcements

1. Youth Drama Practice
Date: 16/06/13 Time: 7:30pm Worship Hall
Youth please take note.

2. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Date: 16/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.15pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

3. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 16/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.45pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All committee please take note and attend the meeting.

4.Youth Leaders Meeting
Date: 17/06/13 (Sun), Time: 6:00pm, Venue: TBA
All youth leaders please take note.

5.Cell Group Ministry
Date: 21/06/13 (Fri), Time: 8:00pm, Venue: Community Hall
Please see your cell group leader for more information.

6. Singapore/Malaysia Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka.
The camp will commence with dinner on Friday evening and conclude with lunch on Sunday.
Theme, speakers, timetable and cost details will be announce by the end of June.

7.Corps Retreat
Date: 8-10/08/2013, Venue: TBA

8.Senior Citizen Breakfast Followship
Date: 06/07/13(Sat), Time: 8:00am Venue: Paya Terubong
All seniors are welcome to join.

8.Corps Sports and Outing: Bowling
Date: 13/07/13 (Sat), Time: 3:00pm Venue: Penang Bowl
Please see Sis Jasinta or Bro Kim Aun for more information.

Banana Leaf Ministry June, 15 2013

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Dumpling Festival Sunday, June 9 2013

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Good For The Soul

CONFESSION - so the saying goes - is good for the soul. We’ve all said or done things that we later regretted but did not own up to. It may have been something trivial, such as eating all the hard-centred chocolates in the box and leaving the soft-centred ones for the rest of the family, or more serious, such as telling a lie that has got someone else into trouble.

A sense of guilt can build up in our minds and memories until it becomes a burden of gigantic proportions. Some people cope by ignoring it. Some hope it will go away. Others completely deny the event ever happened - even to themselves.

Human nature hasn’t changed much through the centuries. In Old Testament times, people were just the same: a mixture of goodness, of trying to be good and of sometimes failing to be good. Describing his own shortcomings, the psalmist prays to God: ‘When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me’ (Psalm 32:3,4 New Living Translation).

But instead of letting the past rule his life, he does something about it. He confesses his wrongdoing to God and seeks forgiveness.

He contrasts his previous life with the joy of being forgiven: ‘Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!… Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone’ (32:1-3).

Sharing his burden of guilt with God through penitence and confession was definitely good for the psalmist’s soul.

Sometimes the person we find it hardest to forgive is ourselves. But being honest before God and facing our past - with all its regrets and ‘what-might-have-beens’ - are the first steps to receiving divine forgiveness and the Almighty’s help to make a new beginning.

UK & Ireland War Cry June 2013
Photo: War Cry Library

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Colonels Lyndon & Bronwyn Buckingham

2. Please intercede for Jimme Lee and family

3. Please intercede for Letchimi, Mahen Deren, Krihore, Dashalini, Pavayarni, Somansri, Vennilah, Pavithra

4. Please intercede for Penang Corps Ministries

Announcements

1. Appreciation
Thank you Major Raelton & Lynn Gibbs for their encouragement and sharing of God word.

2. Prayer Ministry
Date: 14/06/13 (Fri), Time: 8.00pm, Venue: Children's Home
We wish to include you in our prayers, please send in your prayer request and join us in pray.

3. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 15/06/13 (Sat), Time: 11.00am, Venue: Corps Community
Volunteers needed to help on serving.

4. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Date: 16/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.15pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please see Major Tan or Brother Tan for more information.

5. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 16/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.45pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All committee please take note and attend the meeting.

6.Youth Leaders Meeting
Date: 17/06/13 (Sun), Time: 6:00pm, Venue: TBA
All youth leaders please take note.

7. Singapore/Malaysia Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka.
The camp will commence with dinner on Friday evening and conclude with lunch on Sunday.
Theme, speakers, timetable and cost details will be announce by the end of June.

8.Corps Retreat
Date: 8-10/08/2013, Venue: Hatyai, Thailand (TBC), Fees: RM260 per pax
Please see Jasinta for more details and information

Prayer Meeting June 9, 2013

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CRY FOR FORGIVENESS

THE musical 'Les Misérables' - based on the novel by French author Victor Hugo - tells the story of Jean Valjean, an embittered convict released on parole after a 19-year prison sentence. His crime? Stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family.

On the run after breaking his parole, Valjean finds refuge with a kindly bishop, who gives him food and shelter. He repays this kindness by stealing some of the bishop’s silver, but when the theft is discovered the bishop offers him forgiveness rather than sending him back to prison.

This action turns Valjean’s life around. He vows to live up to the bishop’s trust in him, and build a new life devoted to serving humanity. Taking on a new identity, he rises to a respectable position in society, but his new life is thrown into turmoil when he hears that an innocent man has been mistaken for him and arrested. With everything to lose, a desperate Valjean prays for divine help and guidance: ‘God on high,/ Hear my prayer,/ In my need - / You have always been there.’

It’s a prayer that humankind has been making since the beginning of time. We find it in Psalm 130: ‘Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord… Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness’ (Psalm 130:1-4 New International Version).

And - also since the beginning of time - God has been listening and responding to those who go to him in a spirit of true penitence and ask for forgiveness.

Reaching the point of rock-bottom desperation can also be the start of a new way of life. Sometimes, that’s the only time when we are ready to listen to what God has to say to us, and accept his offer of help and forgiveness. No matter how many times we may fail, God does not cast us aside as useless or no-hopers. The psalmist tells us: ‘With the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption’ (130:7).

The story of Valjean may be imaginary, but God’s love is real. Could it turn your life around?

UK & Ireland War Cry June 2013

Youth Camp May 31-June 3, 2013

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Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Tong Sing, Iris, Jesslyn, Tong Ming & Siew Kuan(Mother)

2. Please intercede for Ooi Ah Seong and family

3. Please intercede for Jerry & Margret.

4. Please intercede for Lenny, Devi, Kaseh & family

5. Please intercede for Bro Ah Seng fast recovery on his injury.

Announcements

1. Cell Group Ministry
Date: 7/06/13 (Fri), Time: 8.00pm, Venue: Corps Community
Please see Cell Group leaders for more information.

2. Corps Review
Date: 7-9/06/13;
Majors Raelton & Lynn Gibbs will be visiting the Corps for the Corps Review.
There will be Corps Council meeting on 9th June 2013, after refreshment.

3. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Date: 16/06/13 (Sun), Time: 12.30pm, Venue: Corps Worship Hall
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please see Brother Tan for more information. The class will start from June 2013 onwards.

4. Rice Dumpling Festival
Date: 09/06/13(Sun),
Brothers and Sisters are encouraged to bring some rice dumpling to share on that Sunday.

5. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 15/06/13 (Sat), Time: 11.00am, Venue: Corps Community
Volunteers needed to help on serving.

6. Singapore/Malaysia Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka.
The camp will commence with dinner on Friday evening and conclude with lunch on Sunday.
Theme, speakers, timetable and cost details will be announce by the end of June.

Prayer of Penitence

THE act of saying ‘sorry’ covers a whole range of feelings in many situations. It can be a casual throwaway remark when we bump into someone in a crowd; an expression of sympathy for a friend going through a difficult time; or a heartfelt apology for doing or saying the wrong thing.

‘Sorry’ may be a simple word, but it has huge implications. Think of all the conflicts that might have been avoided, the families who would still be speaking to each other and the relationships that would have survived if only the parties involved had tried to talk things through, swallow their hurt pride and utter that one little word.

David, the shepherd boy chosen by God to be King of Israel, wrote Psalm 51 and many such songs in the Old Testament. Under God’s guidance, he enjoyed success and fame as a ruler and military leader - but then he lusted after and took another man’s wife. Worse, he deliberately sent her husband into battle knowing that he was almost certain to be killed (see 2 Samuel 11).

As time passed, David became aware that he had taken a backward step in his relationship with God. In a spirit of repentance, David makes this sincere and honest prayer, asking God to create a pure heart within him and restore the joy he used to find in worship: ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions… Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight’ (Psalm 51:1, 4 New International Version).

Like David, there are times when we need to say sorry to God - particularly when we have lost our way, or done something we know to be wrong or hurtful to others.

It’s possible to say sorry without meaning it. But when we say it straight from the heart - and then follow it up by a change of lifestyle - God hears our prayer and helps us to start again.

Do we need to take a leaf out of David’s book? Is there someone we need to say sorry to?

UK & Ireland War Cry May 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Brother Lim Tian Seng.

2. Please intercede for Soon Bee, Wei Lin & Eden Ong.

3. Please intercede for Brother Yen Wong and family.

4. Please intercede for Brother Noeh Ah How.

Announcements

1. Youth BBQ Night
Date: 26/05/13 (Sun), Time: 6.00pm, Venue: Corps Community
BBQ dinner, all youth please take note on this.

2. Malaysia Youth Camp
Date: 31-3/06/13; Venue: Marina Cove Resort (Lumut)
Theme: SouledOut – Dare To Make Your Life Count.
Youth who attending the camp, please take note of things to bring for the camp. Thank you!

3. Cell Group Ministry
Date: 7/06/13 (Fri), Time: 8.00pm, Venue: Corps Community
Please see Cell Group leaders for more information.

4. Corps Review
Date: 7-9/06/13;
Majors Raelton & Lynn Gibbs will be visiting the Corps for the Corps Review.
There will be Corps Council meeting on 9th June 2013, after refreshment.

5. Soldiership (Membership) Class
Those who wish to join soldiership class, please see Brother Tan for more information. The class will start from June 2013 onwards.

6. Rice Dumpling Festival
Date: 09/06/13(Sun),
Brothers and Sisters are encouraged to bring some rice dumpling to share on that Sunday.

7. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 15/06/13 (Sat), Time: 11.00am, Venue: Corps Community
Volunteers needed to help on serving.

8. Singapore/Malaysia Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka.
The camp will commence with dinner on Friday evening and conclude with lunch on Sunday.
Theme, speakers, timetable and cost details will be announce by the end of June.

Count your blessings

When did you last thank God for something? Today? Yesterday? Last week? Never?

Perhaps the attitude of gratitude doesn’t have much of a place nowadays. It seems to have been submerged by the ‘blame game’, and people exerting their ‘rights’ in as many situations as possible. If we’re not careful, we can begin to look on God as someone who is there only to receive our complaints and suggestions.

The writer of Psalm 103 has a lot to teach us about gratitude. It sets the standard, because it concentrates solely on the goodness and mercy of God with no grumbles or requests.

It begins by putting God first, in his rightful place: ‘Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name… May I never forget the good things he does for me’ (Psalm 103:1, 2 New Living Translation). The trouble is, we do forget - easily! Memory can be very selective. We have no difficulty in remembering the tough times, the hurts, calamities and disappointments, but conveniently forget God’s everyday generosity.

The psalmist lists a whole catalogue of spiritual blessings that he receives from God: forgiveness of sins, healing, redeeming power, tender mercies, unfailing love and compassion. The Lord, he says, does not treat us as we deserve, but like a compassionate father who remembers that we are like dust (see 103:3-5; 10-18).

True praise is a spontaneous response from our heart as we recognise God’s great mercy, love and guidance in our lives. It lifts us above the pettiness and narrow-mindedness of everyday life, which can limit our vision of what is good and right and drag us down. As the old hymn says: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.’

In contrast to much of the world, those who live in the rich West are well blessed in material terms. Isn’t that worth more than a grudging ‘thanks’ every now and again on special occasions?

So where do we start? With thanks for just being alive on a sunny day, the beauty of the world around us, our homes, our families and friends… the list is endless!

UK & Ireland War Cry May 2013
Photo credit: War Cry  pictures

Mother's Day - 12 May 2013

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Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Jimmy Wang & family.

2. Please intercede for John, Shirley, Cheryl, Robin & Michelle Lee .

3. Please intercede for Hock Sun, Phee Keat, Tuan Ewe & Tuan Ean.

4. Please intercede for Seow Hwee, Loo Thoe & Khye Lin.

Announcements

1. Youth Outing
Date: 12/05/13 (Sun), Time: 7.30pm, Venue: Outing;
In-charge: Jihhan & Joseph. All youth please take note.

2. Cell Group
Date: 17/05/13 (Fri); Time: 8.00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please see Brothers Tan & Tong Sing for more information!

3. Parents’ Day Celebration
Date: 25/05/13(Sat); Time: 7.30pm; Venue: Community Hall
All members are encouraged to participating in cooking competition, or bring a dish for the evening meal together. For more information, please see Mrs Tan (Loo Thoe).

4. Malaysia Youth Camp
Date: 31-3/06/13; Venue: Marina Cove Resort (Lumut)
Theme: Souled Out – Dare To Make Your Life Count.
Youth who attending the camp, please take note of things to bring for the camp. Thank you!

5. Corps Review
Date: 7-9/06/13; Majors Raelton & Lynn Gibbs our Territorial Programme and Assistant Programme Secretary will be visiting the Corps for the Corps Review. There will be Corps Council meeting on 9th June 2013, after refreshment.

6. Rice Dumpling Festival
Date: 09/06/13(Sun), Brothers and Sisters are encouraged to bring some rice dumpling to share on that Sunday.

7. Singapore/Malaysia Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 September 2013; Location: Putri Resort, Melaka.
The camp will commence with dinner on Friday evening and conclude with lunch on Sunday. Theme, speakers, timetable and cost details will be announce by the end of June.

Senior Citizen Dinner May 11, 2013

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Finding God

Some parts of the Bible are much easier to understand or relate to than others. The Book of Psalms is a case in point. Many psalms are loved and familiar to people, such as Psalm 23, which says ‘The Lord is my shepherd’. It is often read at weddings and funerals.

A psalm is a sacred song or hymn for use in worship. Many of them were written by David, the shepherd boy who became King of Israel.

The psalms aren’t full of religious jargon, but are honest expressions of feelings, moods and reactions. They cover the whole gamut of human emotions - from great joy and hope, to fear, anger and disappointment.
The psalmist isn’t afraid to tell God exactly how he feels when things aren’t going his way, or when he thinks that God has deserted him. He doesn’t say ‘I’m fine’ when his world is actually falling apart, or pretend that life is all warm and fluffy when in reality he’s battling for survival.

In this series we will be looking at nine prayers of praise, penitence and petition from the Psalms. We start with Psalm 8, a hymn of praise to the Almighty.

Looking at God’s greatness in Creation inspired the psalmist to ask: ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him?’ (8:4 King James Version). Or, in a more modern version: ‘When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?’ (8:3, 4 New Revised Standard Version).

Ever tried counting the number of stars on a clear night? It puts things in perspective by reminding us how big and important God is, and how small we are in the great scheme of things. And yet, as the psalmist points out, this same great God also cares for us as individuals.

What we do with that knowledge is our decision. God gives us free choice: we can choose to ignore the redeeming love he offers us in the person of Jesus Christ or join in the hymn of praise. What will it be?

UK & Ireland War Cry May 2013
Photo Credit: War Cry pictures

Farewell Dinner - Colonel Gillian Downer May 5, 2013

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Prayer Requests

1. Please intercede for Malaysia 13th General Election & Colonel Gillian Downer's visit

2. Please intercede for Ang Chye Thiam & Family

3. Please intercede for Francis, Maggie and Fernando Alias

4. Please intercede for Steven, Casey and Allison Foo

Announcements

1. Territorial Commander's Visit
Date: 05/05/13 (Sun); Time: 7:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please come and joint us for a farewell dinner wtih Colonel Gillian Downer.

2. Prayer Ministry
Date: 10/05/13 (Fri); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
The Corps wish to pray for you. Please let us have your prayer request and do attend this prayer ministry.

3. CCM Combined Ascension Day Worship
Date: 09/05/13 (Thu); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: St. Georges Church
Please come and support the meeting.

4. Senior Citizen's Dinner Fellowship
Date: 11/05/13 (Sat); Time: 6:00pm; Venue: Tong Hoi Seafood Restaurant
Please confirm your attendance with Major Tan or Sister Alice Ong.

5. Parents' Day Celebration
Date: 25/05/13 (Sat); Time: 7:30pm; Venue: Community Hall
All are welcomed to join.

6. Singapore/Malaysia Women's Camp
Date: 20-22 Sept 2013 Venue: Putri Resort, Melaka.
The camp will commence with dinner on Friday evening and conclude with lunch on Sunday.

Run along!

On your marks, get set, go! And keep going for 26.2 miles. That’s the aim of the 36,000 runners who are tackling the London Marathon on Sunday 21 April.

After months of training, elite, amateur and fun runners from across the globe are getting ready to run, jog or shuffle their way round the gruelling course. Their steely determination may be present and correct as they approach the starting lines. But what they don’t yet know is how their run will pan out. Will past injuries flare up en route? Will they reach 18 miles and hit the dreaded wall?

Ben Cotterill understands such concerns well. Tomorrow he is taking part in his first London Marathon - and he is nervous and excited about it.

‘I’ve always been a sporty guy, so I thought it was about time I had a go at the marathon,’ the 26-year-old tells 'The War Cry'. ‘My main reason for entering is to raise money for Watershed, a Salvation Army project which provides clean water to communities in poor countries, but I also think that completing the course is a great achievement.’

Ben started his training for the big day last Christmas. Since then he has clocked up more than 150 hours of running. He finds that pounding the pavements adds something to his life.

‘When I’m out running, I have time to think,’ he says. ‘At the moment I’m at college, preparing to be a Salvation Army minister, so when I run I often find myself thinking about God. A lot of people think that it must be horrendous to run all these miles, but I actually feel freer as a result.’

Despite the positives of running, Ben has also encountered some obstacles to his training. ‘The weather has been awful,’ he says. ‘I remember running in a storm, and the wind kept blowing me backwards. And the snow meant that I had to do some training on a treadmill, which resulted in a knee injury. I had to rest for two weeks, which wasn’t ideal.’

Battling an injury means that Ben is even more reliant on the encouragement of pavement supporters to help him round the course. He is nervous about starting the marathon, but determined to finish it. ‘Sometimes, in training, I didn’t feel like running, but mentally I had to put my foot down and get out there. On race day, I know I just have to keep going.’

He makes a good point. Whatever life throws at us, we have to decide: do we keep going or quit trying?

To help us keep going, we can take comfort from God, who supports us. In the Bible, he says: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you’ (Isaiah 41:10 New International Version).

We don’t know what we may encounter, what awaits us round the next corner. But, if we ask him, we can always be sure that God will be with us. He is willing to help us - every step of the way.

UK & Ireland War Cry April 2013

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for Malaysia 13th General Election - 05/05/2013

2. Please intercede for Lt. Colonels Thean Seng & Patricia Tan

3. Please intercede for Chin Khean, Eve Khean, Cindy, Eng Soon and Eng Heng Ooi.

4. Please intercede for Thean Sing, Mrs. Tan, Hock Hin, Grace & Matthew

Announcements

1. Youth Worship
Date: 28/04/13 (Sun); Time: 7:30pm; Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All youth please take note.

2.Cell Group Ministry
Date: 03/05/13 (Fri); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please see your cell group leader for more information.

3. Helping Hand Project
Aim & Purpose: Music Ministries In The Philippines
Brother and sister are encourage to collect old newspaper from friends, colleague, neighbour for the fund raising.Our target is to raise RM2,000 for this helping hand project.

4. Territorial Commander's Visit
Date: 05/05/13 (Sun); Time: 7:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Colonel Gillian Downer will be coming for her farewell visit to our corps. A pot bless dinner will be organized on that evening. Please contact Mrs Tan for arrangement of food.

5. CCM Combined Ascension Day Worship
Date: 09/05/13 (Thu); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: St. Georges Church
Please come and support the meeting.

6. Senior Citizen's Dinner Fellowship
Date: 11/05/13 (Sat); Time: 6:00pm; Venue: TBA
Please confirm your attendance with Major Tan or Sister Alice Ong.

7. Parents' Day Celebration
Date: 25/05/13 (Sat); Time: 7:30pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please confirm your attendance with Major Tan or Sister Alice Ong.

Wanted: Someone to trust

It's a sad fact of the modern world that in everyday life people don’t take each other on trust very easily. There is also mistrust of authority figures. The pursuit of profits and sensationalism at the expense of truth has resulted in a lack of respect for bankers, politicians and the media.

Trust levels weren’t very much different in Bible times. On one occasion, Jesus was so impressed by a man’s absolute faith in his ability to heal that he was ‘amazed’ and commented: ‘I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’ (Matthew 8:10 New Living Translation).

The man’s faith was surprising because he was a Gentile, someone who did not belong to the Jewish community. As a captain of the Roman Army, he was also of some considerable importance, responsible for the discipline and training of up to 100 soldiers who were part of the occupying military force.

He was concerned about his young servant’s illness and asked Jesus to heal him. Then he demonstrated the strength of his faith in Jesus: ‘Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed’ (5:8).

The centurion recognised in Jesus a greater authority than his own. And Jesus rewarded his faith: ‘Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened!’ (5:13).

The Bible describes faith as ‘the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen’ (Hebrews 11:1). The centurion clearly had a lot of faith, but some of us find it harder to come to that point of absolute trust.

Having faith in someone comes through personal knowledge and experience. Even then, we are often disappointed in the actions or reactions of family and friends who let us down when we need their support most.

Putting our faith and trust in Almighty God is the only sure antidote for uncertain and unsettling times in a topsy-turvy world or mundane life. He alone remains reliable and unchanging. Whatever our need, he will never let us down.

UK & Ireland War Cry April 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures

Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for coming Malaysia 13th General Election - 05/05/2013

2. Please intercede for Choon Eng, Jenny, Scott and Chui Peng Ooi.

3. Please intercede for Chris, Shiela, Declan Lee

4. Please intercede for Dave, Lily, Daniel & Jacqueline Clarke

Announcements

1. Youth Special
Date: 21/04/13 (Sun); Time: 7:30pm; Venue: Corps Worship Hall
All youth please take note.

2.Cell Group Ministry
Date: 03/05/13 (Fri); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please see your cell group leader for more information.

3. 75th Anniversary Committee Meeting
Date: 28/04/13 (Sun); Time: 12:30pm; Venue: Worship Hall
All committees please take note and attend.

4. Helping Hand Project
Date: 01/05/13(Sat); Purpose: Music Ministries In The Philippines
Brother and sister are encourage to collect old newspaper from friends, colleague, neighbour for the fund raising.Our target is to raise RM2,000 for this helping hand project.

5. Territorial Commander's Visit
Date: 05/05/13 (Sun); Time: 7:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Colonel Gillian Downer will be coming for her farewell visit to our corps. A pot bless dinner will be organized on that evening. Please contact Mrs Tan for arrangement of food.

6. CCM Combined Ascension Day Worship
Date: 09/05/13 (Thu); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: St. Georges Church
Please come and support the meeting.

7. Senior Citizen's Dinner Fellowship
Date: 11/05/13 (Sat); Time: 6:00pm; Venue: TBA
Please confirm your attendance with Major Tan or Sister Alice Ong.

God's Lot

When America sneezes, the UK catches cold. Not the most in-depth analysis of transatlantic relations maybe, but history suggests it’s a fair rule of thumb. Whether it’s rock’n’roll, 'Dallas', ‘OK’ or sub-prime mortgages, what goes big Stateside eventually gets picked up on these island shores.

A ten-part series, which concluded on Easter Day, has been the latest must-see that’s caused American viewers to flock round their TV sets. According to 'The Guardian', the History channel’s 'The Bible' was the top-rated Sunday night cable show, with 50 million people watching at least part of an episode. Programme producer Mark Burnett told 'The Washington Post': ‘It’s a really important series because the Bible is the book that changed the world.’

While the series was not available to UK viewers - though it is surely only a matter of time before it has a second coming - the Bible received further pre-Easter endorsement from a more unexpected source.

In 2001, children’s author Philip Pullman, an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, told that same newspaper that he was trying to ‘undermine the basis of Christian belief’. Last month, 'The Times' reported him telling the Oxford Literary Festival that ‘it was “very important” for children to be familiar with biblical stories’.

‘Jesus,’ he said, ‘was a great storyteller. To invent the story about the good Samaritan - you hear it once [and] you never forget it, you tell it to someone and it still has the same effect. The man was a genius of storytelling, if nothing else.’

Only time will tell whether Pullman will be convinced that the biblical Jesus was considerably more than a yarn-spinning genius. Meanwhile, those who approach the biblical account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection with an open mind and open heart will discover that the Bible is still the book that changes the world.

UK & Ireland War Cry April 2013

Youth Fellowship April 15, 2013

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Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for coming MalaysiaYouth Camp & CCM AGM Meeting

2. Please intercede for Freddy, Alice, Ailyn & Daniel Cheong

3. Please intercede for Kim Aun, Jasinta, Jonathan & Joshua Lim

4. Please intercede for Maj. Pascoe, Comm. Lim Ah Ang & Pui Chan.

Announcements

1. Youth Outing
Date: 14/04/13 (Sun); Time: 7:30pm; Venue: Outing
All youth please take note.

2.Cell Group Ministry
Date: 19/04/13 (Sun); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please see your cell group leader for more information.

3. Helping Hand Project
Date: 01/05/13(Sat); Purpose: Music Ministries In The Philippines
Brother and sister are encourage to collect old newspaper from friends, colleague, neighbour for the fund raising.Our target is to raise RM2,000 for this helping hand project.

4. Territorial Commander's Visit
Date: 05/05/13 (Sun); Time: 7:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Colonel Gillian Downer will be coming for her farewell visit to our corps. A pot bless dinner will be organized on that evening. Please contact Mrs Tan for arrangement of food.

5. CCM Combined Ascension Day Worship
Date: 09/05/13 (Thu); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: St. Georges Church
Please come and support the meeting.

6. Senior Citizen's Dinner Fellowship
Date: 11/05/13 (Sat); Time: 6:00pm; Venue: TBA
Please confirm your attendance with Major Tan or Sister Alice Ong.

7. General Visit & Farewell to Colonel Gillian Downer
The General will be visiting Singapore and a public meeting to be held on 13/5/13, together with a farewell to our present Colonel. All are encourage to join. Please contact Corps Officer for more information.

Banana Leaf Ministry - 13 April 2013

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SHARING THE VISION

April 2013

Dear friends:

There is something about Passion Week and Easter Sunday that engages us in a significant way. We have all perhaps participated in special services over this past weekend that sharpen our focus on the Cross and empty tomb. We probably seek each year to look at these events in Scripture with fresh eyes. When Isaac Watts encouraged us to ‘See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down…’ (SASB 136), he was not calling us to supernatural visions but to see in our mind’s eye the suffering of our Lord on our behalf. The Easter triumph caused Thomas Kelly to call us to another mental vision: ‘Look, ye saints! The sight is glorious; See the man of sorrows now, From the fight returned victorious…’ (SASB 147).

This salvation story can never be contained within a week’s timeframe. On the contrary! Every meeting we hold in The Salvation Army, every aspect of our mission, every personal commitment and ministry is inextricably connected to what happened in a specific place and time to secure our full salvation. The international vision must flow from that, or it is on a collision course with God’s will for us personally and for the Army.

When I wrote to you in February, I concluded my travel information with a sunrise service in Nepal. Since then I have had an extended visit to Korea, meetings in Bedford Corps (UK Territory with the republic of Ireland), ministry in Sweden and Switzerland, and the Easter weekend was spent at Sale Corps, Manchester (UKI). Each visit provided illustration after illustration of how God blesses his Army when people uplift the name of Jesus, declare with grace the gospel and keep faith with the mission he has given. Meetings are so diverse, cultures are different and music is varied. People hear the Word through various means and make life-changing decisions. People get saved. People experience the blessing of holiness. People commit again to serve the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost.

It would be easy to paint a very glowing picture of what I see as I travel around the Army world. It is an indescribable blessing to actually see what God is doing in practical, concrete ways. No mental picture is required. But there are challenges too, lots of them! You know all about them as well, not only the uphill battles in ministry but also the personal mountains that seem impossible to climb. Viewing life with optimism does not come easily. Moving forward is easier said than done. But friends, please return to the eternal truths we saw during Passion Week and Easter Sunday. Our suffering, conquering Lord is with you, he will never fail you. His victory over sin and death is the final word. His resurrection power is yours for daily, moment-by-moment living.

Today live and serve in the strength of the Lord. Grasp each opportunity with tenacity. Be daring in hope.

Thank you for your witness and all you do to tell the world that there is power in the blood and in the name of Jesus.

Sincerely,

Linda Bond
General

Youth Fellowship - 7 April 2013

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Prayer Request

1. Please intercede for coming Malaysia 13th General Election

2. Please intercede for Chin Khean, Ewe Khean, Cindy, Eng Soon, End Heng

3. Please intercede for Jerry & Magaret

4. Please intercede for Jimme Lee, Lt Col Bob & Wendy Lee

Announcements

1. General Visit & Farewell to Colonel Gillian Downer
The General will be visiting Singapore and a public meeting to be held on 13/5/13, together with a farewell to our present Colonel. All are encourage to join. Please contact Corps Officer for more information.

2. Territorial Commander's Visit
Date: 05/05/13 (Sun); Time: 7:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Colonel Gillian Downer will be coming for her farewell visit to our corps. A pot bless dinner will be organized on that evening. Please contact Mrs Tan for arrangement of food.

3. Youth Fellowship
Date: 07/04/13 (Sun); Time: 7:30pm; Venue: Community Hall

Praise & Worship: Major Tan; Sharing: Joseph Hue; Games: Jihhan & William.
All youth please take note.

4. Prayer Ministry
Date: 02/04/13 (Fri); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
All are welcome and please send us your prayer request.

5. Banana Leaf Ministry
Date: 13/04/13 (Sat); Time: 11:00am; Venue: Community Hall
Volunteers and helper are needed.

6. Corps Council Meeting
Date: 14/04/13 (Sun); Time: 12:45pm; Venue: Community Hall
All Corps Council members please take note and attend the meeting. Lunch will be provided.

7. Cell Group Ministry
Date: 19/04/13 (Fri); Time: 8:00pm; Venue: Community Hall
Please see your cell group leaders for more information.

8. Helping Hand Project
Date: 01/05/13(Sat); Purpose: Music Ministries In The Philippines
Brother and sister are encourage to collect old newspaper from friends, colleague, neighbour for the fund raising.Our target is to raise RM2,000 for this helping hand project.

Sport Outing - Badminton 6 April 2013

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Cell Group- 5 April 2013

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The Christian Faith Is Based On Fact

Regarded by many as the UK’s foremost Christian philosopher, RICHARD SWINBURNE is the Emeritus Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at the University of Oxford. He talks to Nigel Bovey about why God allows suffering and offers evidence for the Resurrection

Professor, among your widely published evidence for the existence of God, you point to his all-powerful and all-knowing capacities. The Easter story includes the element of Jesus’ suffering, including his being abandoned by God. Why does an all-powerful, all-knowing God sometimes not answer prayer?

Primarily, God is not interested in us having a comfortable life but in us becoming saints.

Many prayers are for people to get well from disease. If God answered all those prayers immediately, there would be no scope for medical science. There would be no scope for us to help other people or for us to cope with the difficult circumstances of life - because they wouldn’t exist.

It is, for example, a great blessing for us to have serious choices about how we will cope with suffering and death. It is a fundamental truth about humans that each time we make a good choice we make it easier to make a good choice next time. Similarly, each time we make a bad choice we make it easier to make a bad choice next time. So gradually we form our character.

It is only when we are in particularly difficult circumstances that we have a really difficult choice as to the sort of person we are to be. If we take the right choice, we become saints. Disease, suffering and the possibility of death give us that opportunity. This explains to me why God doesn’t intervene very often - it would defeat the purposes for which he created us.

There is a redemptive element within suffering, then?
There is the availability of a redemptive element within suffering. It is up to us how we deal with suffering. If I have children, I expect to interact with them sometimes. If they ask me for something which might be good for them and they ask persistently, I might well give it to them.

God wants to interact with us and sometimes he will answer prayer. It is good that we should ask him, because this might be one of the occasions when he wants to give. Because God wants interaction, he doesn’t want to give us the good things unless we ask. I would expect God to answer prayer sometimes, but we often can’t know if it’s a good thing for us to have what we’re asking for.

Many people would agree that Jesus was a great teacher. What is the evidence that Jesus was more - that he was the Son of God?

When God created us he clearly created us, as regards this life, to be subject to a quite a lot of suffering. If, as a father, I make my children suffer for a good reason, there comes a time when I must suffer with them.

Likewise, God gave us free will. We abused it greatly. We need to make atonement for our sins. If we can’t atone for our sins, God might do it for us. For this reason, we might expect God to become incarnate - to take upon himself human nature. If he does become incarnate, we would expect him to live a certain sort of life: a good life, a life of suffering, a life in which he said he was making atonement for our sins, a life in which he showed that he believed himself to be God incarnate. All these things are true of Jesus.

One might also expect God to put his signature on that particular life to show uniquely that this was God incarnate. The Resurrection provides that kind of guarantee because if the Resurrection happened as the Bible describes - the coming to life again of somebody who was dead for 36 hours - then it was clearly a setting aside of the laws of nature and therefore something which the author of the laws of nature alone can do. There is enough good evidence as to why God should bring about a super miracle in connection with that particular individual.

The Resurrection is the confirmation of Jesus’ teaching. Given that he taught that he was God incarnate, it all fits together.

The validity of Christianity depends upon the resurrection of Jesus. What evidence is there for the Resurrection?
We would expect a resurrection to be associated with a prophet who led the sort of life and did the sort of things that Jesus did.

There have been many purported ‘messiahs’ who did not claim to be God or to be making atonement for our sins, or who did not lead very good lives, but Jesus is the only prophet in the whole of human history who satisfied all these prior requirements. There is also no founder of a religion with whom there is associated the kind of evidence that there is for the Resurrection. No other founder is associated with an end-of-life miracle.

There are two kinds of historical evidence for the Resurrection. First, the tomb was empty. If he were risen from the dead, we would expect his tomb to be empty. That the tomb was empty is sometimes explained as something that was read back into history in order to explain appearances of Jesus to his followers. That is clearly not so, because the Gospel of Matthew records that the Jews claimed the disciples had stolen the body. By claiming this, they were admitting that the tomb was empty. It seems to me, therefore, that the tomb was empty.

Secondly, a lot of people [more than 500] are reported to have interacted with Jesus after the Resurrection. Three of the Gospels report that a number of people had up-close encounters with Jesus. The Gospel that doesn’t - Mark (of which the final verses after 16:9 are probably lost) - still records Jesus prophesying the Resurrection. The Gospels, and Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, list various people who saw Jesus after the Resurrection.

It is sometimes suggested that the Resurrection was a conspiracy - that it was all made up. It would be very difficult to read the Gospels and reach that conclusion. There are many accounts in the New Testament from many sources, and most of Jesus’ followers gave their lives rather than deny the fact of the Resurrection.

Could people have been mistaken?
We might say one or two people made a mistake in reporting they’d met Jesus. But the number of people who are said to have interacted with Jesus suggests strong evidence. The primary sources of the New Testament regarded the Resurrection as its central message. There is no counter-evidence.
Thinking that that sort of thing just couldn’t happen is not good enough evidence to counter the Resurrection.

At what point in your life were you convinced of the divinity of Jesus and the truth of the Resurrection?
Through reading the Gospels, I had always believed it in a vague sort of way. But I didn’t crystallise the argument until I did some research about 15 years ago for my book 'The Resurrection of God Incarnate'.

What does your Christian faith give you?
It gives me great joy. It’s a wonderful blessing to think that I owe my life to a God with whom I can interact in prayer and who has a job of work for me to do. I also have a great hope of an after-life in which my life will be even more fulfilling.

UK & Ireland War Cry March 2013
Photo credit: War Cry pictures