St James' Church

We had an interesting discussion during our last staff meeting on what make people stay and be committed to a church. There is the usual mix of reasons e.g. vision/passion, quality of our Services and ministries, the pastoral leadership, friendship/being connected etc. However we are all agreed that while these factors all contribute, they do vary with time and this is affected by both the ‘seasons’ in the life of the church and/or the individual. One factor, however, seems to stand the test of time. It is also observed here on why some have remained so committed to SJC all these years: friendship and being spiritually connected to people here. By these, we don’t mean casual friendships. We use a plethora of words to describe it: being in ’koinonia,’ having brothers and sisters to share your life with, a sense of shared destiny together, feeling that you truly belong etc.
When I started my studies in Singapore, I had many great churches to choose from. Great worship teams, great preachers and being a foreigner, there is the usual few well known churches which I made my round visiting. The auditoriums were huge. The seats were so comfortable and were almost a spiritual experience by itself, as one sinks into it listening to a lifting sermon. The music was top class and to have a thousand voices singing along make worshipping easier even if one had a tough week.  Needles to say, the rest of the churches weren’t even in our radar. They were incognito, generic, pretty irrelevant and rather unexciting as a visiting option.
Interestingly, I finally settled in one of these ‘nameless’ church, in a small congregation of 70 people where the various elements of the Service were far from attractive then. The church hall wasn’t even air-conditioned and the seats were hard wooden pews! I remember my first service. The out of tune electric guitar twangs away hopelessly and the sermon was akin to a Sunday School lesson, perhaps a little better. I could hardly ‘feel the presence of God.’ Why did I stay in this small congregation? The pastors and members cared and they showed it. They visited us in our hostel just before our exams. They made special efforts to welcome us into their small community. Over time, we stopped ‘attending church.’ It became a family. We became church.
That was how I became an ‘accidental Anglican.’ That small congregation was a part of the 400+ church which St John’s-St. Margaret’s Church was then. From the ministry which a few of us pioneered, a vibrant campus ministry grew where till today the impact is still felt as many move on to either fulltime ministry, missions work or serve as lay leaders.
At the risk of overstating the point, this simple truth needs to be kept constantly before us as the idea of what church is evolves in our cosmopolitan city. It is a truth which I need, as a pastor, to keep before me. A sister remarked, “In the short time that I have been attending St James’ Church, I have found a wonderful sense of community and family among the members. This is something that I hope we do not lose as the new St James’ emerges, with all the new opportunities it will bring…”
Yes, the danger of becoming ‘church attendees’ is even greater with the new facilities. Let us each do our part to grow an authentic Christian community where everyone knows he is loved, accepted and most of all, connected as a member of the family.
Reach out to someone. Start today. Start now. 
On the 30th Anniversary Dinner:
Some questions we raised on why we chose an expensive downtown hotel for our anniversary cum fund-raising dinner. It should be explained that we got it at a very special rate such that a substantial amount of the table sales will go the Building fund. Of course, we also needed a hall large enough and this provision is simply fantastic. We are aware that it can be tricky to have mixed objectives in a single event but it was something we sense unavoidable unless we are to organize another event. Furthermore we want to make it easier for ex-SJCers to participate in our thanksgiving for the past and contribute to our future (building). I would like to ask every one of you to be there at this ‘once a lifetime’ event. We do not plan to celebrate our anniversaries regularly and only observe the important milestones.