Buzz Draft

ALPHA BUZZ ISSUE 8

CONTENTS 1 Foreword 3 Vision & Mission 4 What is Alpha? 5 Talks on Alpha 6 Finding Community 10 Love Without Limits 14 Transformation & Tranquility 20 Life’s Higher Purpose 25 Because He First Loved Us 28 Alpha Stories @ Glad Tidings Church 32 The Rower Who Wanted to be a Rock 34 Lessons on Love and Marriage 40 Intern-view with Kavita 44 Going the Digital Distance: Alpha Online 46 Alpha Online in Tamil 48 燃烧: 华人年议会启发讲座 / IGNITE: CAC Alpha Conference 50 The Marriage Course Remake 52 Meet the Team 54 Give

FOREWORD Dear friends and family of Alpha Singapore, 2020 will certainly make history as the year where our world came to a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Upheaval took place globally as many sought safety in their homes and scrambled to go online. While disruptive, the sudden shifts away from traditional ways of living also sparked reflection upon what matters most in our lives. This year has been challenging for our team at Alpha Singapore. But God has been so good and present with us, that we have seen much fruit in this season. We shared faith. In the midst of working from home, the team rapidly developed training content and started running training sessions to equip people who were exploring running Alpha online. This served groups big and small, that then continued welcoming guests to have real conversations in Christian community online. We shared hope. In June, we partnered with Alpha India and ten local churches to run Alpha online for migrant workers in five dormitories. We saw unity in action and God touching hearts. The pages ahead feature more testimonies from guests who had online encounters with God. Going into the digital space has not, and will not hinder Him. We shared love. The launch of The Marriage Course Remake this year was indeed timely. In the face of relational strain caused by the Covid-19 situation, The Marriage and Parenting Courses provide practical tools for guests to strengthen their relationships. We have so much to be thankful for. We thank God for the opportunity to witness His work in the Alpha ministry. For the doors that were opened to us. For new friendships forged. For those who have been faithfully supporting us in prayer and in serving alongside the team. For the generosity of the ones who give financially. As 2020 draws to a close, we look into the coming year with a renewed spirit and vision. In 2021, may the Lord continue using the Alpha ministry to meet with His people, and build His disciples up that many more may come forward to serve Him with their gifts. Enjoy the stories in this edition of Alpha Buzz. I hope they will be an encouragement for you as we embark on this new phase of digital evangelism! With Love and Blessings, Angelic Cheah Executive Director Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Psalm 23:6 1

CHIEF DESIGNER Mitzi Carthigasu CHIEF WRITER Ynex Lee CHIEF EDITOR Angelic Cheah EDITORS Amos Tan Ynex Lee CONTRIBUTORS Angelica See Angie Bell Benedict Chee Catherine Natasya Chew Meng & Hui Leng Tiew Jamie Rachel Smith Kai Xin Woon Kavita Jenu Tzun & Nique Lee Valerie Ong PHOTOGRAPHY Mitzi Carthigasu Cover image by: Thiha Pine Stock images from: unsplash.com PUBLISHED BY: Alpha Singapore 250 Tanjong Pagar Road, St Andrew's Centre, #03-02, Singapore 088541 [UEN No: T03SS0059A] All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission is prohibited. Opinions and views expressed do not necessarily constitute the official stand of the organisation. 2

VISION The evangelisation of the nations The revitalisation of the church The transformation of society MISSION We equip and serve the church in its mission to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus through Alpha. 3

WHAT IS ALPHA? Alpha is an opportunity for anyone, anywhere, to freely explore their unique questions about life, faith and God. Alpha is a series of interactive sessions exploring the Christian faith, typically run over 8 to 12 weeks. Each session includes food, a short talk looking at a different question of faith and a small group discussion. Alpha is run all around the globe, and transcends social, geographical and denominational borders. It can run almost anywhere - in cafés, churches, schools, universities, homes, bars and prisons and now, even online! 4

TALKS ON ALPHA 1 Is There More to Life Than This? 2 Who is Jesus? 3 Why Did Jesus Die? 4 How Can I Have Faith? 5 Why and How do I Pray? 6 Why and How do I Read the Bible? 7 How Does God Guide Us? 8 Who is the Holy Spirit? 9 What Does the Holy Spirit Do? 10 How Can I be Filled with the Holy Spirit? 11 How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life? 12 How Can I Resist Evil? 13 Why and How should I Tell Others? 14 Does God Heal Today? 15 What about the Church? 5

Finding Community Jamie returned from Australia seeking a community to walk with. This is her story of finding what she was looking for at Alpha, even in the midst of a global pandemic! In 2019, I returned to Singapore after completing my postgraduate studies in Australia. When I came back, I felt that I didn’t have a spiritual community I could connect with that would cater to the current phase and needs of my life. As faith is very important to me, I really wanted to find a Catholic community that I could journey with. During the one year it took to re-adjust back to life in Singapore, I never stopped desiring or searching for a community of the right fit. In early 2020, I was randomly scrolling through Facebook when I came across a post promoting an upcoming Alpha run at the Alpha Singapore office in Tanjong Pagar. I’d walked past Alpha banners in the building before but thought that Alpha was for non-believers only. This time, I signed up for it because I saw it was an Alpha in the Catholic context, which made me curious. I also felt the need to strengthen my faith. The Alpha was supposed to be an in-person event but it was disrupted when Covid-19 hit Singapore. As someone whose identity is tied very closely to faith and work, this was also a very difficult time for me as I couldn’t go to church or work due to the circuit breaker measures. Coupled with feeling very troubled over a broken friendship which I had treasured much, I struggled a lot spiritually and emotionally, feeling like my avenues of support had been cut off abruptly. A few months later, I got the news that Alpha would be run online! I was very excited and looked forward to attending Alpha. 6

The community at Alpha was exactly what I was looking for and needed at that point. I knew that I didn’t want to attend a lecture-style session on theology. Alpha was really like an informal sharing session in a non- intimidating and non-threatening environment. Each week, we would watch videos and talk about what stood out for us. I noticed that the video of the week would often really speak to me even though I didn’t know about the topic of the week beforehand. Once, I was feeling troubled by the broken friendship and wondering if I would ever be able to heal from it. That very evening, the Alpha session was on healing! It seemed to be specifically for me. Another day, I was walking home feeling downcast and wondering what plans (if any, at all!) God had in store for me in life. The video that evening mentioned that God has plans for all of us! The videos would seem to address whatever I was troubled about. It seemed like a lot of bizarre coincidences, but it wasn’t that at all. I knew it was definitely God speaking to me. In the midst of a global pandemic and dealing with personal struggles, the weekly Alpha sessions provided me with great comfort and a source of strength to get me through each week. 7

I really enjoyed hearing the personal “The videos experiences of many, from the videos and fellow Alpha guests. I got to hear stories of would seem hope in the face of challenges and testimonies to address of God working in the lives of others. whatever I was It took me some time to learn how to share troubled about. as I’ve always been more of a listener than It seemed like a speaker. But being blessed personally and a lot of bizarre receiving hope from the sharing of others in coincidences, Alpha taught me the importance of story- but it wasn’t telling; you never know who you will inspire with your story! ”that at all. Through Alpha, I also learnt how to receive prayer. We were able to share our prayer requests and then be prayed over by others. In my line of work as a psychologist, I’m used to giving rather than receiving; in giving a voice to the voiceless by advocating for children with special needs, and their families. Hence, I wasn’t used to requesting prayer for myself. Eventually, I decided to request prayers for my knees, which I’d been having problems with since 2009. In the weeks after being prayed over, my knees didn’t seem to hurt as much. I could stand, walk, and one time, even run to catch a bus painlessly! This showed me that it’s okay to receive prayers and let others pray for me. I came to Alpha with an open mind and gained more than what I expected. God has transformed me, giving me the desire to be a testimony to others through sharing my stories and learning how to receive from others too. If God can use someone like me who never used to share freely to be a voice to and for others, I am sure He will use and transform you in unique ways to bring hope to others too. Do take the first step and try Alpha. 8

MyAlpha Have you signed up for MyAlpha? Get access to the latest resources to support your Alpha run! We’ve got training videos, publicity material, briefing content for your host and helpers, and so much more! Alphas registered on MyAlpha will also be published on the Try Alpha map on our website. Create an account at run.alpha.org.sg now. And remember to invite your team mates to join you! #TryAlpha Looking for an opportunity to explore the Christian faith for yourself or a friend? Alpha runs in many locations throughout Singapore, including churches, workplaces, cafés, homes, and more! Search for an Alpha near you with the map on our website here: https://singapore.alpha.org/try 9

Love Without Limits Living in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, Angie attended an Alpha online run in Singapore – where she encountered God’s love. I tried drinking in my teenage years and later, started consuming drugs as well. For many years after that, I battled fiercely with addiction. I was obsessed with the thought that I could one day control my behaviour. In moments of clarity, I would tell myself, “I’m not going to touch alcohol or drugs today”. I truly believed I had a choice in making myself stop, but soon realised I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t even recall recent memories of suffering to try and stop myself. Realising I was utterly powerless over my obsessions, I surrendered and sought help. I started attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Cocaine Anonymous (CA) Fellowship meetings both online and in person. I also worked through the 12 Step programme with a Sponsor1. The AA and CA programmes led me back to God through the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (or The Big Book, as it’s known). As a child, I found church boring and didn’t look forward to going to Sunday school. I didn’t feel like I fit in at all. To me, church was just about a group of people who did good stuff and where we held family celebrations. I had been baptised in church but I was a Christian who didn’t feel it in my heart. AA taught me that I could not handle my life on my own. What I needed to do was to turn my life and will over to God’s care. I had to accept that there was nothing I could do to solve my addictions, mental obsessions, and relapses. My heart was so broken that I chose to surrender my life to God. 10

This made me start wondering about the Christian faith. Why me? What was this Jesus guy all about? How would the Christian faith make my life better? How would God transform my life? I wanted to understand more about Christianity and how I could apply it to my life. I knew about Alpha because someone had recommended it to me many years ago. I was browsing the Eventbrite website when I came across an upcoming Alpha run at Barker Road Methodist Church in Singapore. In my time zone, the sessions would be held on Saturday mornings. This was perfect timing for me because my six-year-old son would still be asleep at the time. When I told my mum, “I’m going to Singapore!”, she replied “you can’t!” But I’d actually been “travelling” all over the world because everyone and everything is going online. The Zoom platform enables us to connect easily with one another, wherever we are in the world. 11

My experience at Alpha was amazing. It wasn’t hard to relate with the other guests at all. I really enjoyed exploring the Christian faith together with the group, listening to and learning from others, and getting to know everyone personally. We didn’t have to worry about a question being wrong or silly. The whole group was so kind and supportive. I couldn’t wait to be there each Saturday morning. It was such an incredible opportunity to “be” in Singapore and learn about its culture too! Alpha helped me to understand Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and how it impacts my life because of the bad things I have done. Jesus died for my sins and bridges the gap between me and God. Because of this, I can be forgiven. To know that God forgives me and His love for me is unshakeable no matter what was so overwhelming. What a gift this is! I also experienced speaking in tongues for the first time during the Alpha Weekend Away. I was praying with my Alpha group hosts for the gift of tongues and I kept saying the word “Barabbas”. I didn’t know what the word meant then, so I wrote it down to look it up later. In fact, I didn’t even know it was an actual word! When I discovered what Barabbas meant, I was floored. Barabbas is a name meaning “son of the Father” and is also the name of the man whom the crowd demanded to be freed from crucifixion instead of Jesus. 12

“To know that This word was particularly relevant God forgives for me because I was about to start me and His working in prison with a prisons love for me is ministry just a week later. Finding unshakeable out what the word Barabbas meant no matter was like being told I was a child what was so of God who had been freed from ”overwhelming. prison because of Jesus. Today, I’m still marvelling at God’s plan for me. I currently work in the prison and serve in the AA fellowship. I’m able to help others now because I’ve been saved by Jesus. Alpha was a springboard that has led me off into a very exciting future. If a year ago you told me I’d be attending Alpha in Singapore on Saturday mornings, I’d have said no way. But I loved it, I love the people. I still join church meetings in Singapore by ‘travelling’ through Zoom. It’s become my Saturday morning. Life is truly a gift. I never saw life like that before. I used to wake up, make coffee, go to work. It was very routine. My life now is filled with love and God. God is everything to me. God has transformed my entire life. I can’t even begin to put into words how He has saved me. 1 An Alcoholics Anonymous Sponsor journeys closely with an AA member in the latter’s process of recovery. A Sponsor is a fellow AA member who has taken part in the AA programme. 13

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Transformation & Tranquility Valerie has participated in six seasons of Alpha at Pentecost Methodist Church! She tells us about her journey of growth from Alpha guest to Alpha group helper. The first time I attended a church service, it was overwhelming. I’d been invited to Pentecost Methodist Church by Darren, my fiancé. He tried to get me to raise my hand during the part of service where newcomers are welcomed but I was too paiseh (Singlish for embarassed). After this, members of the congregation greeted one another by shaking hands, which was also something I wasn’t used to. Everything was so new to me. Darren has a big family and they sit in the same row each week. But I only went to church with them about once every three months back then. Darren’s mum invited me to Alpha in the middle of 2016. I was at church with Darren and his family that day. After the service, Darren’s mum brought me to the carpark where the Alpha registration booth was and asked me if I wanted to sign up! I remember feeling stunned by this invitation. Not knowing how to politely say no, I said yes. It also helped that Darren’s sister Veronica would be with me. I eventually ended up going for Alpha by myself! Darren accompanied me for the first session, but he couldn’t commit to all the sessions due to his irregular working hours. Veronica also didn’t join me as she had just given birth.

Valerie and her fiancé, Darren Thankfully, the people serving at Alpha were very friendly. They would always welcome me once I stepped out of the lift or off the stairs. During the group discussions, we could say strange things or ask weird questions and nobody would make us feel embarrassed. The group facilitators never judged us for what we said. They would simply respond with, “That’s interesting!” I learnt new things each week from the Alpha with Nicky Gumbel videos. I brought my Alpha booklet to take down notes from every session. This included questions I had and even quotes by Nicky Gumbel that weren’t in the booklet! Hearing from others in my group also helped me to understand things I wasn’t sure about from the videos. The discussions were so engaging! Sometimes my group facilitators would ask me questions, and this encouraged me because I felt that they wanted to understand me and my thoughts. Whenever we reached the end of the discussion time, I would think, “Huh? We’re at the end already?” 16

“During the group Being able to learn so much discussions, we about God and Christianity could say strange prompted me to keep going back things or ask weird week after week. I really did questions and want to know more about the nobody would God that Darren and his family make us feel had been telling me about. I’d ”embarrassed. observed how they would say grace before they ate and pray together, and picked up on some of these actions myself. Each time I was with them, I felt very loved. They treated me like family. I graduated from Alpha at the end of 2016 and joined a church small group for Alpha graduates. We were invited to help out in the next season of Alpha which would be held a few months later. I actually didn’t call myself a Christian yet at that time, but I believed in God in my heart. I agreed to help because I really enjoyed the fellowship and I wanted to continue being a part of Alpha. 17

My life wasn’t smooth sailing when I started serving Th in Alpha. My family was going through an extremely challenging struggle and there were often conflicts at home. Going for Alpha was like the booster that would get me through each week. When I went to church, I would be able to calm my mind down and focus on being in the room to worship and serve God. I would also meet my small group every other week. I’m very thankful for this community. They are like the counsel of the saints by my side. During that tough period, I would share openly about my problems with them and they would pray for me. This also helped me to feel calmer. I served as a helper for two more seasons of Alpha before I said the sinner’s prayer for the first time. This is quite a funny story. It was Christmas day and I was attending a service at Cornerstone Community Church with Darren’s family. During the altar call, the pastor invited anyone who wanted to rededicate or give their lives to Christ to come to the front. My heart was racing. I felt like it was finally time. There was also an old lady seated behind us who kept saying, “Go down, you, go down!” I thought she was talking to me but she was actually talking to Darren! The both of us ended up responding to the altar call together. 18

he Alpha Team @ Pentecost Methodist Church I felt peace after finally saying the sinner’s prayer for the first time. I had the assurance that God would always be with me from then on. I used to think my life was very sad due to the turmoil at home. Now I know that though bad times may seem to happen one after another, God is with me in whatever I go through. I can be still and talk to Him when everything is in chaos (Ps 46:10). He is someone I can depend on and I feel that I need to seek Him in all things. Since then, I’ve continued serving in Alpha twice a year at PMC. I first attended Alpha as a guest in Season 20, and we’re now on Season 27! We’ve also started using videos from the Alpha Film Series, which means more new lessons for me. One highlight of serving is seeing the transformation of lives. In the first few sessions, some guests come in with a lot of questions. As each season progresses, we see how they become so happy to come for Alpha and we are equally happy to welcome them! I never realised that I experienced the same positive changes as a guest myself until one of my small group leaders told me how much she’d seen me grow from my first time at Alpha. Even as a helper now, I’m still learning so much about God at Alpha. He is still working in my life. And my Alpha booklet is running out of space for my new notes! 19

Life’s Higher Purpose



Studying in Singapore under a scholarship programme, it was easy for Catherine to compare herself with other scholars. She came to Alpha after being invited by a senior from her hostel’s Christian Fellowship. I am studying in Singapore under a scholarship programme and stay in a hostel with other international students like myself. Before Alpha, I kind of forgot that I was a Christian. Christianity had become just a routine in my life. I didn’t feel that there was anything special about it. Surrounded by scholars who excel in everything, I would often compare myself to them. Scholars are supposed to get really good grades but I was very stuck in my studies. I would doubt myself when I failed to meet my own expectations. I was invited to Alpha by a senior who was in the hostel’s Christian Fellowship. Through Alpha, I could feel God bringing me back to Him again, especially when I heard my seniors talk about their own experiences with Him during the O level exams. I shared my struggles with them and they told me about how God had helped them through that stressful time. This really encouraged me as I would be taking the same exams later this year. It was as if He was reminding me not to suffer alone but come to Him – not to chase after grades but focus on a hunger for Him. After watching the first Alpha video, I realised that the questions and answers covered in the video were very relatable. Some of my non- Christian friends had asked me similar questions such as why God is so unfair, which I didn’t know how to answer before. In response to this, one of the Alpha videos used the illustration of God as a judge and talked about the balance between love, mercy and punishment. This was really useful for me to share with my friends. 22

A lot of people also asked questions during the group discussions that I hadn’t thought of before. This helped me to learn and understand more about my faith. We had really long discussions for the sessions on the Holy Spirit. It was the first time I could really feel God’s presence. We talked about the gift of tongues and shared testimonies of what we had experienced. Even over Zoom, all of us felt the presence of God so strongly with us. I used to feel so down and tired after classes ended on Fridays, but now I look forward to meeting my Alpha community. God truly strengthened my faith and grew my thirst for His Word through Alpha. The definition of what is right may be confused with what is only ideal to this world. That’s why it’s so important to have the Bible as the anchor of our understanding on what righteousness is. 23

I want to be the best at the things He wants me to be the best at. One verse that made an impact on me during Alpha is Romans 12:2. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This verse reminded me not to compare myself with others and not to follow the ways of the world. There is so much more to the purpose of life than just studying. Even if I get top marks for my O Level exams, it will just be a number and nothing to boast about. I am pursuing something different from what the world is telling me to chase. The world will always want more from me, making me worry about needing to be the best. But now with God, that’s not what I want. I want to be the best at the things He wants me to be the best at. 24

Because He First Loved Us Tzun and Nique attended The Parenting Courses at Woodlands Evangelical Free Church – The Parenting Children Course (TPCC) as group facilitators and The Parenting Teenagers Course (TPTC) as participants. They share their experiences and the lessons they’ve learnt! Hi Tzun and Nique! Tell us about yourselves and your family. Both: We have been married for 17 years and have three kids, aged 8 to 13. What has your journey as parents been like? Nique: At home, we have different roles as parents. I’m the one who takes care of their general wellbeing, cooking for them and guiding them with their schoolwork. Tzun bonds with our kids by playing and watching TV with them. He also deals with discipline. Tzun: I have been parenting for 13 years, but I know there are still things I can learn as a parent. As times change, there is a need to understand the different challenges our kids will face, such as managing screen time on their devices. Nique: We are actually lazy parents. Why did you want to attend The Parenting Courses (TPC)? Nique: When I had my firstborn, I attended a parenting course which helped guide me in parenting a young child. I think I was more fun as a mother with my first child. When we had more kids, it was easy to fall into bad parenting habits like shouting at them and becoming a “dictator”. I felt that I didn’t have much of a relationship with my kids, which I saw as a problem. I also didn’t feel ready to parent older children. So I was attracted to TPTC as I thought it would help me to prepare ahead of time. 25

What were some of your highlights from attending TPTC? Nique: There was so much gold in the videos, hearing other parents share their experiences. We also had to do homework! Tzun: We talked about the homework together, comparing notes from discussion questions on our parenting styles and kids. Nique: One particular homework that stood out to me was on the topic of what kind of values we want our kids to have. We were given 20 difficult issues and had to prioritise them, discussing how much time and energy we as parents want to invest into each one. For example, it’s important to us that our kids grow in their relationship with God. There are many other issues which may irritate us, but they are actually not as important as this one. So why spend time being frustrated and spoil our relationship with the kids on such issues? Tzun: The homework also helped us to recognise areas where we are strong or weak together as parents. Now we also have a set of common terms we use when it comes to parenting, such as HALT – asking ourselves if our kids are Hungry, Anxious, Lonely, or Tired as a way to pause before reacting to them emotionally. 26 Tzun & Nique with their children, Kai Ning, Yi Kai & Kai Qi

Have you put any of the lessons you learnt into action? Nique: We “interviewed” each of the kids to find out what their love languages are. Before attending TPTC, I would see my three kids and our family as a whole. TPTC taught me to think of each child individually, identifying their likes and dislikes and spending quality time with each one – even when it comes with a bit of sacrifice! I usually have a quiet tea break by myself in the afternoon. Recently, I invited my second child to join me, as her love language is quality time. I got us some kueh and put on jazz music to create a “café experience”. She really enjoyed herself! Tzun: Previously, I would hug our kids and do things for them. After the course, Nique highlighted that two of our kids prefer gifts. So we’ve made it a family tradition for the kids to choose a gift on special occasions, like their birthdays. I try to adapt the way I show love to them. Nique: Another lesson I learnt was to talk to our kids when they are angry instead of getting angry at them for being angry. When we ask them what happened, they feel heard. Would you recommend attending TPC? Nique: Yes! I am planning to run TPTC next year on weekday mornings for our neighbours. We started getting to know one another because we had a mini discussion on parenting together. I also hope to invite other mothers in the block to attend TPTC at our house one day. I think The Parenting Courses are God sent. Previously, I only knew about Alpha. I wanted to invite my neighbour to Alpha but found it hard to bring up topics such as the meaning of life and faith out of nowhere. When I learnt about TPC, I thought it was perfect, a really fantastic tool to reach out with. One of my main takeaways from facilitating TPCC was on love. Why do we want to play with our children and bond with them? Why do we bother showing love with the five love languages? It’s because that’s how God loves us individually and uniquely. And as parents, we model God’s love to our children. So TPC reveals God’s love for us as His children first. 27

ALPHA STORIES @ GLAD TIDINGS CHURCH In 2017, Glad Tidings Church ran Alpha for the first time. This was followed by a second run a year later. Benedict and Kaixin were guests on GTC’s first and second Alpha respectively! Ben’s Story GTC Alpha Class of 2017 I was invited to Alpha at Glad Tidings Church by my girlfriend’s family. I thought the invitation was done in a very right manner; they passed me a flyer which invited me to come and see what it was all about for myself. There wasn’t any hard selling of Christianity and no obligation to attend, so I didn’t feel cornered to go for Alpha. I decided to attend because I have friends who are very active in church and I was curious about what Christianity had to offer a person. I definitely remember the good food. The Alpha sessions were held in church on Saturday mornings and breakfast would be served before that. Each week featured a different menu. We had food such as mee siam, porridge, soon kueh. To top it off, the menus were never repeated! The videos in the Alpha Film Series were done very well, with the quality of a Netflix production. It was easy for me, then a non-Christian, to understand its content. The topics covered were presented in a very palatable and engaging manner which tackled a person’s curiosity. 28

I’ve always wanted to ask a Christian difficult questions such as how do you know Jesus is real? The nice thing about Alpha was that nobody said they had the answers. Everyone explored the questions asked together. The discussions were in a very conducive environment where we could all be open about our thoughts with one another. There was one session where our group host, Kavita, was giving us Bibles and asking if we believed in God. Though I didn’t answer her with yes or no, she passed me a Bible and I took it. There wasn’t a clear moment of conversion for me; Alpha just convinced me to take an additional step towards knowing more about God. And after Alpha, I joined the Alphabets discipleship group to continue this journey. My life is fairly ordinary, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely smooth sailing too. Previously, when I had a rough day or faced issues at work I couldn’t solve, I would harp on my problems. Now I know I can give God my troubles and let Him work in the situation, especially when it’s not within my control. I come to peace much easier. 29

Kai Xin’s Story GTC Alpha Class of 2018 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and bone marrow failure when I was 23. I lost 10kg in one month though I kept eating. A test at the hospital couldn’t capture my blood sugar level because it was so high. I was subsequently admitted to the hospital, where further blood tests confirmed the diabetes and revealed the bone marrow failure. During the first two days in hospital, I thought that the doctor would tell me that this was just temporary. But one day before my discharge, I was told that I would have to take insulin from that day onwards. I didn’t understand at first. Was I supposed to get diabetes at such a young age? I ate normally, hadn’t gone on any extreme diets, and my family had no history of diabetes. Eventually, I was told that this was caused by an auto-immune response. After my diagnosis, my cousin Jing Qi invited me to Alpha at Glad Tidings Church. I said no at first because I had attended a youth service before and decided Christianity wasn’t for me due to the high-energy environment of the service. 30

A year later in 2018, Jing Qi invited me to Kai Xin with Jing Qi and her husband Alpha at GTC again. I agreed to it this time because we are very close and I didn’t want to upset her by rejecting her again. At first, I went for Alpha purely because of Jing Qi. But over time, I found the videos engaging and I started wanting to know more about Christianity. I was comfortable with the way Alpha introduced Christianity. It wasn’t in-your-face. And I liked the people, they were very nice and not pushy at all. Jing Qi also accompanied me to the sessions each week. I accepted Christ during the Alpha Day Away. My group helper came to pray for me and asked if I had any prayer requests. But I couldn’t talk, I just cried. We prayed the sinner’s prayer together, with me saying it quietly in my heart. I felt a sense of relief after that, feeling that I had found God. He had been with me all this time, but I just didn’t want to accept Him. Having God in my life makes a difference in how I manage my health conditions. I try to think about it from a different perspective now. There is a reason for this, maybe it’s God’s plan to help me become a stronger person. God is like a supporting pillar for me. I can talk to Him anytime I want to. He won’t judge, He will listen. I don’t have to keep my questions to myself in my head anymore. This gives me a sense of assurance and peace. Together with the Alphabets discipleship group, Ben and Kaixin served as group helpers on Alpha during the Alpha Everywhere campaign in 2019. Running Alpha regularly opens up opportunities for more guests to learn about Jesus and experience Christian community. It’s also a platform for discipleship, as there are many roles one can serve in on Alpha! The Alpha Singapore team is here to support you, whether you’re just starting your first run or are already on your 50th. Let’s get in touch! Drop us an email here: [email protected] 31

THE ROWER WHO WANTED TO BE A ROCK Angelica tells us about her experience in joining a church community and how she’s grown as a Christian! My name is Angelica and I friends including Amanda, the am currently training to be a host of my Alpha group. We went professional kayaker. to the same secondary school, Min, a junior kayaker who I train junior college, and university, so with, invited me to attend Alpha I felt a sense of familiarity with online at her church, Ang Mo Kio her. Amanda, Min and I started Presbyterian Church (AMKPC). reading the book of John three I agreed to go because I was times a week and sharing our struggling with my faith. I was answers to discussion questions like water and I wanted to be like over a weekly call. I learn a lot a rock. I wanted to find out more from their insights, which are about Christianity. It also helped very thoughtful. We also pray that everything was online and together and keep each other I could attend the sessions from accountable by talking about my home. what we need to work on in our The videos were my favourite part lives. of each Alpha session. I thought Recently, I joined Amanda’s cell that they were very well done. group. The cell group meetings The hosts were very cheerful are a conducive environment and encouraging, and I enjoyed for me to learn more about God the personal stories shared by and Christianity. We’re currently different people. I felt inspired studying the book of Exodus. The after each session. discussions we have encourage Alpha was like a starting point for me to think more deeply about me. Through Alpha, I grew closer what we talk about. I never really with Min and got to know new had friends who I could talk to before. These are people I can now share my thoughts freely with. 32

I’ve also been attending online services at AMKPC regularly. The church building is in Presbyterian High School, which was where I studied. So I see attending AMKPC as part of God’s timely plan for me. The sermons have prompted me to start thinking about how I can serve God. For me, serving God doesn’t mean I have to work in a church. It’s about bringing people to Christ. I’ve been praying for my friends every day, seeing if there are opportunities to reach out to them. Kayaking is a technical sport. There are many elements to work with, including yourself, your paddle, your boat, and the water. When you look at the nitty gritty as an athlete, it’s easy to get stressed out by the need to be perfect. Comments by the coach can also affect your self- confidence a lot. I used to feel anxious about training because I was worried about not being able to do well or keep up with others. I was struggling because I was finding my value in worldly things instead of God. The Christian faith teaches us that our worth comes from God. I’ve learnt that I should fear God, not others. I don’t beat myself up when I lose to someone or do badly in training. Instead of letting what others think of me or my performance affect me, I remind myself where my self-value really comes from. In the past, God was someone far from me. I would only ask Him for help when I was desperate for it. Now I understand Him more and I pray often. I know I am to serve and glorify Him. 33

Lessons on Love and Marriage Chew Meng and Hui Leng first met in university and have been married for 25 years. They were finally able to attend The Marriage Course for the first time this year as it was run online! These are some of the valuable lessons they took away from TMC. Hui Leng: One of the admin leaders in the Bible Study Fellowship class I attend was planning to run The Marriage Course (TMC) online and invited us to join in. Our church, Zion Bishan Bible-Presbyterian Church, runs TMC but Chew Meng and I were never able to attend due to our packed work schedules. When I heard about TMC online, I thought “Okay, it’s online and fairly convenient.” I texted Chew Meng to ask if he wanted to attend it with me. His first response was, “wow seven Saturdays, think about it first”! Chew Meng: When Hui Leng invited me to attend TMC, I thought, “Aiya, what marriage course… all these things are very theoretical.” But she responded to my text asking me, if we had another 20 to 30 years of marriage together, would this be a worthwhile investment of our time? I saw her point and agreed to sign up for it. Hui Leng: We have never attended any marriage preparation courses before we got married. And as a couple, we are like the North and South pole! We have such different personalities. The way we deal with conflict as a couple is also not the same. I want to talk about it, but he thinks that what’s past is past and we should move on from it. This, on top of stress caused by our work, had led to a lot of ups and downs in our marriage. The first few years of marriage were tumultuous, to put it mildly. 34

ON LEARNING HOW TO CONNECT IN CONVERSATION Hui Leng: During each session, we would watch a video featuring Nicky and Sila sharing on the topic of the week before having private discussion time as a couple. We were able to switch off our videos and mute our mics, which was good. It gave us a sense of privacy. Sometimes the conversations revolved around pretty sensitive topics. It wasn’t easy when we first started the course. We were not used to having such conversations. I would try to hold a deep conversation and Chew Meng would crack jokes as he wanted to lighten the mood. There were times we even argued during the discussion! Chew Meng: Attending TMC made us really talk to one another, which was not easy at first. While I advocate meeting in person, I saw how attending TMC via Zoom encouraged couples to invest in their relationships. We can turn off our cameras and mute ourselves during the discussion time. No one will force you to have a discussion, and the facilitators won’t be able to tell if you are actually doing it. This means that the onus is really on the couples to have an uninterrupted time of discussion, and learn together. Hui Leng: Many of the TMC sessions taught us how to navigate potentially sensitive topics in a way that grows the relationship rather than causing more friction. We were able to talk about past issues that we previously avoided while being supported on how to do so. Now we know that we should talk about things rather than stay silent. 35

Chew Meng & Hui Leng with their sons, Ethan & Isaac Tiew We also learnt that it’s ok to have differences and TMC helped us to understand these differences better. For example, in one session we discussed our different family backgrounds and how that influenced our values as individuals. Chew Meng: In another session on the power of forgiveness, we talked about past hurts and how we could move on from it as a couple. It was a good conversation because it marked the start of healing. As Christians, it also reminded us of God’s forgiveness of our sins. If He can forgive us, we can reflect that in our lives. No matter how loving you are, I think the first two weeks of TMC will be uncomfortable. There will be moments where you have to take down facades and confront deep hurts. It’s a challenge for us as Christians to be frank yet loving at the same time. I thank God that we were able to go through this roller coaster phase together. 36

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICING LESSONS LEARNT IN TMC Chew Meng: Stamina takes time to build. When I picked up running again after a long break, I started with walking and consistent practice before I could run longer distances at shorter timings. I think it’s the same with TMC. We have learnt the tools, now we need to put them into practice. If we don’t use the tools and practice, we will go back to our old ways. We might even find ourselves at square one or worse. There will be ups and downs in the lives of all married couples. It’s about what you choose to do in response to grow with each challenge. It’s a muscle you constantly have to train. So we need to be mindful and continue to work on our relationship. Hui Leng: When we have arguments, we look back on the lessons we’ve learnt to help us resolve our conflicts well. It’s something we have to practice constantly. Chew Meng: We have not become the perfect couple overnight. We know that we are imperfect and it is through these imperfections that God works in us. Hui Leng: We are imperfect but we are very thankful. God is bringing a lot of learning into our lives. 37

ON FAITHFULLY JOURNEYING TOGETHER AS A COUPLE Hui Leng: The TMC we attended had a diverse group of couples. There were couples who had been married for a long time, and couples who had just gotten married. There was a couple who were physically apart because of the Covid-19 situation. The wife was in Singapore and the husband was in Malaysia. Another couple began the course together, but the husband flew to Dubai for work and they continued the course online after. Chew Meng: There was also a senior couple, who used to facilitate TMC earlier on! We were touched by their humility and willingness to learn as a couple and progress in their relationship, even at their age. They are a couple we look up to! Hui Leng: I even met my colleague on the course! ON LOVE AND MARRIAGE Chew Meng: Love has various meanings for people. TMC shares all these insights on love. There are opportunities for development, together as a couple, and also as individuals. Marriage is not just about forgiveness but learning to love. The Bible says that God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to save us (John 3:16). When Jesus came, He loved us. This is what TMC does. It anchors on love and teaches us how to love. Chew Meng and Hui Leng will be running their first TMC in December for their small group. 38

“ Many of the TMC sessions taught us how to navigate potentially sensitive topics in a way that grows the relationship rather than causing more friction. We were able to talk about past issues that we previously avoided while being supported on how to do so. ” 39

Intern-view with Kavita Kavita joined us as an intern in the beginning of the year and came onboard as a full-time staff amidst the work from home season! We caught up with her to hear more about her journey with Alpha so far. Hi Kavita! Tell us about yourself! I’m Kavita and I currently serve as a Ministry Coordinator at Alpha Singapore. I’ve been married for seven years and attend Glad Tidings Church (GTC) with Jenu, my husband. In church, I take care of our Alpha “graduates”. A friend and I used to lead Alphabets, a discipleship group which comprised guests that had completed Alpha. The group is now led by two former members and we are more of mentors to them. How did you find out about Alpha? A church friend invited me to attend a workplace Alpha at lunch time. She knew that I needed more exposure to the faith and the Alpha was run in the Raffles place area where I was working then. That was how I first got to know about Alpha! In 2017, I joined GTC as an admin staff. Alpha was a new ministry in GTC at the time. The church staff team asked me to anchor Alpha as part of the ministry aspect to my role, together with Jean (who was then a communications staff and is now a pastor!). I was initially hesitant as I wanted to focus on my admin duties and I had no experience with running Alpha at all. Jean and I didn’t know what would happen at Alpha, but we decided to pray through it and go for it. That first Alpha run is now one of the things I’m glad I said yes to. Jean and I prayed a lot together throughout the entire run. We saw people saying yes to Jesus and life transformation happening week after week. It was exciting and overwhelming. And we knew it was God at work. That was what really impacted me. 40

Why did you want to join Alpha Singapore? I wanted to do something missional and experience serving the larger Church. When Alpha came to my mind, the thought of serving at Alpha resonated very strongly with me. I wrote to Alpha Singapore and received a response really fast! My application process went very smoothly. I was invited to join the team as an intern about a day or two after my interview! We’re so glad for the opportunity to serve alongside you! Was Alpha the answer to your prayers? Yes! God knew what I wanted and He graciously gave me the desires of my heart. In my role as a Ministry Coordinator for the Local Church, I support churches as they embark on running Alpha. I really do enjoy engaging with churches – listening to people, seeing good fruit, and hearing stories. Serving with churches has helped me see the diverse needs and perspectives of the larger Church body. I like being able to partner with churches for the greater good. We are all different parts of the body serving God’s one purpose and seeking His pleasure. I see it as a privilege to come alongside others in this. I’ve learnt many ways of supporting people in their ministry of evangelism. 41

Kavita & her husband, Jenu You’ve also started serving with The Marriage Courses ministry. How did you get started with that? Angelic, the Executive Director of Alpha Singapore, asked if I could help out! At first, I mainly provided admin support to Ricky and Wendy, our former TMC Ministry Coordinators. When they left Alpha Singapore, I took on greater responsibilities together with some other members of the team. Lai Wei and Ai Siang, who oversee development of The Marriage and Parenting Courses with Alpha Asia Pacific, knew that Angelic had invited me to help with TMC. They offered to run a TMC experience, which my husband and I attended together. Lai Wei and Ai Siang have since become treasured mentors and a source of support for Jenu and I. They truly exemplify love in action! 42

What was your experience of attending TMC online? To be honest, I was doubtful at first. I thought, “We’ve already been married for seven years, is it really going to make a difference?” It was Jenu who was enthusiastic about it and told me not to say no to TMC! He encouraged me to continue attending the sessions even when I didn’t want to. Attending TMC together made a huge difference in our relationship, especially in the area of communication. We learnt how to better express our feelings to each other and on a more regular basis. I’m grateful that Jenu is more comfortable with sharing his struggles with me now. We intentionally make time to hear each other out and spend date time together too. It’s very easy for me to tell others about TMC now because I’ve experienced for myself that it works! Some people wonder, if attending TMC means their marriage is in trouble or they may even have doubts about it working for them, like I did in the beginning. I would say try the course and continue practising what you learn from it! One thing I had forgotten was that God is at the centre of it all, and it is ultimately Him who makes all the changes in us. What about your experience of starting a new job online? One highlight for me was the constant connection we had as a team over Zoom. During the Circuit Breaker period, we were constantly on Zoom. I warmed up to everyone after we began to see each other frequently on Zoom. I remember one evening we split into two teams to conduct trainings on separate calls. Before we got on our respective calls, we did a pre-training prayer call to ask how everyone was doing and then we prayed together. So that was nice for me. If you’d like to explore serving with Alpha Singapore, drop us an email here: [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you, and perhaps feature your story on our next Intern-view! 43

Going the Digital D i s ta n c e : ALPHA ONLINE As Covid-19 swept through Singapore, God graciously opened doors for unexpected new opportunities in the work of evangelism. Strict social distancing measures implemented at the beginning of the year meant that Alpha groups could no longer meet in person. Running Alpha online was a very new concept to our team then. Before sharing about Alpha online with practitioners, we conducted several trial sessions as a team, testing out various video conferencing platforms and trying different roles. In April, we ran our first ever Alpha Online Lab equipping session. More types of Lab sessions were introduced gradually, including an Alpha Weekend Online Lab and Alpha Online Labs in Mandarin. In just six months, we ran more than 35 sessions, with over 1,000 participants in attendance! 44

Alpha online is here to stay. It continues to welcome everyone in, especially guests who may not have been able to attend a live Alpha, and even friends from across the globe! It’s also easy for guests to click into – no need to worry about rainy weather or traffic jams. Most importantly, it works! Our team has heard many stories of how God has touched lives through the digital space. We truly thank God for His faithfulness in seeing us through this season! Want to run Alpha online? We’re here to help! Get in touch with us here: [email protected] or scan this QR code to find out more about Alpha online:

Alpha Online in Tamil We thank God for the opportunity to run Alpha online with several dormitories in June! It was a tremendous blessing to provide more than 50 guests from five dormitories with precious community time, especially in a time of isolation from one another. The Alpha sessions were run twice a week on weekday afternoons via Zoom. Our guests were enthusiastic about joining us! Despite facing connectivity issues as many used their mobile phones to join the Zoom call, they would continue logging back in. We are also grateful for Alpha India and ten local churches who partnered us in this initiative. It was heartening to see the body of Christ coming together in unity to support one another and serve our guests on this Alpha run. Today, five of these churches have started their own Alpha online runs in Tamil! 46

Alpha Online Guest “In early March, my father paid a large amount of money to one of our relatives for purchasing land. But that relative refused to register his land and told us that he didn’t receive any money from my father. We were all worried and I kept praying about this ever since I joined Alpha. Two days ago, the relative came forward himself and offered to register his land to my father. I thank God for answering my prayers. During today’s prayer session I asked Pastor to pray for me and my mother. I didn’t tell him that my mother had knee problems. But Pastor himself asked about my mother’s knee problem and prayed for that.” Alpha Online Guest “I was burdened by many matters from back home in India and worried a lot. My group host helped me to understand God’s plan for me through explaining some of the Bible verses which were shared. I felt like God spoke to me and cleared all my confusion. I will not worry about anything from now on and will submit myself completely to God’s plan.” Alpha Online Host “This is my first experience with Alpha and I am so encouraged to see Tamil churches coming together and working together to reach out. I’m grateful to God for giving me a chance to have a little part to play in this. All glory to Him and thank you Alpha. In these difficult times, you have brought different ones together.” Alpha Online Host “Most of the groups have pastors to lead the prayer on being filled with the Holy Spirit. But in our group, the hosts are ordinary people like me. So in a very important session like this which involves praying for Holy Spirit, I was praying, I can’t do this, but I can’t escape from this also! I prayed to God to strengthen me in conducting this prayer session. Before the ministry time, the Alpha prayer team shared some of their visions with us. The guests in our group asked a few questions on the points listed and we also went through some supporting Bible verses with them. God helped us to answer all the questions from our group members. When we were in the prayer session, God guided us so smoothly and everything went well. Glory to God.” 47

2020年8月14至15 日，启发新加坡首次举办《燃烧》线上培训会议。 这次的《燃烧》线上会议是启发新加坡与新加坡卫理公会华人年议会首次 联合举办的会议。因为会议是在线上举行，我们能够邀请各国的演讲者一 起参与我们的节目。 会议的焦点是线上传福音的兴起，并怎么使用启发来应对这快速的发展。 启发的多种可能性也是会议上的重要谈话点。启发不仅是个传福音的工 具，但也是个培养下一代领导者的重要工具以及提高教会成长的工作法。 几位演讲者也与我们分享他们运用启发的个人经验。 感谢神在这非常时期，让我们能在线上聚集，探索祂的作为和讨论我们如 何继续的传扬祂的名 。 48