Singapore Youth for Christ (SYFC) started in 1957 in the midst of the growing problem of gangsterism. With nothing fun and meaningful to occupy their time, many youths below the age of 21 joined gangs. The plight of our youths caught the attention of an American missionary named Joe Weatherly during one of his stop-overs in Singapore in 1955. He was then the Director of Youth for Christ in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). In 1957, Joe returned to Singapore with his family and started Singapore Youth for Christ.
Since 1957, SYFC has always remained a platform for meaningful fun. As our youths change with the times, we constantly fine-tune our approaches in order to reach them where they are. However the core values and principles by which we work remain unchanged.
Being geared to the times and anchored to the Rock – staying relevant to the changing youth landscape while remaining grounded in the Word of God – is a critical guiding principle in SYFC.
Our National Director, Mr Lim Chien Chong, adds: “To be truly geared to the times, we need to be different today. We may not be running big rallies or club meetings (like we used to). But in different ways, we are still working hard to provide young people these gospel opportunities so that they can grow to be what God wants them to be, and to do what God wants them to do. The task continues to be challenging with the rising cost and rapid changes but this just keeps us on our toes and on our knees!”
SYFC seeks to reach youths between 10-20 years old through various platforms such as sports, music, drama and dance.
Over the years, we have organised TeenSportz and Playmax, where the message of Jesus is shared creatively and relevantly to the youths.
Joanna Lim, an ITE college student, heard about Jesus in Playmax three years ago. “I enjoyed Playmax very much, running around and playing games with my friends. After that I decided to meet with someone for Bible study because what they shared at Playmax was very interesting. At one of the Bible study sessions, I decided to be a Christian!” Joanna is now actively sharing Jesus with her friends.
Every year, we would also participate in the Celebrate Christmas in Singapore (CCIS) event, together with churches and other Christian groups, to share the Christmas story with the public.
Mr Eric Teo, a staff member, recalls an exciting encounter he had with a Bangladeshi worker at CCIS two years ago. “Masud was so interested in finding out more about Jesus after I shared the Christmas story with him that I brought him to a church subsequently and introduced him to a Bangladeshi fellowship group for follow-up. I’m praying that Masud will grow to know Jesus more and more.”
Project Serve is another yearly feature of our ministry. Christian youths who have finished their ‘O’ or ‘A’ level examinations, polytechnic courses or National Service can join us at Project Serve. It is a holiday involvement programme for those who want to spend their holidays meaningfully.
Besides evangelism-based training, the ‘Project Servants’ (as they are called) are also taught God’s Word and given opportunities for outreach in and out of Singapore.
Since 1957, SYFC has always remained a platform for meaningful fun. As our youths change with the times, we constantly fine-tune our approaches in order to reach them where they are. However the core values and principles by which we work remain unchanged.
In all our programmes and platforms, SYFC lives out our mission: To participate in the body of Christ in responsible evangelism of youth, presenting them with the Person, Work and Teachings of Christ and discipling them into the Church.
As an organisation, SYFC recognises that the whole Christian community has the God-given mission to reach out to all peoples. We exist to join the Church in being part of this mission, in our obedient response to God, to present the good news of Jesus Christ to youths. Join us in this exciting mission!
Our mission: To participate in the body of Christ in responsible evangelism of youth, presenting them with the Person, Work and Teachings of Christ and discipling them into the Church.
Photos courtesy of Singapore Youth For Christ
Joyce Peh is a staff member in the Secondary School and Junior College Ministry of Singapore Youth for Christ (SYFC), and part of the editorial team for Reach, the newsletter of SYFC.