“True worship is when it is inspired by the Holy Spirit within us and we worship God to the extent that He is real to us.”—Pastor Benny Ho
On 14 Sep 2019, worship ministry teams from across the Methodist churches gathered for a day of learning and sharing together about “The Changing Landscape of Worship”, the theme for the 2019 In Deep Worship Conference. Held at Barker Road Methodist Church, the conference was organised by the TRAC Board of Worship and Music.
It was my second time attending the In Deep Worship Conference. The two teaching sessions by Pastor Benny Ho during which we examined the deeper meaning of worshipping in spirit and in truth (John 4:1—34) were especially edifying. It was good to be reminded of the importance of knowing and understanding the kind of worship the Father desires.
I was convicted by Pastor Benny’s very powerful lesson, drawn from Exodus 30:34—38, on the five ingredients that go into making pure and holy incense, a worthy worship offering to God. He expounded on how each spice is extracted and related the process to how the condition of our hearts has to be in order to extract pure worship that is worthy of our Lord and King.
In the afternoon, participants had a choice to attend one of five workshops covering the topics of Band Dynamics, Excellence in Choral Ministry, Leading a Worship Ministry, Worship Song Writing and Dangerous Decibels. They were conducted by Mervin John and team, Dr Joel Navarro, Pastor Andrew Yeo, Alarice Thio, and Wong Yuhan and Penuel Lau respectively.
I attended the workshop by Pastor Andrew Yeo. He shared generously from his experiences leading the worship ministry as the Worship Pastor at Cornerstone Church. He emphasised the importance of pastoral care for those serving in the worship ministry in our churches. I came to the realisation that if such care is lacking, the grave outcome may be worship that is an offering not pleasing to God.
Besides its regular Sunday services, Faith MC hosts two weekday services once per month under the auspices of TRAC Seniors Ministry:
• Tuesday Prayer service: 23 Oct / 27 Nov, 2.30 to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday Worship service: 31 Oct / 14 Nov 2018, 2.30 to 4 p.m.
Christmas Carolling Service, “What My True Love Gave To Me”: 12 Dec 2018 (Wednesday), 2.30 to 4 p.m.
All are welcome.
400 Commonwealth Drive, S(149604)
Alice Yong-Tan worships at Faith Methodist Church.
Photos courtesy of Joash Lee