Adventist Crossroads
January - February, 1998

Filipino Fellowship
Jimmy Bolipata
Fellowship Leader

Have you heard about a Filipino Fellowship right in our church in Singapore?
It has been three years and four months since we started this Fellowship. The main objective is to reach out to the Filipino contract workers whose numbers have grown in leaps and bounds in recent years. Another objective is to encourage our very own church members to come and fellowship on Sabbath afternoons.
We also had the Sunday fellowship which attracted many non-SDA Filipinos. Every Sunday afternoon we met in a room at the basement of the Thomson Chinese Church. Besides games and food we enjoyed spiritual refreshing.
Attendance at our Saturday afternoon meetings are rapidly growing from eleven to seventy-six at times. Since we started these meetings, twelve souls had accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour. Efforts are continuing to win over non-SDA spouses. There are a few who are having Bible study at present. Along with outreach we have not forgotten our own young people. From the Saturday afternoon meetings our young people have learned to value the sacred hours of the Sabbath. We solicit your prayers for this ministry.

Fare Thee Well!

She answered your telephone calls, received your fax messages and called you at times for committee meetings. She was often the first voice you would hear when you dial 561 0022. Florence Wong joined the Singapore Mission in August 1989. Last year end when the Southeast Asia Union Mission relocated her husband, Peter Wong, to Kuching, Sarawak, Florence followed suit.
We appreciate her eight and a half years of service and wish her well as she takes up a new responsibility in Sarawak.
Also leaving at the end of last year was Wann Fanwar. A juggler of sorts - he held several key positions rather competently during his six years of service. In June 1990 he was initially called from the Hong Kong Conference be a church pastor. Later he also headed the Ministries Coordinating Committee at the Singapore Mission and taught classes at the Southeast Asia Union College.
From an e-mail received in late February 1998 he said he is enjoying his studies at Andrews University. We want to thank him for his contribution and wish him well.

Using the 3 H's
Geoffrey Pauner, Principal
San Yu Adventist School

Teachers at the San Yu Adventist School encourage their students to compete against themselves. We do not necessarily get "star" quality students when they come in. But to us these students give us the opportunity to teach them the philosophy of a balanced education --to use the head, the heart and the hands.
Over the years the top scorers in our school have been students who have stayed with us for a number of years -- anywhere from four to nine years. Among our 1997 outstanding students was Lau Wee Cheng who scored 8 distinctions.
He joined our school in 1991. Others included Teresa Lam, 1989 (5 distinctions); Susanti, 1989 (5 distinctions); Wong Kok Kin, 1988 (5 distinctions). There have also been some students who were with us for just two years or less and obtained commendable results: Ying Yong Yi, 1996 (6 distinctions) and Yek Lay Sing, 1996 (4 distinctions); Five others also obtained 3 distinctions in 1997: Shushma Bharwani, Neelam Bharwani, Yok Ying Lum, Yu Shan Te and Wong Kok Choon. Aside from encouraging students to perform well academically, we have the privilege to instill in their hearts what it means to honor God, the giver of all good things.
The fact that our classes are small makes it possible to give closer attention to each student. In turn students have more access to their teachers. This has proven advantageous for the students. Small classes contribute very much toward students' achievements.

Turning Cold To Warmth
Balestier Prayer Group

The black night casts its cold and gray on all. Suddenly a spark torched a small candle into life. Then another. And yet another. And soon all twenty-six lent their light to the colours of life around them. There was beauty and warmth everywhere.
Those of our prayer group are the candles in the night. Two months ago, our pastor prayed, we prayed - and that spark lit in each of us enthusiasm and commitment. We have learned to trust in God and to trust one another. We have learned to pray for one another. We see more the good in others now. We are experiencing an enriched personal relationship with God. We want to share Him with others. Pray for us that the fruit of the Spirit may result. And come, travel with us this exciting journey.

Equipping For Stewardship
Stewardship Department

Twenty-five local church treasurers and elders attended a Mission-wide Stewardship workshop on March 14. The topics were: Definitions of Stewardship, SDA World Church Structure, Principles and Guidelines for Tithes and Offering, How Tithes and Offerings Are Used in the SDA World Church and the Singapore Mission.
Trends of tithe and offerings giving in the Singapore SDA Churches over the past few years were shared. A question-and-answer session clarified some issues. Participants were urged to continue this stewardship education in their local churches through home visitation and workshops. You can expect more stewardship materials coming to your church in the months ahead.