(SATURDAY PRAISE SERVICE)
Fay Lim has been in COR since her primary school days, when her parents joined the church. She shares about the different groups in COR she grew up with.
I’ll always remember my first visit to COR at Malan Road with my parents: We had to climb up the steps along a short hill, and Uncle Hwa Chiang and Aunty Grace were there to welcome us.
When I became a teenager, I attended COR’s Youth Fellowship (YF) on Saturdays. While waiting for YF to start, my friends and I would hang out in the green-carpeted library, singing with the guitar, chit-chatting, and snacking, strengthening our bonds with one another. Aunty Kim would be in the adjoining kitchen preparing snacks for us. After YF, we would play captain's ball either at the carpark or SAJC’s basketball courts. We played very competitively in mixed-gender teams, but it was so fun that we often invited our non-Christian friends to join our YF just to play captain’s ball! We end Saturdays with dinner at either Alexander or Seah Im hawker centre, or even at Swensen's at the World Trade Centre for special occasions.
As a young adult, I joined Saturday Praise Service. In 2002, Grace Tay and I founded ‘Nomad Shuttlers’. We were both avid badminton players, but it was hard finding badminton courts to book, so like nomads, we were playing at different courts each session. It was also hard finding people to spar with initially, but the Nomad Shuttlers soon attracted members from the Sunday Worship Service and Mustard Seed Service to join in. Our shuttlers also brought their non-COR friends, and soon we had between 15 to 20 regular players. Nomad sessions were often filled with laughter, even as our members got increasingly skilled and competitive. One day, someone suggested having a friendly match with another church's badminton group. We heard rumours that they were not good and confidently thought we would win easily, only to lose to them when we met!
Nomad members each paid $5 for the use of courts, nets and shuttlecocks per session. The surplus funds were accumulated until December, to spend on a big fellowship meal, such as a memorable one we had at Ghim Moh's Master Crab Seafood Restaurant, where we occupied 2 tables! After 12 years, as our members’ interest in badminton waned, we merged with the St Andrew’s School alumni badminton group that plays every Sunday afternoon at the Secondary school hall. Our Nomad surplus fund that year was donated to missionary work.
Growing up in COR, I’ve been positively impacted by the aunties and uncles I’ve come to know. COR is a big family who looks out for, prays for and takes care of one another. My cell group is another “small big family”. Like families, we bond over food, even as we grow together through our cell activities. We take care of each others’ children, support one another in life’s challenges, and celebrate life’s milestones together. In 2009, when I had cancer, my cell group formed a prayer chain to pray unceasingly for me when I went through my treatments. I will never forget their love and kindness to me during my valley moments.
Having grown up in COR, I hope for the church to be a place where at each stage of our life--child, youth, adult, and the elderly--we can feel a sense of belonging, where each is valued and can find opportunities to serve. I pray COR will be relevant to community and society, in active service to God, and in building up our children’s identity in Christ.
Fay Lim 自小学开始，就跟着父母亲来到复活堂。以下是她分享她怎样在复活堂不同的小组里成长的过程与经历。
我永远都记得我第一次与我的父母亲来到当时坐落在 Malan Road 复活堂的情景：我们需要爬上一个小山坡的梯级，迎接我们的是 Hwang Chiang 叔叔和 Grace 阿姨。
当我进入青少年期，我开始参加在周六举办的复活堂青年团契(YF)。团契还未开始前，我和朋友就会待在铺着绿色地毯的图书馆，边弹吉他边唱歌，聊天，吃零食，增加我们彼此间的凝聚力。Kim阿姨就会在隔壁的厨房为我们预备茶点。YF结束后，我们就到教会的停车场或是初级学院的篮球场玩 ‘司令球’. 我们男女混合比赛，玩得非常激烈，但却非常尽兴，以至于我们常邀请我们未信主的朋友来YF, 为了就是散会后一起玩司令球。
当我步入社青阶段，我开始参加星期六的崇拜聚会。2002年，我和Grace Tay开始了一个羽球团契。我和Grace 热衷于打羽毛球，但不容易找到羽球场。所以像游牧民族般，我们都在不同地点打球。起初，要找志趣相投的人并非容易，但不久我们的羽球团契吸引了来自星期天崇拜和英文部青年聚会的会友参与。我们这些羽球游民也把教会外的朋友带来，参与人数就增加到15-20人。每一次的羽球会都充满了欢笑，我们的团队在技术上也越来越熟练和充满竞技性。有一次，团队里有人建议和另一个教会的羽球队办友谊赛。我们听说对方技不如我们，就以为胜卷在握，却在比赛当天变成他们的手下败将！
我们每个羽球队的成员每次会收五元的费用。累积的余额到了年底12月就会成了团契大食会的费用。其中一次印象深刻的聚餐是在位于锦茂的螃蟹师傅海鲜餐馆举办，当时还订了两桌席位。12年后，我们的羽球成员对打羽球的热忱逐渐减弱，我们就和圣安德烈学校的羽球校友队联合，每个星期天中午在圣安德烈中学的礼堂打球。我们所增收的团费余额就作为宣教事工的奉献。
在复活堂的成长过程里，教会的长辈们都给予我许多正面的影响力。复活堂就像一个大家庭，彼此照应，互相关怀。我的细胞小组就是另一个“小大家庭”。好比在一个家庭里，我们透过美食团契，正如我们在小组的活动中成长。我们也彼此照顾小组组员的孩子。在面临生活的挑战时，我们互相支持，在人生每一个新的里程碑，我们一同庆贺。2009年，当我患了癌症，我的小组在我接受疗程时，为我成立了祷告链，不间断地为我代祷。我不会忘记他们在我人生低谷时给予我的爱与恩惠。
在复活堂成长的我，盼望教会能够成为一个我们在人生每一个阶段都能感受到归宿感的地方，是每个人都被重视，被赋予机会去服事的地方。我祷告复活堂能够在社区和社会都有所效应，积极服事上帝，和建立我们下一代在基督里的身份。
This article first appeared in Issue 19, April 2019 CHORUS Magazine.
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