Chinese New Year Celebrations 2018

On the third day of Chinese New Year, Sunday, 18 February 2018, our church gathered together to celebrate the altogether lovely One (十全十美), Jesus Christ.

Set against a festive, traditional backdrop, the English services opened with praise and worship featuring familiar songs such as I See Grace and My King in both English and Mandarin. This then transited into a special time of Holy Communion led by Pastor Lawrence Lim.

A hilarious Star Wars parody, cheekily-named “Mark Mark Production” followed, set in the context of Chinese New Year visitations. It brought across, with dashes of humour and fun, the dangers of speaking carelessly, gossip and overindulgence from the weighty wisdom of  Proverbs. As the sounds of laughter wound down, the congregation was treated to a melodious guzheng (Chinese zither) solo, and a creative rendition of traditional Chinese New Year songs 拜年 (Bai Nian) and 恭喜恭喜 (Gong Xi Gong Xi) fused with the contemporary rhythms of beatbox and rap.

Right after this upbeat presentation, Pastor Mark Ng, our Chinese Ministry pastor, delivered a powerful sermon in English on the blessings that come to the believer through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, and how we are clothed in God’s righteousness such that God sees only Christ’s perfection when He looks at us. In closing, Pastor Mark prayed over the church in Mandarin with blessings that ran from one to ten thousands: 一 凡 风 顺, 两全齐美, 三阳开泰,  四季平安, 五福临门, 六六大顺, 七星高照, 八面聚财, 九九同心（久久同心）, 十全十美, 百事可乐, 千事吉祥, 万事如意.

Over at the Chinese services at Marina Bay Sands Ballrooms, Pastor Christina Wee led a combined Cantonese and Hokkien service, preaching in Hokkien with Pastor Esther Tsang translating into Cantonese, as well as a later service in Mandarin. The special item at each of the services got the congregation singing along to evergreen Chinese hits such as “The Moon Represents My Heart”.