Psalm 1: 1-3
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
I guess these two parallel verses above sums up my internship experience here in Trinity Methodist Church. Having just graduated from polytechnic, I was considering whether continue an internship in the media industry or to do something else. The Lord impressed upon me Psalms 1. It took me awhile to understand the meaning behind what was said and eventually that’s how I decided to do an internship in church.
I thank God for Ivan, Pastor Bernard and Pastor Dianna for closely supervising my time here and giving me opportunities to experience different areas of ministry. Also, the church staff has also been very nice to me, feeding me and helping me when I’m in need.
Here are some of the experiences I had and some thoughts I have about them:
Visiting the sick in hospital
Visiting the sick is one of the ways to express concern and care for them and at the same time, strengthen and develop social relationships with them and their family. Being ambassadors of Christ we put hope and optimism into their hearts as we encourage them to be strong and pray for their recovery.
Serving Communion to the homebound
This is about bringing Jesus to the people who are unable to go to church. It symbolizes the presence of God with them even if they were not able to worship together as a corporate body in church. I feel that this is one of the beautiful things in Christian ministry – being able to bring or share God’s love even to those who can’t make it to church.
The Connection
I’ve enjoyed attending the connection so far. I have gained many insights into the Lord’s Prayer in the past few sessions. Worship leading during the prayer meeting forces me to think of songs to fit the theme and also the congregation. This too helped me in improving my worship leading skills.
Youth Ministry Work
With more time at hand, I could look more into youth ministry stuff. I had a great time meeting up with the core group, with Pastor Bernard and also with some of the youths. Planning and developing plans for youth ministry and also fellowship and catching up with one another. I could also look more into my worship team and my worship leading skills. I also managed to have a feel of Contact 123 and the Alpha Course, both outreach programmes. I see that they have great potential with the youth ministry. Youth Ministry is definitely something I enjoy doing for now; after being so intimately involved with it. Let’s see how the Lord leads.
LMS Planning Retreat
Through this retreat and the many Wednesday morning meetings. I have come to learn more about the church and its ministries. I’ve learnt the way the church functions and of the big dreams and visions that we have. I also got to know the lay ministry staff and the pastors better.
Photo-taking Exercise
This was a difficult one. I learnt to put my trust in the youths. Knowing that if anything goes wrong, it would be hard to rectify. It has taught me several administrative skills and also how to manage and handle a team.
Church Camp
400+ people at camp was amazing. It is definitely God’s work. I thank God for the great youth “party” that was carried out on the second day. To see the happy faces and good response from the youths is definitely satisfying after the laborious planning with Eugene and Xiaorong. I also thank God for the opportunity to work with some of the adults leading worship and also a chance to lead a worship session. Leading a congregation of 300 is probably nerve-wrecking but surprisingly it wasn’t that bad. I got to work on my pitch. It was a great camp. I managed to “connect” with some youths which I have not had the chance to during YM. I thank also thank God for the powerful prayers of the Chinese ministry that really touch my heart.
The fruit of the spirit – love. As I spoke about loving God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength to the youths during one of the youth meetings, I mentioned that: “As I ponder upon this commandment and be honest to myself, I am humbled and broken, because I realize that,”I do not love him with all my heart, soul, and strength! My mind and feelings do not dwell completely in the Lord. My heart does not beat for God only, my subconscious is not filled with the love of God and my inner being is not directed toward the Creator alone. I do love God but I have not loved him with all my being.”
As I look at the church at work, as I see how God is moving in this church, I am beginning to appreciate the things that God has done. I’ve begin to give thanks more often and always praise Him for what He has done. I’ve begin to learn what it means to live from the inside out and what it means to be putting others before self. As I begin the next chapter of my youth, I look forward to see what God is going to do.
