UNEXPECTED ASSIGNMENT FROM GOD
By Jonathan Cho
Don’t let them get away!
I may be regularly active and familiar in BFEC’s youth ministry but this was totally new territory. “Lord, did I hear You wrong? Perhaps I bit off more than I can chew?”
Sometime towards the end of 2019, I was approached to be a camp speaker at a Youth Camp organized by New Hope Community Services to be held at ‘Kampung Siglap’ (KS). The year was drawing to a close and I was looking forward to ‘winding down’. I wasn’t expecting to receive such a speaking/teaching assignment but after asking God about it, I felt compelled to take it up – especially since BFEC has been gearing up for more active service in Kampung Siglap. “Perhaps this is an opportunity to build a relationship with the KS community and set the path for something new in 2020”, I thought.
Simply quoting verses and teachings from the Bible was not an option, although it was very much my underlying driving force. I was forced to go beyond religious language and ‘Christian-ese’, which would have been easy for the typical BFEC youth to understand. I prayed the same prayer I would when ministering to a Christian audience – “God, what would You like to say to them?” – but was also pushing the boundaries of my understanding of what Christian ministry is and should be about.
The topic of the camp centered around the African philosophy, “Ubuntu: I am because we are”. It is by no means a simple concept, although rooted in much scriptural truth, such as being “members of one body” and loving one’s neighbour. I understood the message immediately but my challenge was in creatively communicating these rich truths to youths of varying socio-economic status, ages and attention spans (averaging 10 to 18 years old) in a totally nonreligious setting.
Jesus never had difficulties communicating God’s truths to people of varied backgrounds because He understood the core of what the scriptures meant. He could make it accessible to anyone through parables and stories because He lived these truths and did not just teach them – He was just telling people about a reality He lived in. Could the same be said of me?
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