一针一线缝出来的 恩典百家被 – 华语事工的线上敬拜 One Stitch at a Time

by Kuah Leck Ping

回顾去年2020年里所做的每一件事时，为许多的不 足心感羞愧。可是却只有一件事让我毫无遗憾的， 就是在阻断期间开始到年尾居家办公的时候，制作 3月29日至12月22日的中文主日敬拜影片的工作。这 为了确保华语事工的弟兄姐妹们每个主日都可以在 家看着视频敬拜主。神真是把我全部生命都使用在 每一集敬拜影片的制作，平均每周都要花上45-60个 小时编辑和制作整个影片。我错过了大家居家流行 的嗜好或烘培学习课程。然而我很肯定的说，可以 被神如此使用，是非常荣幸啊！我看到神如何亲手 指导每一个录影的制作，又经历到祂的恩典是如何 的托住我克服每一周的挑战，真是感恩，把所有的 荣耀归于神！

“. . . 我的选民必充分享用他们亲手作工 得来的。他们必不徒然劳碌. . .”（以赛亚书65: 22b23a）

在教会无法进行实体聚会之前，我一直迫 切要为华语事工寻找其它的敬拜途径。二月中还出 席了新加坡神学院为本地教会开办的培训，目的要 教导教会如何进行线上敬拜。可是，当我把所学的 分享给身边的人们时，大家都婉拒了。可能对我们 高龄的华语事工来讲，他们无法在短短的时间里掌 握所需的技术；不然，我要在时间将近前，必须为 他们找一个量身定做的对策。

我的执著是因为深信神喜悦人们在危机中 接近祂、敬拜祂。所以，就算教会必须停办所有的 实体活动，主日敬拜却不可停下来。要如何以最简 单的方式，把主日程序“做”出来，再传给我们的会 众的每一位呢？这让我大伤脑经了。

在一个午餐时间，我独自留在办公室内， 偶然一边看着一个手工缝成的百布小包一边发呆， 突然间得到灵感！ 我相信那是从神来的，祂给了 我“缝纫”的概念。我就马上冲进办公室的一间小房 间，拿起手机制作了几段录影样本，然后用笔电上 的软件把那几段样本“缝起来”，制出一个简单的敬 拜影片样本。我就使用它来说服事工委会 ，要制作 的敬拜录影是如此简单： 敬拜主席 ：15-20分钟敬拜（包括2、3首YouTube 敬拜视频） 讲员：20-30分钟 中文事工牧者：5-10分钟回应和报告

同工们可以在他们自己的地方用手机录制 他们的片段，然后把作品发给我“缝纫”成一个一小 时的敬拜影片，再上载到YouTube过后，我就把链 接由WhatsApp发给会众，让他们可以在每个主日上 午9点可以观看敬拜视频，异地同心敬拜主。 我的挑战是我们的华语会众们，许多人都没有电邮 地址，可是感谢主, 他们都对WhatsApp的使用方法 和通过手机看YouTube相当熟悉。 不负众望，第一 集的华语主日敬拜在2020年3月29日首映了。过后在 40周内，线上播出的华语主日敬拜影片共有38集！- 因为我们没有想到要等到十月和十一月，试跑每月 一次在大礼堂进行实体敬拜过后，从12月27日才可 以每周回到教会大礼堂举行敬拜。

首映过后，我第一个担心是关于会众们 是否真正看到视频来敬拜主。有一位会众反应他看 了觉得没有参与感。我才领悟到，单单观看视频是 无法帮助会众们成为一个敬拜主的人；一个敬拜的 生命需要与基督的肢体连结的。那时，既然华语会 众还没有组织好Zoom线上的小组，每周平日如果 有人联络会员或他们的照顾者，给他们关怀、祷 告、聆听需要和反馈等等，是很重要，是值得去 做的事。

所以事工们被委托关怀的任务，我就集中 在“缝纫”制作影片上。神就带领每一个人去做好每 周的本分。当会众在每个主日上线敬拜主的时候， 他们可以为自己的参与赞美主。这好像是圣徒在肢 体生活中，彼此连结的结果吧？ 我就沉浸在每周的录影制作里。有时因为 器材或技术上的限制，同工们只能录音给我。为了 让视频在视觉上生动活泼，我加插了动画或一些图 片。有一位会众要求我加上字幕，因为她母亲有 严重的听觉障碍，又因为常常头晕而无法到教会敬 拜。我被她感动了，所以动画和字幕就成为我们的 华语敬拜影片的特点。虽然工作因此变得更繁琐费 时*，但很感恩，那位姐妹的母亲去年几乎每主日 都能看视频敬拜主。（*每一分钟的视频可用到45分 钟- 1小时半的制作时间）。

因为连续好几周长时间工作，我开始感到 身心疲惫，笔电因为无法负担太大的储量而常常当 机，触控盘也被用到断裂了。有些时候，同工们无 法按时送来他们的片段，我就得牺牲睡眠，马拉松 似的把敬拜影片做好和上载，好让在周末时会众可 收到链接。要不是神看顾这制作工作，我是无法 持续的。在每一集的制作开始前我都会祷告交托给 主。很奇妙的祂给我灵感来配合主题、如何制作封 面、图片的设计、动画以及适合的回应诗歌，等 等。有一集的证道取自马可福音5章21-43节“不要 怕，只要信！” 。神给我灵感去做一个封面，上面 不是一只凶猛的狮子，而是一只安静仰望十字架的 狮子。因为神教导我，狮子的勇猛也是来自仰望十 字架的！每一集我都有类似的感动和体验。

制片的繁琐程度成为寻找新同工的拦阻。 可是主感动了两位主内姐妹，他们愿意付出时间来 与我学习和帮忙制片。现在即使不再需要制作敬拜 影片了，可是她们还忠心的服事华语主日敬拜。

去年我因为花太多时间在制片上而忽略了 我本分的工作，我实在感到亏欠。我所有“缝纫”出 来的敬拜影片，水准也说不上什么专业的，每一集 还可以看到许多瑕疵和错字呢。但是让我得到安慰 的是，当我知道观众里面有一些慕道友，除了来自 本地，有的还来自美国、日本和柔佛新山！有一 位住在札幌的日本姐妹，她懂得中文，所以她也跟 着每周视频在家敬拜，直到去年10月中安息主怀为 止。这些都是一针一线缝出来的神恩典百家被吧！ 目前虽然我还在从疲惫恢复中，但是我可以重复宣 告，“是的主！确实很辛苦，可是我为制作这些敬拜 影片所付出的，没有懊悔遗憾，因为都是与祢一同 完成的。一切都是为了祢的荣耀！”

所有视频开场画面的挂毯 Tapestry of all the video opening screens

Many things I had worked on in 2020 somehow did not seem to turn out well. But one thing I will not forget is making worship videos for our Chinese Ministry for nine months from 29 March to 22 December. How did someone inexperienced as I was in video editing come to ensure that there would be a Chinese worship service video each Sunday for members to tune in to from home?

“…my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22b)

After the Chinese New Year Sunday worship service in February 2020, as reminders of safe distancing and hand sanitizing measures escalated, the Chinese Ministry Sunday attendance saw a sudden dip. By the end of March, the English Sunday service online was already gearing up for members who could not attend onsite. Yet the Chinese Ministry did not see the need yet but held on to onsite services for whoever would make the effort to worship in church.

Interestingly, before the circuit breaker closed down all onsite services, I had been prompted and burdened to look for alternatives for the Chinese Sunday service. In February, I attended a session conducted by the Singapore Bible College to

prepare local churches for online services. But after sharing with some, what I had learnt, I was met with lukewarm responses at best. They felt it was too technically daunting for our Chinese speaking congregation and that I should look for more tailormade solutions.

We all acknowledged God wants people to draw near to Him and even more, worship Him in times of crisis. So, even if all church activities had to stop, Sunday worship service must somehow go on. But how could we conduct our service and get it to our elderly Chinese congregation in the simplest way?

During a lunch break alone in the office, I believe God inspired me with the word “Stitch” as I was looking at my patchwork pouch. A plan birthed. Immediately I went into one of the counting rooms and recorded some demo videos using my handphone, and then stitched them into a video project using Microsoft Photo App on my notebook. I used that to persuade the Chinese Ministry committee how simple it was to produce a video for worship service, using a formula like this:

Worship Coordinator: 15 to 20 minutes worship (including two to three songs from Youtube) Speaker: 20 to 30 minutes message Chinese Ministry Leader: 5 to 10 minutes response and announcements.

The co-workers would do their respective recordings at home using their handphone, which I would “stitch” into an hour-long video, upload it to Youtube, and send a link to the Chinese members via WhatsApp to watch from home every Sunday at 9 a.m.

You see, most of our Chinese members do not have an email, but they are familiar with Whatsapp and Youtube. So, the Chinese Ministry’s first Sunday Worship@home debuted on 29 March 2020.

In all, 38 videos over 40 weeks were produced - as we did not know then that the weekly onsite service would resume only from 27 December, starting with once a month onsite worship in October and November.

I was nervous after the debut because I did not know whether our members had actually watched it. A committee member said he could not feel any involvement from watching the video. I realised a video alone would not help members become worshippers; it is living in the body of Christ that makes it possible. Since the Chinese Ministry had not yet been organized into zoom cell groups, it was important that someone contacted the members or their caregivers during the week - especially during the circuit breaker - to show care, pray with them and listen to their needs and feedback.

So the committee members gladly took on the role of such pastoral care while I concentrated on stitching the video projects. God led everybody to play a part during the week. And when members could access the worship videos every Sunday, they knew they could praise God in their involved participation. What a tapestry of the different parts of the Body ministering together!

Sometimes due to the limitation of equipment, co-workers could only produce audio clips, so I would use animation or illustrations to make the video more lively. One member requested to have Chinese subtitles for her mother with hearing difficulties and had not been able to attend church services due to vertigo. I was moved by her plight and so subtitling and animation became a signature on the projects despite the tediousness. (Every 1 minute of the video takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours of work) That member’s mother accessed almost all the worship videos last year.

After weeks of such intense and long hours, fatigue set in. Even my laptop froze frequently from overloaded memory space while the touchpad fractured from overuse. There were some weeks that co-workers sent in their projects late, leaving me little time to sleep in order to meet the deadline so that members could receive their video notices by the weekend. What kept me going was the fact that God was involved in the project.

I would commit the project to the Lord at the start of each week and amazingly He inspires me unfailingly with a picture to suit the theme, design of slides, animation and the right choice of response music. There was not a video that I had not been ministered by personally. One sermon was based on Mark 5:21-43, “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. God inspired me to make a cover page not merely of a roaring lion, but one that was looking up at a Cross. God taught me personally that even the bravest lion gets its courage by looking up at the cross!

While the nature of the work hindered most from helping in the video project, the Lord called two sisters-in-Christ to offer their time to learn and help. (They are now faithfully serving in the Chinese Sunday service even after Phase 3 when the video project ceased.)

With this time-consuming video production, I often felt bad that my core pastoral work was affected though others were sharing in the ministry burden.

The stitched videos are by no means professionally done; there are flaws in every episode. But I was encouraged when I learnt that they have reached people who have yet to know Christ, and are also watched by some in the USA, Japan and in JB! A Japanese friend in Sapporo who understands Chinese accessed most of them before she was called Home in October last year. How wonderful are the stitches and threads of ministry woven in the tapestry of God’s grace!

Though it took a while to recover from such fatigue, I will still say it was all worthwhile - “Yes Lord, it has been hard but I have no regrets stitching these videos, as they were done for and with YOU. All for your Glory!”