MISSION
When ‘Going’ Can Mean ‘Staying’
Find out from Revd Andrew Raman, SJSM’s Missions Pastor, and Care Connexion Leaders Gavin Chew, Leo June Kit, and Vernon Martin, what missions really is, and how everyone — yes, literally everyone — in SJSM can play a part in it.
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ost of us first heard about Care Connexion (CC), also known as our missions department’s Guest Workers Outreach (GWO), when it launched a coordinated effort during 2020’s Circuit Breaker period to care for the migrant workers in the dormitories, supporting them with basic supplies that their financially strapped employers were struggling to provide. Ramadan (23 Apr–23 May) saw many SJSMers rallying to the effort, ferrying suhoor meals to the Muslim workers at 3am. English classes were also provided over Zoom, as an upskilling option as well as a respite from the stresses of social isolation and loss of work. Since Phase 2 of Singapore’s reopening (19 June 2020), CC has maintained contact with our expat brothers by continuing to drop off comfort snacks, drink sachets, and other care pack items. Whenever possible, we take time to chat, getting to know them individually as peers and equals to build authentic friendships anchored in God’s unconditional love for all mankind. We’ve also engaged the fun factor — recreational activities including games and movie screenings, and carnivals and funfairs in conjunction with festive celebrations, have been well-received.
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Missions choices are not based on what is exciting, or exotic, trendy, or ‘a good opportunity’. We go where people deeply need God’s love and the support of godly community, to do the necessary, the ordinary, the mundane. — Leo June Kit
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Above: Guest workers pose for a photo at a Christmas event in 2020, held at Kaki Bukit Recreation Centre
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