MUSINGS
Milestones of a Different Kind A church communityâs shared milestones are not only physical or practical (e.g. site changes, leadership transitions); in fact, one might argue that spiritual milestones are really much more important.
D
aren Ng, our Peopleâs Warden, and Prof John Lim, our Vicarâs Warden, have been part of SJSM since the 1970s. As long-time members, servers, and leaders, their personal histories and journeys are closely intertwined with SJSMâs, giving them a unique perspective on developments that have been key to our growth as a church.
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BUILDING BLOCKS OF COMMUNITY âA key event that has turned out to be very significant, even critical, to the growth of the church, was the start of the cell group ministry in the 1980s under Rev Roger Campbell, and the way that it really just took off, and continues to this day,â John continues. âWe have always been a family church with a firm ongoing commitment to sound Biblical preaching; spiritual renewal came through the charismatic movement in the 1970s, and the cell group movement has defined us since the 1980s. âLooking back over the history of the cell group ministry, even with the creation of the new zonal system, we have never really been overly dogmatic or rigid about the individual cellsâ programmes. But without the cell ministry, I donât think SJSM would have grown as much. Through cell groups, we have experienced years of growth, with a deepening of our prayer life and our worship ministry.â âThe cells are arguably the pulse of the church. They take âchurchâ beyond the Sunday worship services, and itâs also how people connect,â says Daren; to which John adds: âThe cells are among the things that the Lord laid in place in advance, and they have been instrumental in helping us go through the COVID-19 pandemic because there are still opportunities to gather, even virtually when physical meetings have not been possible.â
