HopeEFC Camp at STM: 20 ~ 22 Aug 05
Well, that's a great camp come and gone! It was a heart-in-the mouth affair for awhile and some of us really thought it might not even happen. First, we (the organisers) were unexpectedly hit with exam blues (trial exams affecting a few college kids) and 'defections', resulting in a smaller turnout than we'd hoped. On Thursday Sivin called to ask for prayer over a possible situation affecting his attendance. (Ends up everything's okay, and we were all cheers!)
Soon after, a call came to say that Lulu's mother had passed away. Pending funeral arrangements, I would have to conduct the memorial service that evening, and perhaps the funeral if it were to be held on a Saturday . Had to rush home, grab a quick dinner, meet the bereaved family, and deliver the eulogy. Thankfully, the family decided to hold the funeral on the very next day - Friday, with our Pastor presiding - allowing our Campers to leave on Saturday without a hitch. Or at least that's what we thought. Unknown to us, STM in Seremban was on water rationing, resulting in a lot of us not having a proper shower and all that evening. Ah well. We had water aplenty the next day though.
It was nothing too unbearable really, and I'm happy to report that most of us felt it was a genuinely blessed time. I-Ching from RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministry) took us through 2 workshops on worldviews drawn from James Sire's 7 handy classifications. Heady, and probably a mite too tough for some of us whose daily diet consists of somewhat lighter stuff. On the plus side, someone asked that we continue the study back in KL , and maybe look at pluralism and how to deal with it. Fantastic!
Sivin Kit's messages on Jonah was great. His workshop based on Mclaren's 13 Strategies (Church on the Other Side) was revealing, and it certainly raised issues. Gotta take a closer look. Outside the sessions, I enjoyed the interaction with Sivin and was glad for the opportunity to exchange notes. Looking forward to more.
At the start of the camp, I-Ching asked with reference to the camp sessions involving 2 facilitators (herself, and Sivin) from almost 'opposite' poles(!), "What are you doing to your church?" Well, I was trying to push the envelope, getting people to take ownership of the church we all identify as 'ours' to think more deeply about issues that impact our comfort zones, and grapple with the often messy stuff of life. Here's hoping some things will stick, and that the Lord will continue to work.
4 comments:
Wow! Dun we all need to strengthen our stomachs with some solid food, eh?
Pluralism is one of the toughest challenges to our mission today(Hebrews 5:13-14)
again .. thanks David and Hope EFC for this chance to - share in your journey together.
as for "opposite" poles .. perhaps it was not that oppostite after all. I saw it as different "accents" (like in music) on how reflective thinking plays its part in our quest in being church, evangelising, and living out our faith in these challenging times.
I had loads of fun in lots of private conversations too.
well, sivin we're not on opposite poles..."accents" it is then. but the difference did tempt me to wonder if both of you were on the same page - epistemologically speaking.
:)
ah ... now that's an interesting observation. More when we meet face to face for coffee .
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