Recap of 1Q23 QCM
We held the first Quarterly Congregational Meeting on 8 January 2023. The meeting agenda was packed as we looked back at the last quarter of 2022 and also heard of the key plans for 2023.
Pastor Mark opened our session and prayed for the meeting. He prayed for the new members that we’re welcoming, that we would be able to love them well and incorporate them into the body. As we also look back at the last quarter of 2022, he prayed that we will have a spirit of thanksgiving as God has done many good things for us. He also prayed that we will look ahead to what God is calling us to do, as we are aware of the great mission field around us, as well as the many ways in which God desires for us to pour out ourselves for the good of others.
Ministry thanksgiving
Pastor Oliver took us through the events of the last quarter and reminded us that we do not just give thanks for the programmes and outcomes, but especially for the opportunities to love and care for one another. From October to December, we had a full church calendar. In October, we had the Young Adults' Retreat and the Reformation Concert. In November, the ladies gathered for their Bearing Burdens event and our youths had their annual camp in December.
Oliver also shared about the many outreach and evangelism opportunities in the last quarter. There were Evangelism EQUIP Sessions in November and December, and resources -- Essential Jesus and Two Ways to Live Tracts -- were also given out. Apart from the opportunity to invite friends to our Christmas service, we also had the chance to organise a Gladiolus Place Day in December. We also partnered with the Chinese Congregation to reach out to the MacPherson community at an outreach event. Ryan Ang, another of our member, also wrote about this event here.
At this QCM, Oliver invited one of our members, Yap Kim Meng, to share about this outreach to MacPherson. For him, it was encouraging to see both the English and the Chinese Congregation at this outreach event. There was a choir item by a combined choir and the gospel story was read out there. The MP of the area was also present. Kim Meng also shared that church members who lived in the area met some of the visitors and got connected with them! He closed his sharing with a prayer, to thank God for planting us in this neighborhood and also to pray that we will trust Him for the days to come that we will be equipped to share and reach out to those around us.
Kim Meng, one of our members, shared about the Christmas Outreach in MacPherson
Welcoming new members
Elder Gerald introduced the 16 members that joined us last quarter by both baptisms and transfers. We got to hear of how they came to GBC, their desire to get to know the community and also ways we can be keeping them in prayer. These members are of different ages, nationalities and backgrounds, and it was a wonderful picture of how the gospel transcends these boundaries and differences. In the church, we are called to be one family not by our efforts, but because God’s Spirit is at work.
Elder Gerald interviewed the new members. Their baptisms and testimonies can be found here.
Membership matters
Next, Pastor Eugene reminded us church is about people. Our mission is not just to have a lot of activities and programmes, but to build up people to follow Jesus and love Him. This is a key part of what we do as God’s people, thus at this meeting, Eugene wanted to remind us of a couple of things to help us think about what it means to be members of GBC. He gave us three thoughts from the verses in Hebrews 10:23-25 about what it means to be a member of this local church:
We affirm truth together.
This is found in the Statement of Faith, as summarised by the statement, “we agree to these truths”. We also agree to commit to one another, as summarised by the Members’ Covenant. Members of this church need to affirm these two key documents in our life together.We gather together.
We do not neglect to meet together, but come together. We thank God that more members are back in the gathering, and we pray that we will continue to prioritise the gathering of God’s people. There are 3 big group gatherings to prioritise: Sunday services, monthly prayer meetings, members’ meetings.We know one another in order to encourage one another.
We desire to build meaningful relationships with one another across the demographics – old, young, single, marrieds, kids, no kids. Let us commit to getting to know one another so we can commit to doing more ministry among one another as well.
You can also read Pastor Eugene's reflections on how the “let us” commands in Hebrews 10 shape our life together as fellow church members.
Eugene also shared that the Elders will continue to contact members, to reach out to them and to find out how they are doing. He assured members that if they received a note or call from the Elders, they’re not in trouble, but they’re just trying to get to know members and allow members to get to know them too. In summary, to be fellow members of the church, we are to gather together and know one another.
Looking ahead: Growing people
Eugene also shared about things taking place in the next quarter and in the rest of the year. For our sermons, we are currently in a short series titled “Body Building”, which takes us through 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 over three weeks. Following that, we will be in the book of Exodus for about half a year, where we will understand what it means to be God’s people who have been redeemed to worship Him. From July to November, we will be in the book of Hebrews, where we will consider how Jesus is better, and what it means to know Him and to follow Him.
This year, EQUIP will take place mainly on Sundays from 11am to 12pm. The EQUIP lineup for the next few months are as follows:
Church Matters (Jan 14, Sat, 9am-1pm)
An Overview of Exodus (Jan 15)
How to Study Scripture (Feb 5, 12, 19)
Missions to the Glory of God (Mar 5, 12)
More information about these classes can be found on our EQUIP webpage.
How are we hoping to grow people this year? Pastor Eugene also shared some ways we can do so. One way is through the Monthly Prayer Meeting, which is now on every last Sunday of the month, from 11am to 12pm. The first will be on 29 January and he encouraged all to stick around after service and to be at the meeting.
Another event coming up is a Zoom seminar on congregational singing by hymn writer Matt Merker who also serves as Director of Creative Resources and Training for Getty Music. This will be held on 25 February (Sat) at 9am. He encouraged church members to attend, and even gather in church to watch this together.
There are also plans to raise and train leaders. In summary, the plans are:
Shepherds Training Group
This is a new initiative and there are 17 members so far. They plan to meet once a month to discuss and reflect on Scripture together. Do pray for this effort as we continue to invest and train leaders, and trust God to raise more that can serve as Elders in time to come.Re-Affirming Elders
Jonathan and Nehemiah will be up for re-election soon.GBC Internship
It will take place again from July to November. Our former interns also shared their experience. Gideon shared about what the interns did and how he found it helpful to read and discuss with other interns and the pastors. Jillian also shared her experience over the past few months. She recommends it for anyone who’s interested not only in full-time ministry, but also to get to know more about God’s character.Training course with 9 Marks ministries
In May, Pastor Eugene and some of the staff will be heading up for a two-week course. He thanks the church for their generosity and requests prayer for their time together, that it will be a time of fruitful learning, and that they’ll be able to build up and encourage the church when they return.
One key part of our calendar this year is our church camp. Pastor Thian Chye shared that this will be from 28 to 31 May and registration begins on 15 January. At this camp, we hope to see how we can use the word to do spiritual good to one another. We will also explore how we can also show hospitality to one another.
Lastly, Pastor Mark and Elder Chuan-Xin came to share about the ministry needs in Children’s Ministry and Youth. To meet the growing needs with more young families and children, the renovation works on the Attic to enlarge the rooms have been approved and will commence after the Lunar New Year. Mark shared about the importance of youth ministry and encourages members to consider investing in the next generation.
If you are interested to serve in either of these ministries, contact Mark (mark@gracebaptistchurch.sg) or Chuan-Xin (themok@gmail.com). If you are keen to find out more about other ministries that have needs, write to us at info@gracebaptistchurch.sg.
Looking ahead: Growing the gospel
Next, Elder Jonathan shared briefly about upcoming events in our evangelism and missions calendar. The goal of the these visits is to get to know the various churches and groups, and to hopefully be able to establish partnerships this year.
Some of the plans this year include:
A visit to First Baptist Bandung in January by Jonathan and Thomas Hamilton.
In February, some elders of Bangkok City Baptist Church plan to visit GBC to explore partnership opportunities.
Pastor Eugene and Pastor Oliver will attend a conference for pastors and ministry workers at RAK Evangelical Church Centre in March.
In October, there will be a conference with Mark Dever in Singapore organised by another church, and we hope to have some time to meet with him before and after the conference.
These are exciting plans for 2023, and we encourage members to keep these in prayer, or participate when possible. The Missions Committee also regularly updates the church about our missions effort through the weekly enews. If you are have not subscribed to this, you can do so here.
Small group prayer and Members’ Covenant
At the end of a long meeting, the members were given a chance to gather in small groups to thank God for all that they’ve heard and to also commit these things in prayer. This is an important part of the meeting because the QCM is not just a session to download information. Listening to the various presentations should also cause us to respond as members to build up the church.
Praying together at the end of the QCM
To close the session, Elder Chong Tien led us to recite the Members’ Covenant together. As we recited the Covenant together, we also reaffirmed our commitment as members to the church, and to each other. If you'd like to find out more about what being a member means, or how to go about doing so, feel free to write to Pastor Eugene (eugenelow@gracebaptistchurch.sg).
Our next QCM will be on 2 April 2023, so do save the date. In the meantime, there are many opportunities and ways to be the church, and to love and serve each others. Let's continue to strive to build up the body not by our own efforts, but because we have been enabled by the Spirit.