On 6th July 2024, Talent Beacon celebrated 7 years of God’s goodness and faithfulness.
There is so much to give thanks for. When Talent Beacon was planted, we were unclear how this story would unfold. We had 3 core beliefs:
Everyone has at least one talent (Parable of the talents),
The Church is called to help people discover and develop their talents (Eph 4:11-13), and
God chose to establish His Kingdom on earth through the Church (Eph 3:10).
and we were passionately in love with God.
I am very grateful that in this journey, our passion for God and the people he cares for has grown. We still hold on to our first love because He holds on so steadfastly to us. It is through challenges that we see his faithfulness and our faith emboldened.
As our fellowship grows, we face the challenge of retaining our values. As our reach to the community widens, we must remember to strengthen relationships with individuals. Our call is not to build ministries but to serve and equip people. Indeed, there are many needs to be met and many who have not heard the good news. Rather than fret that there should be more workers, we need to get on with the mission cheerfully and spur one another to greater works.
During our anniversary celebrations, Ps Angela, the speaker from church camp 2023, shared about the joy that is so evident among us. May we always be joyful and united. In a vision, she saw us as a cruise liner that would stop regularly to help people in swamping sampans climb onboard. I smiled wryly as she shared the vision as there were so many times in these 7 years that we had to sail through unchartered waters.
The biggest challenge for Talent Beacon is to keep the desire to be God’s family – one that is relevant in our communities. We can get so enamoured with the good things we have done that we settle and refuse to move on to greater things. This anniversary, we do need to pause and reflect on our journey. We should celebrate our many achievements.
In his sermon, Ps Jeffrey expounded on Joshua 3. He challenged us to unload cargo that was no longer needed so that we could follow the Ark, God’s presence, into the promised land. This means that we must be prepared to reevaluate our ministries and allow God to help us reinvent. It is too easy to settle for same old same old, but this is a comfort we cannot afford ourselves.
Our values should not change and neither should our passion for God be diluted. We have to keep the same desire and focus on the eternal prize that awaits us. However, the expressions of our love may have to continually change as God leads us to people with different needs. For those of my generation and older, I pray that we will enjoy our role to encourage the younger ones to be bold and step up. Let’s be role models and cultivate their hearts to embrace adventure and know that each fall is just another lesson learnt.
To the Millennials and Zoomers, be counter-culture and establish God’s Kingdom. There are many who desire purity and righteousness. Stand up, be counted. Dare to live your God-given destiny. We will run with you as far as we can, and when we can no longer run, we will cheer you on!
Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Happy Anniversary Talent Beacon Family!
Love,
Ps Ben Choo
All photos by Ruth Lee
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