Why are these beautiful people smiling in the photo? They’re excited, that’s why! Why wouldn’t they be excited?! They were on a bus, travelling to Youth Camp 2011 for 4 carefree days away from school and chores!!!
We're on our way, We're on our way... to Yoo-oo-oo-outh Camp!!
Read the first instalment of Youth Camp write-up here.
Youth Camp (Part 2)
20th February 2011 seemed like any another Sunday, until the end of the worship service, when Pastor Ashok announced, or rather, instructed the congregation to proceed to the Multi-Purpose Hall immediately.
My first thought, Wow! What’s Pastor up to? Never had he ever given us such an order before. The first obedient guy to reach the MPH was our Bro. Jothi (the name we all fondly and lovingly call him. Even his car has these initials i.e. BJR = Bro. Jothi Rajah)
The surprise event turned out to be a birthday party for our Bro. Jothi Rajah, who turned 60 this faithful Sunday. The early birds who arrived on the heels of Bro. Jothi Rajah, swore they saw Bro. Jothi Rajah blushing!! Ha! Ha! Ha!
In our Wesley Klang way, we congratulated our Bro. Jothi Rajah with a loud round of applause. Then led by Pastor Ashok and Lay Leader Jit Ling, Bro. Jothi Rajah was blessed, followed by Grace for the sumptuous food of great tosai and roti jala.
Aha! Someone remembered; this day is also Pastor Ashok & Jane’s 18th Wedding Anniversary. More blessings and wishes said for them, too!
Jothi with family
Bro. Jothi Rajah was pleasantly surprised by this milestone event of his life, so well and secretly planned by his dearest family, Brother Phillip Singham, Dr. Kiru and their spouses, together with Pelita and company.
I dare say this of our Bro. Jothi Rajah, he is a very helpful and unassuming brother in Christ of Wesley Methodist Church, Klang. I’ve known Bro. Jothi Rajah since the sixties in our Alma Mater ACS Klang.
He is a reputed and widely sought after Automobile Engineer. Yes! So well known is he that Royalty and Generals are amongst his clients.
To you my Bro. Jothi Rajah, I salute you this day 20th February 2011 in wishing you A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY and many, many more ahead of you. Also I bid you welcome to the SIXTIES CLUB.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU. Amen.
Post by : Ron49er
Photo by : Web Admin
Matthew 18 contains an often-quoted passage describing when the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Jesus immediately calls a child over and says in verses 3 and 4: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
By posing the question the disciples were exposing their spiritual pride. Jesus said to be humble like a child.
Humble. Modest. Unassuming in attitude and behavior. Place less value on own importance over someone else’s.
Kids make conclusions about God in concrete terms. Jesus would like that. Most kids tend to follow instructions to the best of their ability. Jesus would like that. Kids have an eagerness to learn. Jesus would like that. Kids watch and imitate adults. Think how Jesus would love it if we, as adults, would watch and imitate Him, without pretentiousness.
Kids formulate ideas through concrete experiences. Often as a grownup I get stuck in over thinking an issue rather than simply taking Jesus at His word and obeying what He has said to do. Go. Do. Serve. Be. Believe. Love. Perhaps as I, as we in our church, follow Jesus, our experiences with Him will engage our minds in new levels of trust and understanding.
No matter now old we are, may we let our lives speak the truth that Jesus is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. May we be humble like a child. Because Jesus would like that.
(MARY STEPHENS)
Last Sunday, just before Sunday School, we were reminded of an important lesson Jesus taught us.
Our dear Auntie Yuh Bin was happily on her way to open up the Sunday School classes at 10.00am. She must have had milk and super-duper-power-wower cereals for breakfast that day because when she put in the key and turned it, the key snapped in two!!! Snapped in two never mind… the other half was stuck in the key hole! What to do? What to do? No sweat… she did what any pretty damsel-in-distress does in our Sunday School. She screamed for Uncle Johnny.
Quick as the McDonald’s delivery man, Uncle Johnny came. I don’t know what Uncle Johnny was thinking when Auntie Yuh Bin told him about the key, but I figured Uncle Johnny must have looked at the key, looked at Auntie Yuh Bin’s super strong muscles and decided not to make a wise-crack or she might ke-de-pok him! So like the Super-MacGyver that Uncle Johnny is, he quickly flipped out his handy-dandy croc-nose pliers and mini screwdriver (which he always carries around in his super-hero secret compartment but we don’t know where) and went to work! Quick as flash, he wiggled, and wriggled, (his body, not the stuck key) and managed to get the key un-stuck! Hurray!
Once again, Uncle Johnny to the rescue! As he put away his super-hero tools, smiled his cheeky smile and flew off into the sunset, we were reminded about Jesus’ words :
The world says there are many ways to get to heaven. The world’s religions tell us that there are many doors to heaven just as there are many different keys to open those doors.
But the Bible teaches us that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to heaven. As we repent of our sins and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we can be sure that Jesus, the “key” that we depend on will NEVER break.
Some things we learnt in this incident though :
If you have questions about how eternal life and what happens to you after your time on earth is through, please read our section on “The Gift of Eternal Life“.
Post : Andrew
Pics : Yuh Bin
Once I attended a church in downtown Washington, DC, right in an area there were a lot of street people. Almost every Sunday, a few of them would come into the church and sit in the back pews and watch the service. They were scary people, because they were toothless and dirty and they hadn’t bathe or changed clothes in months; but they were harmless because they were severely withdrawn.
One day a bearded old filthy man came into the church. He looked like the picture of Abraham in my old Bible, and if you got within a couple of yards of him, your nose would suspect he might really be that old.
You see, on that fateful Sunday, he did not sit in the back pew, he sat right smack in the middle of our squeaky clean congregation, in the midst of our refined and sensitive noses! We had learned not to fear these people, but this day we made an exception when right in the middle of the sermon he began shouting Hallelujah! Glory to the Lamb! And other such things. Then he began to preach to us, confirming what the pastor had said in the sermon, quoting the Bible from memory.
The pastor was clearly terrified during this ordeal. The whole church service had gotten out of control, and he didn’t know what to do. Neither did we! But after the patriarch had finished, he departed while calling down blessings on us all. We sat there in shame, condemned by our expectations of chaos and the blessings we had received instead.
Well, now I understand the reaction to the blind beggar at Jericho, shouting out to Jesus from the crowd for mercy. It was a formal occasion, the town was welcoming a famous figure, and the blind man was ruining the show. They told him to shut up and mind his manners
But Jesus singled out the man, and asked him what he wanted. Then, He healed the man’s blindness. However, Jesus didn’t heal the blindness of the crowd who tried to restrain him.
Son of David, have mercy upon us; give us our sight!
