7 Nov 2015
(For internal circulation only)
Jesus Christ is in Charge of Building His Church At Mt Carmel Novaliches
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says He will build His Church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
This story of our Lord building His Church at Mt Carmel Novaliches must be told and retold so that we will
remember that He is at work yesterday, today and forever. It started when Flor Aristotle graduated in May 2003
from SBC and returned to Novaliches. Initially she applied for a ministry at an established church but was
rejected. She fell into depression. However, when five hungry kids knocked on her door, God spoke to her to
start a ministry to the poor. She borrowed her sister’s half constructed home to start teaching kids about God and
the stories in the Bible. She also fed the hungry children.
Sensing that God has opened the door for a ministry, Flor wrote to Mt Carmel Singapore to invite us to
collaborate with her. Thus a partnership was forged and we approved money to renovate the half-constructed
house. At that time, the unkempt backyard was filled with broken shed, broken tiles, rotten planks and overgrown weeds. With the support from Mt Carmel, this dilapidated backyard was transformed into a multi-purpose
hall. It was a humble beginning indeed.
With God’s grace and help, the ministry grew. On 22nd May 2005, the first worship service was held. At
that time, there were 11 Carmelites from Singapore and 3 Filipino worshippers. It started with a small number
of local believers. Just like the truth taught in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the Church at Novaliches
began to grow. By 2008, the space at the multi-purpose hall was too small to accommodate the growing number of worshippers. We started the search for a land to build a larger premise.
Over five years from July 2008 to March 2013, we looked at 6 pieces of lands. Each time we stood at a
particular land, we thought our Lord wanted us to buy it but it was turned out otherwise. At one stage, we
almost signed on the dotted lines for the smallest piece of land (400 square metres) at the highest price (7,500
peso per square metre). At our sixth attempt, our Lord directed us to De Jesus Compound. It was the largest
piece of land (1,000 square metre) but it was bought at the cheapest price (3,500 pesos after a discount from the
initial offering of 5,000 pesos per square metre). The cost (including taxes and other fees) for the land came up
to 3,889,022 pesos ($119,552).
On 21st September 2014, Ps Daniel, Phoebe, Dn Kim Peng and the late Say Geck conducted the ground
breaking ceremony for a new church building. Initially, the cost of the building was 7.5 million pesos. This
amount did not include the fees due to the architect. Right from the beginning, Mr William Go Que the
architect, said he would render his service for free as this is his way of serving Jesus Christ. Of this amount, Mt
Carmel Singapore was to contribute 6 million pesos and Mt Carmel Novaliches, 1.5 million pesos. However, this
amount was insufficient to include three classrooms for Christian education. Over 9 months, Mr. William
supervised the construction of the church building. During the construction, Flor and William expanded the
three units of bedrooms into a parsonage. Furthermore, they decided that it was more cost effective to build
the three classrooms now rather than later.
When the construction was completed and we sat down to tally the figures, we discovered that the final
cost was 8,818,997 pesos. We have overspent by 1.3 million pesos or so it seemed. During the fund raising,
Carmelites in Singapore had given $209,200 which was more than the amount requested $180,000 (6 million
We worship at 152 West Coast Road, Singapore 127370
Website: http://ses.carmel.sg
Tel: 6-779-5077 - Fax: 6-777-0613 – email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
pesos). With a surplus of $29,200, it was sufficient to cover the extra expenses for the parsonage and the three
classrooms. In fact, there was still some extra which we used as a love gift for the architect. At the Church Dedication Service on 20th September 15, Dn Kim Peng (chairman of the Building Project) presented 100,000 pesos
to William in appreciation of his labour of love. He gladly accepted it. However, as he was about to leave, he
dropped the love gift into the offertory bag for the church building fund. What a gesture of supreme love and
sacrificial giving to Christ and the Church. We praise God and give Him all the glory that the believers are using
the new building for worship and ministry. Now that the Church Building has been built, what about finding a
pastor to shepherd and grow the faith of the believers?
On 1st June 2008, the first pastor Craig Lloyd Lu for Mt Carmel Novaliches was appointed. He served
for 1 term until 31st May 2011. For the next 4 years and 6 months, Mt Carmel Novaliches was without a pastor.
During this period, we have interviewed six candidates for the pastoral position. The dates for the interviews
were May 2011, September 2012, December 2012, September 2013, December 2013 and September 2014.
However, we did not select any of the candidates because of these reasons: (1) lack of theological
qualification, (2) more of an academician rather than a pastor, (3) candidate felt he would be a mismatch due to
denominational practices, (4) problem with financial management and (5) issue over divorce and remarriage.
In searching for a pastor, the Board of Trustees (BOT) take great measures to ensure that a candidate
must have the right qualification, high integrity and clear calling from God to serve at Novaliches. Meanwhile,
the believers continue to ask the BOT to find a pastor sooner rather than later. This is because they observe
that without a shepherd to guide them, their spirituality and moral have been affected. But how will BOT find a
suitable pastor?
Earlier this year when I was taking my sabbatical at Calvin Theological Seminary, Ps Tang Hai Yang (he
was formerly serving as an Elder at Mt Carmel) contacted me. He told me he would be finishing his term of
service at Mt Hermon BP Church by April 2015. Furthermore he sensed the Lord is leading him and his wife Hui
Choo to serve overseas with a missions agency and he would like me to give him some feedbacks. After giving
him my views, I did not hear from him again about his latest development.
I resumed my pastoral duties on 1st March 2015. On 8th March, I met Dn Kim Peng for updates about
missions matters. He told me about the latest pastoral search for Novaliches but it appeared that the BOT
would not endorse the candidate. Since we have interviewed 6 local candidates, Dn Kim Peng suggested that
we may have to think outside the box if we want to find a pastor. This suggestion reminded me of my conversation with Ps Hai Yang. Later on 19th March, Dn Kim Peng and I met with Ps Hai Yang and Hui Choo to explore
the possibility of inviting him to serve as pastor of Mt Carmel Novaliches. We recommended that the best way to
know God’s Calling is to pay a visit and assess the situation at Novaliches. On 14 th May, Ps Hai Yang and Hui
Choo met with the Board of Trustees. They also saw the situation at Mt Carmel Novaliches for themselves.
Over the next few months, they spent time in prayer as they sought after God’s Will.
On 1st August, Mt Carmel Singapore’s Missions Board met with Ps Hai Yang and Hui Choo. Ps Hai
Yang recalled that after his MDiv at Regent College in 2007, Carmel suggested the possibility of serving at
Novaliches. At about the same time, Ps David who was the supervisory pastor at Mt Hermon, visited Hai Yang
and Hui Choo in Vancouver and shared about Hermon’s need. They responded to God’s Call to serve as pastor
at Hermon and Ps Hai Yang finished his term earlier this year. Now, Ps Hai Yang and Hui Choo are responding
to God’s Call to serve at Novaliches. God has prepared them very well indeed.
Today, 8 th November 15, Mt Carmel commissions Ps Hai Yang and Hui Choo as missionaries to
serve at Mt Carmel Novaliches. They will leave for Manila on 14th November 15 at 12:20 PM on SIA SQ912,
Terminal 2. Ps Hai Yang will assume his pastoral ministry on 15 th November. We pray the Lord will use him and
Hui Choo mightily to build up the church.
In conclusion, our Lord Jesus Christ is truly in charge of Mt Carmel Novaliches. He loves and cares for what
is happening among the believers. He has provided a land and a new church building for believers to worship and
evangelise. Now He is giving Ps Hai Yang and Hui Choo a congregation to shepherd and to lead them to fulfil the
Great Commission. They will be working in collaboration with Flor and Jason Leong. May they work together in
unity and harmony under the power of the Holy Spirit to lead the church to greater spiritual and numerical
growth. To God be the Glory.
Ps Peter Teo
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Sermon Outline
The Man For The Hour
(Nehemiah 1:1-11)
I.
Introduction:
II. Characteristics of The Man For The Hour
1.
He asks question about people and place (1:1-2).
2.
He listens attentively to the answer (1:3).
3.
He feels emotionally about the problem (1:4a).
4.
He waits in silence before God (1:4b).
5.
He holds a high view of God (1:5).
6.
He humbles himself by depending on prayer (1:6a).
7.
He admits to sinning against God (1:6b-7).
8.
He remembers the warnings and promises in the Scriptures (1:8-10).
9.
He implores God for success and favour (1:11a).
10. He uses his right position at the right place at the right period
before the right person (1:11b).
III. Conclusion:
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Worship
Today: The Man for the Hour (Nehemiah 1)
Speaker: Rev Peter Teo; WS: Sing & Lorraine; CP: Rev Oh Boon Leong
Next Week: Preparation for the Rebuilding (Nehemiah 2)
Speaker: Rev Daniel Chua; WS: Quek Hung Hiang; CP: Chan Kum Soon
Announcement
SES Monthly Prayer Meeting today, 7 Nov @ 7.45pm. Pls join us for corporate prayer
@ Conference Room (next to Chapel).
For Your Prayers This Coming Week
 Let us rejoice in our salvation in Jesus Christ and for His presence in our lives through His Spirit who lives
within. Let us renew our faith and walk with the Lord through this hour of worship and in our Communion.
 We praise God for calling Ps Hai Yang & Hui Choo to serve Christ in Novaliches, Philippines. We continue to
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uphold them in prayer, asking God to empower and encourage them, and to use their gifts for His work in
reaching out and building faith. May God use them mightily for Christ's glory. Pray for their adjustment to new
ministry and culture, for their walk with the Lord, and the Lord's protection over them.
Carmel will launch the Discipleship track in Jan 2016. Pray for effective communication of the plan and for God's
Spirit to move the church towards intentional discipleship and disciple making. May Carmel grow to be a
community of disciples which impacts the world for Christ.
Let us remember the DGs in SES, that every member will grow in his/her faith and walk with the Lord. May they
sense God's love and presence and guidance in their daily situations. Pray for the DGs to deepen their love for
one another and to apply the Word of God in their lives.
Pray also for the transition of pastoral leadership in the New Year, for Ps Kheng Hi as he oversees SES, and for
Ps Boon Leong assuming the new role as SP. Pray for wisdom, strength, and joy even as they serve the Lord
together with fellow believers in Carmel.
Continue to uphold all who are not well in body, mind or spirit, that they will know God's healing and grace. May
the joy of the Lord remain their strength always.
Pray for God to raise up more co-workers and teachers for the KidSparks & Sunday School ministry. May the
next generation of children come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
● Please
make all cheques, including those for the Development Fund, payable to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd (exact payee name
must be stated on the cheque). All Offerings and Pledges to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd is not tax deductible.
● Please note that NO receipts will be issued for cheques received by the Church below $5,000 except upon
request.
Prayer Requests / Pastoral Care
Contact Pastor Boon Leong ([email protected]), Tan Thien Choon
The SES logo….
Adapted from Mt Carmel logo to establish primary roots of The SES. Instead of flat lines, SES has 5
curved calligraphic strokes. The 5 lines are reminiscent of music bars, emphasizing strong musical
underpinning. Calligraphic strokes suggest more vibrancy and informality. Convexity conveys pressure
from the ground pushing Christ upward to higher glory in a mass movement.
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