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Worshippers are invited to come forward for

personal prayers with elders/pastors in the front pew.

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ORDER OF SERVICE 9.00 am/11.00 am 3 December 2017

Worship Leader: Benedict Leow Speaker: Ps Asst Marianne Wong

Prayer/Holy Communion: Rev Peter Teo Scripture Readers: Rina Lai/Goh Swee Hong

Silent Prayer & Meditation

Prelude

Call to Worship

Opening Songs O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Opening Prayer “Gloria Patri”

Responsive Scripture Reading John 1:1-14

Worship in Songs Heaven Came Down and Glory filled my Soul

Here I am to Worship People Need the Lord I Stand in Awe of You

Offertory & Thanksgiving Prayer “Doxology”

Congregational Prayer & Announcements

Scripture Text Ezra 9:1-10:1

Message Renewal & Repentance

Holy Communion His Robes for Mine - by Choir

Closing Song In Your House

Benediction “Three-Fold Amen”

(FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY)

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Renewal & Repentence Ezra 9:1-10:1

- 3 - Come, join our prayer warriors in Room #03-06 on Wednesday @ 7.45 pm !

GLOBAL CONCERNS

Commit the people-groups who live in fear and uncertainty each day - the Rohingyas of Myanmar, the Haitians in the United States who face deportation in 18 months, the refugees throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australasia and elsewhere. They have fled from violence and war, and have yet to find safe havens. May God strengthen all for whom tomorrow’s path is unclear, and shine His light of inclusive love into every darkened corner of the world. May wisdom and compassion be upon the respective governments as they mull over the ongoing “migration crisis”.

CHURCH CONCERNS

BIBLE LAND TOUR (28 Nov- 9 Dec): Pray for journey mercies, good health and good time of learning and fellowship upon the group (including 25 Carmelites and their families).

CHILDREN MINISTRY: Thanksgiving for the PSLE results of P6ers. Pray for their smooth transition into the Youth Ministry, and continuous growth in their faith and walk with God; Combined Holiday Programme for P1-5 (Sun, 9 am and 11am) – Pray for wisdom and strength be upon SBC student Erika Rotani as facilitator on 3 and 10 Dec, with Advent and Christmas theme.

YOUTH MINISTRY: Pray for the team of 27 youths and adults on their trip to DAJ Home (with under-privileged children) in Kajang, Malaysia (30 Nov – 5 Dec), that God grant them journey mercies, good health, good time of interaction and ministry with the children and leaders, agape love for one another, perseverance in their service and growth in their spiritual lives.

FAMILY MINISTRY: Pray for the Father-Daughter Camp (9-11 Dec), that God grant journey mercies upon all participants, breakthrough in family relationships, His guidance and grace.

ALPHA MINISTRY: “First Steps to Following Jesus”, a post-Alpha follow-up course. Pray for good attendance amongst the participants in the recent Alpha course, and new believers, too. Pray for more nurturing facilitators to serve in the team.

OMM: Missions Trips in Dec – (Thailand, 5th – 13th) Pray for Pastoral Associate Lee Luang, leader of the team, with members Henry Heng, Chow Mei Yin, Susanne Hee , Fiona Chee, Andrew and Cindy Tan, with sons Elias and Elgin. May God grant them journey mercies, good health, and unity of hearts and minds. Pray for their ministries which include interactions with the parents and teachers of the Good Kids Preschool (GKP), Christmas program at a Primary School, visitation and assistance at GKP Christmas program. Pray for Lee Luang as she will conduct a Teachers’ Training for San Patong Community Church. Pray for upcoming missions teams and their leaders in their preparation and meetings: Indonesia (9th -17th, Titus Lau), Philippines (15th -21st, Margaret).

PERSONAL CONCERNS

Thank God for newborn sons of couples, Zhai Boxuan & Shiyuan, Shawn Chew & Kaixian, and Wu Chi Seng & Valerie. Pray for their babies to grow healthy and strong. Pray for wisdom, love, grace and patience be upon the parents, and good support from family members.

Pray for families traveling during the holidays, that they will have bonding time with family members and/or friends, strengthening of communication and relationship, good health. May God grant them journey mercies, good time of rest, relaxation and recreation. May all be renewed in strength and refreshed for the new school year.

PRAYER PAGE “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,

that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. (Acts 3:19-20)

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SEEDS — A Pastor and His Elephant Foot Yam

On 11th November, 2017, a team of 8 Carmelites departed for Yangon, Myanmar, as part of the SEEDS Ministry’s initiative to personally assess 37-year-old Pastor Robert Rabie, a local pastor who is a candidate for a monetary loan.

It was only 9:30 am by the time we had arrived, but our schedule was packed and there was little time to acquaint ourselves to our surroundings — for half the group, it was our maiden foray into Myanmar. Laval Yau, Business 4 Transformation (B4T)’s developer, was there to receive us. The SEEDS Ministry has been working closely with him, having modelled its framework after his. In a nutshell, the goal of SEEDS is to provide monetary loans to pastors from 3rd world countries, allowing them to start their own businesses as they are often not being paid a salary from their churches due to the poverty in these communities. The SEEDS team gets in touch with a candidate, assesses his business acumen, and, after deeming him to be competent, provides a loan that will ideally be repaid in a stipulated amount of time. The returned money is then recycled to help another pastor, and the cycle is repeated. With these pastors financially stable, they are then able to grow their churches through a portion of the profits whilst sustaining their families and even their congregations, spreading the word of God further across their respective regions.

Two hours later, we pulled over at Shwe Pyi Thar village, where Pastor Robert’s church, the Emmanuel Evangelical Church (EEC), is located. The village, as we would later discover, wasn’t the worst we would encounter during our time there; sandbags and traces of construction signified progress, although small wooden huts were still a common sight. In a sense, EEC was an upgrade. The church, no bigger than two living rooms, was made of bricks with a tin roof on top. It was also elongated by a recent expansion. There was no church service as it was a Saturday, but about 20 of the local villagers were there to attend Pastor Robert’s Discipleship class. It was clear from the start that they enjoyed being there, as they clung onto every word, giving their full attention to Pastor Robert. After class, the villagers, comprising mostly youths, graciously served us lunch. There is much to be said about Burmese hospitality, but that is for another article.

What we saw, however, was the result of Pastor Robert’s relentless hard work. EEC shares a similarly humble beginning as our church, having started off with about 20 worshippers who first attended service held in Pastor Robert’s house just down the road, where he lives with his wife and five children. That was just half a year ago. Today, EEC sees an average attendance of 40-60 worshippers each Sunday, its peak being Holy Communion service that is held on the first Sunday of each month. Despite the relatively steady growth, the fact remains that those villagers do not have much, and an average monthly congregational tithing of 150,000Ks (S$150) is insufficient for Pastor Robert to draw a salary to sustain himself and his family, let alone fulfil the potential of his church. To make ends meet, his family, especially his brother, continues to send him money, and occasionally even to the church.

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In light of Pastor Robert’s severe financial situation, Laval, through B4T, has devised a way to prolong his sustenance by helping him realise his plan to start a business trading elephant foot yam. Despite its odd name, the elephant foot yam is more closely related to us than we think — for instance, it is part of the konjac (konnyaku) family. But, while the latter is commonly used to make jelly, elephant foot yam is a savoury ingredient. Getting the yam to its end product requires patience; patience to grow, harvest, and dry. This process takes several months. Pastor Robert’s initial idea was to grow the yam himself with the land that he owns, but the weather in Yangon is unconducive. Instead, Plan B involves him being the middleman — he would source organically grown elephant foot yam from mostly Christian farmers in his native Chin state, dry them, and sell them to all manner of buyers, from local wholesalers to regional traders.

Back in Pastor Robert’s house, the team had the opportunity to sample dried pieces of elephant foot yam that were shaped like the round cuttlefish crackers that you and I are familiar with. By themselves, they had neither the taste nor the crunchiness of the aforementioned crackers; it was a hugely disappointing moment for something that looked so appetising. What we had, however, was merely the potential of what the yam could become. Rich in protein, filling, and low in carbohydrates, the elephant foot yam is synonymous with the sort of health products that is fast gaining popularity with our modern society. It is a staple of the Burmese diet that has also caught the attention of Chinese and Japanese consumers, rendering the market highly lucrative. In fact, one of Pastor Robert’s buyers happens to be a Chin lady who, along with her Chinese husband, exports the yam to those two markets. The next day, we were served bowls of elephant foot yam fried with vegetables over lunch at EEC. We never knew it could be this delicious; it tasted like tau pok, or fried bean curd, only better. All that the yam needed was a catalyst, and that is exactly what Mount Carmel can be for Pastor Robert and EEC.

During the length of our trip, we had the chance to interact with Pastor Robert on a personal level, getting to know him better, not just as a pastor and budding businessman, but as a human being, too. We also witnessed the way his congregation looked up to him as he spoke God’s word, coupled with his resilience to stand on his own two feet despite the many hardships that he has had to endure. It is hard to imagine that just a year ago, he was, as Laval put it, a typical Burmese pastor with no real directional sense as to how he should move forward. Today, such is his faith in Pastor Robert that he has already given him a small loan for a dry run of his business. To optimally function, Pastor Robert needs a loan of about S$10,000 that will be repaid over 3 to 5 years. The SEEDS committee is currently praying over how we can partner Pastor Robert and his church in this matter.

Benjamin Tan

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Our Holy Communion is open to all who have confessed Jesus in baptism. If you are visiting and are regularly partaking Communion in the church where you come from, you are welcome to join us.

Ps Boon Leong is on leave until 18 Dec. Ps Daniel is on leave from 1-23 Dec. Lee Luang is on mission trip to Chiangmai from 5-13 Dec. Ps Jabez is leading a team to DAJ Home in Malaysia till 5Dec. He will be in

Father-Daughter Camp from 9-11 Dec. Ps Peter will be going to mission trip to Singkawang from 9-17 Dec.

PRIMARY 1-5 SCHEDULE IN DEC: All children will have combined holiday programme with Christmas theme, details: DATE: 3, 10, 17*, 24, 31* DEC TIME/: 9.00 to 10.30 am @ Room 03-05/06;

11.00 am to 12.30 pm @ Room 01-03/04 17 Dec*: Special Christmas Celebration by Scripture Union ministry team 31 Dec*: Thanksgiving and Promotion Sunday CHILDREN-SINGERS FOR 23 DEC CHRISTMAS SPECIAL SERVICE (5.30 to 7.00 pm): Children (Primary 1-5) will be presenting 3 song items during the intergenerational service.

Parents/Guardians whose children will be able to join the presentation, will register with Lynda Leow or Annie Lim, by 10 Dec (Sun).

Song practises will be held during the weekly worship time during KidSparks and Sun School.

Children are enjoined to come for the one and only combined rehearsal on 20 Dec (Wed) at 8.00 pm, Hope Sanctuary.

7 January 2018 - DCG Leaders Meet after 11 am service

14 January 2018 - Meet the Parents

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NEXT SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER 2017

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 1ST Service

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 2nd Service

Ushers Clementi Woods CG D’Vine CG

Refreshment Bt Batok CG

Worship Leader Dn Adrian Wong

Congregational Prayer Eld Siew Kim Siang

Musicians Week 2 Band

Welcome Corner Tan Choon Kiat Dn Jonathan Lum/Sunny Yap

Scripture Readers Serene Lim Kim Kijin

AVA Crew Peh Chee Siong/Peter Go/Sam Kong Choy John Tan/Francis Tay

● 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). ● Please note that NO receipts will be issued for cheques received by the Church below $5,000 except upon request. ● All Offerings and Pledges to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd is not tax deductible.

Congratulations to Zhai Boxuan & Shi Yuan on the birth of their 2nd son, Jacob on Friday, 24 November 2017. Congratulations to Shawn Chew & Kai Xian on the birth of their 1st born, a son on Saturday, 25 November 2017. Congratulations to Wu Chi Seng & Valerie on the birth of their 1st child, a baby boy on Wednesday, 27 November 2017.

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PASTORAL TEAM

Senior Pastor Rev Oh Boon Leong

boonleong@carmel.sg

Missions & Strategic Planning Rev Peter Teo

peterteo@carmel.sg

Ladies, ConnexUs & Rhoda Ps. Assoc. Ang Lee Luang

leeluang@carmel.sg

Children Ps Asst Margaret Ong margaret@carmel.sg

Youth & Family Rev Jabez Chia

jabez@carmel.sg Young Adult & Youth

Ps Asst Marianne Wong marianne@carmel.sg

Pastor-at-Large Rev Daniel Chua daniel@carmel.sg

SEMS Ps Asst Joyce Goh

joycegoh@carmel.sg

Mandarin Service Rev Goh Ngiam Heng ngiamheng@carmel.sg

Rev Ng Eng Chye engchye@carmel.sg

Remnant Korean Service Rev Ezra Jang

ezrajang@gmail.com

BOARD OF ELDERS Eld Bruce Lockhart

(BOE Chairman)hisbl@nus.edu.sg

Rev Oh Boon Leong (Session Moderator)

Eld Yeo Siew Yam ysywpl@gmail.com

Eld Ho Peng Kee pengkeeho@gmail.com

Rev Peter Teo

Rev Jabez Chia

TODAYTODAYTODAY

THIS WEEKTHIS WEEKTHIS WEEK

Rhoda - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary 9.00 am/11.00 am

Youth - Combined Service Hope Sanctuary 9.00 am/11.00 am

Mandarin Service Chapel 10.45 am

Remnant Korean Service Chapel 2.30 pm

SEMS Service Sanctuary 7.45 pm

Ushers: Youth/West Bay CG Refreshments: Clementi Woods CG AVA: Yu Ta Wen/Lee Sin Yee/Chan Wen Hui/Christie Phua Welcome Corner: Tan Mun Kiat/Sim Chui Hoong/Joyce Lin Librarians: — Library Closed — Thanksgiving Flowers: Nelson & Amy Lee (33rd Anniversary) Cheng Ker/Lee Beng Beng Lim Chew Lwee/Kee Poir Mok

NEXT SUNDAY 10 DNEXT SUNDAY 10 DNEXT SUNDAY 10 DECEMBERECEMBERECEMBER, 2017, 2017, 2017

English Services Hope Sanctuary 9.00 am/11.00 am Speaker: Dr Lim Kar Yong - Reforming, not just Reformation (Ezra 10)

Mandarin Service Chapel 10.45 am

Rhoda Fellowship ACE Room 11.00 am Worship Leader: Christine Speaker: Mr Chan Kum Soon - Our God who Heals

Youth Service Chapel 12.15 pm Ps Asst Marianne Wong - Renewal & Repentance (Ezra 10)

Remnant Korean Service Chapel 2.30 pm

SEMS Service Sanctuary 7.45 pm

Wednesday, 6 Dec 7.45 pm ACE Room: Prayer Meeting Chairperson/Devotion: Eld Bruce Lockhart

Thursday, 7 Dec: No Thursday Men’s Group (TMG)

Thursday 8.00 pm Hope Sanctuary: Choir Practice

Saturday, 9 Dec 5.30 pm Chapel: SES Worship Leader: Quek Hung Hiang Congregational Prayer: Yvonne Ng Speaker: Dr Lim Kar Yong - Reforming, not just Reformation (Ezra 10)

Dear guests, we trust that you have a meaningful time of worship. We invite you to join us for Welcome Tea in the Fellowship Hall.

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