Dear FCC family,
Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of Rev Yap’s passing, and all of us here at FCC are forever indebted to him, Mrs Yap, Susan and their family for their sacrificial love and indomitable courage that led the way towards justice, bringing God’s kin-dom closer to fulfilment on earth. FCC would not be what it is today, if not for Rev Yap and his family, and we are eternally grateful for him and for them. I remember one of the last times I visited and spent time with Rev Yap. He had hurt his back and was lying on the bed. But we had tea and biscuits together and laughed a lot. I will always remember that twinkle in his eye when he laughed.
I re-read one of the sermons he wrote in 2014 for the Amplify Conference, Towards Radical Inclusion, and I appreciate anew his wisdom and challenge for us:
“How inclusive are we if we do not include all these in our mission agenda? We must resist the temptation to be exclusive and stay within the walls of this sacred sanctuary, dark and cave-like. We have to part the curtains, raise the shades, and see out of our windows the world outside groaning in travail, and challenge the Church to transform our community to be more loving and caring for one another. We cannot view religion exclusively as a private matter or as personal salvation. By the same token we cannot be exclusively involved only in the transformation of society and changing social values. We strive to be inclusive in terms of personal and social salvation.”
What beautiful words that continue to be true and relevant today! Next Sunday, we will be commemorating World Aids Day, and Miak and I would like to invite you to record a short message of support for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Together we can help end discrimination against PLHIV through our individual efforts of advocating policies and educational initiatives at the workplace. You can either record a short message and upload it here: fcc.la/wad2021 or if you’re attending service in person this Sunday, we can help you record your message after the service.
This Sunday, we will be closing our sermon series, Becoming, with The Courage To Become based on the book of Ruth. If you haven’t been to church for a while, I would like to warmly invite you to consider attending in person. It would be lovely to see you!
Shalom,
Pauline