A Servant’s Heart
Pastor Andrew joined us as Pastor for Care Groups and Counselling in August 2024. Here, he shares more about himself, what his role will focus on and how we can pray alongside him.
Carine and I started attending GBC regularly at the start of January 2023. Since then we have benefitted very much from the pulpit ministry and the warm fellowship within the body. We are thankful to God for this community.
I grew up in Kay Poh Road Baptist Church. I started attending the Church from the age of 13. I graduated, got married, went to seminary and had my first child during my time there. Eventually I became a pastor of the Church after 5 years of serving as the English Congregation Pastor of Thomson Road Baptist Church.
After stepping down and leaving the community that I was with for more than 40 years, I felt a bit lost and homeless. Coming to Grace gave me a sense of familiarity because of the emphasis on the Word and the gospel. The welcoming community also made the transition so much easier. While I feel a sense of familiarity, there is also a refreshing sense of newness to this body. There is an air of vibrancy and newness to this body.
There is also something different about this community. I was very encouraged by our generosity as a body towards other churches. I was very impressed by the secondment of Ps Ollie to Acts Baptist Church for six months. This is the first time I have ever seen an independent church sending out their pastor to help another church. This to me was one of the most vivid display of gospel community and I want to be part of this community – a community that not just focus on their own needs but also the needs of others beyond their four walls.
When there was an opening for the role of Pastor for Care Group and Counselling, it did not take long for me to decide to apply for the position. I am thankful to God for allowing me to serve Him in this community.
While it is a joy to be able to serve this vibrant and growing community, I am also anxious, wondering how much can I contribute to such a gifted community.
From the day I was appointed as an elder, my prayer has been for God to guard my heart that it will be focused on Christ and be filled with a desire for His glory alone. I prayed to be filled with His grace and love, and I prayed for an open heart to allow that grace and love to flow out into the community. I prayed for a servant’s heart that I may serve God in this community with humility.
Being human, I am still a bit apprehensive of my role and the road ahead. However, I am also excited to work with all of you in continuing the wonderful work of the Care Group ministry and see how we can together continue to grow this ministry. In the coming months, I will be visiting the CG groups and meeting with the CG leaders to get a sense of where everyone is at and plan how we can move forward together. I will also be reviewing and working on the materials, as well as identifying and equipping new leaders. I will also be working with my fellow elders to provide pastoral care for the current leaders. God willing, I also hope to work towards the growth of the ministry.
The counselling ministry is a newly incorporated ministry and I do not have an existing blue print to work on. Although in one sense it is new, it is also not something new. As believers, we already have a responsibility to care for one another. To encourage where encouragement is needed, to patiently listen and pray for one another when the need arises, to admonish one another out of love and deep concern in order to help one another make changes that God requires and to speak the truth into one another’s life. This is broadly speaking what biblical counselling is all about. At the same time, I am also aware that there is a growing concern with mental health and it is a very real concern. Hence I am glad that as a church, we recognise the need for a counselling ministry.
As I figure out these two areas of ministry in our body, the last thing I want to be is to be task oriented because these ministries are all about people. I seek your prayers and support to play out my responsibility in a manner that is pleasing to God and out of love for the community.
To my dear GBC family, I look forward to us working together as a body of Christ for the glory of God.