FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION DURING THE PANDEMIC

ELDER KOH SEOW KIN

As 2020 began, some of us were gearing up for our first short-term mission trip to Nepal, in collaboration with All Saints Presbyterian Church and riding on their previous experience there. Air tickets were purchased. Then the Covid-19 situation turned serious in quick time. The team leader made the decision to call off the trip and it proved to be the correct decision. Before long, the “Circuit Breaker” (lockdown) was in place and practically all Singaporeans were home-bound.

It became clear that all our other planned mission trips had to be cancelled. It was indeed a setback, humanly speaking. Just like many other organizations, we had to continue with our mission, albeit in other ways.

“The new normal” became the byword and it proved to be correct even till today and probably into the future. Things are unlikely to be like in the past, given the difficulties of containing the Covid-19 virus. Reports from the mission fields also point to restriction of mission work. Hardly any country is spared.

We have to adapt to “the new normal”. Our church services quickly shifted to the online format and other areas of ministries have done so as well.  In the area of mission, the most notable effect is the calling off of all our planned regular team trips  (to Cambodia and Thailand) and the curtailment of our annual Mission Month (in August).

As a church, what have we been doing on the home front to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ? Below is a description.

SUPPORTING

We have continued to fund supported missionaries and mission agencies which we have committed to. For the Cambodia prison ministry, we sent funds to purchase medical supplies for the incarcerated, when normally our medical team would be physically right there examining such patients and issuing them medication.  We have also re-directed budgeted funds to help the poor whose livelihoods have been most severely affected, since most were daily paid workers. The relief work was done through our partners in the field.

CARING

Michelle Goh, our home-grown missionary to Thailand, was on home assignment and the church has helped her to touch base with her home environment, opening opportunities for her to preach at our service, join our church Bible study among other activities. She has since returned to the field with a new assignment.

We gave help to a mission couple who were stranded in Singapore while in transit to their mission field. They had to stay for close to eight months until their visa extensions were exhausted. They moved to Korea and our Korean mission partner helped the couple to find a suitable apartment (at low cost) through a local Christian there. From there they were hoping to get back to their designated mission field. However, it remained closed and they have now moved to stay in Thailand while waiting. During their time outside the field, they could continue their work through the internet.

Matthew Ong, our missionary in preparation to go to Mongolia, has been taking up more training and learning to equip himself for his role. Till today, he is still waiting and busy with preparations.

We have been communicating more with our mission partners, knowing that under the existing situation they feel even more cut off (by Covid-19 restrictions in the fields). And surely something that nags at them or even cause fears would be what if they were infected. They need the encouragement and prayer support and the knowledge that they are not alone as they work in the front lines of missions.

PRAYING

We have been praying for the mission work and the missionaries at the church level (church prayer and fast day) and also at our church leaders’ monthly prayer meeting.

We have also supported the monthly EPJM (English Presbytery Japan Mission) prayer meeting and updates for mission to Japan in the Fukushima area that was hit by the huge tsunami in 2011. Many of our church members had been on trips to the area in Japan, which was limited to just one trip in January 2020 (from the planned monthly trips). The EPJM participants have been doing e-mission in lieu of the actual trips. At each monthly prayer meeting, they invite church workers in Japan to join in the Zoom meeting (initiated in Singapore) to talk and pray for them.

TRUSTING

We trust the Lord to continue to bless our effort in supporting mission work and missionaries in every way possible.  We trust that under the new normal, God will continue to guide us to the best that we can do from the sending front. One novel means of mission is what is termed “e-mission” (electronic missions using the internet). It sure has great potential which we would capitalize on.

We believe in God’s sovereignty even in this pandemic. He surely has things for us to learn. We trust that God is still working His plan out His way. We will wait upon Him and serve faithfully as we can. May the pandemic also change mindsets about depending on humans alone to solve our problems! May we pray even more, like the Moravian Christians did and God used them to spread the Good News to countless lost souls.

May God also help us to be faithfully serving Him that the Great Commission will continue till the Lord Jesus comes again!