Asher Aw

As City Harvest Church (CHC) celebrates it’s 20th Anniversary at the Singapore Indoor Stadium (I absolutely love the tagline by the way), I was once again reminded of my starting days in City Harvest.

This year marks me as a Quarter-Century Young Man As A Decade Old Christian! Meaning – I’ve been in City Harvest for 10 years exactly.

After watching the recollection videos of CHC and chatting after the service ends, I asked some people like my cell group leader Kelvin Guo if they remembered their first days in CHC. He says he can vividly remember it… as can I.

I came to church at the age of 15 and I believe I was the last group of street witnessing victi… uh… success stories before CHC decided to do away with it and apply the Caring System. I came after keeping in touch via email with my then cell group leader, Jairus Yuen – who today has gone on to greater heights as zone leader.

Getting saved – when the altar call was given… my neighbour (if memory serves me right, it was a brother named “Yao Cai” – I can remember because his name sounds like “Medicinal Herbs” in Chinese) asked me if I would like to go down. I went to the altar call but… get this… I had no idea why I was going down.

When service ended, I was congratulated and was told I’m now a Christian.

“Huh?”

That quick? That quick.

Ever since then, I’ve just been attending church and service regularly. If there was any event that “sealed the deal” for me to become a Christian, I believe it was the day when Pastor Kong was praying for some kind of anointing to come upon the young of CHC.

Again, I “gong gong” went down to the altar call – not really knowing what was going on. I lifted my hands (as he commanded) and I prayed (as he called us to) and I did accordingly. But then, I suddenly felt something different. I peeked open my then closed eyes and noticed that I’m standing all alone… right in the middle of the front of the stage while everyone around me was “slain”.

Then, suddenly, Pastor Kong came upon me and laid hands on me.

But he wasn’t alone.

3 other church helpers were there and as their hands supported me while Pastor Kong prayed – I felt myself being lifted from the ground. My feet was off the ground all the while Pastor Kong prayed really hard – his hands upon my head and as my head was tilted back, I recall a bright light shining in my face but most amazingly… a tear dropped from my face. I was crying.

I also recall saying in my head… Wait a minute, why am I crying?

I believe it was the power of God.

Now as I write this blog post, I believe I was “injected” with the Holy Spirit during that moment of laying of hands.

Nowadays, I don’t know if something like that will ever surface again because Pastor Kong is now much more sharper than he was… back then, everything was raw and on unfamiliar ground – today, he’s a Powerhouse for God!

• I clearly remember the days in Hollywood Theatre, Tanjong Katong (today, it’s been taken over by Sheng Siong Supermarket).
• I clearly remember the days of heading to cell group.
• I clearly remember the days starting out in ministry (from Bookstore, to Choir, to Drama today).
• I clearly remember the good times and the bad times.
• And most importantly, I clearly remember God working in His own way… reaching out to an unknown, blur, no-idea-what’s-happening 15 year old boy… through his servants.

His love for me has realized into my being saved into his family.

So with this post, I want to say… Thank You God. For loving me. Thank You… for changing and moulding me. And thank You… for City Harvest Church.

Happy 20th City Harvest Church!