Welcome to 2025, our year of Discipleship in Society! Are we ready for this? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zones, empowered by the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus Christ, who commands us to make disciples of all nations?
This is the challenge this year, and we have already listened to several sermons in the Theology of Missions Sermon Series. So, are we enthusiastic to step up and step out into society as missional disciples of Jesus Christ?
I felt more confident when Pastor-in-Charge Rev Raymond Fong reminded us that the goal is to move people in our circle of influence one step closer to knowing Jesus by showing love to them and sharing our testimonies at the appropriate time.
To help us take the first step, church has proposed that Wesley’s Small Groups might like to help at Block Parties. Our church plans to expand its outreach from Jalan Berseh to Jalan Besar and engage residents in the area by inviting them to a monthly party. This would be organised in partnership with the Jalan Besar Active Aging Centre (JBAAC) and Christian Outreach and Social Concerns (COSC). I was assured that it would not be too onerous as the church had been organising these social gatherings for a while, and familiar people would be present to help and guide us. The purpose would be to give us an avenue to make friends with the seniors and, as trust grows, we could look for loving ways to gently share the gospel with them, thus moving them closer to knowing the Lord Jesus themselves.
The first Block Party of the year was scheduled for 25 January 2025. However, by the first week of January, no one had signed up for it! Maybe this was because it was scheduled for the weekend before Chinese New Year. Also, it was new to everyone, and understandably, people wanted to know more before committing!
Hear what the volunteers have to say:
Lim Wee Lee, Living Waters Small Group leader, Zone 15:
I emailed Daniel Kumar (COSC staff) to find out more about the Block Party on behalf of Living Waters Small Group. Initially, I planned to be a passive observer. When Daniel mentioned the poor response for the January event, I shared the news with my Small Group. As more members, including Emmeline Wong and Alex Seow, started stepping up to serve, the feeling turned to encouragement and excitement. The response was eventually overwhelming, and some volunteers had to be turned away. God was gracious to grant us good weather and excellent teamwork from different Small Group zones. We were richly blessed when we saw elderly folks interacting with our volunteers during the singalong session and games. I have experienced blessings by being an active volunteer, especially when I saw how we brought smiles to the faces of the elderly residents.
All thanks and praise to God for raising men and women power for this inaugural Block Party! Helping out here was indeed a perfect opportunity to find out more. Many volunteers signed up because they planned to organise a party with their zone or Small Group later in the year and wanted to see the location, meet the people involved, and understand how things worked. As they signed up, they asked others to join them, and the response was eventually very good!
Hannah Hertanu, Homemakers Small Group member, Zone 11:
“On 5 January, my Zone Leader, Frances Lim, invited me to join the Block Party on 25 January. I wasn’t sure at first because life at home felt busy. I told her to sign me up, but if I changed my mind, could I back out? She said I could, so I left it at that. As the date got closer, I found myself praying about it daily. Something inside me shifted, and I started feeling excited, like God was preparing my heart to serve. I prayed, ‘Lord, help me to love and serve others the way You love me.’
On the day of the event, God led me to a beautiful encounter. Before the party started, I met a 75-year-old deaf lady. I don’t know how, but I felt an instant connection. She told me she would be attending, and during the party, I sat with her. Amazingly, I could understand her sign language even though I have no experience! God gave me everything I needed to communicate with her. We talked a lot, and she shared her story with me. She is single, lives alone, and has faced much adversity in life. Before we parted, she asked for a photo together—a small gesture that filled my heart with so much joy. This experience brought Matthew 28:19-20 to life for me: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. And surely, I am with you always.’ God was truly with me that day. I felt His presence, His guidance, and His love as I ministered to her. To my brothers and sisters, step out in faith and let God work through you. It is life-changing to see how He moves when we serve others.”
I agree with Hannah that as we worked together on 25 January to bring happiness to the elderly residents through the Block Party, all of us felt so joyful. It was partly the camaraderie between fellow Wesleyans, partly the fun of seeing the seniors join in the games and singing, and the deep joy of knowing that we were aligning ourselves with God’s purposes in obedience to Him.
Elaine Lee, Homemakers Small Group member:
I was touched to see how much the seniors enjoyed themselves and how Wesleyans came together to ensure everyone had a great time. I am blessed to have the opportunity to participate and see how seeds are sown as we journey to ‘water and feed’ these precious souls into the Kingdom of God.”
It was indeed not too difficult to volunteer at a Block Party, and it was exciting to see how Wesleyans were able to take on various roles. Age is no barrier, as Shannon Woo Yi En, age 9, observed. Shannon came with her mother, Irene Chu, from Elim Small Group from Zone 13.
Shannon Woo, 9:
I had a wonderful time with the seniors at Jalan Besar. I helped to pick up a chatty 92-year-old grandma who needed a wheelchair from her home to our Block Party. We had fun playing games and singing Chinese New Year songs with them. It’s a blessing to see their smiles and hear their laughter. I want to come and join the next Block Party again.
So, what happens at a Block Party? We gathered about an hour early, and some team members set up tables and chairs for the 65 invited guests. Simple decorations were put up to enhance the ambiance, while others went off to fetch the immobile seniors from their homes. After welcoming everyone, a volunteer conducted a simple game involving throwing a bean bag into a receptacle with a prize for participation. Then came the very popular and uplifting community singing, which was well supported by our enthusiastic seniors who took the mic and participated wholeheartedly. We appointed a Master of Ceremonies who was a little concerned about her dialect-speaking skills but did an excellent job by the power of the Holy Spirit! Daniel Kumar reminded us that it is a party and not a performance, so we should not feel too stressed. We served a bento-style lunch and sat with our new friends to chat with them and make them feel welcome. Then the seniors settled down to play bingo, assisted by the volunteers. Lastly, we celebrated January birthdays with a simple cake. As it was Chinese New Year, we blessed the seniors with the traditional gift of two oranges as they left.
Jessie Blakely, Small Group Zone leader, Zone 14:
The Block Party was a good reminder on many levels to stay joyful, no matter what age, and that it is a gift to be blessed and to bless others.
At the start of the event, I managed to sit down with an elderly man who looked a little forlorn, his face marked by resignation. He shared that he had worked odd jobs all his life and had been living in rental flats for about 40 years. Unmarried, with few family members and without money, he explained that there wasn’t much to talk about. I could imagine his life in a flash, the choices and circumstances that had led to this current state of life, but that wasn’t the focus. I simply said, ‘I hope you enjoy what we have prepared and feel this is your family in some way.’
It was a precious moment to be part of something this meaningful, to bring God’s joy and blessings to aging folks, each with a story to tell.
For myself, I found it was really a very enjoyable event for seniors and volunteers alike! So, I asked God the question, “Who blessed whom actually?”
I think we were all blessed by each other. I was impressed that the seniors were enthusiastic to attend and patient with our poor or almost non-existent Chinese language skills. They were willing to share their lives with us and tell us their stories. Despite difficult circumstances, they were cheerful and made us feel at home.
Cheryl Seow, President, Women’s Society of Christian Service:
It was my first-time volunteering to serve at a Block Party. I was quite curious to get to know and understand the residents more and wondered about their life stories. Many of them live alone in small rental flats. Some have a foreign domestic helper to look after them, while others still work. I sat next to a sprightly 85-year-old lady who shared that she still works two part-time jobs as a cleaner at a food court and in a GP’s clinic. She said she works these jobs on weekdays and had been looking forward to attending the Block Party for some fun, food and to make new friends.
As I looked around, I asked God, “Why did I volunteer? Why did these people attend?” God impressed upon me that serving at the Block Party was a special way to show the needy elderly folks a glimpse of God’s goodness and love. I was reminded that they do not have much to celebrate, and I asked God to use me as a tool to touch the lives of the lost, the last and the least.
That day, the whole Wesley team felt very privileged and blessed to be able to serve God and these seniors in this way. It was an eye-opener for us all and an opportunity to understand the lives of elderly low-income Singaporeans better. We were thankful to be guided by Polly from the JBAAC and our own COSC staff: Loke Ai Mei, Daniel Kumar and Angeline Hoon. Our prayer is that we would have an opportunity to get to know our friends better and that they would enter the salvation that is offered so freely by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Photo contributors: Frances Lim, Jessie Blakely, Alex Seow and Loke Ai Mei
Read also: Zhen Xin Hua (真❤️话): Words from the Heart – Building Faith and Community with Seniors
