BEGINNINGS: FINDING BELONGING
βWhy serve in church?β That was the topic of one of my first articles for TIDINGS when I joined the Communications Ministry in 1990. At the time, I was simply looking for a place to belong. Belonging, after all, is how we put down roots, build relationships and discover community.
I still remember my first Editorial Committee meeting. I was a bundle of nerves, unsure whether I had what it took to write for a church magazine. Those fears melted away when Tan Kee Cheong reassured me, as we shared a lift ride after the meeting, that I would do just fine. That simple word of encouragement carried me through the steep learning curve ahead.
GROWTH: SKILLS AND PERSPECTIVE
Over 36 years, I progressed from cub reporter to writer and then editor. Each stage sharpened not only my writing and editing skills but also my ability to sniff out a story, persuade someone to share it and trace how God was at work in their lives.
Serving gave me a birdβs-eye view of the church, its ministries, events and people. Reading and editing every issue from cover to cover opened my eyes to countless testimonies of transformation. What began as βdoing the church a favourβ became a front-row seat to Godβs work in our community.
COLLABORATION: GOD’S GIFT OF AN A-TEAM
The Saturday morning editorial meetings remain vivid in my memory. Together, we pored over articles with a fine-tooth comb, checking accuracy, refining language and ensuring sensitivity. These sessions were rewarding because they showcased teamwork at its best.
Tan Kee Cheong was our accuracy watchdog, always alert to factual and linguistic slips. Julie Ee and, later, Lui Yanzhen painstakingly polished drafts for publication as our dedicated sub-editors. Willie Wong, our patient printing vendor, bore graciously with our lateness and ever-extending deadlines. Kevyn Lai, our Pastoral Team Member for Communications, brought a steady and brotherly presence that helped bind us into a cohesive whole.
What a motley crew β and what a joy and privilege it was to serve alongside them!
FAITH: LEARNING TO SEE GOD’S HAND
As I matured in the role, my approach shifted. Writing was no longer just about completing a story; it became about discerning Godβs hand in it. I began offering each assignment to Him: βGod, do what You will with me, the interviewee, the circumstances and the deadline. Show me how to tell Your story.β
This posture changed everything. Even difficult assignments no longer intimidated me because I trusted God to shape the narrative. Editing testimonies became a spiritual exercise: asking how God had encountered and transformed each person and how I, too, might encounter Him.
ADAPTATION: MOVING ONLINE
When TIDINGS went digital, I had to adapt: shorter sentences, tighter stories and writing with the online reader in mind. Faster publishing cycles meant writing for more frequent rolling releases instead of waiting for print deadlines.
One advantage was seeing the pieces I had written published much sooner than before. That was deeply satisfying, as was the speed with which errors could be corrected once spotted.
The move online also required us to work on web-based platforms rather than in Word documents or print layouts, demanding a new level of technical fluency. Believe me, for someone as technologically challenged as I am, it was tough – often frustrating, but necessary. It was part of the learning required to survive in publishing today.
Our articles became richer multimedia experiences, accompanied by videos that enhanced the content and broadened its appeal. We learnt the value of captions, sidebars and mobile-optimised photography, to name just a few of the new skills we had to acquire.
As for the impact on ministry, I was fascinated by how online issues became searchable, creating a digital archive of faith stories and testimonies. What began as adapting to a new way of writing for readers across different platforms became another step on the learning journey. It was a necessary transition, one that taught me lessons I needed to learn.
As I became more involved in missions work, I saw opportunities to report on missions and anniversaries in ways that could inspire and connect communities far beyond the local congregation. I was determined that every missions trip I undertook would be documented, not only to update others about what God was doing in the various fields but also to encourage those who were new to missions. I wanted more people to see missions trips as achievable rather than daunting.
Yet the essence remained unchanged: telling Godβs story in our church, revealing His work in lives and ministries and pointing to His purposes for us all.
FUTURE: PASSING THE BATON
What lies ahead for TIDINGS? The baton must continue to pass from generation to generation, preserving the spirit of sharing Godβs marvellous works, whether on paper or online. If we remain faithful to His purpose, TIDINGS will continue to be a channel of community, testimony and witness.
INVITATION: CATCH THE VISION
How do you, a Wesleyan, feature in all this? By catching the vision and joining in:
- Read TIDINGS β stop by the stands, pick up a copy or follow it online. Share your copy with those who cannot access it and pick up extra copies to give away.
- Write for us β share stories of faith and ministry, or report on the stories of others. If writing is not your forte, record your story and we will help write it for you.
- Edit with us β help shape articles responsibly and beautifully.
- Create with us β if you have videography skills, help curate videos that amplify articles and make them accessible to a wider audience.
Every contribution keeps the magazine vibrant, relevant and faithful to its mission.
Today, I have a much fuller answer to the question that inspired my first article in TIDINGS (see the opening paragraph of this reflection): when you serve, you see Godβs hand and feel His heartbeat. That is what has sustained me throughout all these years with TIDINGS.
Join us!
Read also: Wesley TIDINGS Turns 90: From Print to Pixels, From Words to Wonder
