On 2 October 2022, after the Mandarin Ministry Service (MMS) worship session in the Sanctuary, MMS members held a farewell buffet party sharing session for Pastor Michael Tan — albeit with a feeling of reluctance. From the beginning of October to the end of December 2022, after Pastor Michael’s annual leave is cleared, his service in MMS will officially end and his retirement life journey begins.
I got to know Pastor Michael when he started ministering to MMS in 2012. As our shepherd, Pastor Michael is the foundation of the MMS church family.
First, I would like to thank Pastor Michael for his caring shepherding of MMS over the past 11 years. Whether they are brothers and sisters in the congregation, or families, relatives and friends of the members, as well as the English congregation, Pastor Michael is willing to take on the responsibility of shepherding. Therefore, the baptism services, weddings, new home blessings, visits, interviews, counselling, encouragement, and funeral services that Pastor Michael has presided over in the past eleven years are really countless. There have also been other activities such as identification of spirits, dismantling of idols and casting out of demons, the identification of heretical sects, and, of course, Pastor Michael’s strong evangelistic Bible study, all of which have benefited us immensely.
In addition, Pastor Michael’s pulpit sermons have brought a lot of edification to our spiritual life. Thanks to his faithful service, he does visitations every time a need arises. He visits patients in the hospital or those who are homebound, and his prayers help to lift the spirit and strength of everyone who hears them.
Personally, my family is grateful to Pastor Michael for the wake service he conducted for my late mother and sister. Thank God that Pastor Michael serves not only the church but also the wider community, even those who are not part of his congregation.
Under the leadership of Pastor Michael, MMS has remained unified. He preached many sermons — providing us with solid biblical teaching, leading us to focus our ultimate hope in Jesus. In addition, he is gifted in singing and acting, which he shows off in church camps or other church events. In 2019, under the arrangement and planning of Preacher Alice Hsieh, he helped to lead a group of MMS Kairos students and volunteers to Chiang Rai, Thailand for a short outreach missions trip for the first time to build church relationships overseas.
The development of the MMS today is obviously a result of God’s almighty hand, and there have been many members who have helped and worked silently. Pastor Michael’s contributions are unforgettable.
Pastor Michael, may God remember your hard work and repay you a hundredfold! In the future, even if we may not be able to meet on Sunday for gatherings, we sincerely wish Pastor Michael, his wife Dorothy and their family good health and be full of God’s anointing. May God protect and watch over you, and in the days to come, may you continue to be used by the Lord, to glorify and testify Him in different places, and be good and faithful servants of the Lord.
