Teachers' Day Dedication Service 2021 - BUILDING TOGETHER HAND IN HAND
On 28 August 2021, we held our annual nationwide Early Childhood Teachers’ Day Dedication Service. The theme for this year’s service “Building Together Hand In Hand” is taken from the book of Nehemiah, where God’s people rebuilt the walls of the city of Jerusalem. It symbolises the ministry for young children, churches, Christian preschools, Christian preschool organisations and Christians in the early childhood sector & Sunday School, coming together as one body in Christ in building this mission field in Singapore.
Though we come from different churches & different denominations; we work at different preschools, in different locations across our nation – we are as diverse as the people in Nehemiah! And yet at the heart of it, we all have a common calling & a common purpose – to fulfil God’s purposes for the preschool & Sunday School ministry. Just like how the builders came together to build the city walls in Nehemiah.
MANY HANDS, MANY HEARTS
Unbeknown to probably many of us were the many helpers who brought the dedication service to us – a small army who worked eagerly to bless and encourage us. They are:
Rev Alby Yip and Serene Chang (Senior Pastor and Principal, Zion Bishan Kindergarten) for providing the venue for our worship service broadcast;
Rev David Wong (General Secretary, Bible Presbyterian Church in Singapore) and Rev Vincent Lee (Vice-Moderator, Presbyterian Church in Singapore) for giving the English dedication address and leading the English Covenant dedication
Rev Cynthia Choo (Yishun Methodist Mission) and Bishop Lu Guan Hoe (Lutheran Church in Singapore) for giving the Chinese dedication address and leading the Chinese Covenant dedication
Eileen Boey (Tabernacle Church) and Sun Ying (Bukit Batok Presbyterian Church), the worship service emcees
Eunice Goh and Suree Ho (Orchard Road Presbyterian Church) who led us in worship in song
Wong Lee Pin (Bethesda Katong Kindergarten) and Caryn Hong (Lutheran Childcare Centre), the Scripture readers
Reuben Ong, Kyle Yeo, Fred Lai, Loke Cho Mun, Desiree Koh and Daryl Foo (Grace Methodist Church), Lydia (Providence Presbyterian Church) and Ee Tuo Lim (Orchard Road Presbyterian Church), our Zoom Managers and Technical Team
Chris Ong (Adam Road Presbyterian Church) and Fiona Soh (Amazing Grace Presbyterian church) who produced the preschool education video segment
Elder Oswald Goh (Zion Serangoon Bible Presbyterian Church), the broadcast manager
Zion Bishan Bible Presbyterian Church, Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, Bethesda Frankel Estate Church, Church of Singapore (Bukit Timah) and Lutheran Church of our Redeemer for supporting the service with their sanctuaries for the initially-planned physical worship service.
Rev Terry Kee (Lutheran Church in Singapore), Rev Terence Ong (Centre of New Life) and Elder Joshua Quek (Bethesda Frankel Estate Church), for the additional sermon materials on the early childhood sector and children’s ministry.
Like the many names listed in Nehemiah, so many hands and many hearts joined together to make the dedication service a success and a blessing to all in the preschool ministry in Singapore. Let us be encouraged to press on in this blessed ministry knowing that we are building together, hand in hand.
All who attended were starkly reminded of our common calling & common purpose in this ministry for young children, through the following encouraging sharing by Christian parents and children on - the value and importance of a Christian preschool education for our young ones.
CALL TO WORSHIP
The congregation was called to worship through a Hymn of Praise - ‘There is a Higher Throne’ （至高者的寶座）, led and sung by a worship team from Orchard Road Presbyterian Church.
EXHORTATION & PRAYER FOR TEACHERS & MINISTRY STAFF
The following Christian Ministers then shared God’s Word about the early childhood ministry and prayed over the entire congregation.
For many of us who attended the service, it was a meaningful and blessed time as Rev Dr David Wong and Rev Cynthia Choo reminded us through their sermons of:
WHAT we were building – not just walls and gates; but a distinct Christian identity in the preschool sector; we are building people and lives;
HOW we are to build – united together; across church and denominational boundaries; and
WHO we are building for – the God of Heaven, who will bless us!
And the importance of building the preschool ministry together!
You may find the the video sermons by Rev Dr David Wong and Rev Cynthia Choo below, as well as the video sermons from 3 other Christian ministers for this Teachers’ Day Dedication Service.
Rev Dr David Wong, Bible Presbyterian Church in Singapore (English sermon)
Rev Cynthia Choo, Yishun Methodist Mission (Chinese sermon)
Rev Terry Kee, Lutheran Church in Singapore (English sermon)
Elder Joshua Quek, Bethesda Frankel Estate Church (English sermon)
Rev Terence Ong, Centre of New Life (Chinese sermon)
As we responded by re-dedicating ourselves to this sacred task as His chosen servants; we covenanted to touch the lives of our children, their parents and caregivers with the Gospel of the Grace of God, led by Rev Vincent Lee from the Presbyterian Church in Singapore, and Bishop Lu Guan Hoe from the Lutheran Church in Singapore. And the congregation responded in their own homes through prayer and a response song, ‘Facing A Task Unfinished’ (面對未收的莊稼).
PHOTO GALLERY
Enjoy the photos of the dedication service below.
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THE SPECIAL MEANING FOR THIS YEAR’S TEACHERS’ DAY MEMENTO
Those who attended the dedication service will appreciate the Teachers’ Day memento for this year’s dedication service. It is a special wooden building block. Each of the blocks are shaped slightly differently. 4 of these blocks, when put together, forms a bigger block. And many of these bigger blocks can form a gigantic block when placed side by side together. Each block symbolises each one of us, created differently by God for His Kingdom purpose, this ministry for young children.
