Christmas Brunch Outreach 2025
Over the past few months, we recruited members to help with block visits and organising this Christmas Brunch in December. God graciously provided members to help out with the event and He also brought friends from the community who responded to our invitation. Dinnie Ee shares with us the different ways that God answered our prayers!
It was quite a scene to behold. Across every table, church members were engaged in intentional, gospel conversations with unbelieving friends and community members. You could hear succinct gospel presentations with the aid of small booklets. Gentle probes on the visitors’ response to the exhortation they heard. Questions about how Christianity differed from other major religions. Conversations about whether becoming Christian would mean that one would not see their non-Christian parents in heaven if they passed on without believing. Chatter in English and Mandarin, over plates and plates of sumptuous catered brunch, and excited murmurs reporting to one another about how these spiritual conversations went.
All this took place at our Fellowship Hall on 13 December, as part of the Christmas outreach brunch we hosted for the community. Close to 60 visitors turned up, both from the neighbouring MacPherson blocks and by invitation from our members. We sought to present the true meaning of Christmas through a mix of carols, the Word, and conversation. The emcees, Nathaniel Tan and Charis Soon, carefully explained the meaning behind each carol led by a small choir — from the rapturous “Joy to the World”, to the contemplative “O Holy Night”, to the no-holds-barred invitation to sinners and sufferings in “O Come, All You Unfaithful”, ending with an outburst of worship in “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, ascribing glory to King Jesus. The singing was interspersed by a short exhortation from Nicholas Chuan, for all of us to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
But perhaps the most meaningful part of the morning was the various conversations we had at our respective tables over brunch. Helpfully, each GBC member had been paired up to befriend one or two visitors beforehand; this led to every guest being welcomed by someone right from the start, and allowed us to invest in unhurried, intentional conversations with them. Before long, hearty conversations were erupting all across the fellowship hall, with every member faithfully seeking to put the gospel across in a clear and accessible way. It was a sight we should all long to see more of, festive season or not!
In particular, we rejoice that one of our guests who lives at Circuit Road responded to Jonathan Yao and Julie Ong’s gospel sharing, and prayed to repent and believe in Jesus. We thank God for His salvation that very day, and earnestly desire to see her grow as a disciple of Jesus. Other guests said they would be willing to attend our Sunday services or hear more about the gospel. Pastor Ryan and Elder Steven were so encouraged and amazed when one of our visitors, Amy, could recall and and share with them the three points from the exhortation: Jesus is a gift of God, Jesus takes away our sins, and Jesus is the Lamb of God. And for the team who put the programme together, it was an unexpected, happy problem that the book table ran out of gospel tracts and needed replenishing. May the Lord of the harvest cause the many seeds sown this day to sprout and yield a fruitful, eternal crop!
Precipitating this day’s event was much prayer and effort to reach out to the community. Over four weekend afternoons in November, different groups of church members went out to nearby blocks to distribute the invitational flyers and get to know our neighbours. We met many who graciously received the flyers and became aware of GBC’s presence. In several of these encounters, our members also got to present the gospel to them there and then. We hope to continue seeking opportunities to meet with our neighbours, forge longer-term relationships with them, and point them to Jesus the true Saviour.
Behind each of these outreach groups was a dedicated team of church members who prayed fervently for doors to the gospel to be opened. Elder Andrew Sung coordinated a prayer chain, ensuring that every hour of block visits was covered by prayers of the saints. This way, church members who were unable to avail themselves physically could still be involved and do the heavy lifting of interceding for those who went out.
It takes the whole church to be mobilised to reach the lost with the gospel. Evangelism is a churchwide endeavour, not just the pet project of the passionate few. As the Lord has commissioned the church to make disciples, let us keep encouraging one another towards executing this commission faithfully and with joy. What a great privilege it is to be a part of the risen Lord’s active work this Christmas! May we keep depending on our God, who is mighty to save, and go forth boldly with the urgent message of the gospel, in and out of season.