Trained for Ministry
Mercia Tan joined our traineeship after graduating from university this past July. It has been a fruitful and encouraging time for her, and she shares some of her takeaways from the past few months.
Time flies! After 5 months, our traineeship is coming to an end this week. If I could encapsulate this traineeship experience in one word, it would be “eye-opening”. After graduating from university in July this year, I began the traineeship with the aim of growing in my personal walk with God and deepening my understanding of the church, so that both my life and service in church would be shaped to please and glorify Him. God has been gracious in helping me to learn so much about Himself, the gospel and the church through His Word, the books that I have read, and conversations I have had with different people in church!
Having grown up in GBC, my idea of church was largely shaped by my experience in church rather than God’s Word. As someone who is not very critical about most things, I generally accepted how church was done and was more than happy to go with the flow. Through my conversations with friends from my Christian Fellowship in university, I came to realise that there are differences between churches. Yet, when asked by others, I could not really explain why church is done this way in GBC. Hence, the traineeship was eye-opening for me, as it not only gave me a closer look at church life, but also helped me understand the reason behind why we do church the way we do.
Learning about what Christians believe and about the church
Initially, I was quite daunted by the thought of having to read so many books over 5 months. Even now, I am amazed at how we were able to do it. Truly thank God for helping us to read and have good conversations with Pastor Eugene, Pastor Jeremy, Ruth and Bibianna during our weekly traineeship discussion! What really helped me with the reading was seeing how the ideas from these books — rooted in Scripture — were actually being lived out in church.
We spent the first few weeks learning about the doctrine of Scripture, biblical and systematic theology. God’s Word is infallible, inerrant, sufficient and clear. The Bible is one big story about Jesus and we can draw out precise and accurate doctrines for application today from it. In the following weeks, we read about how God’s Word shapes our understanding on different aspects of church.
Mercia with the other trainees at the weekly trainee meeting.
While I enjoyed learning more about the biblical foundations behind membership, preaching, women’s ministry, discipleship, missions, etc., I was most pleasantly surprised to see how these truths were applied in our worship service. In particular, two things stood out to me.
We read from the opposite Testament to highlight that the Bible is one unified and coherent story pointing to Jesus. I appreciate how the pastors intentionally choose passages that help us see, for example, how wisdom books like Ecclesiastes relate to Jesus, and how Jesus fulfils the Old Testament in gospels like John. I also appreciate how the preacher, supported by the staff team, puts thoughtful effort into drawing the Christ Connection in the sermons.
We incorporate parts of the Lord’s Prayer into our services. The service begins with a prayer of praise and adoration, followed by a prayer of confession and thanksgiving for the gospel after the time of singing, and then a pastoral prayer of supplication before the sermon. I appreciate how those who lead in prayer mirror the way Jesus prayed and model prayer for us.
Through our conversations with the elders, I have also come to see their genuine desire to humbly submit to God’s authoritative Word. Because there are many people in church, it can be tempting to resort to the world’s more efficient way of organising the church. I am thankful that the elders are intentional in shepherding the church according to God’s Word. They get to know the sheep under their care by reaching out to them and praying through the members’ directory by name. They encourage discipling relationships amongst members so that we can build one another up and do spiritual good to each other. They invest in the lives of those whom they are training.
Mercia and the ladies at one of the Bible reading sessions.
An example of that is this traineeship! I am also very thankful to the pastoral team for modelling prayerful reliance on God and faithful service for us. One of the highlights of my traineeship has been sitting in on staff meetings and seeing the staff team’s love for the church in action!
The body does ministry
Yet, while Jesus has given us church leaders, we are to remember that the church is meant to be a body with each part doing its work (Ephesians 4:11-16). Ministry is not meant to be done only by the elders or the pastoral staff team. Instead, it should be done by the church together! This is a truth mentioned in Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, my favourite book of the traineeship.
Personally, it is tempting to think that only certain people have the gift to be able to walk well with others in their fight with sin because I do not feel adequate enough to do so. However, the book reminds me that it is everyone’s calling to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of others! The good news is that we do not have to rely on our own abilities to change our own hearts or walk with others in their process of change. Jesus has come such that lasting change can take place with the help of the Holy Spirit and God uses us to accomplish His will.
I found this book to be a great follow-up to the recent Women of Grace event on walking side by side with one another. It highlights the importance of tackling the root problem (our sinful heart) rather than the behaviours and provides practical ways we can helpfully walk with one another through the model of love-know-speak-do. It is my prayer that I will be a willing instrument in God’s hands as I strive to change and walk with others in their process of change as well.
Serving with the Gladiolus Place Outreach Ministry
During my traineeship, I had the privilege of being able to serve more actively in our Gladiolus Place (GP) Outreach Ministry. For context, the ministry aims to build relationships with the GP girls during our monthly dinners held at church. Since August, we have been doing a short sharing on the Fruit of the Spirit after every monthly dinner, followed by a short craft activity to encourage further conversation.
In September, I had the opportunity to share about God’s unconditional love and was deeply encouraged by Jesus’ promise to be with us always to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20) as I prepared my sharing. Over the months, I have seen how the ministry goes beyond simply providing home-cooked meals, seeking also to encourage the girls. Whenever they are open to it, we share where we, as Christians, believe our true and lasting hope comes from – Jesus Christ!
I also got the opportunity to be more involved in planning for the upcoming meals in 2026. I thank God for the ladies who have such loving hearts for God and the girls and for the church’s support through willingly providing home-cooked meals for the girls. It has been amazing to witness how God provides!
Following Jesus for eternity
The ladies at their final Bible reading session.
These 5 months have been great and I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn more about God and His church. A big thank you to the elders, staff team, Ruth, fellow trainees, deacons and everyone else who helped make my traineeship experience so lovely! After this traineeship, I will be going to secular work where I hope I will be able to live boldly for Jesus and continue to serve God and His people in church. Please pray for me that I will cling onto the hope of the gospel and that my knowledge and love of God will continue to abound as I enter a new season! Pray also that I will serve faithfully wherever God has placed me with a joyful heart!