In the month of October, let’s get to know sis Jasmine Lim. She is the wife of Bro Tian Geng and is one of the organisers for our Seniors Fellowship. Read on to find out more!
Michelle:
Tell me about yourself. What do you work as?
Jasmine:
I work for a charity (eldercare) in the Community Relations Department. My scope of work includes volunteer management, fundraising, donor stewardship and corporate partnerships.
Michelle:
Wow! You must meet a lot of people on a daily basis given that you interface with multiple groups of people: volunteers, donors, the public and corporate representatives. What do you do outside of work?
Jasmine:
Besides praying and reading the Bible, I jog to destress. During Covid, I picked up cycling. Tian Geng and I cycle to discover less travelled parts of Singapore; we even cycled to Tuas Lamp Post 1 last year (a popular landmark for cyclists at the westernmost point)! I also enjoy singing.
Michelle:
What is 1 little-known fact about you?
Jasmine:
Just because I’m thin, doesn’t mean that I’m healthy 😊 I like McD and Coke, and I love cakes and chocolates. I have a sweet tooth.
Michelle:
How did you come to know of God?
Jasmine:
I was raised in the church by Christian parents. I started attending worship services when I was in my mother's womb.
Michelle:
When were you baptised and how did you come to this important decision?
Jasmine:
The decision to be baptized was made when I was 14. However when I was in college, I ever left the church and attended a few denominations. Reason for switching churches was that I didn’t think that I “owned” the faith, it felt more like a “borrowed” faith – like I inherited from my parents. I was in search of “truth”, God and myself. When I delved into the scripture and started to dig deep, I realized I have always known the truth. Hence I made the decision to repent. From that point on, I finally “owned” my faith, made my faith my own, to truly experience it and live it for real.
Michelle:
Thank you for sharing your journey to search for the truth and to truly make your faith your own! This kind of reminds me of the Bereans from Acts 17 who searched the scriptures daily whether these things were so. If we are earnest in our study of God’s word, we can know and be convinced of the truth. I see that you have been in the church for some number of years. Any fond memories in the church?
Jasmine:
Many! My best memories are of times I’ve spent serving the Lord with fellow brethren! And thank God, I’m still making memories of such!
Michelle:
That’s great! Can you tell us a bit more about the Seniors Fellowship? What is it about?
Jasmine:
The first senior fellowship was on 2 May 2015. Tian Geng and I were in the UK (Tian Geng was doing his Masters) when it was initiated by brother Charlie and sister Sau Ching. We began joining after we returned from the UK in 2016 (our first session was July 2016!).
It was started by bro Charlie and sis Sau Ching with the purpose of bringing the seniors together to encourage one another, and to strengthen one another’s faith. It is also an avenue for members to introduce their unbelieving spouse/ parents/ grandparents to the Church/ Christianity.
Michelle:
What activities have been conducted so far?
Jasmine:
Activities conducted so far - several games carnivals, karaoke/ singing session, performances by the youth (for Mother’s Day/ CNY), MANY arts and crafts sessions, video/ movie screening, cooking/ makan sessions (sandwich, pineapple tart and popiah making), coffee workshop, and outings (different museums visits, Kallang Wave Mall, Chinese Garden, Changi Airport, Gardens By The Bay and Bollywood Veggies Farm). We also celebrated some traditional Chinese festivals with our seniors such as Winter Solstice, where we made tangyuan together! Whoa, as I was listing down what has been organized before, I realized we have come a long way, didn’t we? And it would not have been made possible without each and every member in the Senior Fellowship Committee to plan and lead, each and every volunteer and participant to support all the events!
Michelle:
As I am reading this, I totally agree - the Seniors Fellowship has indeed come a long way! I never knew it traced its roots back to 2015 so thank you for sharing this piece of history with us. What is the structure of a typical Seniors Fellowship like?
Jasmine:
Every senior fellowship session comes with a short exercise (a few were conducted by Bro Kwan but mostly by the youth) and a short devotion/ lesson from the Word of God; I think we are trying to emphasize the importance of both the physical and spiritual health and hope we can impress upon the seniors too! 😊 We also include a tea break session every time we meet for us to mingle, catch up and get to know one another better during tea break.
During Covid, we organized small-group visitations when it was allowed by law.
Our most recent session was a Basic Chinese Calligraphy & Painting Workshop in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival. We had never done anything like that before! The response was overwhelming. The feedback from seniors was positive and everyone seemed to enjoy it very much. The committee members brought mooncakes and other food and different Chinese tea flavors to share during tea break. We are grateful to God!
Michelle:
Glad to hear that the Seniors Fellowship is continuing to touch the lives of our seniors! How and why did you decide to be involved in organising the Senior Fellowship?
Jasmine:
Tian Geng and I have a soft spot for older people. We have had a few important relationships with older persons. Growing up, we were close to our grandparents. I often imagine myself being old and it helps me empathize with the older people as I imagine what they are going through and their experience.
We were approached by bro Charlie and sis Sau Ching in end 2019 to lead the Senior Fellowship Committee (as they were preparing for grandparenthood), with Brother Mike Yeo as the elder overseeing the activities.
We gladly accepted the role (as we were already planning and organizing activities – we didn’t think it would change anything to what we have been doing). To us, it’s just the same as serving the Lord as an ordinary member in the committee. We are always grateful that we have got ardent support from the elders, committee and church whenever we plan and organize an activity for the seniors.
Michelle:
Thanks for your extensive and heartfelt sharing! As a last question, do you have any advice for anyone who is thinking about getting more involved in church?
Jasmine:
Tian Geng and I aren’t the best persons to give this advice – we are guilty sometimes for being bogged down with work and not being able to do more for the Lord. Again, we are very blessed with incredible support from the church. We received a lot of encouragement and prayers from members. The committee members are always ready to share the work when we ask (and even when we don’t ask). We believe in supporting one another and receiving support when we need. There is no need to feel embarrassed when seeking help.
Back to the question, there are plenty of ways to serve God. I would say, first, to consider your personal interests/ skills/ talents. What are you good at? What do you like/ enjoy doing?
In addition to identifying your talents, strengths and passions, keep your eyes and ears open to the needs of others. And simply be present and attuned to the needs of the church.
Next, to make plans and be committed to serve. And then just do it! Serving helps to develop our gifts and build our faith. We grow spiritually as we become more involved in church work. Serving also gives us joy. As we labour together with our fellow brethren, we are strengthening bonds with our spiritual family.