A Wonderful Retreat in Batam

8-10 June 2023

By John Lee

After a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the JCC church retreat was finally held again. The picture shows that JCCians responded strongly to Rev. Anthony’s exhortation in his retreat invitation, “Let the retreat be a God-encountering place for us. Let the ‘dry bones’ be made flesh and empowered by the Holy Spirit. New hope, new season, new wine to flow into all of us.”

After years of being caged up by the pandemic, many of us had become like the ‘dry bones’ in Ezekiel’s vision (Eze 37:1-14) – spiritually lifeless and facing a pressing need to be brought back to life, to be made whole and complete with new hope based on God’s promises, in a new season (new beginnings, new opportunities for spiritual growth), to taste new wine (a symbol of God’s abundance, His grace and His love)!

Thank God that the retreat speaker, Yap Kim Meng, was still able to deliver his messages via video despite his recent accident that prevented him from travelling. The three messages (based on 1 Kings: 17-19) were each only 20+ minutes long, focused and easy to digest.

I have the following takeaways from the retreat:

Man of God, Man for God, Man who seeks God

1. Man of God: Elijah, a prophet called by God, confronts the people of Israel about their sin. He challenges them to choose between following God or following Baal, the false god of the Canaanites. He then calls down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice, which further proves God’s power working through him.
2. Man for God: Elijah is not afraid to speak out against evil, even when it is unpopular. He is also a man of great compassion, as evidenced by his willingness to help those in need.
3. Man who seeks God: Elijah is a man of great faith and courage. He is always seeking God’s will and guidance, and he is willing to do whatever God asks of him.

Elijah’s story is an inspiration to us all. His life is a powerful reminder that we should all strive to be “men of God,” “men for God,” and “men who seek God.” We should be faithful to God, stand up for what we believe in, and be willing to sacrifice for the sake of God’s people. We should also be men and women of prayer and meditation, always seeking to know God more.

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Discipleship Theme

The retreat reinforces the discipleship theme of JCC: Be One, Make One, As One.

Be One means that every JCCian is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This means following Jesus’ teachings, living in accordance with his values, and being committed to his mission. It also means being part of a community of believers who support and encourage one another in their faith journey.

Make One means that every JCCian is called to invest their lives in building other lives. This can be done through evangelism, discipleship, and acts of service. It means sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others, helping them to grow in their faith, and meeting their physical and emotional needs.

As One means that JCCians are called to work together as one body of Christ. This means being unified in their love for God and for one another. It also means working together to reach out to the lost and to make a difference in the world.

How can JCCians improve their lives with the inspiration from Elijah (Man of God, Men for God, Man who seeks God) as encouraged by the retreat speaker, and with the exhortation on discipleship to Be One, Make One, As One? Is it a tough call?

Making a Stew

In thanksgiving at the end of the retreat, Bryan Tay helpfully shared an interesting acronym: S.T.E.W. It conjures up the idea of stewing our spiritual food; i.e., we should take time to nourish our souls carefully and thoughtfully with spiritual nourishment.

Here are some specific ways that we can S.T.E.W. in our daily lives:

• Seek God’s will in all things. We can do this by reading the Bible, praying, and seeking wise counsel from godly people.
• Trust God’s promises. We can do this by meditating on His promises and believing that He will keep His word.
• Expect great things from God. We can do this by focusing on His goodness and His power.
• Wait patiently for God’s timing. We can do this by staying focused on Him and not getting discouraged when things don’t happen immediately.

When we S.T.E.W., we are putting our lives in God’s hands and trusting Him to lead us. We are also opening ourselves up to receive His blessings. When we seek God, trust Him, expect great things from Him, and wait patiently for Him, we can be confident that He will work all things together for our good.

Fellowship & Recreation

As mentioned above, the retreat messages were each less than 30 minutes long, yet focussed. So, in the 3 days, we had enough time to spare for group sharing, fellowship bonding, recreation and shopping.

One of the most interesting activities was called “Generation Glow”. In this activity, six participants from different generations were grouped together. They shared some brief information about themselves, and then members from each group were called to the stage 2-by-2 to participate in fun interactive activities. It was a great opportunity for me to get to know better the younger generation of active members in JCC. Before the retreat, we were all “strangers” to each other. But through this activity, we were able to break the ice and learn more about each other.

I am thankful to God for raising a promising young generation of His faithfuls. These young people are the future of JCC, and I am confident that they will carry the torch of leading the church in her march forward. I am excited to see what God will do through them as they continue to BE ONE, MAKE ONE, AS ONE!

Thanks to the Retreat Committee

It is worth noting that the only people who had little time to relax were the retreat committee members who gave of their best in taking care of every little detail to make the event a success.

Bravo to Yew Moi and his capable team for being thoughtful and attentive to everyone’s needs – both spiritual and physical. They created a warm and welcoming environment where retreat participants could connect with God and one another.

God sees their sacrifices and dedication and will bless them with many blessings.