Over the past five years, both Pastor Dominic Yeo, Senior Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre, and myself, have been in conversation, on and off, about forming an alliance of churches where pastors are able to connect with one another, seek assistance and support, and find a network of other pastors who will truly care. We saw lots of pastors struggling, in need of assistance, in need of fellowship and we knew we had to do something about it.
This crystallised in 2015, when both the AG Churches and the FOP Churches collaborated on a conference called “FRESH FIRE”, with Rev. Samuel Rodriguez as our keynote speaker. It was at that conference where a prophetic word was released over both Ps. Dominic and myself, and over the alliance, that this is something birthed of God. From that time onwards, what was a dream in our hearts began to take shape and a partnership was birthed.
Following a 3-year incubation period comprising prayer, discussions, fine-tuning of vision and direction, we’re now honoured and pleased to announce the official launch of the “Alliance of the Pentecostal & Charismatic Churches of Singapore (APCCS)”. The Alliance is chaired by Pastor Dominic, and co-chaired by myself; and is a formal network of pastors, churches and Christian organisations that seek to foster and build solid and enduring relationships, for the purpose of discipling the nations and the propagation of the Gospel. We’d like to welcome pastors to pray about being part of this Alliance.
Through the years, our concern has always been to help the pastor who’s struggling. I remember when we first started, we only had 70- 80 people with us, mainly students, and I know what it’s like to struggle. My vision in those day was SURVIVAL. We had only two young children – mine. No Sunday school, no Women’s Ministry, no Missions Programme, very little money, and very few adults. So why would anyone want to join us? But we had a very BIG GOD.
So, here we are, after so many years later, and look at what God has done. He has certainly enlarged our territory. Not in my wildest imaginations could I have dreamt that something like this could happen. But I do know what it was like to struggle and languish at the bottom of the barrel. I know what it was like not to have anyone come alongside you when you needed help. And so, we want to help the pastor, who perhaps might be struggling with 50-100 people, thinking “How am I going to get through this year?” This is where I believe APCCS can be a great blessing.
I was inspired one day listening to Chris Hodges, the Senior Pastor of the Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Al, who had this amazing vision to help 1,000 churches breach the 1,000 barrier. Wow, I love that vision! Can we see this actually happening in Singapore, where all the churches come together, without bothering about our labels or titles? We want to help pastors find a network of friends and support.
One of the most common complaints in the ministry is a lack of fellowship among pastors and I think APCCS can really help. We can become a network of pastors & churches where one can gain skill, have access to finances, materials, resources, know-how, etc. When we first started, I remember we had very little support. We were essentially on our own. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Again, here’s where I think APCCS can play a part.
Finally, when we were considering a name, we wanted everyone to know that we’re Pentecostal/Charismatic, children of the Holy Spirit. We’ll not tell you in APCCS, “Don’t speak in tongues”. This is a unique distinction of our movement. We’re not ashamed of the Holy Spirit and neither will we hinder the work of the Holy Spirit. The name is in itself a declaration of our need for the Holy Spirit. I believe that the formation of APCCS signals a brand new day for the churches here in Singapore. May the Lord be pleased to bless this alliance and may it grow stronger through the years.
