Birthed out of compassion for mankind, Mercy Relief, an independent Singaporean charitable non-governmental humanitarian organization, celebrated its 5th anniversary on the 20 October 2008. The organization was launched in September 2003 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The anniversary celebrations were held at the Singapore Soka Association. It was also an occasion for Mercy Relief to honor the stakeholders who have supported the organization’s humanitarian works.
One such stakeholder is City Harvest Church (CHC), which has provided assistance to relief efforts in times of crisis over the past five years. The most significant effort was for the Asian tsunami crisis: CHC sent the first international missions team to arrive with medical aid in Banda Aceh, the area in Indonesia most badly affected by the tsunami.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong graced the occasion with his presence as guest of honour this evening. In his congratulatory speech, PM Lee commended, “It is encouraging to know that when our humanitarian organizations go out for their missions, we have done so as Team Singapore”.
CHC’s continual initiatives and generosity were recognized by Mercy Relief, and Rev Tan Ye Peng accepted an award of appreciation presented by PM Lee.
The dictionary definition of “compassion” is the “humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it”. This definition exemplifies the compassion of Jesus Christ and His church. CHC has chosen to align its passion and resources with the mission of Mercy Relief, which is “to promote a civil life of compassion, care and volunteerism amongst Man, bringing together people and resources to alleviate sufferings befalling mankind as a result of natural or man-made disasters, poverty and disadvantage.”
