City Harvest Tamil Church (CHTC) held its Family Day on January 25. The security ministry of CHTC was tasked with planning the event and wasted no time roping in the help of other ministry heads to helm different sections of the event.
On the night before the event, at 1am, a team of seven set up tents and marked out boundaries at Pasir Ris Park. By 9am on the day of the event, three bus loads of 120 people, aged 2 months to 75 years, alighted at their destination with much chatter and enthusiasm. Another 40 people came in mini buses, cars and public transport.
The skies were heavy with rainclouds, but that didn’t deter these prayer warriors. At 9.30am, the group started praise and worship and sharing of the Word of God. Simultaneously, the logistics team set up tents for the kitchen and children’s areas. CHTC children’s church workers came prepared with exciting activities for the group of 40 children.
At 10.30am, the adults formed into four teams with each team creating their own cheer. There was fierce but healthy competition. The onlookers around the CHTC camp site came and cheered the teams on. One Indian family passing by even joined in the games and competitions.
The kitchen team had cooked and prepared nasi lemak for lunch, and served the elderly and children first, before everyone else tucked in.
Some took advantage of the two-hour lunch break to catch a nap while others went for a swim or played volleyball. At 2.30pm, all gathered for the main event: the Tug of War. The campers were divided into two teams. Each team strategized their game plan and picked up their end of the rope.
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| PHOTOS: Gideon Hari |
For a few minutes the rope did not move left or right. Finally the rope edged slowly towards the left. The rope finally crossed the line and there was a great shout of jubilation. True to good sportsmanship, the teams congratulated one another and went for a well deserved tea break of fried noodles with tea/Milo.
The program continued with a time of group activities. All the hustle and bustle ceased as teams sat down for a quiz on general knowledge. Many were surprised to know that the original name of the tomato was “love apple.”
The eagerly-awaited barbeque started at 5.30pm. The families had prepared barbequed items of chicken wings, sausages, otah and corn. At 8pm prize presentation took place with prizes awarded for the best-dressed individuals, the best team and the best family. In addition, each child and adult was given a present and a keychain. The Family Day ended with a thanksgiving prayer.
Following this success, CHTC is planning for their next lot of events, which will include a couples outing, prayer summit and youth camp.
