Saturday services at City Harvest Church premises at 1 Jurong West St 91 were never quite the same for the past two weeks. Packed with a myriad of activities, the after-service events were a hit among the members of Lee Yi Lun’s zone.
About 180 members and their friends gathered together for the first Newcomers’ Tea on 18 April. The session started off with a mini buffet at the rooftop garden, simply because the best conversations happen over food. Icebreaker games were also played after some refreshments in the Chinese Church Hall.
Excited squeals and laughter were heard as the participants rushed to sit on items of the colours that were called out when the music stopped.
“I’ve never played such a game with so many people before, and you really had to run fast,” said Kelvin Huang, on his first Newcomers’ Tea.
The other highlight of the Newcomers’ Tea was when six men were selected from the audience for an unofficial “manhunt” competition. They had to change into a singlet, do a little dance and strut down the walkway. However, the winner of the competition was not determined by his looks, but rather, the length of his underarm hair!
Gay Beng Chong, 20, a student, was among the six chosen for the “manhunt”. He was unaware of the judging criteria, and only found out during the awards presentation.
“The game had a very fun twist! Now I know why the game masters kept asking us to dance with our arms lifted!” said Gay.
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| PHOTOS: Sarah Lin |
The short tea session ended with a testimony sharing by Samuel Lee, of how his life was changed after receiving Jesus Christ.
Besides the Newcomers’ Tea, badminton and basketball competitions were also held on 25 April to ensure that everyone could participate in something that they liked. There was another option for those who did not like sports — they could literally relax and chill-out over drinks.
With the lights switched off and the lit candles on low tables, the entire atmosphere of the function room at the Jurong Sports Complex was transformed to a cozy one. With a live band performing current hits like ‘This Love’ by Maroon 5 and ‘Fearless’ by Taylor Swift, the audience could also dedicate the songs to their friends while sipping mocktails.
Breakdancers from O School also performed an electrifying number with head spins and back flips, stirring the crowd to cheer and applaud, before the session began.
“I enjoyed the chill-out session very much, and I’m grateful that my friend invited me here. It is a very interesting and new idea. I really liked the whole ambience and the music,” shared Kelly Cheong, 24, a social worker.
The activities do not just end there — there will be Pilates class, basketball and badminton competition and study group sessions in the weeks to come. Saturdays are never dull again!
