In what felt like a meeting of the United Nations, City Harvest Church (CHC) held the first Expatriate Fellowship for its members on 30 October 2009. About 17 people ofover six different nationalites gathered bright and early at CHC’s Corporate Office in Suntec City to meet, chat and have a spot of breakfast along with cups of coffee and tea.
Although it was held early in the morning, everyone was full of energy and conversation quickly filled the room as people gathered to talk about almost everything under the sun.
For many of them, especially those who have been in Singapore for over two years, it was interesting to meet with other expats from different countries and cultures. “It gives you a sense of family warmth,” said John, an Indian who studied in Singapore and is now an IT Consultant.
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| PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee | |
“It’s great to see how diverse the church is in terms of having members from all over the world,” said Naomi, who has been in Singapore for 8 years, and is a Japanese translator and interpreter for the church.
Julie Armstrong, from the US, who has only been in Singapore for slightly over a year said, “It’s also good to get to know other people who are from the same country as you. We can exchange notes on where to find the best authentic food from our home countries right here in Singapore.”
Derek Dunn, CHCs Executive Pastor who is leading the Expatriate Fellowship, plans to make the meetings monthly with more activities planned for everyone. He also explained that the reason for this fellowship was to help the expatriates forge relationships with one another and to help new expatriates better integrate into society.
