The youth conference stirred the young people of CHC to rise up with a heart after God.
Contributed By Reuel Eugene Tay & Dawn Seow
The youth media crew with CHC’s senior pastor, Kong Hee. PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY HARVEST CHURCH. CN PHOTOS: GARY SIM, GAY SEN MIN, TAN SONG KOW & MICHAEL CHAN
Last weekend, City Harvest Church held its sixth Emerge youth conference. After a four-year hiatus, the comeback of Emerge was a significant milestone in the history of the church and a celebration of its upcoming generation. Nearly every aspect of the service was run by youth, from the praise and worship to the technical functions of the media and audio. Senior pastor, Kong Hee, announced during the first service on Saturday, July 16, that “nearly everyone you see on stage today is under the age of 25.”
The young people boldly stepped up to the challenge of making the conference their own. Apart from logistics, they also organized the finals of the five Emerge competitions—Live Jam!, Center Stage!, Cut!, Your Best Shot!, and Oh My Word!—which became a showcase of their many talents and creativity.
Preparation for Emerge began during the school holiday camps held in June, which served as a precursor to the actual event.
Two of the bands that played in the youth camps went on to compete in the Emerge Live Jam! competition, and they were given the opportunity to lead the congregation in praise and worship during the main services last weekend. In addition, some of the skits performed as part of the camps were reprised during Emerge, for the drama competition, Center Stage!. The school camps had effectively paved the way for the young people to rise up and stretch their faith in God and glorify Him with their gifts.
Apart from all the activities, the highlight for many was the preaching of the Word by Kong. On both days, Kong shared about being hungry for God and walking with the Holy Spirit. He used the example of Moses. “When God wants to bring a revival to the land, He will always look for a boy, a girl, a man or a woman, who is hungry enough to do His work. While man is always looking for better methods, God is always looking for a better man. And God found such a man in Moses,” Kong told the congregation.
Kong encouraged City Harvesters to learn from Moses who was not content to merely attain the promises of God; he desired the presence of God more than the material possessions he was promised. “Moses was hungry for God,” preached Kong. Even though God spoke to him regularly, he was not satisfied and wanted to see God’s face. Because of Moses, God revealed Himself to mankind for the first time in the history of Man.
At the end of the sermon, Kong gave an altar call for all the youth, and the pastoral team laid hands and prayed for everyone who came forward.
Hearts were renewed and revived as Emerge 2011 came to a close with the youth band leading in the closing song, “Paint The Town Red.” The conference inspired and challenged the youth of CHC to live their lives for God, and encouraged them to unleash their God-given gifts and talents in their schools and the marketplace.
AFTER THE WIN
City News speaks to the winners of the five Emerge competitions.
