CHC broke ground with a number of new things this year.
#1 EMERGE MOSH PIT
Finger light rings? Check. Non-stop jumping? Double check. Headbanging? Triple check! The 11th edition of the annual Emerge conference for youths this past June featured the first-ever CHC mosh pit. At each night session, regardless of school or house, CHC youths dashed to the front of the stage to praise and worship exuberantly, literally turning the area into “God’s Great Dance Floor”! The youth anthem of 2014? “Wake” by Hillsong Young And Free.
#2 HIGHER CONFERENCE
CHC started as a church of youth but those youth are now young adults. To meet the different needs of the adults in the congregation, CHC organized the inaugural Higher Conference this past October, a three-day conference of nightly messages and daytime workshops on singlehood, marriage and parenthood. The highlight (and sold-out event) was the TGIF Dinner held at the church’s worship venue in Suntec. Co-founders Kong Hee and Sun Ho took to the stage to answer hot-button questions in a live session of the popular City Radio program “Coffee With Kong”.
#3 ISRAEL HOUGHTON & NEW BREED
In October, Grammy Award-winning Christian singer Israel Houghton and his band New Breed visited CHC and filmed a live worship recording session in CHC’s Suntec Singapore auditorium as part the band’s Alive In Asia tour, which will be released on DVD.
Beyond the glitzy graphics, lighting and top-notch sound technology, the power of the session was the tangible presence of God as the band led the congregation deep into worship, invoking an atmosphere of consecration to God.
Houghton told CHC: “I am here not in spite of what you are going through. I am here because of what you are going through.”
#4 FIRST TIME GUEST SPEAKERS IN CHC
CHC enjoyed the messages shared by many respected ministers and first-time speakers in the church such as Dick Bernal, founder and senior pastor of Jubilee Christian Center, as well as Marcus and Joni Lamb, founders of the Daystar Television Network, which owns and operates TV stations across America and the world.
#5 SOT HOMECOMING
For the first time in two decades, City Harvest’s School of Theology held a reunion themed “Homecoming: Gathering Of Hearts” on Aug 24 and 25 at CHC’s Jurong West premises. Alumni were seen exchanging hugs, engaging in long and deep conversations, and taking selfies. For many overseas alumni—300 flew in from all over the world for this reunion—this was the first time they returned since graduation.
#6 BABY DEDICATION CLASS
In May, CHC launched Baby Dedication Classes to help parents with young babies understand the significance of dedicating their newborn to the Lord. At the same time, they hear from experienced parents who are leaders in the church on the joys and challenges of parenting. These classes are held prior to the biennial Baby Dedication services.
