It’s the Marketplace Ministry, reloaded. Over 100 entrepreneurs and business owners turned up at the recent Business Owner Fellowship gathering, harbinger of the official launch of CHC’s Marketplace Ministry in May 2016.
CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan
After a hiatus of about five years, City Harvest Church’s Marketplace Ministry will be re-launched this month.
“We really want to reboot and restart CHC’s Marketplace Ministry to be better, stronger, purer, more effective and more efficient. We want to start chapters all throughout the business hubs in the country so that we can have ‘in-reach’ to strengthen each other, and outreach so that wherever God has planted us, we can be a witness for Jesus, and give opportunities for people to come to know Jesus,” said CHC’s senior pastor Kong Hee at the recent Business Owner Fellowship meeting on Apr 20.
The event, held at GoroGoro Restaurant at Orchard Gateway@Emerald during teatime, saw a turnout of 103 business owners and self-employed professionals.
Social entrepreneur Elim Chew, also the digital marketing advisor for GoroGoro, told the attendees of how God had led her to thrive in the fashion retail scene in Singapore and China in the past decades, especially through her streetwear chain 77th Street, and now, the F&B scene.
Explaining that the motivation behind her entrepreneurial ventures has always been to provide jobs, Chew also shared about FastFast, her newly launched crowdsourcing delivery app, which gives retirees or those unable to find employment an opportunity to earn money.
Chew will also be receiving an award at the first-ever Women Economic Forum, this month in India. The Forum is a global women leadership event organised by the ALL Ladies League, an Indian non-profit organization promoting empowerment of women.
Next, business owner and lay pastoral supervisor Ee Boon Kiat that he had had a vision of owning his own business and God brought it to pass. From enduring almost zero sales, Ee experienced a breakthrough sales contract that led to what is today a multi-million dollar regional business. Biblical principles of sowing and reaping, patience and generosity as well as confidence in God’s Word, he explained, are the core values that has anchored him to serve diligently in the house of God, even as he was busy growing his business over the last 10 years.
In a short message, Kong likened the anointing on business owners to that of the anointing on apostles in fivefold ministry. “The same anointing in the kingdom of God applies in the marketplace,” he said. “If you’re an analyst who forecasts market trends, you’re like a prophet; if you’re in sales, you’re like an evangelist; if you’re a manager, you’re like a pastor; and if you are in coaching or training, you are like a teacher.”
He exhorted the audience to put their faith in the authority of God’s Word to overcome the challenges they face in their businesses. The meeting closed after a time of prayer for breakthroughs and growth.
The meeting served to encourage those who were Christians in the marketplace. “I enjoy connecting with like-minded business people, and it’s especially good to know that we have other Christian brothers and sisters, all working together for the glory of God,” said Linda Ling, founder and CEO of Hosanna Global Enterprise Inc.
The Marketplace Ministry will be officially launched at the CHC 2.0 Marketplace Dinner to be held on May 13 at Suntec Singapore. It is open to all working adults in CHC. To register, log on to chc.org.sg/marketplace.
