City Harvest Church member Evelyn Tan, better known as radio DJ Chen Qijia from 93.3FM shares her testimony of how God brought her into the media industry and how He continues to be her partner at work and life.
“I started attending Harvest Kidz when I was about 10. Back then I was a shy, overweight kid. My two older sisters Grace and Helen were saved around that time, and they brought me to City Harvest’s children’s church. I’ve been in CHC for 20 years now.
“I have always been a very ‘cheena’ kid: I love the Chinese language and Mandopop. My friends and I would watch Taiwanese dramas and variety shows, listen to Chinese music and sing together—we loved artists like SHE, FIR, Sun Yan Zi. There was a season at CHC when we invited a lot of local and Taiwanese celebrities to share their testimonies in church. I think that planted a seed in my heart. I told God I wanted to be involved in the Chinese media industry someday. After that, God impressed this desire upon my heart multiple times.
“But I didn’t enter media right after graduation. I had many dreams—one of them was to work in church. I worked in church full time for four years as a receptionist and an administrator in SOT. I loved it, especially engaging the students from China. Throughout those years, I forgot about my dream of working in Chinese media.
“Then one day, out of the blue, I saw an ad for a radio competition organised by my favourite radio station, YES 933. I felt a prompting in my heart to take part—it was the first time I had ever joined a competition. Surprisingly, I got into the finals, became a part time DJ and later, a door was miraculously opened for me to become a full-time DJ in 2019.
“However, as I became a full time DJ, I found my journey with faith in God challenged and stretched to new levels.
“My friends know that I am very much an introvert and that I prefer not to be in the limelight. Being a radio DJ and Personality requires me to take center-stage in many events. It was a steep learning curve for me, as I had to get used to being on a public platform and in front of cameras.”
FEAR OF MISSING OUT
Being someone with high expectations of myself, I also felt pressured to quickly gain more stage experience and grow my social media by creating content. In the first year, I started to pack my schedules with more and more work as well as events to attend. [Photo 7] I also do not see myself as someone with any exceptional talent, and I was afraid that if I did not have enough exposure, I would lose my relevance and end up losing opportunities.
“Unfortunately, because of the hustle lifestyle and the pressure to create a persona quickly, I became worn out mentally and physically and had a health scare. The job also distracted me from my walk with God.
“One time, after a work shoot, I was hospitalised for chest pain, fever, and gastric pain. I was in so much pain I couldn’t move my hands and for days, I couldn’t lie down and sleep. I had to do everything super slowly during the two weeks I was on sick leave. The doctor suspected pericarditis (an inflammation around the heart lining) but couldn’t detect anything unusual on my ECG and heart scan.
“Then, the doctor asked me if I was stressed. My first response was, “No, that cannot be possible… I am not worthy to feel stressed as compared to the other more successful media friends who have more accomplishments than me.” At that moment, I realised that I had been having unhealthy comparisons and finally admitted that I had been very stressed out. I had doubts about whether this was the right career path for me.
“That was when God spoke and reminded me of an encounter with Him.”
SLOWING DOWN TO MEET GOD
“Just before I was hospitalised, I attended a cell group meeting where my cell group leader Xiaoting asked us to speak out a Chinese word that God has impressed upon our hearts. For example, she chose 火 (fire) because it looks like a person holding up both his hands to worship God.
Evelyn and Cavin on their wedding day with their cell group
“Without much hesitation, I chose the Chinese word 慢which means “slow”. All my cell group members laughed because they totally agree that this was the Eve they knew. Always 后知后觉 (slow to react), someone who wants to live in a slower culture like in France or Australia.
“慢 can be broken down into four parts: 心 (heart)， 日 (day)，目(eyes)，又 (again).
“The Holy Spirit reminded me that He speaks in a still, small voice. Only when I slow down, then can my heart see God, again and again, day after day: 唯有慢下来，我的（心）才能一天（又）一天（日）的看见（目）神。
“Slowing down is very counterculture but I know God is asking me to take a step of faith to partner with Him. I believe I can achieve success slowly.
“When Pastor Kong started preaching on slow-down Christianity, it struck a chord with me and confirmed this word. For a few years, I was influenced by the hustling culture and how the world defined success. I had FOMO (the fear of missing out). By slowing down, I still work hard but now I trust in God’s perfect timing.”
GOD DOES A NEW THING
“Interestingly, things took a turn for the better after this spiritual awakening.
“During Covid, there was a sudden surge of interest in mental wellness. I was given the opportunity to create and host a podcast with celebrities and healthcare professionals to talk about this topic that’s very close to my heart. By the grace of God, when the first season was broadcast, the programme ranked in the Top 40 of Spotify’s top charts. Now we are in Season 2.
“For the past four years, even when I felt defeated, God was always faithful. For the last two years, according to Nielssen’s radio survey, my radio programme was the number one afternoon show in Singapore. I even clinched my first TV commercial with a supplement brand last year! There was always progress, praise the Lord!
“The most encouraging thing is the feedback from my listeners. They told me they felt that I was different, and my content helped them a lot. I’m living out my dream to be salt and light in the marketplace.
“I have Pastor Kong and Sun to thank for being my example of faith. This church is my safe haven. I’m also grateful for my cell group, my cell group leaders Xiaoting and Ting Ting, and my husband Cavin for being my pillars of support. They are constantly praying for me, listening to my programmes. Recently when I was nominated for the Star Awards, they also voted for me.
“God spoke to me in a very special and personal way during the recent Young Adults Retreat. Initially, I was hesitant to go but so glad I obeyed the Lord in the end. I was scheduled to share my testimony on 30 April, during the night session. During the morning worship session, God suddenly told me to check my Instagram account. I was shocked to realise that it was exactly on 30 Apr 2016 that I joined the radio competition. It felt extra significant and reassuring that God has always been there for me since the beginning of the journey and will continue to be so in the future.
“Before I entered the industry, God brought me to Psalms 37:5, “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.” The past seven years have been very emotional and challenging, but God’s grace is always enough for me.”
