We are grateful to the Lord for His many blessings upon our Church Camp last December. As with previous years, the brethren from Calvary Jaya joined us. The Camp theme was “One in the Body of Christ”. Our thematic speaker was Rev Clement Chew, Pastor of Tabernacle B-P Church.

In his epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul aptly illustrated the unity of Christians with an analogy taken from the mutual dependence of the different parts of the human body. Paul reminded the believers that, though they were individual members of the church, they were one in the Body of Christ. This truth is reiterated in our camp theme verse: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ” (I Cor 12: 12).

The human body is a well-coordinated and complex organism. It has many members and organs with different offices but all parts of one body. Yet its various parts function harmoniously for the well-being of the whole. Similarly, the many members in the church work together for the good of the Body of Christ.

Just as there are no redundant parts in the body, every single member in the church has an important role to play. “No member could claim that it was not of the body because it is not the eye, the ear, or some other organ. Each is a part, each necessary, each set where God pleased, and all taken together make up the body” (People’s New Testament Commentary).

The campers shared that they had a profitable and meaningful time of learning during the Camp. I hope that the following camp testimony of Bro Kelvin will encourage our hearts:

I praise God for permitting Berith to hold her Church Camp annually (this is the 19th). We are thankful for the Lord’s safekeeping and the opportunity to reunite and fellowship with our brethren from Calvary Jaya who joined us for the camp at Hotel Puri, Melaka from 11-14 December.

This year, a total of 32 campers from Singapore and Malaysia were present. It was also our pleasure and privilege to welcome Rev. Clement Chew, Pastor of Tabernacle Bible-Presbyterian Church as our camp speaker, together with his wife, Sister Yu Jie.

The theme for this year’s camp is “One in the Body of Christ” based on I Corinthians 12: 12: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” Accompanying this was the theme song “Blest Be the Tie that Binds”, which aptly reflected the significance of Christian love and unity.

The introductory message on our first evening laid the foundation for the rest of the series because any Church of God must be built upon the gospel and testimony of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (I Cor 1: 6).
To promote harmony, peace and unity in the church, it is vital that members share the same Biblical convictions (v 10). As one in the Body of Christ, they also need to believe in God’s Word and desire to obey it. A self-exalting or contentious spirit often causes strife and division in the church (vv 11-13).

The remaining messages and discussions guided the campers to consider the importance of promoting unity without compromising the truth of God’s Word. Members must also examine their walk with the Lord and use their spiritual gifts to edify the Body of Christ.

I learnt that though it is important to apply God’s Word to our lives, we must not overlook doctrines as they form the very foundation of our faith and practice. Hence, doctrines are not dry nor inconsequential. A knowledge of Biblical doctrines will enable us to stand firm and to “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3-4).

We also thank God for the morning devotion messages by Pastor and Bro Maritus, as well as the children’s programme under Auntie Helen. We trust that their labour of love and service toward the Lord will not be in vain.

The youths from Calvary Jaya also benefited from Bro Ming Yau’s recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land as he shared with them his photos and led them through a quick virtual tour of Israel.

May our Lord continue to find us faithful as we end this year of 2018, and look forward to another camp next year when we can enjoy the blessedness of fellowship in Christ among like-minded brethren. (Bro Kelvin Li)

– Pastor