M
ministry
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. — Matthew 9:13
Think of Visitation and Cancer Support. Think of Bereavement and Prisons ministries. Think of love and mercy extended to the marginalised. This is the Mercy Ministry.
Mercy is at the heart of God’s character. Being made anew in Christ does not mean that we do not struggle with sin or are sinless. We are now beloved children of God only through atonement by Christ’s blood.
We live to showcase God’s gospel. Just as God showed us mercy through His Son, we too now extend His mercy to others. We do not strive to be their saviours. But through acts of mercy, we point them to the only true Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
ARPC’s outreach of mercy dates back to the 1990s when Pastor Christopher Chia ministered at The Help- ing Hand.
In 2009, Prison Fellowship Singapore invited the church to partner them in providing In-Care for in- mates. This work later extended to Aftercare Fellowship (Brothers’ And Sisters’ Keepers—BASK). Since 2009, God has grown the Mercy Ministry to include the Bereavement, Cancer Support, Visitation and Prisons (In- care and Aftercare) ministries. In 2014, a women’s team also started ministering in Changi Women’s Prison.
I have only started serving in Mercy Ministry, but have already seen the wonderful working of God’s hand in using many of us as vessels to minister to others. The sick are vulnerable, depressed and often looking for hope. Modern medicine has moved leaps and bounds, but it has never changed the fact that we need to depend on our Lord, as so many things are still beyond our understanding. God uses us as His vessels to reach out and comfort the sick, to remind them that we need our Lord more than ever. “Proverbs 3:5—6 says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.’
Being a drifter away from God for 20 years, I am glad the BASK ministry was the one I chose to guide me back to Him. Through this ministry, I saw how God’s loving hands transformed lives. All of us have our own past and come from different backgrounds. But the moment we gather for fellowships, our past don’t matter as we unite together in our hearts and support each other through this journey. Looking forward to continue my Christian faith journey with BASK in 2024 and beyond.
The MM BASK Ministry exemplifies the grace God’s family accords each other, and points all of us to His own grace. I am a humble recipient of its authenticity and hospitality, and have learned repentance from my brothers’ and sisters’ mentorship. The tireless, self-sacrificial love I witness strengthens my faith in God’s faithfulness, and with Christ at the centre, our family’s hope is unshakeable.