“For a great door and effectual is opened unto me” (1 Corinthians 16:9a). The Lord has opened a new door of Gospel ministry to Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church, namely The Gethsemane Care Ministry.
This work belongs to the Lord, for He has opened the way to begin this special outreach to ex-addicts and ex-convicts. The following account is written to testify of the Lord’s gracious, providential leading that led to this ministry.
Around the year 2000, the Lord brought to Gethsemane BP Church some ex-addicts who were saved through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord not only saved them from their sins, but also strengthened and guided them through the truth of His Word that they have become useful Christians for His glory.
We have witnessed their spiritual progress and fruitfulness in the work of the Lord. Five of them have already entered the full-time service of the Lord. Four of them, after being trained in Far Eastern Bible College, serve the Lord actively. They are Pr Daniel Lim (preacher for Gethsemane BPC Chinese service), Rev Paul Cheng (Pastor of Bethel BP Church), Rev Reggor Galarpe (Pastor of Gethsemane BP Mission Church, Cebu, the Philippines), Pr Kelvin Lim (Gethsemane Children’s Ministry) and Pr Jeremiah Sim (Seniors’ Ministry). Today, we have more than a dozen people whom the Lord has gloriously saved from their addictions worshipping with us in Gethsemane.
In recent years, it has become more apparent to us that a fundamental Christian ministry to the drug addicts and convicts is lacking in Singapore. Thus far, to the best of our knowledge, almost all the Christian ministries are either charismatic or neo-evangelical in their doctrine and practice. With so many brethren of the same doctrinal convictions on board, the Lord put a burden in my heart to see a Bible-believing, fundamental Christian ministry being set up by Gethsemane BP Church.
So, when Rev Paul Cheng (Pastor of Bethel BP Church, then a member in Gethsemane BP Church) shared with me his burden to start a new ministry to help former drug addicts to grow in the Lord and integrate into the society through Christian fellowship and honest work, I urged him to work with Gethsemane BP Church to start a fundamental Christian witness in this area. After prayer and considerations, Rev Paul returned to express his readiness to co-labour with the church.
Gethsemane BP Church’s Session prayerfully and carefully deliberated on this new opportunity and unanimously decided to begin and support this work, and named it “The Gethsemane Care Ministry”. In 2005, the Session decided to accept Rev Paul’s service in this area, and appointed him as the church’s full-time staff to co-labour with Pastor and the Session. Rev Paul co-ordinated the activities of the ministry and co-labour with Pastor to provide the pastoral care to those who come to this ministry.
In 2008, when Rev Paul was called by the Lord to serve in Bethel BP Church, the church Session appointed Pr Daniel Lim to lead the work of TGCM. He has since been serving as a counsellor to the brethren who have entered TGCM’s gates, and continues to co-labout with Pastor in this ministry.
Dear reader, we covet your sincere prayers and whole-hearted support for this ministry. We give ourselves into this ministry, knowing that only Christ’s love and truth can fully liberate those who are in the bondage of sinful addictions. We have seen the power of the Gospel at work in the lives of many former addicts and former convicts. So it is high time for us to rise in faith and true dedication to enter this ministry for His glory.
We implore your loving support for this glorious work of the Lord. (Please send your gifts to Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church. Cheque may be made payable to Gethsemane B-P Church; and please write Gethsemane Care Ministry at the back of your cheque). “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).