2010 - The Year That Was

by Flor Esteban

As we usher in 2011, let's take a quick look at our key events last year in photos...

Thank you, Lord, for making 2010 a blissful year for Eaglepoint Penang!

Happy New Year!

Connectedness Precedes Change

by Shaynne Ricarte

Sunday is one of the days to celebrate God’s wonderful works. A day of encountering Christ with our brothers and sisters in the Lord: believing, belonging and becoming.

This Sunday’s preaching was a continuation of our series: “CONNECT”

Pastor GP shared with us on how to be connected with each other. He mentioned the 4Ps:

1.     Purpose – as mentioned in the previous blog (last Sept by Ate Flor), “Purpose defines why we exist.” Which, I believe is to honor and serve God. There are a lot of ways we can serve God. Good deeds, perhaps. Well, that should be the default status of a Christian. To be in a deeper connection, one more way is to make disciples. Matthew 28:19 instruct us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” One is to be a disciple, and another is to disciple.

2.     Pattern – is something that one can follow. It is repeated, duplicated and passed on. And as one family, our pattern is believing (seeking growth), belonging (sharing with a group), and becoming (serving others with our God-given gifts).

3.     Practice – refers to the process/actions that we do consistently to bring about the intended outcome. We’ve had several practices in our denomination: One2One, Victory Weekend, Life Group, and a couple more which I am really looking forward to: G2KU (Getting to Know You) and Spiritual Family Weekend. Practice also brings about 3 benefits:

a.     Practice makes perfect – of course, this is the formula. Remember how the kids performed a dance number during the Church Anniversary? It took a lot of practice to synchronize, memorize and choreograph that very lively dance (KUDOS kids and to the teachers). And the outcome? Well, we all enjoyed it, I’m sure.

b.     The more we master the practice, the closer we are to the purpose – it was every Sunday that the kids went through the dance steps. But they wouldn’t have wanted to do it, had they not known what it was for. Maybe for the 8-10 year olds, they understood that it was for the anniversary presentation. For the 5-7 year olds, it could have just been “play time” for them. For the 4year olds and younger, well, I am not sure. But in their young minds, their purpose was achieved: to dance in front of a crowd in a night of partying.

c.      We reap what we practice, not what we preach – unless we practice what we preach, intentions will remain intentions if we do not act on it. One of the golden table manners I teach Chloe is “Do not talk when your mouth is full.” But sometimes I notice how I also tend to ask her questions when she is chewing her food. Sometimes, I even have a spoonful of rice in my mouth. If I continue this practice, I will not be able to reap the right purpose that I preach my kid, which is, good table manners.

4.     People – hmmm…  Pastor GP has not discussed this yet. He said that this would be for next Sunday. Now this is something to look forward to.

See you this Sunday!

5th Eaglepoint Penang Anniversary

by Flor Esteban

I love celebrating milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries. It’s an opportunity to thank God, reflect on the past and look forward to the future with hope. Last Sunday was our church, Eaglepoint Penang, 5^th anniversary with the theme “Defined by You”. A song of the same title happens to be one of my favorite songs (“…Jesus I’m defined by you. I am who you say I am…”). It was an exciting moment, a great bonding experience, and most of all, a celebration of the growth of God’s kingdom. Thank you Lord, for your wonderful blessings and for bringing us to where we are today. We give you back all the glory!


The anniversary celebration was held in Setia Pearl Island Country Club, specifically at Pearl Palace Restaurant. When we got there at 5:15pm, there was a flurry of activity in the place. Hurriedly, we set up the registration booth. Then the guests started coming in. It was so nice to see people dressed up for a night of merriment. The turn out of guests was amazing as we were able to fill 24 tables (that is, 240 guests) as expected. It was another rare occasion where we got to see our friends’ friends and their families. We’re glad too that pastors from Every Nation and other churches came to grace the occasion.

A night of celebration it was! The entertainment was provided by Danzity, the youth, Kids Church, and would you believe - our special guest! Also, James’ joke was a “sell out”! I thought the ice breaker made the guests feel at ease. We had raffle draw. Generous church members donated the prizes.

Our special guest, Pastor Scott Douma from Every Nation Japan, reminded us that Jesus must be the center of everything and that the reason for the celebration was Jesus.

A big thank you to everyone for making the event successful.

Lord, thank you so much for the work that you have done in Eaglepoint Penang! 

"Go Out!"

by Shaynne Ricarte

For those of us who were not able to attend the joint Sunday church service in KL, we were not at all left empty. No, we weren’t. In fact, thanks to Pastor Steve Wheeler, we were spiritually nourished with God’s word. The Music Team joyfully led us in our praise and worship and Kuya Joule Bonus excitingly encouraged us to challenge God in blessing us by giving our tithes and offering. It was, and as always, a fulfilling Sunday. In all these, Matthew 18:20 was again manifested: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” What an Omnipresent God we serve!  

The moment we gladly gave our tithes and offering, we got more enthusiastic in hearing what God prepared for us. And if you may, please allow me to share it with you.

When someone tells you “Get out of my way!” or “Go out!” it doesn’t just disturb you, so much as it provokes you to anger, right? But when God tells you “Go out!” how does that make you feel? Challenged? Embarrassed? Guilty? Honored? Proud? Thrilled?

Well, I had mixed emotions. I was embarrassed, yet challenged by the words “Go out!” It was like saying “What are you still doing here? Move! Do something!” (I might be exaggerating that, so please excuse my overstatement).

Looking back at the story of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-32), would you have done the same thing? I mean, the walking-on-the-water part, not the sinking part. Would you also have gotten out of the boat and walked on the water? You see, most of the time we tend to stay within our comfort zone. We are afraid (humans as we are), reluctant to do something we are not used to. To quote Pastor Steve, “We are bound by fear.” Even when Peter decided to step out of the boat, I bet he had fear. But the difference is, not only did he hear God said “Come,” but he also did something about what he heard. And take note, he was the only one who responded - he got out of the boat and walked on the water! Indeed, hearing and doing are two different actions that define the result. “Speak to God and hear from God,” then “be obedient to the voice of God” and see the amazing things He will do to your life! 

To sum it all up, we can always experience God’s power, if we choose to:

1. Walk in faith

2. Respond in faith

3. Focus on God   

When the service was concluded, we found ourselves telling each other “Go out!” And somehow, that was an encouragement. A challenging one! Now that might be an odd thing to say to an unbeliever, but it should be reinforcement to a fellow Christian – who is a believer, a hearer and most importantly, a doer. Happy “doing” everyone!

Sleepover in KL

by Gabi Esteban

On our trip to KL to attend the church combined service, we stayed with a family. My mom and I met with them after the Leaders’ Meeting. Their names are Auntie Lily and Uncle Steven. For dinner they introduced us to a restaurant called Asam Place at IOI Mall. Pastor Tim co-owned it. Then we went to a wake of one of the church members who passed away.

After that we went to Auntie Lily’s house. Their house is very big and well decorated. It has 2 floors. When we reached there we saw their four children: Arthur (9), Esther (7), Victoria (6), and Victor (4). Our room was small but nice. It was like staying in a hotel room! There were small body wash, lotion and shampoo bottles too. There was also LCD TV in the room. We had a good sleep.

L-R: Gabi, Mama, Esther, Victoria

In the morning they served us wanton mee. When I finished, I played scrabble with the children. The maid also gave me bitter medicine made from turmeric. Auntie Lily asked me to try turmeric extract because she heard me coughing while we were eating. The food was quite salty so I coughed. When we started to leave for the combined church service Aunty Lily asked us to take home the shampoo and body wash bottles.

L-R: Arthur, Victoria, Esther, Victor

In the living room

On our way to church we listened to Christian kids music. It helped me memorize the fruit of the spirit. In the church we saw Esther, Veronica and other kids sing and dance to “Tell the World”. 

Before the kids' performance

Singing and dancing

I’m very grateful that the Wong family volunteered to host my mom and me. 

Thank you, Uncle Steven and Auntie Lily!

With Uncle Steven and Auntie Lily

Combined Celebration

by Flor Esteban

For the first time, the 3 Eaglepoint churches in Malaysia located in Puchong, Damansara and Penang gathered for a combined service in KL a week ago. On October 23 (Saturday) more than 50 people (including kids) traveled to KL by bus (chartered by the church) and private cars to attend it.The bus carrying 36 people left Penang at 7am and arrived at Sunway Pyramid shortly before 1pm; we had lunch there. 

By 3pm, we were ready to go to Eaglepoint Puchong church for the Leaders’ Meeting with no less than Pastor Steve Murrell, the President of Every Nation Churches and Ministries, as the speaker. Pastor Steve is also the Senior Pastor of Victory in Manila, Philippines. I always look forward to Pastor Steve’s speech/preaching because his messages are simple, yet very powerful.

Upon reaching the church in Puchong, we looked around and met new people.  It was like stepping into a familiar but bigger church. I felt welcome immediately. Then the man we’ve been all waiting for arrived.

His talk centered on how to make disciples using the "same ole boring strokes". Wow, another great learning experience for me! (key takeaways below) 

1. We think of making disciples as a course to make believers become better Christians but when Jesus issued his mandate “The Great Commission”, he was referring to reach out to lost people (those who don’t know Jesus) so that they would know Jesus and follow him.

2. Build relational bridges strong enough to bring the TRUTH across. We should be sensitive about where people are in their relationship with Jesus, that is, speak the TRUTH in love. 

3. There is not one method (no master’s way) in reaching out to people. 

4. Jesus made his guests (tax collector, sinners) felt welcome. We can do the same. Let’s make our guests feel welcome (not feel weird) to build relationship.

5. The souls of our neighbors are more important than our curtains (welcome smokers into our homes). We’ll never know where our friends’ visits will lead to – another birthing place!

6. Stick with relationships until. Don’t give up. Believe that God can break through.

7. Build bridges. We can’t be like the older brother in the Parable of the Lost Son who didn’t run after his younger brother.

8. Somebody left the 99 in the Parable of the Lost Sheep to engage your world. Are you going to do likewise?

Pastor Steve also reminded us to keep walking with Jesus. It’s a common thing these days that in our quest to do religious routines/good works we lost track of Jesus. Or look for things in our relatives or loved ones that only Jesus can give.

After that inspiring message, we were introduced to our hosts for the night. Our KL spiritual families welcomed 34 Penang guests into their homes.  

The following day, Sunday, was the combined service at Taylor’s University College Lakeside Campus.  It was heartwarming to see so many people gathered in one place to worship God,  fellowship with one another and shared the stage. Also, we got a glimpse of Eaglepoint KL's various ministries and witnessed the addition of more than 40 members to their spiritual family. Praise God!

Once again, we’re blessed to have Pastor Steve preached that day. He gave another moving message. I like his story about Saul’s transformation (Acts 1) from being a sinner to becoming a great preacher and disciple with many followers. He received God’s power to be a witness. Pastor Steve’s illustration of how we can have a wiki-Life Group or wiki-church was also an eye opener. I looked up the work “wiki” and learned that it’s from Hawaiian word wiki-wiki  ‘quick-quick’.

1) A life-changing encounter with Jesus.

2) An encounter with Ananias (an ordinary person) who will build a foundation in our lives.

3) An encounter with Barnabas (an apostle) who will mentor us beyond the basics.

So let’s encourage one another and just minister until someone taps us on the shoulder (either Ananias or Barnabas). God could use anybody who has the Holy Spirit in him. It’s really simple according to Pastor Steve – just talk about God. 

Remember that what’s important to God is not what you were but who you are becoming. I choose to become someone to God!

After the combined celebration, we joined the Satay Party Fellowship. The day was capped with Eaglepoint Penang's souvenir photo with Pastor Steve and his wife Deborah and Pastor Tim.

Thanks to everyone who made this trip memorable!

Yummy, Yummy (Come and Get Me Food Hunt)

by Zoey


The 2-day event (Oct.9-10) started in Eaglepoint Puchong and ended in Country Heights in Kajang. It was participated in by working adults from our Eaglepoint churches in Malaysia.

I have lots of exciting moments during the food hunting but I would like to single out two of them.

1) Waking up at 4am (my first time) to prepare breakfast for everyone but we’re unable to finish eating it, hence I brought the food back to Penang on Sunday and finished it myself! Haha.

 2) Exploring the unknown city without the GPS and with faith we made it (3^rd place, 1 point behind the runner- up). ☺ We’re able to work as a team and completed every single task given.

James – Skillful Driver (with technique to overtake like “cheongster”)

Jacky  – Expert Navigator the KNOW Man (doesn’t even need to trip the meter to get to the pit stop)

Jessica – Brilliant Passenger (was able to juggle and answer all the Q&As with just a fingertip)

Me… hehe, I was called Joey just for that day!  So 4 J’s, together we strike!    

       

God has blessed us in so many ways, especially the times when we were about to miss the turn. We did not and we even overtook from the left lane to the right lane in just a few seconds.☺ It was very dangerous but we’re safe because we’re protected. AMEN.

There were certain places that a skillful driver has to drive a few rounds but our driver was extremely skillful that we missed the tulip. As you all know “cheongster” driving is fast, thus missed some signs and turns. We had to slow him down.

We tried so many weird dishes. Part one was the “Fu Gua Thong”.  It tastes foo (bitter) at the first sip but after that is sweet. It sounds like the Malay peribahasa, I guess “susah susah dahulu then manis manis kemudian.” Also along with the crispy pork chop... it tastes better than Taiwan pork chop!!

Part 2 - Yong Tau FU! We had 2 meals of Yong Tau Fu that day! One in Ipoh (breakfast), I still miss the hakka mee, and the second in Kajang (I hope I am right because I don’t have a very good sense of direction).  I prefer the one in Ipoh. ☺ The Kajang Yong Tau Fu is our part 2 pit stop. It has a combination of 16 different ingredients. The funny part was when the owner thought that we’re some kind of celebrities and requested us to promote his shop and in return he will give us a free meal. Remember next time we can go for a free meal. 

Part 3 - Dry meaty tea. Know what is it? Haha… Guess!

Part 4 - Favorite of everyone “I’M Loving It”… we stopped there for about half and hour. James and I were busy searching for the slogans and movies for the 40 questionnaires. I had to call up my brother to seek for his help to google for us most of the questions. At first he refused, but of course as the che che, I sure got a way to deal with him! LOL. We gave the other two a rest as they have contributed so much on the road.

Part 5 - Wow! The Convenient Soup that suited everyone’s taste at 663 restaurant (we had to do some calculation to get to this restaurant). The boss was doing his level best to explain to us how the soup works, hence we supported him greatly even though the soup taste almost the same with all sorts of different mix. ☺

Last part - the Chi Pau Kai (definition: chicken wrap paper). This was funny! Everyone’s tummy was fully utilized and bloated. Four of us only managed to eat 1 pack of Chi Pau Kai. The packet is as small as the size of a drumstick.  At the beginning the lady boss brought us 4 plates and 4 sets of cutlery as well, until she heard that 4 of us were sharing 1 packet of Chi Pau Kai. Right away she kept all the cutlery and plates. Every time she passed by our table she would stare at us with her hooded eyes.

Finally, we left for our sweet apartment. We reached Kajang Country Heights Resort at about 5pm, collected our room key and right away Jess went to sleep. We had our dinner at 6pm. Then Pastor Tim talked about INDIVIDUALISTIC and the 3Bs. Sorry I was exhausted to pay much attention but still I remember that 3Bs stand for Believe, Belong and Become. Jess had the screen shot of the white board, hence we didn’t copy the notes.

Oh ya, I almost forgot that after the Sharing we went for so-called famous SATAY KAJANG! Ermmm… not so good compared to Batu Maung’s SATAY!! We visited a few places for satay but everything was sold out and finally we found one at about 11.30pm. My battery was totally flat and I could hardly open my eyes when we reached the satay shop. But I was still having fun so I had makan satay for supper. I learned something when I spoke to a handsome guy by the name of Balan (I hope I got it correctly). I was dazed by his looks I think he eased my sleepiness a little. LOL 

He told me what is the meaning of my name in Greek:- zoe { dzo-ay’}

Strong's Lexicon: Greek Origin

- Life

- of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through Him

- life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, and to last for ever.

He also kept mentioning John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It reminds me of how much Jesus loves me and that I shall not take him for granted anymore!!

The end of first day!

Well, we slept at about 2am. Everyone woke up at 8am except me! Jess was so nice, she allowed me to take a longer sleep until 9am until I heard Jacky yelling and shouting my name outside the door. Everyone was gone for breakfast! I am still on my sweet bed! Haha. Jess dear accompanied me until I got myself dressed up! Of course, including shower. James had to pick up twice because I was not ready and they left without Jess and me for the first round. ☺ I felt guilty. We were the last ones to enter the hall for breakfast! Wow, like pop stars walking in and everyone was staring at the two of us - so Malu!

Ok this part of sharing I paid very much attention to!

Sharing by Brother Mark:

He is a perfect guy for every single lady out there… but sorry Gals. He is “HIGHLY UNAVAILABLE!” He has a wife and 3 kids. I guess this kind of guy is already extinct for quite sometime, but I believe they still exist in our church and also among Christians.

His sharing was about SUCCESS. His success in his spiritual life, his career, his wife and his family!  How he cares for the church, how he cares for his wife, how he cares for his kids and how he cares for his subordinates. Very interesting sharing! Jess snapped photos while he was sharing.

What success means to you? What success is to you? What I have learned?

From the sharing of Bro Mark, I realized that I am a very demanding person. I request for perfection all the time in my life.  Sometimes it comes to a point when something fails I would turn incredibly disappointed!  Sometimes I missed the opportunity because I did not learn how to appreciate!

The other learning that I got:

- Take things easy and let the LORD lead us on our path.

- Don’t be disappointed when something fails because God will have a better plan for us!

- Always be grateful and thankful for what we have and not to ask for more!

- Leave everything in God’s hands, follow his commands and we will be blessed fruitfully!

- Don’t miss the opportunity to serve and to contribute even in small matters.

- Never walk in our own ways (individualistic) as it will definitely lead us nowhere!

- JESUS must always be in my HEART and my HEART must always have JESUS!

THANKS JESSICA & JAMES. I had the greatest time of all!! Looking forward to the next event!

 ,

"Connected" and Leadership Nuggets

by Flor Esteban

We’ve been blessed recently with Pastor Timothy Loh’s (Senior Pastor of Eaglepoint based in KL) visit to our church last Sunday (Sept. 26). During the morning service he introduced the next preaching series “Connected”. God wants our lives to be connected – the God kind of church. He shared the 4 key words that apostle Paul used for being connected (Ephesians 4:16) : fitted, joined, supplies and working. He said that for the church to be meaningful, one must be connected with one another (for food to be meaningful, we have to eat it). Connectedness precedes change. He shared a testimony about an answered prayer because many people prayed about it.

Then, Pastor Tim spoke about 4 things that he wants everyone in the church to be connected to: purpose, pattern, practice and people. He talked at length about purpose (the first in the series) and its power. Purpose defines why we exist, it clarifies and focuses the way we live, it fuels, rallies and unleashes resources to accomplish that one thing and shakes off every distractions and noise in our lives. He emphasized that we exist to serve God, therefore, after we discern God’s purpose for our lives, we must align our ambition to it. Pastor Tim also mentioned the 3 dimensions to God’s purpose, namely, eternal, time and space and personalized. And the way we personalized the purpose of one’s life is to make disciples (what our movement is all about). Jesus makes disciples (Matthew 5:1), Jesus wants us to be a disciple (Matthew 14:27) and Jesus commands us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Let’s choose to be a disciple everyday!

But what is a disciple? A disciple is a follower of Jesus (not a borrower of Jesus!). A disciple is one who spreads the gospel, changes the world, trusts in God despite setbacks, hangs on in the midst of persecution and eventually martyrs for Christ. Thank you Lord, for your Word!

The Leaders Meeting with Pastor Tim took place in the afternoon. Once again, he shared his leadership wisdom with us but not before asking the attendees to answer 4 questions pertaining to the health of our church in Penang (what we think are our strengths, weaknesses, what changes we’d like to see and thoughts/feedback for Pastors Tim and GP).

After that, he discussed a study about some factors that define a church (worship, preaching, small group, etc.) and the importance of addressing the weakest link to achieve growth. In addition, he talked about another study regarding church orientation and pastor’s role vis a vis church size. For a church our size (0-150 attendees), relationship is of paramount importance and the pastor’s role is more like a shepherd. As the church grows, other components such as structures and programs need to take place and the pastor takes on additional roles (planner, communicator) for the church to be successful. Pastor Tim asked, “So how good are we at relationship?” He stressed that there can be no shortcut; a structure can’t hold for a long time without relationship at the core. 

Moreover, he gave us a glimpse of next week’s preaching series #2, Pattern. A pattern is reproducible and transferrable. He reminded us of Eaglepoint and Every Nation’s purpose to make disciples and the need to align our culture (the pattern) to it: Believe (discover a life with God), Belong (discover a life with others) and Become (discover a life with a purpose).

My other take aways from the said meeting are:

1)    Leader = servant

2)    Bring 3Bs into the life of others

3)    Relationship = Care

4)    CARE is Concern, Acceptance, Remember, Encourage

5)    3Cs for new comers to church – care, connect, contact

6)    Connect by generation, geography, gifting or grace

7)    Chemistry is important in Life group

8)    Why Life Group? Discover life with God, life with others and life with a purpose

9)    In Life Group, share about life, heart, truth and vision (church)

10)  Be a disciple first, then, make disciples.

  

Thanks, Pastor Tim, for the leadership nuggets that you imparted to us! 

Mid-Autumn Celebration

by Flor Esteban

My family has been in Penang for more than 3 years now, and have witnessed countless local celebrations from different cultures - Chinese, Malay and Indian. Last Sunday night, we were able to take active part in the Mid Autumn Festival (a.k.a. Lantern Festival, Moon Cake Festival) sponsored by the Community at Heart ministry. What a great experience!

We got to church shortly after six; our spiritual family and friends were milling around waiting for the program to start. Danzity opened the “show” with a dazzling performance by Shaun (the choreographer) and company. Next, Grace who celebrated her birthday the day before was presented with a birthday cake. Pastor GP told everyone just before dinner that the winners of the “Best Dressed” competition will be announced later.

Then, it was time for makan. It was another "potbless" gathering, so people came with food – all sorts of dishes and the traditional food, mooncake. While people were enjoying the “feast” at the back, the photo shoot (mostly with kids) was also going on near the stage

After feeding the body, came the feeding of the soul by hearing God’s word through Pastor Charles Curtis. He came to Penang with his wife, Jane, and the Every Nation Church Singapore (ENCS) Mission Team. He talked about Psalm 119:105 where it says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” No matter how small our light is, it can shine brightly in the dark and bring comfort (to the weary travelers).  And if I may add, let’s always take with us the light-giving word wherever we go so we don’t slip with our feet. Pastor Charles also spoke about people as salt of the earth and the many uses of salt (e.g. heals, preserves). He also said something that struck me, “Salt does not draw attention to itself but to the food or thing that it enhances.” I can still remember Pastor Charles’s moving story about the boastful donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. It was a good reminder to us all - to draw people to Jesus not to us.

Hmmm, what happened next? Oh, yes, Pastor Jojo and Ida who were celebrating their 24^th wedding anniversary were also surprised with a cake. We sang Happy Anniversary to the tune of Happy Birthday for lack of appropriate song to sing haha. How creative can you get!

And the winners of the Best Dressed of the night are shown below. 

 

Finally, the Lantern Walk! Each one was given a colorful paper lantern  and a candle. Then with the lighted lanterns, we walked to the waterfront opposite Queensbay Mall to admire the beautiful seaside view, the Penang Bridge and, of course, the bright moon.