Frontliners for Christ

Alicia Lim Wai Wen – PJS1, is a twenty-three-year-old with two younger brothers. She lives in Bukit Tinggi, Klang and has been in DUMC for six years now. She is a student at Monash University and is in her fifth year studying for a double Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Bioscience and Pharmacy.

I joined the ushering team in my second year in DUMC. There was no specific prayer involved since it was solely my choice to serve. Interestingly, I chose to serve in this ministry because I thought the red jackets worn by our ushers, prior to the current generational trend of a simple under-stated black t-shirt that says ‘Ready To Serve’, were quite cool, nice and looked fun to wear as the ushers moved about during their duties. They reminded me of the fashion statement often made by cabin crews since I had always wanted to try out for a job as a flight attendant.

I asked a few people on the team about their experience of serving in the ministry and also watched my then NextGen (DUMC’s young adult connect group) leader who was part of the team. Everyone I encountered spoke with excitement and gave lots of encouragement making me feel welcome. It gave me a sense of belonging and an increasing urge to be a part of the team. Since then, I have been approached to serve as a Team Leader, which I did not agree to right off the bat since it meant more responsibilities and a higher level of commitment. Living in Klang and having to rely on my parents for transport, it was difficult for me to make a decision when I had a lot to consider.

After praying and committing the matter to God, my Team Leader placed me on probation for the position. God, in his faithfulness, began to put things into place for me. I was able to start driving to church accompanied by my younger brother.  I found I had more free time and my brother joined the team as well to help out with some of the responsibilities. At this point I knew there were no more excuses. There was no more running away and in obedience to my call, I agreed to become a Team Leader. God knows what my abilities are and that His plans are greater. Since taking up this leadership role, I have learnt many valuable skills that are not only applicable in church and  in my studies, but also in my work place as I took up a part-time job. I find myself a lot calmer and able to adapt faster in new environments. My prayer life has improved, and there was a maximum push in my relationship with God as I have had to pray for every detail and decision during the weekend celebrations to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Alex Tung – PJN1, works as a lawyer and has been serving in the ushering ministry since 2008, shortly 

As part of DUMC’s relocation, there was a call for volunteers to step up and step into many roles. My CG members and I heard the call and chose to answer it in obedience. Since then I have volunteered in many ministries over the years but have always retained ushering as one of the   I choose to serve in. My motivation to serve in this ministry a decade ago remains my motivation to serve today and that is the pursuit of humility. I think that pride is a malignant sin and I believe that it is the first sin of man. This most dangerous sin, if left unchecked, can be and will be a catalyst to many other sins. Hence, I am convinced that it is vital to keep one’s ego in check and for me, being able to humble myself to serve others as an usher helps me to keep a close walk with God. I am a long way from being able to consider myself ‘sufficiently humble’, a term which in itself stands as an oxymoron. Until then I am convicted that the ushering ministry remains an avenue to pursue humility and to serve others which is in line with the life of Christ as well as part of the five core habits and tagline of DUMC.

Mah Peak Hoay – KL, is a Contracts Director. She is married with three daughters and has been attending DUMC for the past seven years.

I attended a volunteer preview session three years ago but I did not seem to fit into any of the ministries listed during the preview. Someone suggested that I should try out in the Connectors ministry. To me it seemed like a good place to start volunteering since there was no preparation work to be done. I thought all I had to do was to turn up, prepare the space, and serve the visitors who came by — which was what I did — easy peasy lemon squeezy! In the beginning, I served mainly in the food and beverages team, but began to slowly engage in conversations with the visitors. And I knew it was not going to be as easy as the first look. 

Many of the visitors were easy-going and friendly; however, there were some who either posed hard questions or were facing personal issues with Christians and/or churches. Those were the times I would find myself having to dig deep for wisdom and discernment as well as discovering an increasing need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit during a conversation.

When I first decided to volunteer, I did not pray about it in the traditional sense since it was a straightforward decision to serve. But when I was asked to lead our team this year, I asked God if there was any   I should not take it up. There were no thunderbolts or impressive lightning strikes, neither was there an audible reply from God. Instead there was a comforting and deep assurance within me that IT was the right thing to do at the right time. In a natural sense, being a connector did not seem like the right ministry for me since I am not naturally a ‘talker’ and most times I find it hard to speak off-the-cuff if not for the Spirit’s leading.

One defining moment happened a few months after I started serving. We were still occupying the visitor’s lounge at the time, now turned into our amazing Village Coffee. It was a seemingly routine moment when Senior Pastor Chris Kam came over to talk to a group of visitors. After a while I felt a change in the atmosphere, heavy with the awesome presence of God. The very place seemed to quieten down as the Senior Pastor led two of the visitors to the Lord. The following week, he led another visitor to the Lord. Those were eye-opening experiences for me, to see how God moved in such a powerful way even in a ministry as simple as serving visitors. I am now convicted that we all have our own little part to play in serving the wider family of God.