happenings@navsingA New Director for Singapore

Dear Navigator family and friends,

You may have heard by now that the Navigators in Singapore have gone through a season of prayer and waiting on the Lord for his choice of our next National Director (ND) to take over the helm when I complete my two terms (eight years) in November 2009.

Singapore Navigators staff met last January 19-21 to conclude the process that began more than a year ago. The mantle of leadership has been passed on to US Navigator Doug Erdmann. Doug is currently the Director in charge of the US Navigators Central and East Collegiate ministries. A lawyer by training, Doug is married to Joyce. They have five children. We will introduce him more later.

We began this three-part process more than a year ago. First, the staff prayerfully reflected on our current critical needs and our long-term vision. In the second phase, we surfaced potential candidates whom we felt could lead us into the next phase of the work. Eventually by September 2008, three possibilities emerged, namely Yap Kim Meng (Singapore), Wency Dela Viña (The Philippines) and Doug Erdmann (USA) for selection by a Selection Council. In the final phase, the staff met to prayerfully listen to God, reflect on the Word, and discuss long-term goals and desired qualities of a new director. The Selection Council, consisting of International President Mike Treneer, Asia Director Alan Ch’ng and his Asia Executive Team member Dave Anderson, current National Director Thomas Chua and former National Director Wong Kim Tok, then retired to pray and deliberate on the staff preferences. The appointment of Doug Erdmann was announced on the final day.

Also present during the final three days were Karen Anderson, Intercessory Prayer leaders Lee Brase (International) and Teng Yang (Asia), former Singapore National Director Jim Chew, and of course, the three candidates.

We humbly acknowledged that the success (or failure) of any ministry lies not only in the hands of the leader, but also on the kind of partnership and support he receives from his team. The choice of leadership should be the Lord’s choice without preset prejudice or preference, and on the one who has the calling and gifting to take us to the next phase of our Navigator history in Singapore.

So we now begin a new page of our national history.

Thank you for your partnership and concern and for sticking with us all these years. Certainly there will be a time of adjustment but we are looking forward with excitement and anticipation for what the Lord is going to lead us into in the next decade.

Please pray for us and feel free to dialogue with us. We value your comments, thoughts, questions, ideas, and partnership. We are keeping the communications line open.

You can address your email to coms@navigators.org.sg

With you… for him,Thomas ChuaNational Director v

The Erdmann family (from left to right) Doug, Heather, Jessica,

Tucker, Ashley, Justin and Joyce

wef November 2009

happenings@navsing

I met God at the El-Shaddai Conference

by Aurelia L. Castro

“I met God at the El-Shaddai Conference over the weekend. You know how sometimes you go to a conference

expecting a theme of some sort – revival, prayer, worship, breakthrough, – but at the end you realise you got the better end of the deal just knowing that you’re there just to be in intimacy with God?” said Rae Huang Weiting, a Navigator student from the National University of Singapore.

Some 800 participants from different churches attended the conference and about 1,400 people came for the Michael Card concert organised by NavMedia, the materials arm of the Navigators Singapore, together with B.L.E.S.S. Christian Book Store and Covenant Evangelical Free Church (CEFC).

Best known for his song, “El-Shaddai,” theologian, Christian singer, composer, and book author Michael Card said, “God has so many names because he is too big to be known by just one name... and because he wants to be known by us.”

In a career that spans 25 years, Card has recorded over 20 albums, authored or co-authored over 14 books, hosted two radio programmes, and written for a wide range of magazines. His song “El-Shaddai” was named one of the “365 Songs of the Century” by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001. The El-Shaddai conference was held 6-7 February 2009 at CEFC. v

Global Day of Prayer 20093pm and 7.14pm . 31 May 2009 . Singapore Expo Halls 8 & 10 . http://www.gdop.sg

The NavAlumni seeks to reconnect, build a network, rekindle passion for disciplemaking, refire the vision of the Navigators to become ‘labourers next door to everywhere’.

Alumni & FriendsC O N N E C T I O N S

by Aurelia L. Castro

Alumni Inaugural Gathering27 October 2008 . Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel

More than 100 alumni from various Navigator ministries in Singapore came, reconnected, and were challenged.

“It was a very good opportunity for me to come to know about the Navs situation and also know how I can be part of what they are doing. Since in my teens I was brought up in the Navigators through Bible studies and close follow up by my leaders. I’ve grown spiritually during my Nav days. I think it’s time that I also give back a part of what they have given me. I will be thinking about how I can contribute to the Navs,” Tan Suay Keow (Singapore Polytechnic 1979-82) v

***Jointly organised by Navigator Alumni

and Resource Development

Calling all Navigator alumni

Halftime Vision Casting @NavAlumni

Saturday 11 April 2009, 2 – 6 pmNavigators HQ

For more information, please contactsupra@navigators.org.sg

Rekindling the passion for disciplemaking

What “anything” and “whatever” are you asking God for?

Write to us if you have a comment or storyangel@navigators.org.sg

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Anything and Whatever (A & W) by Yap Kim Meng, Missions Director

2QuestionPonder

Navigators International President Mike Treneer recalled a train ride he had from Jakarta to Bandung, Indonesia.

Has a labourer got there yet?The train broke down in the middle

of nowhere. There were kids around the train. The face of a little girl peeped in our window. She must have been around eight or nine years old then. She looked at us and begged for food, or money. We were separated by a glass window.

What could I do? I couldn’t open the window. I couldn’t speak her language. But I prayed for her. I prayed that at some point in her life she would meet a labourer; someone who could come alongside her and tell her the gospel, the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ; that she would be able to understand from someone who can speak her language; someone whose life could be attractive for her; someone who would be able to explain and understand her issues and be able to open the Bible to her and make her see Jesus working in her life in such a way that she would know that the creator God loves her and cares for her; that she would be able to open her heart to Christ and for her to get help to grow in Christ; to have a family of her own filled by the love of Christ; and know what it means to believe in God. That’s what I longed for her. I sometimes still pray for her. She’s probably in her 20’s now.

I wonder – has that labourer got there yet? v

Cover photo: Our taxi stopped along a busy street in Jakarta. A little boy peeped in the window of our taxi begging. I prayed that a labourer would get to the little boy and his mother who was waiting for him by the side of the road. - Angeline Koh

There is a unique brand of canned drinks in Singapore marketed under the label of ‘Anything’ and ‘Whatever’. For young people it is deemed

cool to use these words as synonymous with ‘whatever choice you make for me is fine’ or ‘anything will do’.

While preparing a short motivational talk on prayer, I came across the following: “...I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:12-14 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you… the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:7,16 “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:24

Using the two cans of drinks as teaching props, these verses drove home the point that Jesus wanted his disciples pray and ask for ‘anything’ and ‘whatever’.

However, there are a few criteria – 4 Gs1. Glorify God, John 14:132. Gives us joy, John 16:243. Granted in Jesus’ name, John 16:244. Greater works, John 14:12 That troubled me as I have not been praying

that way for a while. It brought to mind the ‘Prayer of Jabez’ in 1 Chronicles 4:10 that had four components:

1. That he would bless me indeed2. That he would enlarge my coast3. That his hand may be with me4. That he would keep me from harm

“Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give human beings in your place, and peoples in place of your life.” Isaiah 43:4 “For I the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior, give Egypt as a ransom for you, Cush and Seba in your place.” Isaiah 43:3

Egypt, Cush, Seba… these were branded names in the days of Isaiah. It represented the best of those days in terms of excellence and quality. Why don’t we dare and ask God for good quality men and women who can influence others; labourers of stature who can impact the nations for Christ. O Lord, give us those kinds of people! v

by Aurelia L. Castro

Printed by Seng Lee Press Pte Ltd

The calling of The Navigators is to advance the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily be the views of The Navigators Singapore.

THE NAVIGATORS SINGAPORE • National Director: Thomas Chua • Editor / Design & Layout: Angeline Koh • Writer: Aurelia L. Castro 117 Lorong K, Telok Kurau, Singapore 425758 • Tel: (65) 6344 4133 • Fax: (65) 6344 0975 • E-mail: admin@navigators.org.sg

www.navigators.org.sg

The Communications Ministry of the Navigators Singapore together with US Navigator Paul Hensley

conducted workshops on communications in Bandung, Indonesia last 28 October – 4 November 2008.

About 14 Navigator staff members attended the workshop on newsletter writing, storytelling, photography, graphic designing, and other communication media. Those who attended came from the different regions in Indonesia. Two of them travelled 16 hours by train to attend the workshops. They made some critical decisions for the regional and over all ministry.

“Your contribution has inspired and challenged us in finding ways

to communicate in more effective ways what we are doing and also

how to better advance the gospel using different media,” said Indarto Priyono, National Administrator, The Navigators Indonesia. v

Finding better ways to communicate

asia and beyond