On Facebook yesterday, I updated my status as follows:
breaking news! Paya Lebar Methodist Church will be having a new PIC. He is none other than old boy Rev Dr Jonathan Seet. Welcome home, Rev Seet :-)
Stan responded as follows:
So you'll be ending your sabbatical pretty soon? ;-)
To which I replied:
hey, you know me too well already :-)
Those of you who have been following my blog for some time will know that I have been on sabbatical leave from my church since July 2008 because of the lack of spiritual food. You can read the 2 letters I wrote to the senior pastor of my church at the following links:
Taking a Sabbatical
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2008/07/taking-sabbatical.html
Extending the Sabbatical
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2009/08/extending-sabbatical.html
Well, praise be to God that while the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, my sabbatical is only going to last 17 months :-)
Here is a letter that I have written to officially inform the (outgoing) senior pastor of my church of this change in membership status...
28 November 2009
Rev Peter Koh
Pastor-in-charge
Paya Lebar Methodist Church
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I refer to the letters which I sent you on 2 July 2008 and 1 August 2009 with regards to my sabbatical.
I am pleased to inform you that through a series of circumstances, God is indicating to me to end my sabbatical with effect from 1 January 2010.
First and foremost, both my children will be with The Next Generation (“TNG”), which is thriving under Rev Reuben Ng. My daughter has made lots of new friends and has settled in very well, while my son just came back from the ConnecTiNG Camp (meant to assimilate the Primary 6s), said he enjoyed himself and is also looking forward to establishing roots there too. We should all be worshipping in the same church as a family unit, rather than for us parents to be going to NewCre and for them to be in TNG.
Secondly, Rev Dr Jonathan Seet is an old boy of PLMC and knows our church’s heartbeat and rich heritage and tradition. His family and mine have known each other for decades; he knows my 3 sisters and I, his 2 brothers. I am very sure that under his pastoral leadership, PLMC will be taken to even greater heights.
Thirdly, after the recent 34th TRAC session's Closing Service, all of the church leaders who were there (Doris, Robert, Edward, Choon Seng and Roger) warmly shook my hand as a way of indicating that they want to leave the past behind and look forward to the future. After all, all of them have seen me growing up in PLMC and know that my heart is, and will always be, with the church of my forefathers.
In this connection, please find attached my pledge card, duly completed, for the church office’s further action, effective 1 January 2010.
In closing, please allow me to wish you all the best in your ministry. Even though there may have been unpleasant events that have taken place in the past 4 years, I have nothing against you personally because I know you sincerely meant well for my church. By the same token, I trust you likewise will not hold anything against me because you should also know I sincerely want the best for my church as well, and in fact even more so than you!
After all, if someone like you (who was here for only 4 years), or Rev Barnabas Chong (who was here for just 19 months) can have the heart for PLMC, what more someone who has been here for more than 40 years? I am sure you know that my family has been worshipping here for the past 5 generations (ever since my great-granddad served as the pastor to our Peranakan congregation in the 1950s) and my dad wants to see that legacy continue.
Also, that invitation that I extended to you in January 2007 to take you out to lunch still holds. I hope you will find it in your heart to take up this sincere offer before you leave for Living Hope Methodist Church at the end of 2009.
Yours-in-Christ
Malcolm Loh
cc.
Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup, TRAC President
XXX XXXXX XXXX, PPRSC Chairperson
XX XXXXXXX XX, LCEC Chairman
XX XXXXX XXX, Layleader
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