New teams!

Hi guys,

Thanks for making the effort to come for the ALG Get-Together today. Things certainly didn't turn out the way we imagined it would, but I believe this is all in God's plan. I was really impressed by the mature words of Sharon Wong and Angela about getting out of the comfort zone and getting to know new people. *applause*

Having said all that, here are the key things that have transpired from our discussion today:

1. New teams
We decided to draw lots as it was the fairest way to decide the groups, since most of us opted to change rather than stay in the current team. By drawing lots, we've ended up with the following teams (I/C in CAPS):
JON, Sharon Teo, Jasmine, Aaron, CK
YEW HOCK, Sharon Wong, Debbie, Kenneth, Dominic
Angela, Matthew, Ai Ping, Jackson, Jeannie (I/C TBC)

Congratulations on having the opportunity to meet new people and grow with them. As Sharon Wong put it, when we started off this year, we were also relative strangers to our current ALG, but then grew closer in these 6 months. I believe the same will happen again.

Also psychology studies show that you can't really start with a new team until you have closure with your current team. So perhaps you guys can organise one last farewell meeting with your current ALGs to thank them properly for the blessing they've been to you, and wish them all the best in their new teams.

2. Samuel & Shirley to Marrieds
As announced some time back, Samuel and Shirley will be moving on (graduating?) to the Married ALG. Since Shirley wasn't able to join us today, we will meet after service on 18 Jun for their farewell dinner. I think Matthew, CK & Jackson should decide on the place, to make it a special occasion for their ALG. In view of that, we will meet in our new ALGs only from 20 Jun onwards, the following week.

3. Kampung Games Day
For our 2nd quarter outreach, Matthew and Jon will be organising a Kampung Games Day comprising some of the games we played as children.

Date: 10 Jul (Sun)
Time: 1-4pm
Cost for Agapeans: $10 (free for guests)
Venue: Blessing, Serangoon

Look out for the Facebook events page (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128299720583842). Let's make it as big a success as our Kinect Sports Challenge was.

4. Reminder
Finally, a gentle reminder about the purpose of ALG:
We want to help one another grow in Christ, and we do this by sharing our personal devotion, testimonies and prayer requests. After each meeting, the I/C should ensure that someone posts something (picture, summary etc.) on the Facebook page so that the rest can appreciate what is happening in the other ALGs. This should be done as soon as possible, by the next day.

Yew Hock and I would like to thank all of you for being such a participative and democratic group today. Here's to helping everyone grow even stronger in God for the rest of 2011!

Agape, Aaron & Yew Hock

Managing Discontent by Wayne Cordeiro

We had a really informal ALG session yesterday night, just sitting around eating rambutans and mangosteens. In between, we learnt about how we can handle discontent in our lives, with authentic examples from Agape's 16-year history. Matthew, Jeannie, Jasmine & I took turns to regale the newer ones with stories from the past, just so that we could all learn from how others handled discontentment, and do better for ourselves in the future.

In view of all this, I am at least partly grateful for preventive H1N1 precautions in school. I have to go earlier to school and because I want to see Jasmine off before she goes even earlier to school, I sometimes reach school at 6.35am when I'm only due at 7.10am. I mean the general office and staff room aren't even open yet! I took the cue from a Christian colleague and use the time to dedicate the day to God. I have about 10-15 minutes alone with God and also talking to fellow believers about work-related struggles. Then the staff room opens and I go in to switch on my super-slow laptop. During that five-minute wait, I proclaim to God that I intend to spend the day in His joy, and I try my best to look for His joy in all situations.

The key verse that we shared in ALG was "David encouraged himself in the Lord", probably in 1/2 Samuel/Kings. And this was when his own men wanted to kill him! I learnt that it is my responsibility for how much joy and discontentment there is in my life. I intend to complain less, as it will only result in grudges and bitterness. I will spend time in solitude with God daily, praying and reading His Word, to encourage myself in Him. And if faced with conflict, I will approach the person in nearest authority to resolve it, and not blab about it to people who can't do anything about it.