Blog 6: Attending a Church

       On Good Friday my host family invited my fellow Zhu Xin and me to attend a church. Seeing it as a good opportunity to be exposed to a new culture, I decided to go this time. It turned out to be a fascinating experience and I was deep impressed by the church’s modern facilities, the speakers and the atmosphere.

       The most impressive thing to me was that the church, which I stereotyped as old and ancient, in fact was a quiet modern one. First, the exterior of the building was well designed. The wall was painted pale, with a dark brown slogan” God is Lord” above the bright and broad glass door, which reminded me of some coffee bar. Second, the auditorium was capacious and bright, much newer and more attractive compared to any auditorium in NUS that I had ever been to. Modern instruments and other electronic devices were neatly displayed on the platform, and there were three big screens on the wall to provide best visual effect. Finally, even the toilets were in rather good condition. Besides its cleanness and good ventilation, plants were placed there as a decoration. In short, the church was in very good condition.

       Another thing that amazed me was the speakers that day. There was a young couple and an entrepreneur who delivered their speeches respectively. At first the couple grabbed my attention simply because the female looked sweet and attractive. But later, when they shared their life experience and how God blessed them through their life, I was deep moved by their faith and their harmonious relationship. However, it was the speech of Elim Chew, a distinguished entrepreneur who founded the clothes store 77^th street, that impressed me the most. Not performing well in school when young, Elim Chew had an ambition of becoming a millionaire, which would never come true according to her teachers. Years later, however, the woman eventually achieved her dream. In her speech, she told of how God helped her get over the obstacles on her way to success and it was very impressive. All in all, I was really amazed by the stories of the speakers.

       Apart from the facilities and the speakers, the special atmosphere in the church also left an impression on me. The church started with the orchestra performing some pieces of peaceful songs and people greeting each other around them, which brought along a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere. Moreover, the process involved some interactions between the audience and those who were on the platform, like singing songs together, so that everyone took part. Besides this, The climax of the church was at the end, when all the people stood on their feet and sang melodious songs about God and the auditorium was filled with holly and peaceful air. Briefly, the unique atmosphere of the church impressed me.

       To conclude, this experience of attending the church was a really amazing one, through which I learned more about Singapore’s culture, especially in terms of religion. However, immersed in such a multi-cultural society with vibrant religious influence, we should be cautious about our own beliefs rather than simply give in to any of these religion groups.