Joyce Tham - Eternal Life Assembly

Eternal Life (EL) Assembly – Advance to Take Hold of All that God has for EL 2025

Joyce Tham — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Declaring Philippians 3:12 over the church on the first Sunday of 2025, Ps Bob boldly announced this year’s theme — to ADVANCE AND TAKE HOLD of all that God has for us individually and corporately.

It’s more than God’s promises. They include His plans, purposes and promises.

After 3 years of going deeper and reaching higher, EL emerged renewed in prayer and our relationship with God. Things could not stop there!

Unrelenting, our former Senior Pastor, Ps Bob Lum, sought the Lord and came across Philippians 3:12, giving rise to this year’s theme.

Advancing to take hold consists of 3 parts:

Acknowledging that we are not there yet;
Forgetting the past; and
Advancing boldly

Looking back at 2025, our church has advanced and taken hold of God’s plans, purposes and promises in many ways! This is all God’s doing; nothing about our doing!

A Growing Church Family

Many young families and seniors experienced the warm embrace and connection in the English congregation, making EL their home church.

Kickstarting the Newcomers fellowship, the Chinese congregation extended the warm love of Christ to visitors.

Many new and lonely visitors to the Filipino congregation experienced genuine love and care by members, assimilating comfortably into the community.

Our senior members in the Cantonese congregation turned up at weekly services faithfully despite their health and mobility issues; many stayed back for prayer meetings.

A Spiritually Vibrant Church Family

Leaders in the English and Filipino congregations grew in spiritual maturity, boldness and dedication. Amongst the Filipino members, a deeper hunger for the Word and to grow in faith took root. Once quiet or hesitant, members are more alive, prayerful, united and confident in God’s love.

In the English congregation, prayer meetings are filling up, especially with more youths joining. During church camp, members joyfully guided our first-time campers from the Gospel Mission for the Blind around the campsite, hosted them during meals and led them to the altar call for prayer. Love wasn’t just preached, it was beautifully lived out!

An Outward-Looking Church Family

During the Alpha programme this year, many participants experienced life-changing moments and insightful conversations, leading them deeper in their understanding of the faith and closer to Jesus.

At a house visitation to an elderly lady with terminal sickness, Ps Winnie, along with another Cantonese congregation leader, led the lady to receive Christ and get baptised on the same day! Just nice – it happened before her condition deteriorated rapidly, where she could no longer receive visitors.

Besides reaching out to pre-believers, church members saw beyond their needs and initiated creative activities for the seniors in the Chinese and Cantonese congregations. The seniors enjoyed the fellowship; one of them broke out into songs while arranging flowers!

Advancing God’s Kingdom Through Missions

Besides advancing God’s kingdom through our congregational outreaches, EL Missions saw a remarkable expansion in both local and overseas missions!

Locally, various Life Groups organised fun and engaging activities for New Hope Community residents and 200 guest workers under the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach at Tuas Recreation Center.

Each resident received a beautiful handicraft and the message that they are loved and uniquely created by the Creator. Several migrant brothers testified of physical healing as our youths stepped up boldly to pray for them.

Overseas, more ELites joined mission trips with Cebu and Zambales teams being our largest yet! The Hi-kids ministry and the Cantonese congregation leaders embarked on their first mission trips as a ministry to EL@TanjungPinang and ELEC* in Cambodia respectively.

EL Missions supported EL Shaddai Church in Perawang in hosting their first Women’s Conference, while EL Soccer Team organised a soccer tournament at EL@Cambodia for the first time, ministering to the youths and seeing 3 new salvations!

Advancement in Church Leadership

The greatest milestone for our church has got to be the successful transition of EL’s top leadership! At our 58th Anniversary celebration service, the auditorium roared with loud applause and cheers by members, honouring the faithful years of service by our former Senior Pastor, Ps Bob Lum.

He was all smiles seeing his daughters and their families emerged from backstage — having flown into Singapore from different parts of the world unbeknownst to him — embracing him and joining to witness this momentous event together. The church presented a heartfelt video of tributes.

Ps Bob officially handed over the baton to the Lead-Pastors Team (LP Team). Ps Gary, Ps Daphne and Ps Lim Ping, each with their unique giftings and strengths, received their new appointments and roles with grace and sure commitment.

What a historic moment for our church – adopting a team leadership style, including a female representation, for the first time ever! The church blessed and prayed over our new leaders as the LP Team expressed confidence and hope in advancing the church towards the next chapter!

Advancing Forward in 2026

With God’s stirring in their hearts, the LP Team envisions EL as a family church, growing spiritually healthy, remaining deeply rooted in God’s Word, and living an outward-looking, Kingdom-minded faith that impacts Singapore and the nations.

Over recent years, God has spoken promises and similar prophecies through various pastors. Praise God! We have witnessed greater signs of our church moving towards His direction this year. And we are not done yet!

Unity and consistency remain key to experience God’s love and power, being the salt and light in our generation. We must continue to advance God’s kingdom in and through our church for His glory! As our church steps into 2026, the Lord is calling us into a season of purpose and destiny!

With great passion and joy, our Lead Pastor, Ps Gary, proclaims, “Let’s move forward with anticipation, excitement and faith, knowing that God is shaping each one of us — and His church, our family — for a glorious destiny!”

*ELEC refers to Eternal Life Enrichment Centre, a mission work planted by EL in Ang Roka, Cambodia.

Take a moment and look back at 2025. In what ways have you witnessed the church advancing to take hold of God’s plans, purposes and promises? How has he led you to advance and take hold of all He has for you this year?

Give thanks to God for all that He has led the church and led you to advance and take hold of!
Continue to seek and trust God to reveal His plans, with patience.
Do not limit yourself! Take bold steps of faith to do what God is calling you to do.

The post Eternal Life (EL) Assembly – Advance to Take Hold of All that God has for EL 2025 first appeared on Eternal Life Assembly.

From Endless Striving to Purposeful Living

Joyce Tham — Sat, 31 May 2025 04:06:02 +0000

I had attended church since young, but God was someone demanding and distant to me. The idea of having a personal relationship with Him seemed foreign.

Going to church felt like an obligation.

Eventually, I pursued things I could control: grades, sports, and friendships. These pursuits became sources of my self-worth and identity.

In school, I chased academic success, thinking good grades would bring recognition and make me feel significant. They did, but only temporarily. The moment my results dipped, my self-worth dropped too.

Outside the classroom, I threw myself into sports, especially rugby. Every win filled me with a sense of worth, while every loss plunged me into despair.

My self-esteem teetered on the edge, wavering with each match. I trained relentlessly, hoping that the next victory would finally satisfy the void inside.

Among friends, I don a mask, bending and shaping myself to be accepted. I laughed at inappropriate jokes, swore when it felt wrong, and shifted my personality to fit in.

In the process, I became a stranger to myself. Who am I beneath this mask?

My identity became shackled to my performance. Life had become a relentless cycle of temporary thrills and gnawing emptiness.

Each time I hoped to feel fulfilled, only to find that nothing truly satisfied, leaving me exhausted, anxious, and empty.

Entering Polytechnic, church felt irrelevant. I drifted and eventually became lost in a self-made world that seemed more fulfilling. Then, things took a turn for the worse.

In my first year of Polytechnic, I suffered my first major knee injury. My world came falling apart. It dawned upon me that everything I had been pursuing was fleeting and fragile.

Amidst the crisis, an unexpected invitation came. Brother Jireh, my youth minister, asked me to join youth camp. I didn’t really want to go, why would I? But I had no excuse, so I reluctantly said yes.

I was a last-minute addition and ended up rooming with another latecomer. To my surprise, he too felt far from God.

With our common struggle, we opened up, shared, and prayed together. It felt like a divine intervention; God was showing me that I wasn’t alone.

During one of the altar calls at youth camp, I experienced a quiet but piercing whisper in my spirit:

“Draw near. I am waiting for you, my child.”

In that moment, I broke down. For the first time in years, I felt God’s presence so close. With tears streaming down my face, I realised He had never left me. His love was so overwhelming. It had always been there.

After camp, I returned to church but staying committed was hard. Then came my scheduled knee surgery, which sidelined me for two months. With rugby stripped away, I hit rock bottom.

But even in that dark valley, God’s light broke through. My life group rallied around me. They practised “Jesus time”, spending time alone with God in parks or quiet places.

Since I couldn’t walk, my leader drove to pick me up and brought me along. My life group texted me, checked in, and prayed for me.

They brought the church to me even while my faith was wavering. Through them, I experienced a love that wasn’t based on performance, but a love that was real and present.

Not long after, a close friend passed away. He was only 20 years old. It shattered my heart to know that my friend had passed away without the chance to know God. In my grief, I realised I had taken our time together for granted.

To say there was certainly a tomorrow was not my privilege.

Tomorrow was never a guarantee, and I had been lost in the pursuit of fleeting pleasures while neglecting the eternal.

That loss ignited a fire in me — an urgency to love deeply, and to reflect Jesus to those around me before it was too late. I resolved not to stay passive any longer. I wanted my life to count for something eternal.

Each part of the journey, the injury, the camp, the surgery, and the loss, was God’s gentle call for my return to Him. Even when my faith faltered, He pursued me relentlessly.

The greatest transformation in my life wasn’t external, but internal: my worth is not based on my successes nor people’s approval; it is based on His love and truth — I am already loved, already known, already His.

I am already loved, already known, already His.

It is this truth that gives a deep satisfying joy and fulfilment that endures! My identity and self-worth rest firmly and securely in Christ. I yearn to share this love and joy with others, so they may experience it for themselves too.

I used to strive for success and recognition. Now, I live with purpose, anchored upon the love of God who never gave up on me.

My greatest reward isn’t applause but knowing Christ and making Him known.

The post From Endless Striving to Purposeful Living first appeared on Eternal Life Assembly.

“The Power of Intergenerational Outreach” – Never too young nor too old to be a community of love and impact

Joyce Tham — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 03:20:00 +0000

A cosy pavilion brimmed with fairy lights, lanterns, and streamers as one pair of intergen life groups (LGs) welcomed about 20 residents to their Chinese New Year block party.

Following the successful Christmas block party organised by Safe Haven LG last December 2023, Safe Haven partnered with their fellow intergen LG, Blessings, to organise a Chinese New Year block party as a follow-up with the residents.

“The last round, we had some older folks. When it was just our LG [hosting the party], it was a bit difficult to engage them,” recalled Safe Haven’s co-cell leader, Yong Chian.

“It’s exciting that somebody organises such parties for residents. I think it’s a good idea; at least people know there is a LG in Telok Blangah area,” commented Panny, the leader of Blessings LG.

Initially, some of her LG members had difficulty seeing the purpose of having the intergen cell group. This started to change as members of both LGs bonded together through the collective preparation and evangelism efforts.

Preparations started with prayers and brochure distribution. Their faith was challenged when there were only a few sign-ups. The waiting game seemed forever.

There were questions if the correct date or timing was picked for the party. But with persistent prayers, more sign-ups streamed in, with most attending the party for the first time!

Initiating conversations does not come naturally to everyone. To equip members with the confidence to strike up conversations, Safe Haven conducted a mini role-play to share handles and to practise holding conversations with different profiles of people.

The profiles included gender, age, marital status, number of children, etc. Members then gave feedback to one another on how the conversations went and shared ways for improvement.

During the party, members mingled with and befriended the residents. “We saw a lot more conversations going on. People are not just standing alone or with people they are comfortable with,” recounted Safe Haven’s co-cell leader, Brenda.

“I was afraid to approach the residents as I didn’t feel confident carrying on conversations,” shared Joyce, a young adult member from Safe Haven.

“But this was an opportunity to share God’s love. Hence, I plucked up my courage and paired up with another life group member to speak with one resident with 2 young children. My partner and I took turns to converse with the resident and we learned more about her and her family. I was glad I took that first step to connect with her.”

Another member from Blessings life group, Judy, initially felt apprehensive, “When I heard about the outreach, my first reaction was to find an excuse not to attend. I am an introvert. I don’t like to socialise, entertain, or be involved in big gatherings. But I decided to attend to support my LG leader.”

At the party, she noticed a lady in her 60s. Remembering that the objective was to reach out, she walked over and began talking with the lady. “I shared that I am from Eternal Life Assembly (EL) and that we hoped to get to know the residents at Telok Blangah,” recalled Judy.

“I noticed a hump on her back and asked if I could pray for her. That opened an opportunity to share about EL’s Healing Room Ministry. As a volunteer serving in this ministry, I have seen several healings and I am glad that I was able to share testimonies to encourage her.

In the past, I would not know how to approach and talk to people, let alone share about God. I am thankful that God is using me in the Healing Ministry.”

The night ended with the residents receiving door gifts packed in the church’s red packets. It was a meaningful night of connecting with the residents. Now, the intergen LGs look forward to having more touchpoints with the residents in the future!

“An outreach should have some form of follow-up. It’s not a touch-and-go thing. We are there to know people and bring them in. The only way to do that is to form a relationship,” chimed in Brenda.

This intergenerational effort has proven that age is and never will be a barrier. Everyone can and has a role to play in sowing for breakthroughs in evangelism as long as we are willing to.

“Just start small, start simple. Then grow from there,” said Yong Chian. “We just have to start somewhere and the best time is now,” concluded Brenda.

The post “The Power of Intergenerational Outreach” – Never too young nor too old to be a community of love and impact first appeared on Eternal Life Assembly.