Some of you may know that Mandarin has never been my strength. So when you see Chinese words in this Pastoral Perspective, please don’t assume that I’ve made any miraculous linguistic progress!
The words “一人一半，感情不散. 一人一素故, 感情才会久” come from a song I first heard many years ago. They were sung in a mix of Mandarin and Hokkien dialect – which, if I may, I will attempt to help us pronounce with some guidance below:
一人一半, 感情不散
(zhi lang zhi bua, kam cheng buay sua *Hokkien)
一人一素故, 感情才会久
(zhi lang zhi su ku, kam cheng jia eh ku *Hokkien)
Loosely translated, the above words mean:
‘Each person, one half, our relationship won’t separate’
‘Each person, one quarter, our relationship will last long’
This saying expresses our Chinese values of friendship and relationships, loyalty, sharing, and love for one another — the sharing of life’s struggles, pain and laughter.
The saying likely originated in China, where frequent natural disasters often left villagers homeless, poor, and hungry because of famines and flooding. Food was scarce. But instead of keeping what little they had for themselves, they learned to share whatever food they had with one another. If there were two people, each shared half; if three, they shared smaller portions.
The survival of the villagers depended not on what each individual possessed, but on what they were willing to give away.
In sharing what they had, their relationships were strengthened and deepened. Needs were met. Lives were held together. Hope began to grow once more.
It was a picture not only of survival, but of community. And the message behind this saying has stayed with me through the years.
Years ago, God allowed me to witness something beautiful: two churches sharing space, time, and resources with a spirit of generosity and love that humbled me.
Since both churches were renovating their buildings around the same period, my former church and a neighbouring one ended up worshipping in the same facility each Sunday for close to three years.
It wasn’t easy. We all had to adjust our service timings, get used to a new worship environment, learn how to be patient and loving with one another, and learn to share things together.
Usually, when churches share a building, we hear and anticipate stories of conflict — disagreements over the usage of rooms, clashes of worship schedules, and sharing of responsibilities for the common space.
But instead, what I saw was grace in action. That season shaped me deeply.
It helped reshape the way I think about church life.
It reoriented the way I approach and serve in ministry.
It challenged the way I think about partnership in the gospel.
And right now, as I serve here at True Way, these lessons feel more relevant than ever.
Every church — in every season and across every generation — needs this gentle but essential reminder: God has not called us merely to gather under the same roof, but to share life together as one family in Christ.
So how might this look for us at True Way today?
Unity within the local church is expressed through our relationships of humility toward one another, gentleness in dealing with one another, patience in responding to one another, and bearing with one another in love.
Let us live out our Christlike relationships with:
- a humility that extends forgiveness graciously,
- a gentleness that guides our words,
- a patience that slows us down long enough to understand,
- and a love that bears with one another even when it is difficult.
But how is this unity expressed between different congregations?
The answer is gospel partnership — doing life and church together — choosing to live out our faith and ministry side by side, sharing life as fellow labourers in God’s kingdom.
Last Sunday, during our Combined Chinese New Year service, Pas Kien Seng reminded us once again of what it truly means to be 家 — a family shaped not by convenience, but by the relationships we intentionally build with one another. As he shared from his heart, several of his reflections stayed with me: “If the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper,” “Family is about forgiveness,” and “When two churches come to worship together, it demonstrates unity.”
These words echoed deeply within me, especially as I considered what it means for us at True Way to live out the unity and partnership that God has called us into.
Psalm 133:1 captures this beautifully:
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
And this unity becomes visible when we share our lives with one another — bearing with each other in love, making room for differences, and valuing others above ourselves.
In other words, unity flourishes when we choose to give and to share, rather than to hold tightly and keep.
Just like the spirit behind 一人一半 感情不散, unity deepens when we recognise that everything God has given us — time, skills, resources, space, love, grace, and forgiveness — finds its fullest meaning when shared for the blessing of another brother or sister in Christ.
As we journey through 2026, my prayer is that we will grow to see ourselves as more than just two congregations attending our own services each Sunday.
May True Way be marked by:
Sharing Lives
That we would slow down enough to truly notice one another — to listen, to encourage, and to enter into each other’s sorrow or joy.
Sharing Ministries
That the work of service would not rest on a few shoulders, but be carried by many, each offering their “portion” so that God’s work may flourish among us.
Sharing Grace
That we would deal with one another in patience, humility, and forgiveness — the same grace God has so generously shown us in Christ.
Sharing Mission
That the gospel would not be something we guard privately, but something we carry together into our community — our neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools and homes.
May the Lord grant us many more opportunities at True Way to come together, living out the heart of gospel partnership and embodying the spirit of “一人一半，感情不散；一人一素故，感情才会久.”
And may we, with one voice, sing “Oh, How Good It Is” to the praise and glory of God!
Oh how good it is when the family of God
Dwell together in spirit, in love and unity;
Where the bonds of peace, of acceptance and love
Are the fruits of his presence here among us.
So with one voice we’ll sing to the Lord,
And with one heart we’ll live out his word
Til the whole world sees the Redeemer has come,
For he dwells in the presence of his people.
Oh how good it is on this journey we share
To rejoice with the happy and weep with those who mourn.
For the weak find strength, the afflicted find grace,
When we offer the blessing of belonging.
Oh how good it is to embrace his command
To prefer one another, forgive as he forgives.
When we live as one we all share in the love
Of the Son with the Father and the Spirit
“喔！何等美善— Oh, How Good It Is”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hNcL64CF6M&list=RD-hNcL64CF6M&start_radio=1
A Prayer for True Way
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank You for the journey You have brought True Way Presbyterian Church on, and for Your love and faithfulness shown to Your people through all these years.
Thank You for the people You have gathered here — young and old, new and seasoned, weary and strong.
We praise you;
For the lost who found salvation,
For those who doubted and found faith,
For the sinners who found forgiveness,
For the anxious who found peace,
For the tempted who found their hiding place,
For the sorrowful who found comfort,
For the weary who found rest,
For the hurt who found healing,
For the strong who found renewed strength,
For the elderly who found consolation and joy,
For the young who found inspiration and hope.
All these are only possible through the unceasing work of Your Holy Spirit in the hearts and lives of Your people in True Way.
Teach us what it truly means to share life as the body of Christ. Make us generous in love and patient in spirit. Let unity be the mark of our life together, because You have made us one in Christ.
May Your Holy Spirit continue to build us into a community that reflects the beauty of Your kingdom — a people who give, who share, who love, and who stand together as one family in the Lord.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
