ONE BIG FAMILY

Gathering on 24 May, sun in our eyes, all pumped up for a big experience, I and a big throng of church folks stormed the field at West Coast Park. When we arrived, the organising team had already set up a registration booth, and at different corners of the field, game masters were getting ready for the morning's matches.

The turnout was notable – some 225 participants out of 250 who registered their names – assembled by 9am, waiting for the day's programs to begin.

The mood was infectious. I saw 2-year old babies in their parents' arms. I also saw seniors in their 70s. I saw many familiar faces, I also saw people I did not know.

A half-day of events had been lined up for True Wayans. The station games had zany names like Hoopla-hoop Captain's Ball and Life-sized Rush Hour, following which there would be a picnic over bento-box lunches. There was an ice cream booth, and judging from the snaking queue that quickly formed, this was arguably the most popular part of the day. The sun was hot but between the buzz of conversations and a close-to-endless supply of ice-cooled bottles of water, the day was off to a stellar start.

I wasn't sure if I had come for the previous family days, but soon learned that this was only the second time the church held a family day. The first-ever family day happened in 2011. That one was held in Pasir Ris and I was told that we had to hire buses to take a big bunch of excited people there.

I don't remember that earlier family day very well now. However, I can safely say this is my first family day as an adult, and one I will hold close to my heart.

Three “i’s” defined family day for me – interaction, inclusion and identity.

Upon arrival, we were sorted into ten different-coloured teams, with a mix of boys, girls, men and women. I had been appointed group leader of the Black team, with Uncle Wikendro. At the start, across groups, I noticed things seemed a little awkward. In church, people mostly interact with those they know. But at family day, we didn't get to choose our group members. Mixing was a key goal of family day.

As a group leader, my job was to make sure that everyone participated actively as we went from station to station. In the process, people who didn't know each other would hopefully become friends. At first, a few members of my group had reservations in participating, fearing that the games would be too physically demanding. So I assured everyone: “Let’s play together as a group, help each other and just have fun today, don't worry too much.”

With that, we proceeded to play our first station: Bible Group Charades. Through a combination of brave guessing and even braver acting, we breezed through the cue cards. We had great fun. I had several great actors who didn't have a single self-conscious bone between them, who never gave up even when their acting drew a blank. There was so much laughter! My initial worries that nobody would take part dissipated.

Through each game and conversation, we quickly warmed up to each other.

Darrell Lim, who grew up in church with me, recounted that even after the official games ended, some of the young, very young and young at heart kicked a ball around and ended up playing a casual round of football. "I saw how church bonds could be forged," he said, "not just through formal programs but also small, spontaneous interactions.

"If we put aside our hesitations, we will see there is so more that we have in common."

I saw how the games brought us around a common goal for three hours. The goal of being there bound organiser, participant and spectator to a common endeavour. We laid aside our 'differences' and as one True Wayan put it, simply ‘enjoyed each other.'

The second ‘i,’ inclusion, speaks of how family day brings people from various ages and stages of life together in a day of fun and games. Nobody was left out.

Commented Joshua Seah, who led another group: “I too was worried at first that some of my older members would find the games too physical for them.”

Alvin Chia, another group leader, said: “Cohesion and bonding would be affected if some folks sat out the various games. To my surprise, the older adults and the younger children took part.

"During captains' ball, we deliberately created opportunity for older folks and young children to participate by passing the ball to them."

At first, some of the seniors in my group told me that charades were fine for them but our younger members must take the lead in the more demanding games. But our group didn’t have many young members. Thankfully we still had enough players to field.

True inclusiveness did not mean that everyone had to participate in every item on the program, or that everyone had to have the same experience. True inclusiveness allowed us to keep our differences while being committed to our teams.

I would like to give a shout-out to two young-at-heart True Way aunties -- Aunty Linda Keh and Aunty Leong Yin Fong who volunteered to play captains' ball. These aunties didn't pull any punches, running up and down, shouting orders and scoring many goals. I was glad they were on my team and I didn't have to play against them.

Darrell: “The people whom I thought would struggle to participate were running around trying their best to win! So inspiring.”

When the games drew to a close, people brought out their mats, and set up camp chairs. Others collected lunch and got ice cream. Many of the groups ate together. In that hour, we were enfolded by the murmur of our voices and the tingle of new friendships.

As I witnessed the unfolding of the day’s events, the final ‘i’ - identity - truly resonated with me. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:27 declares that we all are members of the body of Christ. Our true identity is our belonging to, our being a part of the body of Christ. Yes, we are different body parts, having various functions, roles and responsibilities, but we are one united body of Christ. We are united in our love for Him and each other.

Melvin Ang came to True Way two years ago. “The day reminded me that although God’s people are incredibly diverse, we were still unified under a common identity.”

Family Day was spearheaded by Uncle Meng Kern’s discipleship group. They are a bunch of people in their late 40s, 50s and 60s. Planning had started at the end of 2024, and along the way, they got many other younger people to pitch in.

The words of two church seniors encouraged me. Uncle Wikendo: "I think the younger people had a different experience of family day compared to older members. Our experiences will always be different. But this is something to be grateful for."

My aunt Hian Imm said: "I was blessed and enjoyed being with the big family of God." The apostle Paul reminds us: “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together.”

A poignant comment I heard and remember: “I was surprised and touched to see people whom I didn’t think would come for family day. They came because they felt family was important. Surely, our presence, and absence, means something to someone”.

All photos by Jethro Fernandez. Additional reporting by Lee Chung Horn.
Ashrael Low studied business in university and works in the tech Industry. He, his family and extended family are active members of True Way.

TOGETHER is published online twice a year. Opinions expressed are those of the authors. All rights reserved. Current and previous issues of TOGETHER are available at trueway.org.sg/newsletters.