2011 The Cost and Commitment of Community
Angela and Jonathan Lim Boon Seng
Our cell group began 5 years ago. We are five families with 12 young children every third Sunday of the month. ranging in age from 14 months to seven years. Our immediate challenges then were overwhelming.
Jonathan and Angela Lim have three children, Josiah (7), Alicia (5) and Andrea (3). They love the sun, sand and sea at Sentosa! They also take great delight in feasting at their favourite food centre every Sunday before attending church. Jonathan has led different cell groups for the last 15 years, from all men’s group to a young adults group and now a young family group.
Our Struggle
As families with young children, many of us struggled with attending church services without distractions from babies and toddlers. The thought of attending cell group meetings was even more unthinkable. We had to adjust the daily routines of our children as well as to see to the logistics. Also it was not possible to pray without being interrupted. We could not concentrate during Bible Study. We were constantly looking out for our children. At that time, we dared not think of serving God in other ministries.
Our Strategy for Community Living
However, the desire to meet and encourage one another in our walk with our Lord kept us going.We decided to restructure our cell group meetings. After combined worship, fathers and mothers would take turns to study the Word of God and to have a longer prayer session. The other parent would remain with the children. The reverse would take place during the following cell meeting.
This brought about a dramatic change to our cell meetings. It freed us to pray, listen and discuss the Word of God without any interruptions.We could have deeper sharing and a more intimate prayer time. We formed a stronger emotional bond over time and have become a vital spiritual support for one another.
This strategy has created a wonderful opportunity for the fathers to bond with the children. Usually, when it is the fathers' turn to look after the children, we would take the children out for a short trip. We have visited farms and playgrounds, gone kite-flying in the park, etc. Although we have less time to complete a Bible study, we really appreciate the uninterrupted focus.
More recently, we have started a couples-only meeting. As adults, we long for a more intimate time with our Lord. We also recognise the importance of having different insights and perspectives from spouses for a more balanced discussion. Hence, we took a leap of faith and trusted God for baby-sitters during our couples’ meeting every third Sunday of the month. In our cell group, everyone takes ownership. We take turn to lead worship, conduct Bible study, pray, provide snacks, share books and toys. We rotate our meeting place among our homes.
Our Sacrifice
As our cell meets thrice monthly, we have to be disciplined to keep our children free from Sunday enrichment classes. We want to inculcate in the children that cell life is part of family life. We openly remind one another to put cell meetings as priority and to trust God for our children's education. is so tempting to maximize every hour of the weekend for the children's enrichment programmes. Our cell group is also committed to attending church services regularly. This may not sound like a big deal to many. But for families with young children, attending worship service can be a challenge. The cell group has decided to be faithful regardless.
Our Next Step of Faith
The group now desires to be actively accountable for the spiritual health of each cell member. We plan to have a more structured programme for our children so that we can build in them God's Word during our cell meetings. We also intend to trust God for each of us to start serving God again in any church ministry (some of us have started. doing so at the beginning of the year).
"We constantly look out for one another. Our præuer support is heartfelt and Peelings are freely shared. We keep one another in the loop for mutual accountability. We also live as a community with house or hospital visits, gatherings, etc. We have upheld, corrected, encouraged or rebuked Plin. 3:16) one another. This cell group has been a blessing to us."
- Alex and Veronica
“Sometimes, I feel that know more about what is going on in the lives of my cell members than my own siblings. I truly enjoy this cell. It has kept my family from moving to another church. The thought of leaving this cell is unbearable."
- Patrick and Ailyn
"Our cell group has become our regular reminder to walk in God's path. We have learned to reach out to our community of family, friends and colleagues outside our comfort zone."
- Omar and Anna