English Ministry

Annual Report – 09/2024 – 08/2025 

I want to begin our report with a prayer of thanksgiving:  

Father, we praise you for being our great Shepard in our church family over the past year, and over the past 37 years. I am encouraged and humbled by Your faithfulness and providence as I serve in the English ministry team. I pray that You will continue to lead Your church, empowering us with Your love and grace as we seek to honour your name in everything we do. I also pray that You will open doors for us to share the gospel with the wider community, and give us the wisdom to be salt and light in this world. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

 “Worship where you serve and serve where you worship” has been the culture that we sought to nurture this past year. Our hope and prayer has been that our brothers and sisters will grow a deeper sense of family within our congregation as we draw each other closer to God. I praise God for His work among us – it has truly a blessing to see brothers and sisters across all age groups step out of their comfort zone to connect, serve, and bond on a deeper level.  

This year, MES has been journeying the Gospel of Matthew, reflecting on its message for the contemporary church. It has been a rich time of rediscovering the core purpose and vision of being His church. Our NSY, growth groups, Ladies’ and Men’s ministry have all strive to live out this vision, becoming places where people can encounter Jesus. The English Ministry Committee has continued to meet, pray, and reflect together – guided by the principle we learnt from “The Vine Project” – seeking God’s wisdom on how we might make adjustments and improvements to help us grow in Christ’s likeness.  

I am personally grateful to God for the opportunity to grow and serve as a pastor – taking on the English congregational pastoral role as well as leading our youth in NSY. God has been faithful in challenging me to depend on Him as I serve. I pray that God will give me wisdom in juggling the two roles I have at hand. I also would like to ask that we continue to pray for a new youth pastor so that we can better minister to our young people and provide the pastoral support our church family needs. 

One highlight of the year was the combine church camp held at Collaroy, where we enjoyed a weekend together with the larger church family. I praise God for the love and care thqat was evident throughout the camp and I am deeply moved by how God is drawing us closer together as one family in Christ.   

I also want to thank God for the opportunity to serve in the CAWF missional conference in Taiwan, alongside fellow pastors in the wider Alliance family. This trip broadened my perspective of ministry and deepened my heart for God’s mission. I pray that He will continue to use us and provide more missional opportunities both locally and globally. 

Finally, I praise God for everyone who has volunteered to serve over the past twelve months, across all areas of ministry. Our church family is unable to grow without people generously and faithfully giving their time and energy to serve. As we enter into a new year as a church family, I continue to pray that God will continue His transforming work in us, and that we will be humble, faithful, and united as one body in Christ.  

In Him, 

Pastor Eric Lai