One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple

– Psalm 27:4

Words can scarcely convey our Zion family’s joyful reunion this past Lord’s Day as our church doors swung wide open on 12 July. Our offline worship services came to a screeching halt as Singapore’s COVID-19 situation escalated, but through the grace of God, the brakes are off! (that it was also the first Lord’s Day anniversary for our Nordcom II sanctuary did not escape us.)

Many church members had wide eyes upon entering the sanctuary, with its novel “exam hall” seating arrangements. As per exam protocol, you are assigned a number and are to sit in its correspondingly labelled chair. Safe distancing measures necessitate that seats are one metre apart from any angle (meticulously measured by pastor Sam!).

Our members’ hushed jubilation banished the poignant silence which had filled the premises over the past hundred and two days. Behind every masked face lays a smile that reached up to the eyes. The worship service begun with us humming and whispering words of praise to our God. It may have been my imagination, but there was an oddly defiant tone to our recitation of the Apostles’ Creed. History testifies to the reinvigoration of the saints during times of hardship, after all.

Once worship had ended, the SMO (safety management officer) on duty gave exit directions for the attendees. Through many hours of preparation and prayer, Zion Church’s first soft opening had followed both earthly and heavenly law. We thank God for His providence and blessings, and a big thank you our church members who came during the week to clean the church. Finally, thank you to all who registered and attended Lord’s Day worship this week!

Please continue to pray for the COVID-19 situation in Singapore. We hope for the worship restrictions to loosen as soon as possible.

If you would like to visit, kindly click on this link for more information. http://zionchurch.sg/covid-phase2/

Contributed by Nicholas Chiang on 18 July 2020