Dear You,
On 9 April 2020, Sungei Tengah Lodge became the fourth foreign worker dormitory gazetted as an isolation area, following a rise in COVID-19 cases. Today, the number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has exceeded 25,000, with over 90% being migrant workers. Issues such as their unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, previously hidden from view, have quickly become the subject of international attention.
Since the start of the Circuit Breaker, many churches have looked for ways to respond to the needs of migrant workers, the poor & homeless, getting involved in compassion and development efforts. Our church is no exception.
On 20th April 2020, Clementi Bible Centre opened its premises as a Safe Sound Sleeping place (S3P) where the homeless can stay during the Circuit Breaker period for free. Within days, all spaces in the S3P were taken up. The S3P is run by volunteers from our church and Mount Carmel, with the homeless referred to the church by family service centres. All the volunteers from our church are students or young working adults, who assist with preparing logistics as well as extend hands of friendship to the stayers. Youths from Teenacity prepared encouragement cards that were given to stayers on Hari Raya, in an expression of care and love.
The migrant and the homeless are just two of the many communities affected badly by the virus. From refugees to migrants, indigenous people to homeless folk, governments in Singapore and all over the world have been forced to take a closer look at people living in the shadows who are most vulnerable to infection. Christian youths in particular cannot afford to remain bystanders or surface-level participants. This is an opportunity for us to grow in depth of understanding, breadth of wisdom, and scope of service to different communities in Singapore!
Why should we care?
Some of you ask – we already have numerous VIA and community service programmes in school, how is this different from caring as Christians?
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Seeking justice, showing kindness and walking humbly with God are reflections of being Christians. Caring for the marginalized may be something we do out of obligation in school, but as Christians, we care because God cares. The bible speaks about the importance of humility – Humility is key in how we care for others. There are many ways we can look at the poor. We can see them as statistics, objects of charity or as victims of injustice. But true humility is seeing the poor as those who represent God. God gives us an opportunity to know him more through the poor.
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs us to welcome the stranger:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me”
When we read this scripture passage, we are reminded that in God’s eyes there is no distinction between the way we treat God, and the way we treat the image of God found in our brothers and sisters. What we allow to happen to another person, we allow to happen to God. This is why as young people, we cannot continue to condone injustice, xenophobia and prejudice. To us, there must be no distinction between the way we treat our migrants, homeless, marginalized people – and the way we treat God. Of course, many of us have our own biases. We need to ask God’s help to see the poor and the circumstances of the poor more truly. Only when we do this are we able to remove the log in our own eye so that we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Reaching out to the marginalized is also a commandment that God has given to His people. God cares for migrants: “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” And He commands the Israelites to do the same:
“And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt”
Israelites were to love and respect foreigners, because they too had been wanderers in Egypt. This is echoed in Hebrews where Christians are reminded to:
Where to begin?
The Lord taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread” and not “Give me this day my daily bread”. Even as many of us enjoy easy access to food and basic necessities each day, we need to recognize that there are many who go to bed hungry. One practical way to serve the hungry is to reduce wastage, give food to those in need or, for those who are able to, sponsor meals and donate to organisations supporting marginalized groups.
Showing hospitality to strangers is not as difficult as it appears to be – it includes befriending the cleaners in your school, showing appreciation for the people who clear the garbage bins at your homes each day, purchasing tissue packets from the auntie at the bus interchange, showing concern for the foreign workers in your midst and treating them with respect. It is okay to start small but it is not okay to do nothing. Youths need to step out to serve the world by going into the world. It is there that you will understand yourselves and grow in maturity. And as non-Christians reach out into the world with Christians, surely there will be opportunity for them to come to know Christ.
Migrant workers: like prostitutes, the poor, and the homeless, all have stories to tell. Their experiences and their heartaches are matters that demand attention. Go and learn more about them and read their stories online, learn about the richness of their culture .You do not need to travel to another country to experience this. Deepen your own awareness of the local communities, and have conversations with Christians in different communities. This is a powerful way to learn more about who God is through Christians from different cultures and to deepen your own walk with God.
Older youths doing specialized courses – broaden your perspective on how your discipline can be used for social good and benefit the wider society. Equip yourself with soft skills beyond technical competencies taught in an academic setting. Rather than solely spending time with people that look like you, or who view the world like you do and agree with you on every point, seek people who see things differently. And throughout this keep an open heart to how the Spirit wants to direct you.
These are just some of the ways you can discover and live Jesus’ call to a life of loving service and understand the importance of respecting the rights and responsibilities of all people. As you embark on your journey, grow and develop an awareness of your faith. Do not be afraid to share the spiritual transformation and insights you gain in the process. Young people should not wait to be told exactly what to do before taking action. COVID-19 has opened up even more opportunities for youths to live out the presence of Jesus in Singapore today. May we come together in a way that can impact and transform society and live out the image of God in community unlike ever before.
PS: When we go back to school, let’s all strike up a conversation with the school cleaners and ask them how they have been!
With Love: Noah