Six thousand responded to the altar calls at the recent Celebration of Hope (COH) rallies in May. Among them, almost 2,000 took the first step to accept Jesus Christ, as their Saviour.

It was indeed a time of celebration, but while the rallies may have ended, the work continues.

“The harvest is still on for The Year of Proclamation. There’s a deliberate harvest mindset for this whole year,” said Bishop Rennis Ponniah to leaders at the Celebration of Hope thanksgiving service. Picture by Wong Siqi.

First fruits 

“Rejoice in the first fruits but pursue the harvest,” said Bishop Rennis Ponniah, who shared a word of encouragement at a recent Pastors’ and Marketplace Leaders’ Gathering on July 9. “This is only a step in the continuum of what the Lord is doing.”  

Representatives from the 227 churches and marketplace groups who participated at COH gathered at St Andrew’s Cathedral to give thanks for COH.

“There must be a follow-through, undergirded by prayer. The prayer base must intensify with hunger and desperation, so that we’re not just shepherds but fishers of men,” Bishop Ponniah encouraged church leaders gathered at St Andrew’s Cathedral for a COH thanksgiving service. Picture by Wong Siqi.

“God is honoured when we rejoice and do not despise the modest beginning,” said the Bishop. “This is the first sickle; there are still many (fruits) out there, including those who are still viewing the online videos of the testimonies.

“If we switch off, we may miss what the Lord is doing,” he cautioned.

“God led us to call 2019 the Year of Proclamation and we received it by faith. For this year, there’s a deliberate harvest mind set,” he said, sharing from Leviticus 23:9-16 and Deuteronomy 16:1-15.

Heart language

There were also evidences of “first fruits of awakening” among the non-English speaking congregations. 

Stars at Celebration of Hope rally tell thousands of God’s amazing grace

The Chinese rally on the second evening saw a capacity crowd while the Tamil rally, Power of Hope saw the largest gathering of different Tamil-speaking churches, all in one venue, all working together. 

“It’s most gripping what God has done among the Chinese, Tamil and Hindi-speaking.”

The Sunday morning rally specially dedicated to the Filipinos working and living in Singapore, was also a first.

“We don’t overlook the migrant or the guest workers in the land as the harvest includes them.

“The harvest is vast and ripe among those whose heart language is non-English,” Bishop Rennis Ponniah declares.

Celebration of Hope’s historic Tamil rally sees peace proclaimed

A new unity 

The Celebration of Hope also brought believers throughout the nation together.

“God, by His Spirit is creating bonds of affection. The spiritual unity of the 227 churches and organisations from across the board saw wonderful collaboration and a oneness, not just among pastors, but among the 18,000 volunteers.”

The Celebration of Hope was a collaboration among 227 churches and 18,000 volunteers from the local churches across the island. Photo by Vicson Huang.

Ripple effect

Bishop Ponniah encouraged the leaders to use the Celebration of Hope as a catalyst for growth in the local churches.

“Follow up on the first fruits that has been harvested so that the seeds will grow and there will be a COH ripple effect,” he exhorted. (Amos 9:13, Mark 4:20).

He gave the example of Gideon and his 300 men in Judges 8:4, who were “exhausted, yet keeping up the pursuit”. 

“Don’t let the event pass too quickly, build on the invigorated evangelism culture,” the Bishop urged. 

“Many can share their testimony. We must trust the kerygma of the Gospel message – the kernel that has the power to generate faith.”

The year 2020 has been set aside as the Year of Discipleship, and the Bishop encouraged believers to get ready: “Prepare the church diligently to be a transformed people, we are praying in the harvest. There is going to be revival, that goes beyond the parameter of the church. 

“Only God knows how many more peak harvests there will be, before he returns for the final in-gathering.”