On the eve of Pentecost Sunday (May 23), more than 200 fathers gathered at the Chapel of Pentecost Methodist Church to commit to rebuilding the spiritual foundations of their homes.

Centred on the theme “Restoring Family Altars”, the Fan the Fire event – a signature of the Elijah7000 Movement – united fathers across denominations in prayer, repentance and renewed commitment to lead their families spiritually in an increasingly fragmented world.

The event drew inspiration from Malachi 4:5-6: “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”

Some 200 fathers gathered to reaffirm their roles as the spiritual heads of their home and re-establish their family altars.

In a deeply personal and prophetic message, Pastor Song Meng Liang, former Senior Pastor of Church of Singapore (Bukit Timah), spoke on the urgent need to restore family worship, prayer and spiritual leadership within the home.

“The breakdown of society begins with the breakdown of the family,” he said, tracing the roots of many social and spiritual challenges to weakened relationships between fathers and their children.

Calling fathers back to their God-given role as spiritual heads of their families, Ps Song reminded the audience that the family altar is not merely a religious routine, but a sacred space where hearts are healed, faith is passed down and God’s presence is welcomed into daily family life.

A 30-minute blueprint

To help fathers establish their family altar, Ps Song encouraged them to set aside just one day a week for 30 minutes. This should be at a consistent time and place, such as on a Friday night at the dining table, he said.

He laid out a rough structure for these 30 minutes.

• Worship as a family by singing praise and worship songs together (7 minutes)
• Read a selected Scripture passage aloud as a family (5 minutes)
• Ask simple, honest questions about the text (10 minutes)
• Pray for one another and the extended family (5 minutes)
• Take turns to bless one another (3 minutes)

On blessing one another, Ps Song stressed that fathers, as the head of the household, must take time to explicitly bless their children.

One blessing they can use is The Aaronic Blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).”

A Pastor in the audience commented that the 30-minute framework by Ps Song is workable and practical, while another shared that having a structured family altar helps his children know what to expect each time they meet together.

Many fathers responded with prayer and reflection as Ps Song’s message challenged them to gather their families in worship and prayer even in the midst of modern family pressures, distractions and busyness.

Restoring godly fatherhood

Also speaking at the gathering was Jason Wong, founder of Dads for Life and the Elijah7000 Movement, who cast a vision for what he described as the “second wave” of the fathers movement.

While the first wave focused on strengthening fathers and families within communities, the next phase would see fathers impacting churches through family discipleship, evangelism and missions.

“From churches to communities to countries,” Jason said, outlining a vision for fathers to become spiritual gatekeepers not only in their homes, but also in communities, schools, workplaces and society.

Jason (on stage) leading the fathers in attendance in prayer.

One key initiative shared during the gathering was a vision for Christian fathers from different churches to gather annually – together with mothers, their children, Christian educators and leaders of youth ministries – to pray for their children and the schools that their children attend.

The initiative aims to bring together churches and ministries, including praying parents’ networks, Christian fellowships, school chaplains and educators, in united prayer for the next generation.

Highlighting the growing regional reach of the Elijah7000 and Dads for Life initiatives across nations including Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia and Uganda, Jason also encouraged Singaporean fathers to see themselves as part of a larger Kingdom movement to restore godly fatherhood in the nations around Singapore.

Revival begins at home

As Singapore continues to grapple with increased family stress, mental health struggles and generational challenges, the Elijah7000 gathering served as a timely reminder that revival often begins at home.

One father in attendance said that he was deeply encouraged by the spirit of unity and spiritual fatherhood across the body of Christ. He was grateful not only to connect with several fathers from his church to pray and bless one another, but also to pray with and encourage a number of fathers from other churches.

Fathers praying for themselves and one another.

His son, who came with him, was also inspired to take on a more active role in their family altar, including taking turns with his sister to pray, share from God’s Word and worship together as a family. 

Another Pastor shared his key takeaway: “When the family’s prayer altar is God-centric, it is both discipleship and missional.”

For more information about the Elijah7000 Movement, visit their Instagram page here.

If you wish to join the Annual Prayer for Schools initiative, tap here. 

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