For the first time in Singapore, evangelistic rallies in five Chinese dialects will be held simultaneously in five churches across the nation on November 16, 2019, from 3pm to 5pm.

Evangelists Rev James Lim (Hokkien), Rev Oh Beng Kee (Cantonese), Rev Tan Yew Keng Eugene (Teochew), Rev Chong Soo Fa (Hakka) and Rev Roy Koh (Hainanese) will share the Gospel in the various dialects alongside local celebrities Allan Moo (巫奇), Moses Lim (林益民), Chew Chor Meng (周初明), Peter Yu (俞宏荣) and Wang Li Zhen (汪丽贞).

The Dialect Gospel Rally (方言布道会), a follow-up to the three-day Celebration Of Hope (COH) event in May, was first mooted by Reverend Elvis Yong, Associate Pastor at Renewal Christian Centre.

The inspiration 

Rev Yong, who was also on the COH Chinese rally committee, was stirred by what he saw at the National Stadium, where over 40,000 people attended the three-hour Mandarin rally.

“I watched the elderly enter the National Stadium with much difficulty,” he said, noting that many of them were physically unable to tackle the flights of steps in front of them during the altar call.

“In my heart, I felt a burden to give the elderly a chance to hear and respond to the message of the Gospel.”

In June, Rev Yong sought the Lord for direction on how the follow-up should take place. “The Holy Spirit very clearly told me to organise a dialect outreach.”

His original plan was merely to get the various dialect groups onboard with the idea of holding evangelistic rallies – with no inclination towards a simultaneous, co-ordinated effort.

The simultaneous rallies will be presented in the commonly spoken dialects of Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese and Hakka.

“That would have been much easier,” he added. “But I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to set apart one day for the proclamation of the Gospel.”

Partnering in the work of the Good News

Evangelistic rallies among the various dialect groups are common and frequent such as the Grand Hokkien Harvest evangelistic rally that was held last November with Rev Oh Beng Kee.

However, this would be the first time that churches are gathering to organise a series of simultaneous dialect rallies driven by the vision of unity in the Gospel.

“I am only the bearer of this vision,” said Rev Yong. God put upon his heart the names of five key leaders representing the various dialects and all he did was to share this idea with each of them.

“Very quickly, they caught the vision and we now have rallies for five different dialects.”

An intimate connection through language

The need for the Gospel to be preached in these dialects is near and real. Chinese is the heart language of many Singaporeans – both young and old.

The General Household Survey 2015 found that more than one in 10 Singaporeans speak a Chinese dialect at home. Altogether the five major dialects account for over 96% of the dialect-speaking population in Singapore.

Dr David Tan, Executive Director of Wycliffe (Singapore), told Salt&Light that reaching people in their heart language means more to them because the gesture speaks of a sense of value, worth and status. It conveys the message: You matter.

The Gospel, when translated into the heart language of a people, says: God speaks your language. And they understand His character better too, said Dr Tan.

With many English-speaking Singaporeans struggling to communicate even in basic dialect, the need is all the greater.

“Many of my brothers and sisters in the English congregation are unable to witness to their elders in dialect,” said Rev Yong.

“When we organise this rally and allow the elderly to hear the Gospel in an intimate and familiar language, their acceptance of Christ is higher. Of course, we must pray and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in them.”

Trusting that God will provide the finances for this historic outreach effort, Rev Yong said that the most pressing need now is for prayer and partnership – for the English-speaking churches to, not only promote and publicise the event, but also invite family and friends to the rallies.

With the Dialect Gospel Rally covering the five major dialects in Singapore, Rev Yong is confident that there will be a rally for everyone.

“November 16, Saturday, 3 to 5pm. Five dialects, five evangelists, five locations,” he reiterated.

“Bring your dialect-speaking elders to come and hear the Gospel.”