Believers gather at the New Creation Church every Sunday for
upbeat services conducted in ultra-modern surroundings that are
helping make Christianity the spirituality of choice for
Singaporeans.
The venue, a plush 1,200-seat auditorium equipped with
state-of-the-art audiovisual systems, is on the third floor of an
upmarket shopping mall in the city-state's business district.
"Say not what you can do for God, but what God has done for
you," preacher Lawrence Lim told a rapturous congregation during a
recent service which opened with rousing hymns played by a
seven-piece Christian rock band.
"Amen," the churchgoers replied in unison.
Singapore, a predominantly ethnic-Chinese Buddhist society of
4.6 million, has seen a boom in recent years in born-again
Christian movements, which experts said people perceive as modern
institutions reflecting their personal aspirations.
While Taoism and Buddhism are the traditional belief systems in
Singapore, most people adopt them as a matter of birthright, rather
than choosing to follow them as spiritual life codes.
"Those who have converted (to Christianity) were probably not
very entrenched in their original faith," said Mathew Mathews, a
sociologist at the National University of Singapore.
"People want to move out from traditional concepts of religion
to a more 'classy' image with things which mirror our popular
culture and are congruent to their own works and expectations," he
said.
New converts are encouraged to bring in more recruits, helping
boost the number of Christians in Singapore.
According to a 2000 census of Singapore's 3.6 million native
inhabitants, Christians accounted for 15 percent of the population
aged 15 years and older, up from 10 percent in 1980.
Buddhists and Taoists accounted for 51 percent in 2000, Muslims
15 percent and Hindus four percent. The rest belonged to other
religions or were atheist.
Singapore might be in the midst of its most severe recession in
history but Christian churches led by charismatic ministers seem to
be weathering the storm well.
The New Creation Church, with its slick audiovisual
presentations and interactive services, is clearly benefiting from
the trend -- with 18,000 members, it is probably the most
financially successful of the new churches.
It expects to move into a purpose-built 62,000-square-metre
(667,000-square-foot) complex in 2012, with the project budget of
120 million Singapore dollars (80 million US) largely funded by
members' contributions.
Now under construction in a high-tech district, the new church
complex will boast retailers, food and beverage outlets, two
amphitheatres and a 5,000-seat performing arts auditorium.
During one giddy eight-hour period in February, the church
raised 19 million dollars from four Sunday services, and believers
are heartened by the support.
"There are a lot of people who are willing to contribute a lot
more, so that's why the amount became so big," says 21-year-old
student Ng Yiling.
Responding to criticism that the money could have been better
spent, Ng said: "The church didn't force us to do it. In the end
it's our money, it's up to us how we want to spend it."
The church and its businesses, which include two child
development centres, a travel agency and a diversified firm called
Rock Productions, declared assets of 146 million dollars in a
balance sheet dated March 31, 2008.
It is going ahead with overseas missions and global "outreach"
programmes, with members able to register for trips to Vietnam and
Thailand scheduled over the next six months, according to the
church website.
City Harvest Church, another Christian church boasting healthy
finances, has not seen any reduction in donations since the onset
of the economic meltdown in late 2008, according to a
spokesperson.
"Donations are both a personal and a private choice of our
members. We believe that as the church helps to meet the different
needs of our members, they will continue to give free-will
donations to the church," the spokesperson said.
The church, which declared 79 million dollars in assets in its
balance sheet for January 2006-June 2007, says on its website it
has 45 affiliate churches and 44,000 members in the Asia-Pacific
region as of 2008.
Locally, it claims a following of 26,000 and conducts its weekly
Sunday services in a 2,300-seat complex built eight years ago for
48 million dollars.
Indeed, tithing appears to be thriving among Singapore's
Christian community, despite official forecasts that the economy
will shrink by up to five percent this year.
Reina Lee, 21, a member of Faith Community Baptist Church,
tithes 80 dollars from her monthly income of 800 dollars, and said
she is not thinking of reducing the amount even in the current
economic climate.
"As a Christian, we give a proportion of what God has blessed us
with as an act of thanksgiving and wanting to bless His ministry,"
she said.
"It is also an act of faith, that we believe that God will
provide for our needs in this time of recession."
