Alumni Gordon & Diana’s Life and Ministry

What is a “Safe, Sound, Sleeping Place (S3P)” for Kok Meng and Diana? No, it’s not their bedroom nor their home but a special shelter. Read on about the husband and wife alumni of EAST who ministers cross-culturally in Singapore and beyond!

1. Can you (Diana) share how different it is spending CNY here (in Singapore) as compared to back in Shanghai or with your parents in your hometown in Anhui?

Of course, there is no firecrackers in Singapore! In Anhui, my hometown, we still can play with fireworks and firecrackers. My niece loves it. In the past, I would travel from Shanghai to Anhui for reunion dinner with my parents and sisters’ families. My sister and I would go to nearby village to buy CNY snacks and goodies. My hometown is a mountainous area near Huang Shan – my niece and I love hiking in the mountains during CNY. On the first day of CNY, my family normally joins the local church for service.

The past three years, Gordon and I have been spending CNY with a few single ladies from our church by inviting them to our home for reunion dinner. The two ladies in the picture above are friends from our ministry. They both got to hear the gospel after they came to Singapore from East Asia.

2. How has it been for you (Diana) since the Covid-19 pandemic happened two years ago?

I have been coping well with Gordon. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit my family in East Asia. Last year was okay, this year, I was a little homesick on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Before the pandemic happened, Gordon and I like to travel to different places to explore different cultures and admire different sceneries created by God. We miss that too.

3. What are your ministry roles and responsibilities (Diana)?

I am a ministry staff working with EAST Extension Centers (EECs). As a coordinator, I help mobilise prayer, coordinate academic and admissions matters, as well as operational planning and oversees the EEC cycle. I help to ensure that the academic operations of each EEC course runs smoothly. For some courses, I also help to translate class notes and slides into Chinese, help with interpretation for the faculty and assist in marking of some assignments.

In church (Yio Chu Kang Chapel), Gordon and I serve as mentors in our cell group. I also help to interpret sermons for pastors from English to Chinese at weddings and funerals. I also help Bless Community Services (where Gordon is serving) to translate flyers and bulletins into Chinese.

4. What are some updates from Gordon (Kok Meng)?

Gordon has been working with Bless Community Services (BCS) for slightly more than three years. BCS is an outreach arm of Yio Chu Kang Chapel. He serves the elderly where he organizes active aging activities for the senior citizens such as tours, line dances, morning exercises, cooking classes, floral arrangement classes, guitar classes, etc.

Two years ago, our church started a ministry called Safe, Sound, Sleeping Place (S3P) to provide a shelter for homeless people in Singapore. As a staff, Gordon befriends them and looks into some of their needs. In addition, BCS also involves with community work and organizes neighbourhood visitation to residents residing in Serangoon North Ave 1 & 2 and Hougang Ave 8 quarterly. During these visits, the BCS volunteers hand out small gifts to build rapport with the residents and look into some of their needs. After four years of ministry, some of the residents have come to know Jesus and got baptised. Recently, Dr Jeannette Shubert and Diana’s Mentoring Group (MG) joined BCS in their recent Neighbourhood Visitation Programme and the MG members felt it was an exciting, fruitful and good experience.

Prayer Requests:

1. God’s wisdom and favour upon Diana in coordinating NS EEC Master of Arts programme.
2. Pray for God’s guidance upon Gordon and Diana in serving as a couple in our cell group. Pray that we keep growing in our walk with God.