Bible Preaching Festival 2015: Singapore and Malaysia

The Bible Preaching Festival held on Aug 16, 2015, was the first joint Bible preaching contest organised by both the World Mission Society Church of God Singapore (SGWMSCOG) and Malaysia. This event was carried out to help members sharpen their swords of the gospel and arm themselves with the words of God. From young working adults to youths and tertiary students, members of the SGWMSCOG prepared for weeks before the festival began.

Around 200, members from both countries travelled to the preaching festival venue—Daiman Hall, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Malaysian members travelled for hours, in order to arrive on time for the festival. They travelled from places such as Kuala Lumpur, Klang, Kampar, Petaling Jaya and Malacca. Singapore members, on the other hand, took a chartered bus across the causeway.

Members from Singapore and Malaysia exchanged warm greetings with one another as they entered the hall. Dressed in their formal attire, some were participating members who were chosen to preach sermon topics for the contest, whilst others came as supporters. They were divided into groups; each group consisting of preachers, listeners and graders. The members were filled with both nervousness and excitement, while the preaching contestants scrambled to find their assigned seat numbers on the noticeboards. Some of them took every spare moment they could find to review the topics that had been announced at the onset of the competition. Many others were in a relaxed mood chatting among themselves.

After the opening ceremony, the members were treated to a sumptuous lunch. The Bible Preaching Festival officially began with a song to praise God followed by a prayer.

Preachers began by going to the front to present their topics on whiteboards. The graders listened intently and awarded points. Each preacher presented wholeheartedly and fervently. With great faith, they conveyed the truth through illustrations drafted on the boards. After hours of intense preaching, the festival came to an end with an award ceremony to congratulate the awardees.

Five major awards were presented—Most Valuable Preacher, Most Efficient Preacher, Best Preacher in English, Best Preacher in Mandarin, and Best Preacher in Malay.

All members cheered and applauded the prize winners. The members bade farewell to one another after the festival ended. Members from both Singapore and Malaysia made their way back to their respective homes while looking forward to the next Bible Preaching Festival.