The rear seats starts to fill up first. Susan, our writer (in black blouse on the right) prepares for her 1st writing assignment.

Fr Adrian Yeo urging the assembly to use their gifts & resources for the greater good of the community.

Back to the basics. Chairperson Vivienne Lim briefing the assembly on PPC's structure & achievements.

And I can't think of anyone better to handle this new group than ... Hey where is Timothy?

Yup, that was a complex case-study. Now let's tackle our next mission: "Tea-Break"!

A note of appreciation & request for greater lay participation.

The Church of the Risen Christ Parish Assembly was held on 3 December 2006. It was well attended by the various church groups and lay parishioners.

Throughout the event, a translator was on hand to ensure that Mandarin speaking parishioners were kept informed.

The meeting was officiated by Father Adrian Yeo, with a reading from the 1st letter of St Paul to the Corinthians.

During reflection, Father Adrian cited the importance of each individual working together for the greater glory of God and celebrating this oneness through the church.

The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)'s chairperson Vivienne Lim gave a brief history and description of the PPC's mission, which is to encourage greater participation of lay parishioners and living out the Gospel within the parish -- through a compendium of services like the free legal clinic, Risen Christ Media Team (formerly known as Publicity Ministry), Vintage Care and CaFE to better serve the community.

PPC's has decided to continue with last year's theme "We are One in the Lord" and as such, we will see further emphasis being placed on assisting the poor and needy in the community; Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

The PPC has initiated "Outreach", a support and social services group to facilitate this.

Ministries were also encouraged to further develop lateral relationships by tapping each others' talents and resources.

Those who attended the Parish Assembly were broken up into groups for discussion, after which parishioners came back with a smorgasbord of suggestions, concerns, feedback and questions.

The two topics that dominated the discussion were activities for the youth and reaching out to non-Catholics.

With an increasing number of children and youths in the parish, below are some of the suggestions forwarded:

a. more youth masses

b. support groups to help parents deal with youth issues

c. a full-time coordinator for catechism classes

d. youth groups

e. assistance to the youth council

f. classes for children with special needs

g. a soundproof infant care room in the main church hall

Parishioners also felt that reaching out to non-Catholics through clinics and support groups would be ideal in helping them get to know Christ.

Prominent banners for such clinics should be placed at strategic spots to catch the public eye. Joining one of the ministries eg. the choir, was another way of introducing the Lord to non-Catholics.

Father John Sim's closing address further reinforced the importance of parishioners moving forward as one, forging closer relationships and developing the parish.

He also thanked the parishioners and the PPC for their efforts and dedication in making the Church of the Risen Christ a loving and dynamic second home for all.