The keynote talks were given by Ms. Wendy Louis, Director of the Singapore Pastoral Institute, who had to stand in for Msgr Eugene Vaz, as he had to fly to India to attend to his very ill father.

On the whole, it was an excellent start towards the realisation of Fr. John Sim's vision for the Parish to become more caring and united. The discussions, reflections and meal breaks provided good opportunities for the 300 parishioners, mostly compromising of active members of church groups and ministries to interact and ponder on their groups’ objectives and mission.

The theme of the reflections for the day was "We are One in the Lord". After the opening prayer, the whole assembly plunged into introspection on ministering in the early church through 1 Corinthians 16: 13-20, and the servant-leadership of Jesus.

Then the session was extended to the Emmaus experience as participants were encouraged to converse and discuss more closely with each other. This proved to be an eye-opening opportunity for many when they received insights of how someone else in another ministry saw their work and their commitment.

After a sumptuous buffet lunch, the reflection experience was further enriched as the large assembly segregated into 32 small groups comprising of three or four persons from different ministries. Each group had to discuss the 3 passages from the Book of Acts about the way the early Church behaved, prayed and organised themselves, and the impact they had on the larger community.

After that, each representative from the 32 discussion groups went up to the large board in front of the altar to put up their respective piece of the jig-saw that made a complete picture of a vibrant community of God.

We ended the day with a Eucharistic celebration. We certainly felt the warmth and a stronger sense of belonging to the Risen Christ community.