IT WAS just another Sunday it seemed at the Church of Our Saviour yesterday. The church was in the news earlier because of its links to several members of the new committee of the troubled women's group, Aware. Just another Sunday until churchgoers were invited to pray for the controversial new Aware president, Ms Josie Lau, and her husband Dr Alan Chin. The new Aware president attends the church with her family regularly. So does at least three other members of the Aware executive committee (exco) and their self-styled 'feminist mentor', Dr Thio Su Mien. The congregation bowed their heads as Pastor Derek Hong led them in a prayer for the couple and their children. Husband and wife stood on the stage of the auditorium next to the pastor, their faces stoic, their bodies still. 'It's not easy for them,' Pastor Hong told churchgoers. 'They didn't ask for this.' In his prayer for them, Pastor Hong sought protection, strength, courage, clarity and 'the ability to express things in a way that is winsome and true'. He also said: 'Our church has been in the news. It's not what I wanted. 'It's a difficult time for many people. Yet in the midst of all this, God is doing wonderful things... a dimension that is taking place that's beyond social issues and (the) political agenda...' Indirect reference to Aware saga This was the only occasion when Pastor Hong made indirect reference to the Aware saga. There had been no mention of Aware earlier during the entire service. I had attended the 10.30am service at the church in Margaret Drive, instead of at my usual church, as I was curious to learn if it was indeed part of the Christian Right, as some detractors of the new Aware exco had suggested. But it was an ordinary service for the most part. There was the usual singing led by a worship leader, the prayers and pastor's welcome to new visitors. The people, who streamed into the auditorium where the service was held, appeared a diverse bunch - couples, families, the young and old, the able-bodied and the handicapped, well-dressed tai tais and folks in bermudas and flip-flops. None of them appeared perturbed about the flap in Aware and mention of their church's name. Nor was there any visible reaction when midway through the church service, Pastor Hong invited Dr Chin to share a testimony about his sister's sudden illness and unexpected recovery. Ms Lau's husband steals limelight So for a while, it was Ms Lau's husband who stole the limelight at the church yesterday. Dr Chin said his sister Suzanne, who has been living in Hong Kong for the last 15 years, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest last Monday. In the intensive care unit, her condition degenerated into multiple organ failure and later 'brain stem death'. Dr Chin and his mother flew to Hong Kong last Monday night. Last Wednesday, her eyes blinked and her fingers twitched. By 1pm, she started breathing on her own. Last Thursday, she could nod her head in response to a question. And by last Friday, she was fully conscious. She was able to recognise people around her and could write in response to their questions. Dr Chin said he spoke to his sister on the phone yesterday morning. 'She was already asking my brother-in-law for her moisturiser and facial cleanser,' he said, with quiet satisfaction. The story was unusual but sharing testimonies in church is commonplace. Any other member of the congregation could have stood on that stage to share a personal experience. It is not known if this was the first time the church had prayed for Dr Chin and his wife. Ms Lau and her husband were thrust into the media spotlight when news broke that she had been appointed as the new Aware president, replacing Mrs Claire Nazar who quit suddenly. Then, speculation about the anti-homosexual stance of Dr Chin and Aware's new exco threw up more questions about them. Against homosexual lifestyles In 2007, Dr Chin had sent six letters to The Straits Times, speaking out against homosexual lifestyles. And Dr Thio had said at a press conference last week that the homosexual agenda seemed to have been the 'single objective' of the old Aware. In his sermon, Pastor Hong went on to restate the church's position on homosexuality - available on the church's website. Homosexual practice is a sin, he said, but no worse than other sins such as theft, greed and drunkenness. He added that the church was against discrimination of homosexuals in areas where rights are extended to every citizen. 'We're against any form of homophobic expression... we'll be the first to stand up against any form of prejudice against homosexuals,' he said. We are not anti-homosexual, we 'don't seek the hurt and disadvantage of these people'. We're against the promotion of the lifestyle, and any programme that promotes homosexual behaviour as normal, he said. He acknowledged that 'one of the sad things that are going on... there are churches in some places that take part in gay bashing'. But, he added: 'That's wrong in the eyes of God.' And he had chastised those who had said he should not allow gays into the church, he revealed. Change for homosexuals is possible, he said, adding that 'in our church we've seen people who have changed'. The church was also 'against any movement that discriminates against people who have strong personal family values'. He then screened a news clip of the recent Miss USA beauty pageant showing Miss California Carrie Prejean's answer to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton's question about same-sex marriage and Hilton's vitriolic personal attack on Prejean. Referring to the gay lobby, Pastor Hong said: 'If you even dare to speak against it, you get death threats, you get penalised, you get disqualified.' He added: 'It's not a crusade against some people... there's a line... a boundary we need to adhere to so that this nation, the foundation for our children and our children's children, will be clear.' Just another Sunday at church? Not quite, for me.
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