Wednesday, October 7, 2009

What Music Connects you to God?

Musical preferences are complicated and personal things. One person loves rock music, another classical, a third folk and a fourth hip-hop. And all of them might be sitting in the same pew!

Given these differences in musical preference, how should we use music in worship? Should we just standardize on one style of music and expect everyone to take part, or incorporate different styles into worship to connect with as many people as possible?

Speaking as an avid lover of music, I think that when we join a community, we need to learn to worship in the way that community worships. We need to uphold the parts of the body of Christ that are responsible for worshiping God through music, even when the style of music isn’t to our personal taste.

What about you? How do you handle the tension between your personal weekday preferences in music and what you sing on Sunday? Is it even an issue for you?

More importantly, what is it about music that connects you with God? Is it a certain style of music? Is it the words? Something else entirely? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Adapted from The Gospel.Com.Blog

History of Pesta

The National Pesta and Convention (also commonly known as 'Pesta') began as the National Review and Display in 1966 is said to be one of the biggest events which is unique to the Boys' Brigade in Malaysia. Today, participation is open to all current members of the Boys' Brigade in Malaysia, as well as members of overseas Boys' Brigade companies. Whilst games and other activities vary across each Pesta, it has been customary since 1966 for a national band competition to be held at every Pesta except during 1988, 1992 and 2001.

A footdrill competition and a group singing competition were added to the tradition in later years. During the Pesta in Malacca, more element were considered for the Pesta overall title, which includes a State Council march past, size of contingent, banner design and other much more complicated processes in determining the overall champion. However, this system was not used in the following pesta, held in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. The Kuala Lumpur Pesta 2006 more or less reverted to the traditional system of determining the overall champions, with an inclusion of one more event, which is the state sport.

Pesta 1 (1966) - Kuala Lumpur
Pesta 2 (1968) - Penang
Pesta 3 (1971) - Kuala Lumpur
Pesta 4 (1973) - Kampar
Pesta 5 (1975) - Johor Bahru
Pesta 6 (1977) - Teluk Intan
Pesta 7 (1979) - Kuala Lumpur
Pesta 8 (1981) - Kuala Lumpur
Pesta 9 (1988) - Penang
Pesta 10 (1990) - Kuala Lumpur
Pesta 11 (1992) - Kota Kinabalu
Pesta 12 (1994) - Johor Bahru
Pesta 13 (1996) - Penang (Golden Jubilee Celebration)
Pesta 14 (2000) - Sitiawan
Pesta 15 (2001) - Kuching
Pesta 16 (2003) - Malacca
Pesta 17 (2006) - Kuala Lumpur
Pesta 18 (2008) - Kota Kinabalu
Pesta 19 (2010) - Penang

Adapted from wikipedia (Boys' Brigade in Malaysia)

Firemen and First Aid Training Camp 2008

SARAWAK SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNCIL
THE BOYS' BRIGADE IN MALAYSIA
FIREMEN AND FIRST AID TRAINING CAMP 2008

Group photo with the Trainer

On 28th and 29th June 2008, 104 members of The Boys’ Brigade, (aged 13-18) attended the Firemen and First Aid Training Camp at St. Thomas Secondary School. This training camp was organised by the 1st Kuching Company, The Boys’ Brigade in collaboration with Kuching Civil Defense Department and Sarawak Southern Regional Council, The Boys’ Brigade.

The participants were from 1st Kuching Company (St. Thomas’s Cathedral), 2nd Kuching Company (Trinity Methodist Church), 3rd Kuching Company (St. Faith’s Church), 6th Kuching Company (Chin Kwong Methodist Church) and 7th Kuching Company (Chin Daw Methodist Church). They were divided into three groups namely Basic Firemen, Advance Firemen and Basic First Aid.
 

Presenting a Souvenir to the Trainer
The main objective of this training camp is to equip them with the knowledge of the First Aid and Firemen which included the principles and practice of First Aides and Firemen, understanding the concept of First Aid and Firemen and functions of each equipment.

During the 2 days training, participants were given theory and practical lessons. A simple theory and practical test was conducted by the trainer on the second day to test the knowledge and understanding of the participants.

At the closing ceremony, the representative from Sarawak Southern Regional Council, Captain Michael Chai Khim Chuan (Captain of 3rd Kuching) thanked the Kuching Civil Defense Department for conducting the training and the school authorities for allowing the organising committee to use their facilities and venue. He also thanked Warrant Officer Griffin Gelengan and his committee for their effort in organising this training camp.

The camp was short but the participants had fun and gained a lot of knowledge. We hope that our collaboration with the trainers will not end here since we are planning to organise a similar training camp in the next future.

What are your spiritual gifts?

All of us have unique abilities and talents, given to us by God, although not everyone recognizes their own gifts. Blaine Smith of Nehemiah Ministries has posted a good article on recognizing your spiritual gifts and learning how they fit into God’s plan for your life. He challenges us not to dismiss our gifts by comparing them to other people’s, and to keep alert for opportunities to sharpen our talents in the service of God. Most of us are “one-talent” persons. We are not going to be another Billy Graham, Mahatma Ghandi or Mother Teresa.

When we see ourselves falling short of the accomplishments of certain renowned individuals, we can lose the motivation to take our own potential seriously. Each of us without exception, however, has significant gifts–and opportunities to invest them for Christ that vastly exceed our expectations. What this provision amounts to specifically varies greatly from person to person. But God wants each of us to begin with the a priors assumption that he has endowed us with important ability to meet vital human needs, and that he will open all the doors necessary for us to be productive.

This attitude of faith will help us take meaningful steps toward fully understanding our gifts and the opportunities Christ provides us to make a difference. Smith has written other articles about using your spiritual gifts and related topics. And if you’re interested in exploring the idea of gifts and calling further, the Christian Career Center has a number of articles on finding your calling (although with a career focus).

Adapted from The Gospel. Com. Blog.

The BB Grip

Have you ever wondered how the famous ‘BB Handshake’ started? Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that but I can reveal how and when it came to Britain.

Joseph Cudlipp introduced the ‘BB Grip’ to Britain. In the 1950s, Harold T Barrow, former Company Chaplain and Secretary for Youth work in the forerunner to The Leprosy Mission, published a booklet entitled: ‘The Boys’ Brigade Handshake’, being an extended version of a Bible Class talk he had given to the 1st Maidstone and 12th West Kent companies, using II Kings 10 v 15 as his starting point. The booklet outlined the handshake as The Sign of Loyalty, A Declaration of Friendship, An Expression of Sympathy and Compassion, A Proof of Agreement and a Covenant of Fellowship. What does it mean to you?

Jos Cudlipp admired the way in which the BB was organised in the UK. On his tour he visited most of the large cities in Britain and Ireland. Naturally, he was warmly welcomed wherever he went, shaking hands with many British BB officers and boys. ‘Troop F’ was present for the Brigade Council weekend in Aberdeen and made a great impression upon its hosts, particularly members of the 1st Glasgow Company. The Founder’s son G Stanley Smith, then 15 years old, observed that the UBBA members had a particular way of shaking hands known as the ‘BB Grip’.

The BB Grip was described as ‘a handshake which involved dropping the little finger so that it goes between the little and third finger of the other chap’s hand’. In a letter to ‘Stedfast Mag’ in 1957, Stanley Smith recalled the introduction of the grip…. ‘we at once adopted it in our own company as ‘The First Glasgow Grip’, I have no doubt other companies did likewise. After I joined Headquarters Staff I travelled around a great deal and wherever I went always used to pass on the handshake to officers and boys ‘The BB Grip’. It soon became famous and today it is known all over the BB world.’

In August 1905, Revd Joseph H Cudlipp, Adjutant-General of the Pennsylvania Division of The United Boys’ Brigade of America, arrived in Liverpool on the start of a two month tour of the UK. He was editor and publisher of ‘The Brigade Boy’, the UBBA Journal and was accompanied by a Lieutenant, Sergeant, Corporal and Private of that organisation, described by him as ‘Troop F’. In the previous year he had undertaken a trip around the USA with a similar group but this was to be the trip of a lifetime.

Rob Bolton

article extracted from The Boys' Brigade Gazette (January 2003 issue) - BB UK