The rural/urban divide

Living in a village called 龙滚“Long Gun” (my friend’s family home) for a few days was quite new for me but it also pointed out some things to me: in a small community everyone knows everyone and yes, the 5 of us foreigners stuck out like sore thumbs (or perhaps in this case, an entire palm) when we were moving around. This was something we were not used to as most of us grew up in rather ‘urban’ settings like HDB flats and there was probably no sense of ‘community’ in which people knew one another.

In the urban or cosmopolitan context, everyone come from different places or even different parts of the world so it is ‘alienating’ to a large extent- people are used to seeing strangers commuting from place to place, no one really finds it ‘weird’ to see different kinds of people compared to say the context of rural places or even villages.

This is not to say that there’s an absolute divide between the rural and the urban. I think China presents an interesting case because there are literally hundreds of thousands or even millions of people weaving in and out between the rural and the urban.

The bigger question I guess is that the assumption of urbanization is that it brings ‘progress’, but really, other than economic ‘progress’, what other kinds of ‘progress’ are being achieved? ‘Progress’ at what cost? Social alienation? Hectic lifestyles?

Road Traffic

What traffic? No rules. No right of way, no nothing. The horn rules. The quote, “the brakes of the vehicles can fail, but not the horn” comes to mind. So most of the time the taxi driver has one hand on the steering wheel (of course, duh) and the other on the horn, which is on the steering wheel. Every taxi ride was heart rate raising and I don’t recommend it for those who have heart-related problems. There was even one taxi driver who drives to the beats of the techno songs he plays in the car. Incredible. Everything also use horn. Change lane? Horn. Make a turn? Horn. Trying to avoid hitting a pedestrian or another vehicle? Horn. Driving into the lane of an incoming vehicle?  Horn. I don’t know what the signal lights on the vehicles are for. Decoration, maybe?

Tourism: Preserving or destroying ‘traditional culture’?

On the 3^rd day of the trip, we had sort of a one-day tour at 槟榔谷“Bing Lang Gu” (literally areca village) and we were lucky to get a wonderful tour guide named 七妹 “Qi Mei” (7^th sister) who was very bubbly and professional in the way she explained about the various tribes and traditions, etc. We were quite shocked to find out that she’s only nineteen this year.

Eugene, me and 七妹！

So we got to learn a bit about the histories, costumes and practices of the minority peoples in this part of Hainan, which is not a bad thing at all. But in the light of all these commercialization and the commodification of the ‘traditions’ of these tribes, what is really preserved? When tradition meets capitalism, what is left of past practices when it is subjected to capitalist values and in the name of making money?

Eventually we sort of get a romanticized notion of what minority village life is like. To me it always fascinating to see how “tradition” interacts with so called “modernity” or “progress”. Somehow usually the latter wins. Perhaps, some semblance of tradition is better than none at all…

A decade of friendship…. and counting

Last but not least, this entire trip wouldn’t be possible without the help of the main man, YK. 2011 marks the 10-year mark of the bunch of us since junior college days. We played with super soakers in JC, went through tough times in army, took some classes together in university and now most of us are in the workforce already.

Someone mentioned that traveling together can make or break a friendship but clearly there were no signs of the latter during and after the trip. The dynamics and idiosyncrasies between some of them never fail to make me laugh, it’s as if we have never changed at all and time just stood by.

Thanks guys for a superb trip!!!

Introduction

Being a Christian in Singapore and also due to my sociological leanings, I am rather interested in issues particular to the local church (specifically the Methodist denomination), such as theological education, the state of discipleship and also, due to my years being in a youth ministry, church and its involvement and engagement with youths. Youths refer to those from the age of about 13 to 25 (in terms of education, from secondary school to university).

From 2007-2011, I have been to Japan 4 times as exposure trips to find out about different church/Christian ministries in different parts of the country, from helping in summer camps for children to reaching out to university students in campuses. Through interactions with some missionaries and Japanese Christians as well as reading about local issues pertaining to the church, I managed to gain some insights about the current state of the church. Of course, they are by no means, exhaustive.

During my recent and first trip to Hainan, China, I had the opportunity to speak to a local pastor at length at a church located in Qiong Hai city. She gave a lowdown on the history of the church, changes in the near future and challenges that they were facing. I was quite glad that we could talk about such issues despite my rather limited proper usage of Mandarin.

As such, I have managed to identify some common trends and observations with regards to the state of the church across the 3 countries.

1. Leadership succession in church

One of the problems, I think, that churches across these 3 countries are experiencing, which are on one level, similar but on another, subject to local practices and cultural norms is the issue of leadership succession in church. For example, in Singapore, in the most recent issue of the Methodist Message newsletter, one of the challenges indicated is that of the large-scale retirement of pastors under its Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) in the next quadrennium (2013-2016). There would be 10 pastors retiring, with more to follow in subsequent years.

Similarly in Japan, many older pastors are hitting the retirement age but there are not enough younger pastors or church workers to fill up the void when they retire from service in the church. As cited in the booklet “Operation Japan” published by the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMC), the consequence of low seminary enrollment and retirements means that there will be a major of shortage of pastors by 2010. Specific to Japan’s societal and cultural context, the hierarchical nature of organizations, yes, even churches have made it difficult for younger Christians to venture into new or different areas of ministry for fear of opposition or disagreement with older church leaders and pastors.

My conversation with the pastor in Hainan, though brief and not representative of the entire situation of the church in China, provided a hint of the commonalities of what the churches in Singapore and Japan are going through as well. The pastor told me few, or almost none of the younger generation are interested in serving in the church as a calling. Further, she mentioned that being educated in seminaries and bible schools makes it difficult to properly engage the rapidly increasing numbers of young intellectuals in universities. She went on to say that even the children of pastors see no point in continuing their parents’ work and decide to chose alternative careers.

In summary, broadly speaking, the churches in all 3 countries are already or about to hit a crisis of leadership succession, largely due to the lack of younger Christians stepping up to take up roles of pastors or church workers. Perhaps it’s an indication of how churches are struggling to engage the youth meaningfully in general while also due to different socioeconomic milieus within each country.

2. The problem with youth?

The reluctance of younger Christians wanting to serve or be involved in full-time church ministry is the main reason why there is this succession void within the churches. What attributes to this ‘reluctance’? Let me suggest some possibilities specific to each country’s context:

Singapore

Academic success is seen as the key to future (economic) success, such as having a well-paid job, being able to buy a car and a nice condominium, go for exotic holidays and the like. In other words, a cushy ‘middle-class’ job is like the desire of many if not all Singaporeans. Perhaps for many, i might add, Christians, as well, the current and tangible worldly and financial success is too alluring compared to the promised “riches in heaven”. So the mantra is: “if I can be a lawyer, banker or whatever which earns a lot of money, why should I be a pastor or church worker?” Further, perhaps youths are being more educated as well as sophisticated these days being connected to social media 24/7, exposed to all kinds of information and ideologies, being a ‘church person’ is not cool, many of them want to ‘find themselves’, do whatever they like. Youth ministries in Singapore churches present an enormous opportunity but challenge for the church leadership: “if we are too strict, the youths will think we are too ‘old fashioned’ and outdated but if we are too ‘relaxed’, the youths might lose sight of the gospel and become no different from social gatherings”.

Japan

My observations of churches which I have visited in Japan thus far usually comprise of congregations with the very young and the very senior folks, with almost none or few youths or adults present. Youths and working adults are usually studying and/or working in bigger cities with very little time for anything else. A retired Singaporean missionary who worked in Japan for three decades once shared that the 2 most important age/people groups for the church to reach out to are the very young and very old. While there’s some work being in done in university campus ministries among students in bigger cities, what happens after that? One evangelical university professor declared that the state of youth is an indication of the ineffectiveness of the Church’s message.

China

I must say that my knowledge of China’s context is even lesser than that of the earlier two countries that I have mentioned. Perhaps it might not be as bleak vis-a-vis Singapore and Japan, but with increasing affluence and a growing middle class, it might eventually become no different from the case of Singapore. It really remains to be seen how churches in China are going to deal with the unprecedented cataclysmic pace of societal and economic change that is sweeping through the country now.

 3. Discipleship and meaningful engagement

Perhaps the over-emphasis on growth of numbers and ‘outreach’ of churches in Singapore have led to the decline of the ‘quality’ of Christians. Sure, many Christians have been told to do in all sorts of ways, to ‘outreach’ to their family and friends and yes, many have supposedly done it. But the real work really starts after that, to take time to disciple and ground new believers in the faith intentionally and systematically. The truth is that many churches fail to do that effectively and therefore it is no surprise that many younger Christians have a weak foundation in biblical literacy and knowledge. The consequence of that, coupled with the lack of churches’ meaningful engagement with youths and related issues, can be said to be the reasons why youths see no point and relevance in considering serving in full-time ministry or think that just attending church is good enough.

In the case of Japan, the application of biblical truth on a daily basis is a great challenge for believers who are continually being pressured to conform to the homogeneous culture. Many baptized Japanese fall away within the first five years. One of the strategies adopted by the Kanto House Church Network (KHCN) is to bring the churches to the Japanese people, rather than inviting them to a ‘formal’ church setting which might be apprehensive for them through the creation of regular meetings in either a convenient location near a train station or even someone’s place. Though spearheaded by foreign missionaries, the idea is to eventually allow the Japanese themselves become lay-leaders and coordinators of the house church networks.

While it is too difficult for me to say how the church situation in China will be like in time to come, a common challenge for the churches in the 3 countries in question is to continue to uphold the relevance of the Gospel in this modern day and age, particularly among the youths and younger Christians as well as to be able to interact with and disciple them meaningfully and effectively.

A verse from the book of Matthew comes to mind:

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth to an old garment, for the patch will pull away the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” 

Matthew 9:16-17

References:

Methodist Message, January 2012. Volume 114, No. 1. The Methodist Church in Singapore.

Wright, Don. (ed). (2007). Operation Japan Prayer Guide, 3rd Edition. Japan Evangelical Missionary Association: Tokyo.

For 3 of the couples who got hitched, their love blossomed while they were studying overseas and all occurred in the same country of Australia. Perhaps it’s ‘nicer’ and ‘easier’ to fall in love there? Not so busy and stressed vis-a-vis back home in Singapore? SDU, I mean, SDN should reconsider their strategies…in the true spirit of outsourcing work in an increasingly globalized world, ‘create’ love abroad and then ask them to get married in Singapore. Haha!

During these wedding dinners when it was usually awkward, especially when there are total strangers seated with you at the same table, my mind would start drifting and think about stuff. Stuff like when will it be my turn lah, how come I haven’t got to meet someone that I can married with lah…nonsense stuff which makes me hopeful yet sad simultaneously. Weddings are a wonderful thing to be part of, especially if you are close to the couple who are getting married, though I can’t really say I’m really close to those whose weddings I have attended this year. :/

I think one of the most rare and eye-opening experience of attending weddings this year is that of a Japanese lady and a Singaporean gentleman! A truly cross-cultural experience and a dream come true for me if it happens. The differences between the Japanese side and the Singapore-Chinese side were stark: the former was refined, well-dressed and proper while the latter was boisterous with the traditional ‘yum seng‘ (the raising of cups and voices to bless the new couple). Ok, maybe I’m just biased.

Another fascinating though some may say obvious observation is the social networks evident from both sides of the couple. You can get the sense that both parties are very ‘well-to do’ not only from the place where they hold the wedding dinner but also the type of people who appear there: one of my friends mentioned “eh, my big boss from my company is here” and I was like the family of the groom sure knows some big shots in a certain major corporation…Bourdieu was certainly right in that those from the upper classes dress and speak in a certain manner so as to ‘distinguish’ themselves from the rest…

Oh yes, nowadays it is commonplace to see couple display their childhood photos, use the wedding shots as ‘screensaver’ on the big screen and usually some cheesy video is played, that of the groom being ‘tekan-ed’ (tortured) by the  ‘jie meis’ (sisters) of the bride. It really challenges me to think of how I can make it different than the conventional ones when my own big day comes. Maybe the tekan is the other way round? Or using something else to represent the marriage, maybe drawings or words instead of the usual photos.

Sadly or happily, there are more weddings to come in the new year…perhaps more opportunities for me to think and reflect about marriages as well…

So we slog our guts out in school, burning countless midnight oils, the works. Okay, some of us managed to “do reasonably well” and get our toilet paper. Great, our parents are happy now. Then we realize whatever we got into was not really a “good job”: we start making comparisons with our peers over salaries, complain about sucky superiors, whine that there’s never-ending work and the list goes on and on.

What then, is a  “good job”? A typical understanding or definition perhaps from our parents’ time would be working in an air-conditioned environment, getting a decent salary with good working hours. But times have changed; Singapore has progressed into a considerably affluent country, more and more people are getting their toilet papers, the key to a ‘good job’. But in a nation which stresses (too much) on academic qualifications, people become unrealistically demanding or have unbalanced expectations on what these qualifications can ‘do’ for them.

We see the degree as a tangible means to help us get a “good job” and nothing else. Getting a degree is the end and most people complain that they won’t study anymore after getting the much-desired toilet paper. We have completely internalized and bought into what society and the government has been espousing for decades.

The day before I collected the toilet paper and was going to ‘shake hands’ with whoever was going to give me the dummy scroll, I thought to myself, “This is it huh, after more than almost 2 decades of education, this is IT, the glamorous toilet paper collecting day. What’s next?” It was rather anti-climatic.

Most of my peers are in the workforce now and I have heard all sorts of stories about their work life, colleagues etc. All are clearly not indications of a “good job”. Perhaps there is no “good job” to begin with but over time we imagined that it existed or perhaps the dream of getting a degree shattered the day we achieved it.

A more realistic and balanced approach would be seeing a job as a means of not just supporting ourselves and our family members, but to bring positive impact or change to others, be it in a small or big way. Our job is not “ours” per se; it is given to us for us to be good stewards and make a difference to the lives of others. In a sense, though ironic, if we take away the “me, myself and I” mentality in a job, we become more liberated and not shackled by what others say or do.

Waka-chan & me!

Is not geographical nor physical

I already knew that

But these 4 days

A stark realization hit me

That the distance is cultural and linguistically metaphorical.

Being unable to communicate your thoughts and mind

Is indeed one of the most miserable things in the world.

But perhaps being unable to communicate

Forces you to face yourself,

To be absolutely critical.

As I ponder about it, I kinda began to see God’s plans in the Japanese ‘influence’ I had in my childhood and growing up days. Firstly, my mum worked for a Japanese company for 14 years and she still continues to keep in contact with some her Japanese ex-colleagues until the present day. Next, for some reason, I was drawn to big robots, particularly those from Japanese anime- even today I still glance at the toys and books related to them. Another thing was my love for Dragonball, a popular Japanese anime/manga even till today in Japan: I spent a lot of time and money collecting Dragonball cards, reading Mandarin translated versions of the manga as well as learning to draw the characters by hard.

 So there were no shortage of Japanese elements in my life when I was growing up but these kind of fizzled out when I grew older and I just went on studying hard and trying to do well to please my parents.

 Then when I was about 17 years old, my junior college teacher invited me for a Christian outreach event and gradually I started to attend church, learning about Jesus and started to participate in youth ministry programs. Soon thereafter I was in National Service. After the completion of army I began my time as an undergraduate in the National University of Singapore (NUS). It was during this time that I spent time serving in various ministries in the Varsity Christian Fellowship (VCF) and realized the importance of student ministry. After the end of my 2nd year in university, I had an opportunity to visit Japan with the youth ministry worker and some of the youth leaders from my church to get a few of how churches work there. That trip, I think, stirred up my passion for Japan once again. The country was exactly as I have imagined as a child.

Process of becoming a reborn ‘Japan-ophile’?

More significantly, now as a grown up young adult and Christian, I began to be interested in the ‘spiritual condition’ of the Japanese: after all, less than 1% of the country’s population is Christian and it made me wonder why. Is it because the Japanese are not receptive to other ways of thinking? Or is it because of the country’s historical experience of isolation? Is it because Christianity is still seen as a foreign religion from the West?

After that maiden trip to Japan I knew that something was different. Something stirred in me to know about Japan and I began to take Japanese Studies modules (about 7 in total) in school to learn about the various aspects of Japanese culture, ranging from the mythical origins of Japan to religions in Japan to popular culture in Japan. I had the desire to go back and thank God in 2008, I had the opportunity to return to the same area and house that I stayed in in the previous year! It was one of the most memorable 3 weeks I had in my entire life.

At some point towards the end of my days as an undergraduate, I really thought of living in Japan in the future but I was not sure whether it was as a student, employee or maybe even a missionary/church worker. During my trips to Japan I met a number of missionaries, both long term and short term. Some of them have been in Japan for perhaps a decade or more and I wondered how they could be in the field so long!

But indeed, Japan is a hard ground for Christian work/ministry for a combination of reasons:

a) Overwhelming social norms to conform to? There is a (Japanese?) saying that the ‘nail that sticks out will be hammered back’. So I guess it’s pretty tough to stand out from the crowd and declare to others that you are different as a Christian.

b) It takes a long time to develop meaningful and honest relationships with Japanese people. It may even take decades for the seeds that are planted to grow.

c) The Christian concept of only one God that supersedes all VS the Japanese concept of a pantheon of gods in Shintoism.

Of course, these are just a few of the reasons I can recall at the top of my head. There are probably more complex structural reasons, which I hope to learn more about as I read up or experience through staying in Japan or interacting with Japanese friends.

Japan as mission field? “They are so rich, they don’t need it”…!

That is something that is commonly heard when we tell both Christians and non-Christians about an interest to serve in Japan as a mission field.

There is this prevailing ideology in the heads of people that humanitarian and missionary work is only for so called poor nations or “3rd world nations”. There is the assumption that when material needs are met, non-material needs will naturally happen and people will be happy etc. Of course, I don’t blame them but the problem with most of us these days is that we think in a very superficial manner and can’t be bothered to probe further to find real answers. Sure, Japan has been viewed as a economic superpower (it used to be the 2nd largest economy in the world), at the forefront of robotics development and research, known for its quality products and the list goes on….

But underneath the veneer of these seemingly glorious facade lies the cracks:

Many in the workforce die from overworking, people jumping into railway tracks have become so common that train commuters think it is a nuisance because it delays their traveling time, young people become social shut ins because of bullying in school or mistreatment from friends/family members. Young graduates fear that they would not be able to get proper jobs due to the deteriorating economic situation. Again, the list of problems go on but more often than not, these issues get glossed over.

There are no easy solutions to these problems. I’m not saying that being Christian in Japan or telling the Japanese about the gospel will automatically fix these problems but perhaps Christianity can offer a kind of solace or comfort for them, or even a hope. There is also the tacky and challenging task of negotiating culture and the practice of Christianity, something all Christians face because no one is born in a vacuum. No matter where we are, we are constantly negotiating our everyday lives as Christians, be it juggling social expectations from family members, choosing which ministries to be involved in, etc.

Perhaps that is the beauty and challenge of being a Christian: living out our faiths and what we believe in, to impact the lives of those around us.

Personal challenges and questions

I am still figuring out whether Japan will be a mission field for me and if so, when is the right time to go over? Clearly there’s the burden for Japan in my heart but what kind of actions will it translate to?

I still need to somehow ‘negotiate’ with my parents about the decision to go the field because they are not Christian and will probably not understand why I want to go there. Also, they expect me to be working with some stable job to support them and I don’t think “missionary” fits under this category.

Next question will be that of a life partner. Is it someone local who has the same calling and burdens, willing to also put down everything here and go to a foreign land to do God’s work? Or is it going to be someone who is Japanese and perhaps be able to assist me in my language, cultural training and ministry? For me, the latter will be ideal but it’s still all theory. I kinda envy the missionaries in Japan with a Japanese spouse (usually wife).

God calls each and everyone of us for a reason. I pray that I will have the courage and faith to follow it through. Please pray with me! お願いします！

“Work-life balance” is the word we often hear at the workplace but I feel that reality is about 10,000 miles from that. More often than not people work like crazy for most of the year then decide to go for a nice, hopefully long holiday somewhere to you know, relax and forget all about work. I’m not sure if it’s something passed on from schooling days when students study like mad prior to the exams then forget everything about what they have learnt when they step out of the examination hall.

Honestly I don’t think this cycle of working till almost exhaustion and then going for holidays after that is healthy but it seems like what this is what happening to most working adults these days. I’m not saying we should not be hardworking but I think we must certainly relook the way we are living our lives, especially when most of us (unless your folks own some big business or they are ministers in Singapore) will quite probably work till old age and maybe, death.

Are we working hard so that we can possess more and more materially? So what if we have more and more? Are we working hard to ‘show off’ and tell others how ‘successful’ we are? Or we are working hard to give our colleagues and superiors the impression that we are good workers?

What are you working so hard for?