Micah Conversation 2019
Featured Speakers & Ministries
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Melba Padilla Maggay
A writer and a social anthropologist, Melba Padilla Maggay is a consultant on culture and social development issues, particularly the interface of religion, culture and development.
As a specialist in intercultural communication, she did research on its relationship to theology and contextualization issues under the auspices of Tyndale House in Cambridge, UK as an early recipient of a Langham scholarship. Her recent work on this is a Langham book on culture and globalization titled ‘Global Kingdom, Global People.’
As a development specialist and missiologist, she has initiated and supervised ground breaking research and grassroots development projects as president of the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture, a training and advocacy organization engaged in development, cross-cultural and political issues. She has also been cited as outstanding leadership in organizing the evangelical Protestant presence at the barricades during the Philippine ‘People Power’ uprising in February 1986.
She is the President of Micah Global, an alliance of more than 700 faith-based development organizations working among the poor worldwide.
Rev. Raymond Fong
Trained as a lawyer and worked in the Government, Raymond's perspective on social justice was deeply transformed when he did an internship at a community organisation reaching out to migrant workers.
He grasped the significance of the role of the local church in integral mission and strongly believes in forging collaborative partnerships between different types of organisations to fulfill the Great Commission.
Now the Pastor-in-charge of Faith Methodist Church ("Faith"), Raymond hopes to see Faith fulfill her calling to be salt and light in the community and beyond.
Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac
Rev Dr. Munther Isaac was born in Beit Sahour, Palestinian Territories. He is married with two children. Munther is an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church and serves as an Assistant Pastor at Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church Bethlehem. He speaks regularly on Palestinian theology and the theology of the land, active with Kairos Palestine, and Blogger.
He is currently the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College where he teaches in the MA course on Worship and Theology. He has an MA in Religion – Biblical Studies from Westminister Theological Seminary in the USA and a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, England focusing on “A Biblical Theology of the Promised Land.
Eugene Seow
Eugene is the CEO of TOUCH International, a Singapore not-for-profit humanitarian relief and community development agency called to serve the needy and disadvantaged in the nations through collaborative partnerships and alliances.
Eugene was first Executive Director of TOUCH Community Services from 1992 to 2016 and former deputy senior pastor of FCBC, both roles he has since relinquished as part of leadership renewal.
With his years of experience in Singapore’s social service sector, Eugene actively contributes to the national effort by lending his voice and experience on the boards of the National Council of Social Services, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and the steering committee of Singapore Care.
Ministry Case Studies
Reuben Ang, Hesed & Emet / Elsie's Kitchen
Having grown up with the family business, Reuben learned the ropes from a young age. As a child, he spent his school holidays packing bento sets and by the time he was 21, he was volunteering his time delivering orders. After graduating from NUS with a Bachelor in Business Administration, Reuben worked in a Christian ministry for two years before joining Hesed & Emet in 2012, making him the 3rd generation in his family to manage the business.
As Managing Director, Reuben oversees the business development and operations of Hesed & Emet’s subsidiaries. He was part of a team which implemented several projects to improve productivity, including the installation of kitchen automation systems and improving kitchen processes. Reuben also led the rebranding efforts of Elsie’s Kitchen and Continental Delight Catering Services in an effort to refresh Hesed & Emet’s two flagship brands.
In 2016, Reuben spearheaded the creation of Hesed & Emet’s social arm, The Hesed Table. By working with partners, he hopes that this initiative will help to reduce food waste at the wholesale level and provide nutritious meals to communities that need it most, such as migrant workers and low income households.
More info here.
Redemption Hill Church, Mercy & Justice Ministry
The Mercy & Justice Ministry at Redemption Hill Church (RHC) stemmed from a mapping project in 2016 to better understand the greatest needs in our immediate Chinatown neighborhood. Our research and conversations pointed us towards two specific groups: children and families. Since then we have established partnerships with local organisations that serve children and families – particularly those experiencing loneliness, family breakdown, obstacles to education and insecure employment. Through initiatives such as distributing food rations, providing tuition and mentorship, facilitating Bible studies, and offering more personalised friendship and support, our volunteers aim to meet social, emotional, and spiritual needs just as much as physical needs of those they serve.
More info here.
James Quek, MyHelper
James Quek was previously the Executive Director of World Vision Singapore, an international Christian humanitarian organisation. In 2013, James Quek set up a maid agency MyHelper to provide employment with dignity and fairness for women who had to make sacrifices by working as maids overseas to support the family. He sees this as integral to bearing witness for Christ and answering God’s call to minister to the “widows, orphans and sojourners in the land”.
James Quek worships at Riverlife Church. He is happily married with 4 beautiful daughters.
Read more about James here.
Lee Ee Yang, Covenant Chambers LLC
Ee Yang has walked an unconventional path in legal practice. Having begun his career in one of the top law firms in Singapore, he embarked on an exciting adventure of starting a general litigation practice in his 5th year of practice and eventually as the founder of Covenant Chambers LLC in 2016. Although he enjoyed having impeccable chemistry with his superior and team in one of the “Big Four” law firms, he felt a call from God to leave in order to serve individuals and small and medium enterprises and be a contributor to solving the problem of access to justice and rising legal costs in Singapore.
Ee Yang currently also serves as the Vice Chairman of Law Christian Fellowship, a sectional group under Graduates Christian Fellowship as well as Chairman of the Board of Elders in Riverlife Church.
The Mighty Connection, Living Hope Methodist Church
The Mighty Connection is an outreach arm of the children’s ministry at Living Hope Methodist Church. We offer English coaching for children in the neighbourhood from P1 to P6. Classes are conducted by volunteers every Saturday (except the first Saturday of each month) from 1pm to 2:45pm followed by Bible programme till 4pm. Our objectives are:
a. to help the children to not only improve in their English, but also to enjoy the language
b. to expose the children to Christian songs and Bible stories
c. to also connect and reach out to parents through weekly contact, parenting workshops, etc.
Abraham Yeo, Homeless Hearts of Singapore
Abraham started Homeless Hearts in July 2014 after doing homeless outreach in Tokyo since 2013. Prior to working full-time at Homeless Hearts since March 2018, he worked as a software engineer in ST Electronics, an intern at a children’s writing company, a multimedia programmer at NIE, and as a media technologist in a media company. He enjoys exploring novel and innovative ideas in the social and media sectors. Abraham’s dream is to help bring good news to the poor, the hurting, and the marginalized in Singapore and all over the world.
More about Abraham here.
The Last Resort
Over the last 10 years, the home of Ken and Addy became known as The Last Resort to their friends, when they run out of options for themselves or other young persons in crisis, offering to help in whatever ways they can.
Both of them dream of a utopian community where people are valued more than things, where cold transactions give way to warm relations.
Ken is a wannabe farmer and Addy is most happy when she spots birds and animals.
More about The Last Resort here.
Mercy Ho, Tamar Village, YWAM
Before becoming a full-time staff with Youth With A Mission Singapore in 2014, Mercy spent 12 years in the marketplace in sales and business development. Currently, she is the Ministry Leader of Tamar Village, a mercy ministry that endeavours to see Justice and Compassion revealed in the Red Light Districts of Asia. Mercy also serves in the Leadership Circle of YWAM Singapore and is one of the Directors of Ark Coffee.
Mercy's heartbeat is to walk long term journeys / foster individuals from difficult and broken background. She also has a passion to champion servant leadership.
More about Tamar Village here.
Woodlands Evangelical Free Church
Woodlands EFC has been running Community Dinners every other Saturday since 2017. About 120 folks from church, clients served by our social service agency, and those who walk in from the blocks around us gather for a simple meal. People of different ages, races, nationalities, religions, and socio-economic profiles gather around the table, filling the fellowship hall with a warm buzz.
Community Dinners are where the welcome, goodness, and reality of Christ are experienced. It’s where the gospel is lived out and where people belong even before they believe. It’s where church is no longer just a building