Worship & Creative Arts Ministry (WCA)

In 2003, a decision was taken to expand the worship ministry to include the creative arts, such as drama and video production. Back then a group of church members had gathered to pray and discuss the future of the ministry over a pizza lunch when after the meal, a brother from the group stood up and broke the news that all those who had eaten even a bite of the free pizza would now constitute the new creative arts leadership! It was in this spirit of joyful camaraderie and willing service that the worship ministry in GMC came to take its current form as the Worship and Creative Arts ministry (WCA).

WCA comprises the subgroups of choir, dance, drama, music, production and prayer, and is organised to oversee and manage the 9:00 am and 11:15am main services in church, and also lends support to the youth service and Grace Star children’s ministry. In addition, the subgroups within WCA often have their own unique programmes, such as dance training or evangelistic drama productions. Beyond this, WCA has also been given the heavy responsibility of encouraging corporate prayer in the church. Overall, WCA is a diverse ministry made up of many different individuals united through a common desire, which is to lift higher the praises of Jesus, through the various expressions of the arts.

The Worship Ministry in GMC

The worship ministry in GMC has been around for as long as the church itself has and can trace its roots back to the days of Ruth Garden and ACS. Started by a few founding members of the church, the ministry was tasked to organise and encourage church members to worship a living God, primarily through song.

Good old days

Looking back, a ministry “elder statesman” reminisced about the old days back in ACS when team members would meet at 6:30am in the morning to unpack and set up the instruments in preparation for service two hours later! “Back then, we didn’t have one group of musicians and another group of production crew. Everybody was both. You came early, set up your own instrument, EQ-ed your own levels, and after the service you packed everything up yourself,” he recalled fondly. “It was tough work, but it taught us that service and worship were not about being in the spotlight…we may not have known at that time, but the behind-the-scenes work was God moulding us for His use; He was protecting us from the pitfalls of pride and self-absorption.”

Another sister recalled how worship rehearsals used to be held every Saturday in a small backroom office at Funan Centre (now known as “Funan the IT Mall”) as the church had only rented ACS for use on Sundays. “It was an interesting experience to say the least…singing our hearts out to God in a shopping mall where all sorts of people were going about their daily lives…it was a good reminder that worship is not meant to be kept within the walls of the church, but that we are to take the worship of our God out into the communities. Our song is not complete until all of God’s children lift their voices!”

Today

Today, through nothing but God’s sheer grace and favour, WCA has grown to over 100 members (an inordinately large number given the size of the church), many of whom have been faithful stewards in the ministry for several decades…and still counting!