When Samuel invited me and church leaders to come to the
front for a photograph to commemorate the 14th Anniversary of the
church, I hesitated for a while feeling a bit weird. I just did not want too
much attention on us. The church is the whole congregation and each one has a
part in building the church to what it is today. Everyone should share in its
honor. As Samuel nudged the congregation to sing happy birthday song to CDPC,
Julia, a long-standing member of the church, whisked a blue color cake on a
four-wheel cart to the stage. It was a like a crescendo, the worship service
reached its height, because the congregation was soaking in the atmosphere of
praising God for his faithfulness. I was given the knife to cut the cake. I
thought to myself: “Are they testing me to see whether I could multiply the
cake like Jesus feeding the 5000?” True enough, everyone had a piece to sample
and I wonder how it happened that a small cake could feed 200 people.
Suddenly something completely unexpected thing occurred.
Samuel again invited the congregation to sing birthday song to Nagarajah. Again
a chocolate cake was brought to Nagarajah who was seated at the back row of the
church hall. Nagarajah, a homeless poor Indian man, who has been coming to the
church for a year now, was completely bowed over by the generous gesture of the
church. Never in his wildest dream could he imagine that a middle class church
comprising mainly Chinese would welcome him like Jesus welcomed the marginalized
of the society. Probably no one has ever celebrated his birthday for him.
Nagarajah speaks only a smattering English. Yet he felt so loved by the church
people. Almost every Sunday, different members of the church would take him to
where he stayed. His home is at the corner of the shopping mall where he could
go to the toilet for bathing. There is just enough covering to shelter him from
the rain. Nagarajah is a very clean person. He would put Talcum powder before
he comes to the church. He would also wear a white T-shirt and a short trouser.
He walks with a limp because of an accident several years ago that rendered him
jobless. He would sit quietly at the back of the church hall and worships God
with us. We usually give him essential items for him to take home. After the
service Nagarajah stays back to have a meal before members take him ‘home.’
To me the celebration of the church’s Anniversary reached
its climax when the church honored this homeless poor publicly, one of the
least in the society who is considered by some to be unworthy to live in our
beautiful and affluent city. This young church made me proud.
I firmly believe that the greatness of a nation is not about
its military power, technological advances, economic prosperity, or highly
educated populace, but rather how its citizens treat the weakest, the
voiceless, the poorest, the marginalized and the scum of the society.
