Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Church of St Thomas More

It was a life-changing experience for more than 150 parishioners who participated in a three-day weekend Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Church of St Thomas More.

Nov 14, 2014

By Agnes Noline
It was a life-changing experience for more than 150 parishioners who participated in a three-day weekend Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Church of St Thomas More. The seminar began with a short Bible video adaptation from the Gospel of John 3:3 depicting the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in which Jesus stated that unless man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

For the benefit of first timers to the seminar, charismatic leader, John Chooi, gave a short introduction of the Charismatic Renewal and a brief scenario of its beginnings in Malaysia. He explained that the theme Be Born Again To A Life In The Spirit was appropriate, following the Holy Father’s address to more than 52,000 Catholics during the 37th Convocation of the Renewal in the Holy Spirit at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy in June 2014. At the Convocation which comprised of priests, young people, families, the elderly and the disabled, the Holy Father quoted scripture according to John 3:3, urging all Catholics to ‘be born again to a life in the spirit’ and ‘to share with all in the Church, the grace of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit’.

The topics of God’s Love, Salvation, New Life, Repentance, Inner Healing, Growth in the Spirit and Transformation in Christ were delivered by veterans of the Renewal, Alex Loo, Vincent Nathan and a member of the Archdiocesan team, Josephine Navis. Many were touched by the talks as they were simple, using common words and relevant to their daily lives. Participants were touched by the personal sharings of the speakers, as well as the group sharings and experienced a renewal of their own faith beliefs.

Testimonials revealed a powerful encounter with God’s presence at the seminar. Participants experienced joy, peace and an amazing sense of God’s unfailing love when they rested in the spirit. At the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, many came forward to receive the gifts and felt encouraged to serve their community in whatever capacity and according to God’s will for them.

An overwhelming majority of the participants loved the praise and worship and acclaimed the songs/hymns to be well-chosen, meaningful and prayerful. Many were moved to tears as they experienced God speaking to them through the songs and prayers. The theme song Because of You, I was born again was played at almost all sessions to provide soul-searching insights based on the theme of the seminar.

The opening Mass on Friday was celebrated by Fr Augustine Lee, while the closing Mass on Sunday was celebrated by Fr Clement Lim. As a remembrance of the 3-day spirit-filled, memorable weekend, many of the participants stayed behind for a group picture which was taken by Michael, a photographer and parishioner of the Church.

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