The FOPx Worship Night resumed at St. Andrew’s Cathedral after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is one of the highlight events every youth looks forward to.
One of the things that I (Michelle Loh) constantly look forward to each year is FOPx Worship Night. Back in the days when we had Festival of Praise (FOP) Fellowship meetings, there was a great emphasis on inter-denominational worship, gathering and prayer. The coming together of the Body of Christ, regardless of our differences, enlarged my personal vision of what the Bride of Christ could look like. And when FOPx was launched, I was very excited that all of us youths from different churches got to see that vision come to life.
Last year’s FOPx Worship Night on 1 July 2022 not only marked the start of more events and conferences in the second half the year, but it also marked a new beginning after a two-year hiatus from large-scale physical gatherings. Many expectant youths came early with their mats and camping chairs, sitting around and fellowshipping with one another. It was very refreshing to see everyone standing shoulder to shoulder, freely praising and worshipping God.
As the praise and worship was ongoing, a few of our Generations youth went out onto the streets to evangelise and invite people to join us for the meeting. They believed that the event was not just for us as believers, but also an invitation for pre-believers to come and discover the presence of God!
I was very heartened when I heard that the younger ones stepped out to engage with people that they didn’t know and introduced Jesus to them.
As leaders from different churches took turns to pray onstage, we cried out to the Lord for ourselves and our generation to be forgiven and purified; to be set apart for the Lord and to be sent out to reach a lost world as vessels for His glory. Many of us also sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit and baptised with fire. It felt like we didn’t want to settle for what we have now, and we were hungry for the Lord and wanted more.
In what felt like a divinely-appointed moment, the skies also lit up with fireworks from the National Day Parade rehearsals and the leaders prophetically declared that we will be like stars shining in the darkened sky, drawing others to the light. Different youths also went up onstage to pray and stand in the gap for the youths of this land and I resonated strongly with the prayers they made. I could feel the burdens that they carried, and it was as if we were locking shields with one another.
I left FOPx Worship Night with a strong sense of “there must be more”. There must be more of the Holy Spirit in us and more to come for this nation. Even though we may come from different churches and denominations, God has given each of us a voice, and it is when we worship and cover one another in prayer that our voices will be a resounding roar that will mark this generation for Christ.
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