I count myself blessed to be able to experience both the warmth and personal touch of being in a small church, as well as have the opportunity to grow with a larger church body as a Methodist.
I grew up having five other peers in Sunday school and our Youth Ministry began with just three or four members. As a result, we were all given many opportunities to serve in different roles from a young age. When I was just 14 years old, I started co-leading worship in the main service, and became a youth leader. While there are days when I wonder why our church is so small, and lament that the members therefore have to serve in various capacities, every role has been a blessing in my spiritual journey. Working closely with the pastors that have been posted to our church has also been key in my spiritual growth.
When I had the chance to fellowship and share with fellow young leaders at the Young Methodist Leaders Conference, I realised the impact of my own journey. Getting to know the other leaders from the Chinese Annual Conference has been important in my journey as a leader, as we got to understand how each of us faced similar yet unique joys and struggles in our local churches (regardless of size). Being a part of the Methodist family has truly been a blessing.