Contributed by Amber Tan • Jan 19, 2025
My family and I started attending DUMC in May 2024 after spending about 20 years in the church I grew up in. Though excited for a new chapter in our lives, it is safe to say that anxiousness and nervousness accompanied us here as well. Personally, I was feeling pretty discouraged at the time. I spent my childhood and teenage years with the same church circle that I have now been uprooted from, and I was worried about how I would get to know new people and fit in in DUMC. It feels pretty silly worrying about such things in my 20s, but it has been a constant struggle for me growing up.
A few weeks later, one of the NextGen leaders texted me and invited me to join a Campus cell group (CG). I have not been attending CG even in my previous church for a while, so it felt outside of my comfort zone, especially realising that I would be meeting so many new people at once. I was pretty nervous, but accepted the invitation.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the CG welcomed me with open arms and quickly made me feel at home. There were so many introductions made on that day, and it didn’t help that our ice breaker game involved switching our names around and “assuming different identities”! But I very quickly got comfortable and felt part of the group, though everyone had to reintroduce themselves with their real names again xD
What I’m really grateful for is the support that my CG provided me during this transition period. A few of my CG members would consistently check on me, asking how I was doing, offering prayer support and offering to do devotion together as well. It has been a while since I received this kind of support from communities around me, and it was refreshing to learn more about God with this group of like-minded individuals.
I’m also thankful that God opened doors for me to serve. Despite being so new to the church, I got involved with the decor team for Advent 2024 and got to know so many great people both from within and outside the team. Serving alongside these amazing people was so encouraging and inspiring, and I am blessed to be part of a community with such passion for serving the Lord.
Although throughout this time, I did not specifically pray for these things, but God knew what I needed. I thank God for all the people he sent my way that encouraged and supported me as I navigate through this transition period, be it through NextGen or other ministries in the church. This season showed me that God has His plans set out for us, and that He will guide us through it, leading us every step of the way. Looking forward to what God has in store for 2025!