Contributed by Adeline Ting • Jun 30, 2026

I, too, have two families; my biological family, and my spiritual family. I am eternally grateful to be blessed with a wonderful biological family. We are a close knit family with very little drama through the years. I strongly believe this is because my parents and us siblings are all believers in Christ. The love and support we have for each other surpasses our trivial squabbles and petty issues, which are few and far between.

And as for my spiritual family, my CG and church community, I have learnt so much from them through the years. They are the special people whom God put into the different stages of my life, to help me grow in faith and obedience. They help me to discover God more meaningfully, in ways that help me on my journey to be more like Jesus. In my younger days, my CG in the campus taught me early on to put God first in all that I do. Honouring God through the dedication of my time and the little resources that I have, helps to nurture the obedience in putting God first amidst busy class schedules, assignments, field work, and curriculum activities. Being away from home for the first time, God gave me wonderful Christian role models to keep me grounded in my Christian faith and not lose myself to the chaos in the world. And as I move to the next phase in life, I find myself in the company of several dear ladies in the CG whose friendship and fellowship endured the test of time. We shared many of life’s moments together; marriage, children, heartbreak, sickness, death, that after more than 20 years, and with each having their own family and life, and in different churches now; we are still bound by our love for each other in Christ. We are deeply rooted in Christ despite being apart. And this year, we committed to support one another as we embark on our journey in BSF, together.

In DUMC, I have had my fair share of joining different CGs. As my spiritual family, they each teach me lessons about Christian living. Nevertheless, it is my current CG that has left the largest imprint on me – the heart to serve. I am inspired by my CGL and his wife, who faithfully have CGs and outing activities to keep the CG family together. They serve beyond the CG too, in Foodbank, Children’s Church, and in Boys Brigade, often going the extra mile without any qualms or hesitation. My CGL’s wife makes it a point to get every CG member their preferred birthday cake for their birthday. Then there is this husband and wife in the CG, who join the Bahasa Ministry and help spread God’s word through their Christian books and learning materials in East Malaysia. Their outreach to these communities honours God’s mission. Another husband and wife team is also highly dedicated to serving others; one in the First Touch and another in the Children’s Church. They always try not to miss a single day of their serving. Then there is another who prepares the food to be served for the KLUF. Her gift in hospitality shines through every other week during CG fellowship too. Another CG member is actively involved in Better Dads Malaysia and Men Alive. His outreach in mentoring others helps to build stronger and better men infused with Christian teachings.

I am humbled to have brothers and sisters like this in my CG. They embody the defining mark of obedience to do God’s will. I am grateful that they are the people that I meet at this point of my life, as I learn more about serving. With shared obedience to serve others, we help each other to be more like Jesus. Truly, spiritual families, bound by faith lines, can do so much in helping us to encounter God.