A Time for Poetry and Reflections
Editor’s note: At CCMC's Family Day on 12 September, we had many activities, including a workshop on Poetry & Reflections. This workshop was led by our congregation member Jonathan Chan. Poetry allows us to reflect and express our thoughts, and it can be a form of worship.
Phyllis Wong shares her thoughts about her experience at the workshop.
While we worship and pray as a church, we also played together on our Family Day, held on Saturday, 12 September 2026, the eve of CCMC’s 32nd Anniversary.
On that day, an array of activities fed different interests, from energetic line dancing, pickleball, Captain’s Ball, to the evocative activity of Poetry and Reflections.
About a dozen of us huddled to learn from our multi-talented Jonathan Chan. We have a poet in our midst! One who has published works such as “Going Home”, “Bright Sorrow”, “Azalea Dialogues” - books that are available at the National Library or at bookstores.
Rediscovering the joy of poetry
For some of us, that afternoon was like travelling back in time, to our school days of literature classes. Back then, learning poetry was burdened by the pressure to receive good grades. Now, we can write poetry purely for pleasure to God, the Teacher of our lives.
As I listened to Jonathan’s teaching, the glow on his face showed his passion for teaching. Perhaps, the poet in us is awakened?
It was an interesting time of learning with our class conducted in an interactive manner. Our thoughts were provoked by his questions, such as:
What is a poem? “Music of the heart, deep down, layers, read aloud, tempo/meter, interpretation, meaning-making, accessibility,” to name some contributions from the floor.
Why poetry? “It trains the brain to see differently. Writing poetry helps us gain insight into ourselves, shaping us to grow as persons and draw out what is within. We may read the same words, but the meaning we make will depend on our life experiences, the way we see and feel.” This is my response in the silence of my home.
Poetry in Scripture
Parts of the Bible are poems. Jonathan highlighted some poems in the Bible, including the exuberance and ache expressed in Psalms; the weary wisdom of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs; the presentation of prophecy in verse forms in Isaiah and Habakkuk and Mary’s Magnificat, which is the Song of Mary found in the Gospel of Luke.
In the two-hour session, some of us recited poetry passages, either from the selections prepared by Jonathan or from our own favourite Bible verses. We lapped up the beauty of the words painted by different authors from the selected readings.
There was so much to learn that we didn’t have time to write. Jonathan invited us to try writing poems using these prompts when we are at home:
Write about loving God without the words “love” or “God”
Write about praying without using the word “prayer”
I believe that real learning comes by doing. So, I attempted an offering of prayer and by doing so, I received peace.
Attacks every front
Heal our broken, battered earth
Sky flashes - BOOM! Peace.
(A Prayer in Haiku style by Phyllis W, 2026)
How can poetry be part of our faith journey?
Perhaps that afternoon’s session may jumpstart us to write poetry that shares our Faith, Hope and Love, in response to our Pastor-in-Charge Rev Kenneth Huang’s “prayer for CCMC…to produce works that glorify God and edify others…” - poetic works to praise God and share His love through Jesus Christ, His Son, guided by the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Photos by Elaine Tan and Kenneth Koh.
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