Photographed by: RY, Tay Yi En, Austen Chua & Harry Derkenne

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Photographed by: RY, Tay Yi En, Austen Chua & Harry Derkenne

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PICS stands for Photographers In Christian Service (I still have to thank Malcolm for helping me craft the name back in 2009) and as the name suggests, we serve God through the means of photography. We provide high quality photography for weekly Sunday services, baptisms, church camps and other various community events.

As the saying goes, “A picture speaks a thousand words”.

And if you dwell on this thought a little longer, you would realize exactly how powerful a photograph is (and can be) because of its unique ability to capture and freeze an exact moment and emotion in time. It captures a part of a story, locks down a memory and at the right time evokes an emotion with the one who encounters it. Riding on that same train of thought, you would be amazed at how God can use a photograph to comfort a broken soul, lift up a burdened spirit or ignite joy in a hardened heart.

At Team PICS, we don’t just see ourselves as photographers but we are also storytellers. Taking photos of church gives us an amazing opportunity to tell the world the story of church and what it is all about. A simple shot of people praying for each other, sharing a good laugh, or even the expression of liberation seen in baptisms helps others to see God’s love and have a glimpse of what being in God’s family feels like.

Mavis, our 3:16 Productions video chief once said something about putting the stories together and giving them legs. I say Team PICS captures these stories and give them wings!

Speaking of stories, let me tell you a story about a certain mineral. To the uninitiated, they would view this mineral as nothing more than a dull rock, not worth anything and would likely throw it away.

But give it to the miners and those who are about to see its full potential. They will take it back for thorough processing, put it under immense heat and pressure, followed by another cycle of processing and cleaning. When all these processes have completed, you have what the world calls a woman’s best friend – diamond. You would think that God would have created diamonds in its beautiful, sparkling form but instead He had hidden this gem, waiting for someone to find it.

The lesson here is to first view things with its fullest God-given potential, then invest time and effort to polish it, place it under the heat and pressure, and if the diamond is genuine, it will form and sparkle even under these difficult circumstances.

This brings me back to my team. Judging from the photographs on the church’s website and social media platforms, you would assume that all the pictures were either taken by myself, professional photographers or at least professionally trained volunteers. But that is far from the truth.

Many of the photographs were taken by volunteers who have never had any professional photography training or experience prior to Team PICS. Some don’t even own a DSLR. All they had was passion, an eagerness to serve God and a desire to learn.

Being an official photographer (whether in 3:16 Church or elsewhere) may seem prestigious, but the prestige comes with hard work and big responsibilities. The team went through on-the-job training, assessments and were introduced to various photography skills and equipment. The photographers had to learn to operate alone and in pairs while understanding the importance of optimizing angles too. Practice is key and a humble spirit for continuous learning is vital.

I am very proud of our team as they have not only mastered new skills but have also embraced the right attitude as we concluded the training phase of 2016 on a high with 2 major events over the Easter season.

The team’s passion to serve, dedication to excellence, resilience to pressure and diligence in service have helped them to become the diamonds they are today. The team has come a long way and I am excited to embark on a new milestone together in 2017.


R.Y.
Chief Photographer and Communication Designer, 3:16 Creative

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Here’s a very big shout out to all the volunteers who made the National Prophecy Conference possible. Thank you so much for the time you have given and the love you have showed! This is family. This is love.

The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. – Proverbs 11:25

Photographed by: R.Y., Tay Yi En & Abel Tan

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My name is Joseph, and this is my love story.

I’ve been searching for love since I was a young boy. For half my life, I looked up to men for affection and security that I had never experienced before. The relationships were pleasurable, but they never satisfied. I felt so empty within. There was shame I could not shun and a deep hurt that wouldn’t go away. The more encounters I had with men, the lonelier I felt. I yearned for love – love that would satisfy and bring joy; love that would never fail.

God pursued my heart. He showed me crazy love – relentless and pure. I met a people who loved God. They loved me so much. It was not the sexual or emotional love that I was used to, but an unconditional love that came from God the Father.

God wasn’t judging me. He was loving me. He wanted to forgive me. He desired a relationship with me. God never gave up on me. He has always been there.

As the love of God overflows my life, I no longer want to act upon my homosexual desires because I have found love in the right place, in the heart of my Father. As He holds me in his arms, I know that His love outlasts the ends of days. It goes deeper and deeper, and I’ll sing of Him until my voice won’t let me…

Dear friends, God loves you so much. Come as you are, and let His love change you.

The struggles are so real. But I am overcoming. I will overcome.

I’ve found family. This is Love. God is Love.

Love,
Joseph

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Amy’s story declares the freedom of love. This freedom liberates her from finding her identity in gender. This love flows straight from Jesus Himself.

Amy’s journey of lesbianism was one of confusion and uncertainty. Now, she lives a life of joy, courage and security in Christ. Amy was resigned to her life of homosexual activity but God freed her. She used to believe that her sexual tendencies would forever remain. But God lifted those inclinations and turned her heart to Him.

The church has so much to learn from her story. Christians need to realise that we are a broken people. We face challenges in our relationships and our journeys are fraught with insecurity, fear and hurt. It is certainly not all rainbows and unicorns. The world needs God’s grace and love.

Lastly, I would like to thank Amy for sharing her story. Thank you for coming out, and for coming home. Coming out is never easy, but coming home is worth it.

Home,
Ian Toh
Lead Pastor
3:16 Church

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It doesn’t take faith to see a situation as it is. You could look at what Alisa went through and say that it’s depressing, and you might not be wrong.

Because it might actually be depressing to lose your father in a freak accident when you’re 8, when you have to deal with bulimia, when your mother leaves you or when the one who loves you the most passes away. It’s depressing when you have to live with the weight of your suicide attempt for the rest of your life.

So you can see the situation for what it is and you will always remember it as what it was. Or, like Alisa, you can redeem it. Redeem death for life. Redeem bitterness for gratitude. Redeem suicide for strength. In your kingly influence, you have the right to redeem.

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. – Genesis 50:20

Pastor Norman Ng
Assistant Pastor, 3:16 Church

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