Flourishing In Service

To start 2026, I signed up for NTU-CF’s biennial Bible Camp. It was an experience I’ll never forget. Held from 5 to 9 Jan 2026 at Port Dickson Methodist Centre, it was organised for like-minded Christians who wanted to grow in fellowship and deepen their understanding of service. If you haven’t already guessed, the camp’s theme was “Flourishing in Service”.

Reflections on finale night

Bible Camp was filled with fun games and activities, late-night conversations, worship, learning, and self-reflection. While it would be impossible to record everything in a short blog post, I’d like to talk about one moment which stood out to me even to this day.

During camp, our speaker, Lisman Komaladi, asked us to walk to the beach and reflect, asking God how and why we serve. As I was walking, I came across a bunch of pinecone seeds spread all around a tree, and I was reminded of a science lesson I learned in school. These seeds are spread by the tree in hopes that they grow into a tree of their own. It doesn’t have any control over how far the seeds go, what soil they land on, or if it’s a safe place, yet at the end of the day, it still releases them. Everyone in camp shared their own personal stories about service, and I could vividly remember the struggles.

Growing in our understanding of Christlike service (Ethan is at the back, second from right)

In service, we often want to see results or, at the very least, have the assurance that our efforts will work, but the true meaning of service isn’t about the outcome. Rather, it’s about faithfulness to go on! While some efforts don’t bear fruit, it doesn’t mean we aren’t called to serve at all. Flourishing in service means trusting God with where the seeds fall. I’m thankful that I got to attend Bible Camp, where God gave me this powerful bit of wisdom!

— Ethan Vinoraj, NTU-CF, Computer Engineering, Year 2