The FES is like Rendang
The Fellowship of Evangelical Students (FES) and its Christian Fellowships (CFs) are like rendang (a slow-cooked dry curry popular in this region). The longer you stew it, the better it tastes. Specifically, you need to be involved over a considerable length of time with the CFs to experience its rich opportunities for Christian maturity in the polytechnics and universities. Conversely, occasional participation with the CFs might lead you to prematurely conclude that CF is no different from any other spiritual support group. Simply put, FES is not set up to serve fast food but hearty stews. We do not aim to offer instant impact but a slow and simmering satisfaction.
The analogy of FES and its CFs as rendang was shared by one of our student leaders during a Branding exercise that FES conducted recently in November 2024. The CFs are constantly changing, more intensely so since the pandemic years. The changing landscape of higher education, dynamic shifts in youth culture and expectations, and volatile socioeconomic conditions are but a few factors that have driven change in the CFs. So, we wanted to learn what feelings and emotions our students and staff now hold about CFs beyond its programmes and plans. We then hoped to address potential gaps in emotions and experiences. To do that, we employed the concept of branding to evoke and access these subjective experiences. The exercise involved a few components that reviewed the logo, colours, ecosystem positioning, word associations, and food analogies. Food analogies bore the most fruit as they generated the most creative imageries to explain the FES experience and identity beyond a routine listing of its activities: what food would FES be?
It is one thing to define the CF experience as doing Bible studies, attending talks, sharing in small groups, and going to camps and retreats. Many other Christian groups would do similar things. It is another thing to describe the CF experience like eating mala (a popular stall at canteens and food courts that lets you choose your ingredients and mix it with a characteristic Szechuan seasoning derived from peppercorn and chilli). There is a great variety of food in a large serving of mala that is usually meant to be shared with others. The imagery of FES as mala more imaginatively conveys the diverse experience of students through the CFs and its otherwise typical activities. Doing Bible study is a staple CF activity like rice is to most Asians. But the missional nature of FES as a movement, draped with the tapestry of churches and denominations that students come from, blended with the academic setting of higher education and its diversity of disciplines results in a unique flavour of Bible study that will not be found anywhere else. While rendang and mala may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the meanings and experiences associated with these meals resonated with students and staff alike. In other words, FES is a student movement rich in diversity and that requires you to be considerably involved for some time to properly experience its full flavour. Too short, and your experience might be tough and tasteless.
The use of analogies, particularly that of food, is regularly used to illustrate spiritual concepts that would otherwise be difficult to grasp. The analogy of the kingdom of God being like a mustard seed characterizes the kingdom as a small and insignificant seed with the potential to grow unexpectedly large enough to provide nests for birds (Matt 13:31–32). Jesus declaring himself as the Bread of Life mattered significantly to the crowd in the countryside who struggled to have daily sustenance for themselves (John 6:35). The writer of Hebrews related spiritual growth to milk and solid food to describe a basic understanding of the faith against a mature understanding (Heb 5:11–14). Parables were Jesus’ medium of pedagogy early in his ministry as he travelled through the region of Galilee to describe how the kingdom of God and the new Christian community would look like. Jesus was not defining rituals but inspiring the imagination of the identity and character of the new community through storytelling. This informed our approach to the Branding exercise, not as an activity to build name recognition and marketing, but as a spiritual opportunity to reflect on the identity, character, and being of FES using analogies.
An NSC student leaders gathering
Moving along in our spiritual reflection of on FES, the most significant gap that surfaced from the Branding exercise was learning that raising leaders did not feel like the core mission of FES and its CFs. This was surprising and concerning given that the vision of FES is to see a community of Christlike leaders who are salt and light on campus, in the church, and in society for the glory of God. This new corporate vision statement was adopted by FES in 2015. However, adopting that vision did not redefine the movement overnight. Rather, it expressed in concrete words the historical and strategic self-understanding of FES ministering to the future leaders of each next generation from the polytechnics and universities. When I was a student leader in the Varsity Christian Fellowship, it was regularly highlighted that CF was not only a fellowship of Christians who happened to profess a common faith but a global movement of Christian students who desired to make an impact on the campus, church, and society. The corporate vision provided a more missional identity for FES to guide its beliefs and activities.
Conducting the branding exercise with the staff
Therefore, it was surprising that raising leaders did not presently feel like a core experience for students and staff. Instead, the dominant feeling now was the feeling of constant problem-solving and firefighting. Solving the problems of CF attendance, leadership succession, relating to school authorities and writing proposals, team dynamics and conflicts, and many more. Since the pandemic, there was a felt experience of an overwhelming number of things to do and problems to solve for the CF than before. It made us feel that we were merely trying to survive as leaders and not thriving as leaders. All this leads us to be eager to pass on responsibilities when the term is up without cultivating relationships in ministry. But perhaps this is the reality of the ministry that we must contend with. After all, we live in a world of sin and suffering in need of redemption and reconciliation. And the felt experience of constant problem-solving is the call to face and engage with reality and not avoid it. In this way, I think we are indeed raising leaders. Leaders who wish to engage with issues and not simply give up and give in. Leaders with resilience and fortitude of character.
In essence, this article has been a brief reflection on the insights gathered from the Branding exercise that help us understand the present perceived identity and character of FES and its CFs. What has resonated consistently across students and staff is that FES is a place of diversity that is open to Christians from many traditions and willing to engage with the disciplines of academia. FES is also a place of depth that requires you to get deeply involved to experience its richness. Finally, even if raising leaders was not a core experience for many, the willingness to engage with problems and not give up is a critical leadership attitude that expresses the resilience of our student leaders. May these brief reflections inspire the imagination to better understand the FES student mission today.
– Jeremiah Goh
FES General Secretary
