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The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it.
Isaiah 60:22
When we look back at our small beginnings and consider where God has brought us today, we can’t help but marvel at His marvellous grace and faithfulness towards us as a church.
We started life in 1978 as a church plant with 17 pioneer members from Emmanuel Evangelical Church (EEC). Then, we were called Emmanuel Christian Fellowship (ECF) and were the smallest of the Evangelical Free Church (EFC) churches. Church life was nomadic as we worshipped in different places from week to week – in members' homes, theatres and restaurants.
This life of wandering would continue another 22 years as we moved (albeit less regularly) from place to place as needs and circumstances demanded. Despite the ‘unsettled life’ we led, we saw God’s gracious hand upon us as He continued to cause us to grow and granted us faithful, godly leaders, led by our Senior Pastor, Rev. Edmund Chan.
In 1992, we became known as Covenant Evangelical Free Church to reflect God’s great Covenant (promise) of salvation and blessing in Christ, and to uphold this promise to our generation.
And God has shown Himself to be a Covenant-keeping God with a great destiny for us.
Over the years, God clarified our call to be an intentional disciplemaking church (IDMC) that would impact the nations for Him (Isaiah 54:3). We have seen and continue to see the unfolding of this calling in many ways.
He led us on two remarkable faith journeys of “enlarging our tent” (Isaiah 54:2), first with 400 people raising $15 million for our Bukit Panjang Centre in 2000, and 3000 people raising $28 million for our Woodlands Centre in 2008, both without drawing down on a bank loan. We now have two worship centres to prepare for the revival and growth (2 Kings 3:16-17) that will come to enable us to fulfil the calling that God has for us to leave a ‘numberless’ legacy (Romans 4:18-21).
Now, with a weekly attendance of over 4 000, Covenant EFC is the largest EFC church in Singapore. This is a literal fulfilment of Isaiah 60:22, the promise God had given to Pastor Edmund when he first began to pastor the 78-member church in 1987.
On the international front, our IDMC Conferences, begun in 2001, are our vital contribution to the Body of Christ, and draw delegates from more than 20 countries. In 2008, Pastor Edmund was led to launch the global alliance of Intentional Disciplemaking Churches, a network of like-minded churches which are committed to fulfil our Lord’s commission to make disciples, both within their churches, and without – in the nations.
We pray that Covenant EFC will continue to grow from strength to strength, in grace and godliness, as God leads us. May our faith arise to take hold of that which God has promised and to act upon it – as He has said that it will be done to us according to our faith (Matthew 9:29)!
