What is ANCHOR?
Previously known as IDMC|uni, ANCHOR is our humble effort to help the young adults go through a discipleship journey at a crucial point in their life journey.
We want to equip Christian young adults to truly make sense of and own their Christian faith. Young adulthood is a very exciting and turbulent phase of life! As ships leave the safety of the harbour, there is great promise, yet also the risk of getting lost or even shipwrecked in the open sea.
Thus, through the empowering of God’s Spirit, we hope to help young adults grow deep spiritual roots, that their lives may flourish and be securely grounded, even as they navigate seasons of complexity and change. We also want to help them grow strong wings so that they might love God and others, make a difference in their world, dream Kingdom dreams and live for a Kingdom purpose!
For enquiries, contact equip.anchor@cefc.org.sg
About ANCHOR
At ANCHOR, we are big on five things:
Biblical Foundations: What’s the Bible all about and why does it matter?
Growing up as a Christian you may have heard it said regarding the Christian faith: “It’s not what you know, but who you know that matters”. Ask yourself: who is this God you are supposed to know? If the message of the Bible is as simple as “Jesus loves me”, why are there 1189 chapters and almost 800,000 words in it? (By the way, for 1300 years, the Bible didn’t have chapter divisions.)
Come and take a mind-blowing journey through God’s Grand Story in the Scriptures, find your story in His Story, and discover how timely and timeless God’s Word is in our time.
Relevant Modules:
- Basics of Biblical Interpretation
- Intro to Old Testament
- Intro to New Testament
Spiritual Formation: How am I shaped by the Spirit from the inside-out?
Spiritual Formation connects our theology (what we know about God) to our spiritual experience (our personal intimacy with God). Are you asking questions such as these: How do I deepen my prayer life? How might I find spiritual community? How can I trace God’s hand in my life? How do I discern the will of God for my future?
We explore all these questions and more in ANCHOR, and cap it off with a 4-day listening retreat. We trust you will be blessed as you commune with God and with each other.
Relevant Modules:
- Basics Christianity
- Spiritual Formation
- Day with Jesus
- Listening Retreat
Real-World Faith: How does Christianity define and direct all of life?
Today, Christianity has a bad rep for being anti-intellectual. But why does this have to be the case? Some of the best minds in history – think Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, C. S. Lewis and Francis Collins – were Christians. Other critics think the Christian faith is an ivory tower, nice in theory but irrelevant to the real world which is messy, complex and ambiguous.
We invite you to begin the journey of thinking deeply about what you believe, and interpreting the world – your world – through the lens of truth! We challenge you to work hard and discover how Christianity makes sense of all of life. This is because the Christian worldview answers the big questions of life better than worldly alternatives can. Do you dare to believe that?
Relevant Modules:
- What We Believe
- Faith On The Frontlines
- Everyday Christianity
Missional Fire: How do I live for what really matters?
The apostle James put it bluntly — faith without works is dead. There is no way to make sense of God and His Word without obeying what God’s Word says about living with a sense of mission. Ultimately, that’s what we all want — to live with a sense of purpose, to feel truly alive.
As Christians we have the immense privilege of partnering with God so that His Kingdom might be realised on earth as it is in heaven. This means we must roll up our sleeves and act: showing God’s love to the poor and downtrodden, shining God’s hope on the broken and lost.
At ANCHOR, we will provide you opportunities to plan and execute projects to share Christ and serve others. You will be transformed as you learn about and participate in God’s redemptive mission for the world.
Relevant Modules:
- Evengelism and You
- Outreach Projects (New Life Community Services, Community Blessing)
- Missional Heart
Mentoring Friendships: Will someone journey with me?
Everyone needs a guide in their lives, not least during critical transitions. You might be feeling disoriented and anxious, and that’s normal – remember that God is at work amidst the chaos. We are committed to journeying with you. This shared journey is one of the ways God does His work.
The mentoring journey is optional. If you would like a mentor, we will try our best to pair you with one who has recently graduated within the same field of work or study that you are interested in. Your mentor will be able to guide you by introducing you to the marketplace, and check-in on your spiritual progress during the 3 months of the program all the way till December (the end of your first semester). We leave any further mentoring arrangements post-ANCHOR to the discretion of you and your mentor.
Course Details
ANCHOR 2027 will run from 8 Mar 2027 to 29 May 2027.
ANCHOR fees are split into two components: Program fees, and Listening Retreat fees.
As of 2027, the course fees are as follows:
FAQ
What does a typical day look like in ANCHOR?
The programme will be on weekdays, with Tuesday off. Each day the programme will run from 8:30am-5pm. Throughout the day, you will go for:
1. Classes to deepen your understanding of God and His Word, helping you shape a biblical worldview
2. Group discussions and activities to build spiritual community with your coursemates, and work on projects
3. Experiential projects that will give you opportunities to serve others in the love of Christ.
Classes will be on-site at our church premises unless otherwise stated.
Why is the programme 3 months long?
The 3-month duration is necessary so that you have enough time to:
1. Build a stronger foundation in the Scriptures
2. Develop a missional heart and biblical vision for the world.
3. Form meaningful spiritual community with your cohort
4. Build habits in the spiritual disciplines that will serve you well in your next phase of life
What if I cannot make it for the full duration of the course?
We believe in the value of the programme and hence wish that you can participate in all of it. However we understand that there may be commitments that you may need to attend to. We permit up to two weeks of absence from the programme.
If you know in advance that you will miss more than two weeks of the programme, you may want to reconsider signing up for ANCHOR.
Missional Fire: How do I live for what really matters?
The apostle James put it bluntly — faith without works is dead. There is no way to make sense of God and His Word without obeying what God’s Word says about living with a sense of mission. Ultimately, that’s what we all want — to live with a sense of purpose, to feel truly alive.
As Christians we have the immense privilege of partnering with God so that His Kingdom might be realised on earth as it is in heaven. This means we must roll up our sleeves and act: showing God’s love to the poor and downtrodden, shining God’s hope on the broken and lost.
At ANCHOR, we will provide you opportunities to plan and execute projects to share Christ and serve others. You will be transformed as you learn about and participate in God’s redemptive mission for the world.
Relevant Modules:
- Evengelism and You
- Outreach Projects (New Life Community Services, Community Blessing)
- Missional Heart
Mentoring Friendships: Will someone journey with me?
Everyone needs a guide in their lives, not least during critical transitions. You might be feeling disoriented and anxious, and that’s normal – remember that God is at work amidst the chaos. We are committed to journeying with you. This shared journey is one of the ways God does His work.
The mentoring journey is optional. If you would like a mentor, we will try our best to pair you with one who has recently graduated within the same field of work or study that you are interested in. Your mentor will be able to guide you by introducing you to the marketplace, and check-in on your spiritual progress during the 3 months of the program all the way till December (the end of your first semester). We leave any further mentoring arrangements post-ANCHOR to the discretion of you and your mentor.
Our Stories
Testimonies
“Coming out of two years in the wilderness of Canada, personal experiences mainly informed my knowledge of God. IDMC|Uni reinforced my faith intellectually — tracing the entire Biblical narrative, understanding the heart behind spiritual disciplines and so much more. IDMC|Uni also showed me that there’s nothing under the sun that God isn’t sovereign over. The question isn’t whether your job or degree is relevant, but how can you steward your talents and the knowledge you acquire to unfold creation’s potential and bring us one step closer to the Biblical kingdom! Over a year later, it’s a privilege to witness my IDMC|Uni batchmates passionately pursuing God and leading in campus ministries, in church and beyond.”
Kezia Khoo
Environmental Studies, IDMC|Uni ’21
”Before entering the workforce, I made a huge decision to set aside 3 months of my time to attend IDMC|Uni. And I’m glad I signed up. Attending IDMC|Uni was the best 3 months of my life. During this time, I learnt so much new biblical knowledge, despite being a Christian for most of my life. It also helped to deepen my faith and brought me closer to God, as I realised I was far away from Him. Most importantly, I made very good friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, which would last forever. If you want to experience the best times of your life, join us and you would never regret it! Most importantly, where God leads, He would provide. See you there!”
Charil Chan
Early Childhood Education, IDMC|Uni ’22
“I’ve always wanted to but never “had the time”, so I decided to sign up for IDMC and intentionally set aside the time for God. Through IDMC|Uni, I grew in my understanding of the Word, learning more about the contexts, the meanings, not just for fun facts but in a way that really deepened my understanding of God’s Word and God. IDMC|Uni also challenged me to consider what I wanted to see (in my community, in my walk, in my daily life) and be intentional about it. That is something I am really trying to work on as I’m in uni now. And lastly, to commune with Him is a decision. A tough one. But if you seek the Father, you’ll find He is right next to you.”
Melanie Tan
Data Science and Economics, IDMC|Uni ’23
“Personally, IDMCi was a worthwhile investment of my time. Coming into the course, I had the singular objective of learning about God through His Word, and my heart wasn’t particularly set on making friends. Despite this, I have been humbled, loved, and transformed by the Christlike community, staff, and speakers who touched my life throughout my IDMCi journey. With a greater love for God’s people, I have taken what I learned from IDMCi into mission trips and University, allowing my Christ-transformed heart to pour into the lives of others around me. To be honest, you will never be fully prepared for University, but seeking God first will be the best use of your time, more than you could ever imagine!
Bradley Goh
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, IDMC|Uni ’24
