To love thy neighbour is a commandment that Christians are familiar with, and indeed, the very first initiative that COOS-3:16 embarked on began with those in our midst. At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, before the Government announced their support measures, there were many incidents of taxi drivers giving up their keys. Ps. Daniel Wee, believing that the church could support her own, came up with the idea of linking up taxi drivers in the church congregation to possible business leads from other church goers.

Where is the common ground between business and Christianity? To many business leaders who attended the first Pastoral Exhortation Meetings in April and May, it did seem that their businesses and church teachings were often unrelated. As such, the meetings proved to be a valuable platform for leaders to hear from the Senior Pastors of the Church of Our Saviour (COOS) and 3:16 Church on God’s perspective of their involvement in the marketplace.

As the COVID-19 forced many industries to a halt, jobs were inevitably lost – but it is also said that opportunities can be wrested from crises. And it was in this spirit that the COOS-3:16 team embarked on the Jobs Initiative to get information on available jobs from businesses, and disseminating the information to the various church communities.

In these times of uncertainty when many changes are taking place at the same time, what does one focus on? Joel Lam of LeaderBreakThru in Asia held two sessions of Finding Your Focus in a Global Pandemic over Zoom on 22 and 25 May 2020, during which 35 participants learnt how God uses even difficult times to shape leaders so that we can stay on track to finish well. Joel, who is also Base Leader of YWAM Singapore, introduced the four stages of transition and how one can learn and respond to crises such as these.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented disruptions to the lives of many Singaporeans and Singapore businesses. To address these new challenges, which include fragmented supply chains and restricted movements across borders, the Government has implemented temporary measures in the form of the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.

How does one adapt and move towards new narratives against the backdrop of COVID-19, given its wide-ranging impact on jobs and the economy? On 28 April 2020, Gerald Tan, co-founder of Avodah Solutions, conducted a special run of the career clinic, Thrive in Testing Times, over Zoom for over 20 participants from COOS and 3:16 Church. It covered several issues, including how to leverage Government resources and services to give one's career a boost during the COVID-19 pandemic.