Everyone knows that being a pastor’s kid comes with privileges and hardships- more so if your parents are pioneering a church.
Though many have heard of the feats and sacrifices of FGT’s leaders, their greatest fans or critics are sometimes their own children.
Ps. Hong Seng’s younger daughter, Joyce Eu, remembers questioning why her family had to give up their comforts. “We had to shift houses several times, and sometimes my parents sold our house to settle for something less,” she says. “I couldn’t understand why as a kid.” She recalls how all her family holidays were usually limited to being at church camps.
But now Joyce, currently a musician in FGT Subang Jaya and a Young Adults team member, sees that God was worth it and He is no man’s debtor. She realizes the pioneers’ adventure of faith required sacrifices, and hopes the rest of the church would also continue to participate in God’s move. “My hope is that we will not live off the faith of those before us but have our own journeys and testimonies,” she says. “That people will share the church’s vision on missions and social works, and that we are willing to share the burden and price to pay.”
Vivienne Voon, daughter of Ps. Yuen Woh and a youth leader in FGT Seremban, reveals how people’s treatment of her parents affected her. On account of who her parents were, some folks would grant her family favours and on the other extreme, there were others who spoke maliciously against them.
An important lesson Vivienne learnt was that “We serve God because God has called us, not because of how much people appreciate us.” She believes her family has been tremendously blessed by God as they soldiered on faithfully doing His work through the years.
Garrett Ng, eldest son of Ps. Wah Lok, says that people tend to view him differently. “People always think pastors’ kids are perfect,” he says. “News flash! We are just as human as everyone else except that we are probably more exposed to ‘churchy’ stuff from a younger age!” Growing up in church, however, has instilled in this drummer and youth leader a desire to obey God and to serve fervently.
While the pioneer’s children have seen how FGT has grown in the last three decades, they think at its core, the church remains very much the same. “We still pray our socks off and we still believe in making a change in the communities where we are,” says Vivienne.
Will the pioneer’s children carry on their parents’ legacy? Garrett admits that his generation isn’t as radical as his parents, and hopes to be as faithful and bold as the pioneers. “They certainly have set a high standard in FGT!” he says. Joyce, however, hopes for something bigger. “I hope that we will have greater faith than they did and would dare to do greater things than they envisioned for FGT,” she says.