George Martzen "georgos"

We celebrated Christmas Eve at home this year with several TTC students joining us for dinner. We shared food and stories from Myanmar, Philippines, China and Malaysia. Afterward, I sat at the piano and we sang a few Christmas songs. Some of our guests, who have been away from home and family for a long time, expressed appreciation for the hospitality. Well, it's easy to be nostalgic at this time of year, given the close extended family of my own upbringing. I recall how in my younger days that Christmas Eve always started with the service of candle-lighting service at First church. There the Christmas story was rehearsed in Scripture readings, congregational singing, anthems and solos. Preaching was minimal. The story was enacted with the extinguishing of the lights. Then the pastor read, in the dimness of one candle, the words of John 1, "In the beginning was the Word..." As the candle light was slowly passed down the aisles to each person, we began singing ...

My life is currently influenced by several key issues and involvements: Most immediately, I am involved in the life of The Methodist Church in Singapore, which tonight officially concludes its 9th General Conference session with the re-dedication of Robert Solomon as Bishop. He was re-elected yesterday. I will play a humble role in that service. I am also an American who gladly welcomes the hope of change in Barak Obama. I also observe with some concern the shifts and splits in American religious life, such as the formation of the new North American Anglican Church. Well, they can do what they want, but the action is one expression of a growing hermeneutical divide, which feels painful to me. I consider myself a progressive evangelical. With my evangelical brothers and sisters I can sing "There's something about that name...", I study my Bible, I pray the BCP in morning, I affirm the great ecumencial creeds... But Christian faith is not some iron wall that separat...

We returned from a fellowship with about 40 other United Methodist missionaries from the Asia/Pacific region during a conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Sponsored by GBGM, we gathered at the Goldiana Hotel from Thursday to Sunday (20-24 November 2008). Besides hearing from all the different countries and projects from Tonga to Mongolia and Japan to Thailand, we shared worship together, visited several project sites in Phnom Penh, and worshipped at the Tuol Kauk Methodist Church and school, an initiative of The Methodist Church in Singapore. Like so many developing countries, the mission effort in Cambodia has been divided between different international and sectarian interests. Missionaries from different agencies (UMC, Korean Methodist, Chinese Federation Methodist, and Singapore Methodist, had been working separately in Cambodia, often to the confusion of the local populace. At least now the Methodist mission has been coordinated into a single national effort - the Methodist Mis...

There is more than one way to study for a biology test – try dance. That was the humorous conclusion of a problem on a recent Hannah Montana show I watched with my son. Hannah Montana, for those who don’t have teenage children, is a clever sit-com about a young woman who lives a double life. When she puts on a wig she become a singing teen idol. When she takes it she returns to a normal life as Miley Cyrus. In this episode Miley Cyrus was struggling with grades at school, especially in biology. If she didn’t pass an upcoming anatomy test, she was going to fail the class. After trying to get one of her brainy classmates to help her she came upon a unique idea. She incorporated the names of the bones into a song and dance routine. When the biology teacher saw her going through strange physical contortions during the exam, she sends Miley to the principal’s office. But Miley turns around and begins dancing through her exam preparation. The teacher was so impressed she wanted Mil...

I'm not paranoid, but I do notice surveillance cameras wherever I go. I did so even more today when I walked out of the theatre after watching "Eagle Eye," an action packed thriller directed by D. J. Caruso. It's about a defense department super computer gone haywire. After a questionable military action against suspected terrorist targets, two complete strangers start receiving anonymous phone calls that seem to turn them into terrorists also. Some fast-paced chase scenes left my jaw dragging the floor, not because I like chase scenes, but because of the near bloodless mayhem depicted. Hey, this was a PG movie (Singapore rating), so they can't show body parts flying all over the place, but I can't help but imagine that if this really happened then real people and real families would have been destroyed. Anyway, two things struck me about the film. First, we live in a societies where electronic surveillance and communications devices are endemic, and we ...

My, how time flies. Since my last blog China hosted its first Olympics, some medals were won, some public apologies were made, some US banks went belly up and The Methodist Church in Singapore held its 9th General Conference. I sat through much of the GC session since I was in charge of worship. Three conferences gathered again, gave reports, voted in leaders and attempted to elected the Bishop. That latter did not happen, but after more than 20 inconclusive ballots the members decided to continue the balloting at the concluding session on 3-4 December. Stay tuned... Time flies. We are approached the end of our second GBGM term in Singapore. For that reason, we are making preliminary plans for a study leave in June 2009, partly so I can start a D.Min. in Liturgical Spirituality. More on that later. Time flies like the butterflies I used the try and catch as they flitted from flower to flower in Dinuba. According to some reports we may have fewer Swallowtail butterflies, as mig...

I finally posted photos of the Yunnan trip to Flickr (and just about maxed out my free account). The images were shot on my 7-year-old Olympus Camedia (4Mpixel) - with the exception of a few images shot with my mobile phone camera and the group photos at Trinity Church. It's amazing how consumer digital hardward has advanced in the last decade. In film photography the hardware technology remained fairly stable for years, significant advances being made in film - speed and grain structure. So even a cheap camera could take ok pics with a roll of good film . One of the features of Yunnan that attracted me was the agriculture. Folks have probably been farming these parts of centuries. But it looked to me that farming was pretty much diversified with crops from other lands, like potatoes, corn, tobacco and many tree fruits, in addition to the more typical rice and leafy vegetables. In fact, potatoes, in some form, were common in most of our restaurant meals. I have always been ...

During our recent trip to Yunnan we were invited to visit one of the largest Protestant churches in Kunming, Trinity Church, which has a membership in the thousands, including many from the nearby university. The church has its roots in the missionary work of Hudson Taylor. It is part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. I shared with the choir on Saturday morning regarding using the psalms in worship. Yunnan borders Sichuan, which had a terrible earthquake in May. Chin Cheak translated for me. As we read the psalms of lament and sang related songs, they acknowledge their grief at the loss of lives, including relatives and friends. Chin Cheak preached on Sunday morning to a congregation of about 4,000, after which we were taken by van to the mountains were we visited a local tribal church, which sang some of the most beautiful music I had heard on our trip. Again, we were asked to share with them God's Word. One of the things that struck us is how people came early for wor...

We just returned early this morning from a 12-day trip to Yunnan province, China. It was partly a tour and partly a chance to visit some Christian churches in and around Kunming, the provincial capital. Several students at Trinity Theological College are from Kunming, so my wife and I were invited to visit and share with them. Yunnan is a beautiful region, both in terms of the breath-taking landscapes and the many tribal cultures of the region. Of the over 50 cultures in China, most are present in Yunnan, including Tibetan, Yi and Naxi. There are some very interesting societal patterns, including the matriarchal, communal society of Mugu lake. It is also a place of many diverse religious traditions, from Tibetan Buddhism to animism and, of course, ancestor veneration. It is common in the middle of rich agricultural fields to see prominent ancestor graves. I understand that also assured continued ownership of the land. I will say more about Yunnan in coming days. --georgos

I've always had this strange affinity for bugs. I remember as a 9th grader both the excitement and angst of doing my biology insect collection. I loved learning about these critters, catching them, but sticking those big beautiful butterflies and fascinating grasshoppers into a bottle of cyanide ... Oh well, such is research. Singapore has lots of bugs, the difference between Singapore bugs and California bugs is that the former are bigger, more prolific and more aggressive. At any one time I can find at least three or four different species of ants crawling around the house. Moths and butterflies are always finding their way in at night time, attracted by the lights. So also an assortment of wasps; but they always seem to come inside to die. Very different from central California wasp in the summer time - very bad tempers. They'll sting you as much as look at you. Usually when larger insects wander inside I try and help them back outside. I won't say that for the ants - so...

At a couple minutes before 8:30 Saturday night I shook hands with Ben Witherington with a muttered "Thanks so much" and "God bless" as we traded positions at the Wesley Methodist Church pulpit. He had just concluded a stirring sermon based on Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4 - "A Vision of Worship", which was partly a critique of consumer-oriented worship so common today. Peter Teo was waiting in the wings to send him to Changi Airport and the next stop on his world tour - Ephesus. I then stood in the pulpit to lead the congregation in singing "Not by Our Might", a hymn written by Bishop Solomon with a dynamic tune by Jusuf Kam. I was generally impressed by Dr Witherington, his erudition, his great sense of humor and his ability to connect to the audience. Some of the feedback I got was that he made people feel as though he were speaking directly to them. He is a good New Testament scholar, the kind that makes me want to go back to s...

Two very important things happen this Monday in Singapore. First of all, it's a public holiday (Vesak Day), so everyone gets to sleep in, unless you are a devout Buddhist celebrating the ancient prince's birth, enlightenment and Nirvana. Second, and more important for me, it is the beginning of Aldersgate Convention . It runs from from Monday until Saturday night at Wesley Methodist Church, with five evening talks and two morning seminars all culminating in the Aldersgate Service on Saturday night. The theme for this year's event is "The Road to Glory: The Future in Wesleyan Perspective." The two featured speakers are Ben Witherington, III, from Asbury Theological Seminary and Ezra Kok, Semari Theoloji Malaysia. Dr Kok will speak tonight and tomorrow night in Mandarin, while Dr Witherington will follow on Wednesday. Both will speak on matters relating to eschatology. Dr Witherington has written numerous commentaries, including one on Revelation, which has also bee...

Mother’s Day and Pentecost falling on the same Sunday this year offered an interesting mix. Which should get the greater attention in Sunday worship? One church engaged in a certain American 40 day program saved itself the trouble by mentioning neither. In another service the two were mentioned only obliquely during announcements and a pastoral prayer. I attended the Global Day of Prayer at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in the evening. There the timing and theme of church rightly celebrated aspects of Pentecost. I think there was a prayer honoring mothers. I grew up in a family oriented church that celebrated Christmas, Holy Week and Easter as family affairs, I knew nothing of the other Christian holy days until college. Of course Mother’s Day was one of the best attended services of the year as the three or four major clans crowded the pews to assure their matriarchs got the best honors. There is some commonality between Mother’s Day and Pentecost. As we celebrate the women who gave u...

The first day of May in Singapore is Labor Day, a national holiday in honor of Singapore’s labor movement. There are about 70 trade unions and associations in Singapore affiliated with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). While the government and NTUC provide in many ways for the individual workers, there is no codified minimum wage. The economy favors business enterprise. In the Christian calendar Ascension Day fell this year on May Day. The challenge of Jesus in Acts 1 is a kind of call to be co-laborers in God’s mission in the world. God’s mission is to establish the Kingdom, and all of us have a role in that effort. In various ways our task is to bear witness to the good news of God's kingdom. I like the economy of the kingdom. In Jesus' story of the vineyard workers in Matthew 20, everyone gets the same wage, regardless of whether they started at the beginning of the day or the end. The parable was probably not intended to advocate fair wages. But every tim...

The psalmist teaches us to count our days in order to gain a wise heart (Psalm 90:12). Not everyone counts their days in the same way. My peers in the west seem to like marking 50 years, as well as almost every childhood year, with a fun birthday party. I have memories of some of my childhood birthdays, as I hope my son will too, since we've given him a party almost every year. Chinese see 60 as significant, not 50. And as for childhood birthdays, some of my Singaporean colleagues remember only getting extra noodles or an egg for their birthday, if anything. Not that they were deprived. It just wasn't considered significant. Anyway, my wife, Y u Chin Cheak, and I, recently celebrated a birthday. Guess who. Suffice it to say that it was a good excuse to fellowship with friends and eat nice food. I think the author of Ecclesiastes said something about that. And come to think of it, our Lord was often found enjoying table fellowship. One of the helpful skills that I have gained w...

Last week nearly all of the pastors of The Methodist Church in Singapore gathered for a retreat in Johor, Malaysia. Bishop Willimon of the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church was the speaker. Bp Willimon is a good writer and preacher. He is one of those who still believes in the power of the spoke word to make a difference. He doesn't use powerpoint or any of the other hi-tech gadgets that modern day speakers lust after. In fact, his American southern wit and pacing exhudes meaning that goes beyond the words. Theologically, Willimon follows Barth over against the Niebuhrs. To him it is more important to declare the distance between humans and their cultures than to falsely close the gap. But it is the Mennonite theology of John Howard Yoder, et. al., that has put the radical edge on his thinking. The Christian's first identity and loyalty should be the Kingdom of God. He challenged the Singapore Methodist pastors to preach the radical gospel of Jesus, no...

Today as I strolled along busy Orchard Road in downtown Singapore, I was reminded of another orchard in a land far, far away - East Orosi - the place where my mother grew up. Today is the fifth anniversary of my mother's death. She passed away about a year after my father and about a year and a half after I entered missionary work. That other orchard is quite a bit different from the one I was walking through today. This touristy shopping centre is seeing property values go through the roof. And the pace of new building indicates the joy of the developers. The pace of shoppers starts picking up mid-afternoon. Locals race past, tourists gawk and snap pictures. Trees and other greenery soften the lines of the high-rise shops, hotels condominiums towering over the street, and remind the eye of the tropical location, one degree north of the equator. That other orchard had nothing towering over it, save the massive granite uplift that forms California's Sierra Nevada mountain ...

"What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches" (Luke 13:18-19). I've never seen a tiny little mustard seed grow into a tree before. But I understand the perennial marvel of watching seeds turn into seedlings and eventually fruiting plants of one kind or another. Even more marvelous are the myriad "hospitable" relationships between plants and animals. This potted bamboo that our missionary neighbours set out last year has recently become the home to a new bird family, some Ashy Minivet hatchlings, to be exact. The adults are medium small, black and white, migratory birds. It was only a week or so ago that we discovered the nest and tiny eggs. Hence we have all been very circumspect when passing by, so as not to disturb the new family. The "tree" is a common biblical image - the tre...

This week we did sort of a soft launch of the Methodist youth website. We presented to the Methodist school principals, and requested that each school designate a liaison to submit student creative work. We also prepared bookmarks for distribution to a gathering of student leaders on Saturday. I am happy that we have finally opened the curtain, though the audience be small. This website project has forced me to learn a few things about web development, not so much on the technical end - at least with the content management system I don't have to be an expert in mark-up code. The greater learning has been trying to organize the effort while navigating within the limits of ecclesial structure. It is not simply my website, but an official organ of the church. Developing media instruments for the church falls partly under the umbrella of PR or corporate communication. After all, it's an organization that deals with a public, both within its walls and outside. And most certai...

This weekend Singapore held its annual Chingay parade, marking the first week of Chinese New Year. The Lunar New Year is always very colorful in Chinese communities, and Singapore is no exception. Chinatown especially is brilliantly lit up, and various venues shoot off fireworks. Though I've only seen the Chingay parade on TV, it looks like everyone is having a lot of fun. Beside the public festivities, two things stand out about Chinese New Year. First is the evident importance of family; the second is the value of hospitality. Chinese New Year is usually a time of family reunions. Since the first day of New Year was Feb. 7, and many people living in Singapore have parents or other relatives in Malaysia, there was a mass migration on Feb. 6, with most people going north. The best comparison I can think to culture in the USA is Thanksgiving and Christmas, both of which always draws family together for a big feast. One thing that continues to bring families together is the p...

Sitting at my computer screen in my 6 th floor Singapore office, looking out at a darkening sky, I have taken a lunch break from the various tasks at hand. As I munch on a ham and cheese sandwich, with Dijon mustard, I suddenly have a flashback to a typical event in another hemisphere and another lifetime. The typical event: lunchtime somewhere on a winding mountain road in California ’s central Sierra Nevada . It could be between Hume Lake and Lake Sequoia , or between Hartland and Camp San Joaquin . As Dad traveled from one summer campsite to another to take the group photograph we would often-times assemble the sandwiches on the back seat. It took a bit of skill – laying the bread out and smearing the mayonnaise so it didn’t fall on the floor as Dad careened around the corners. Then carefully lay out the meat, followed by cheese slice. We didn’t always have pre-sliced cheese, so it was always good to have a cheese slicer along. Then comes the lettuce, dil...

A tree falls in the middle of a remote California wilderness. No one observes it, except maybe a passing doe with her fawn, a few squirrels, some mosquitoes and a few million micro-organisms, if they can even be said to observe anything at all. But to those creatures of varying states of consciousness, the falling tree is merely a passing phenomena. While it is potentially information, yet if no one takes note or records the phenomena, it is simply one of many hundreds, thousands or millions that might occur every hour at any one location. After all, the wind blows, rain falls, animals eat and are eaten, plant and animal cells are constantly growing and reproducing, air molecules are swirling through the atmosphere, atoms are constantly churning with energy. An unimaginable number of events are occurring constantly. But who cares? Ok, God cares. But otherwise, it’s just passing phenomena, unless some sentient being takes note and begins to reflect upon it, and shares it with another, a...

The US dollar turned 70 cents against the Singapore dollar last week (currently registered on the Yahoo Finance page at 1:0.7024). In Singapore one might not be overly concerned, considering there are only about 4.5 million people here, and a very small fraction of those are directly dependent on the once mighty greenback. My family is one of those, so we celebrated the turn to 70 with a minor “Oh dear,” and then went on about our business – our business being missionaries. Quite frankly, I did not enter full-time ministry to make it rich. Rather I find fulfillment in knowing that I am planting or cultivating that little mustard seed of God’s Reign wherever I go. In fact, I’m not fully convinced that the popular goal of becoming a millionaire is compatible with the biblical witness to God’s Kingdom. But that’s another story. But the fact is, missionaries, like everyone else, live in a global monetary economy. We are affected by the fluctuations between national currencies and the nat...