Written by Toh Jern Yoong
Edited by Charis Chen
Friday evening. People swarmed the church. They were participating in activities at different stations, each led by a young person.
What was so special?
Well, it was the first ever Influence EXPO in the East Asia Area!
What is the Influence EXPO? The Influence EXPO is a free event where the community gets to experience what ICC is about. And, as an added bonus, we had Dr. Teresa Moon, the CEO and Founding President of ICC with us, along with Mrs. Eunice Au, International Director of the ICC Learning Academy!
Photos by Coach Daniel Toh
Each of the stations had a theme, explained and illustrated through different activities by the EXPO Influencers. The Influencers are a group of young leaders, trained to lead the event and facilitate activities and discussions. Most importantly, they stand by this motto, to be Ready For Influence! This year, we had Dr. Moon guiding the Influencers and also sharing great insights on being a effective communicator for Christ. We also had the honour and privilege of Mrs. Au's presence to coach and train our EXPO Influencers.
The participants had the added challenge of collecting as many punches as they could on a card they were given. Each station visited would earn them one punch. At the end, all the cards were collected for a lucky draw, and the winners were presented ICC goodie bags!
After an energetic hour of games and activities, everyone settled down for the rest of the program.
We began with a team greeting from the EXPO Influencer team, comprising of John T, Deborah, John H, Abigail, Jessica, Aaron, Charis, Noel, and Ernest!
Photo by Coach Daniel
We are the EXPO Influencers!
Photo by Coach Daniel
The Malaysians + Singaporean in action
From left to right, Charis, Noel, Ernest
We introduced Dr. Moon, Mrs. Au, and Mrs. Shepherd, our Area Coordinator, to the community.
Photo by Coach Daniel
This was followed by Influence stories from the Influencers- testimonies of how they had been influenced and how that helped them to influence others, because they were ready for influence.
Photo by Coach Daniel
Photo by Coach Daniel
Photo by Coach Daniel
This event had a major impact on me as I started out nervous and afraid of the challenges that were to come. However, with the support of the other Influencers and the ever-loving encouragements of Dr. Moon, Mrs. Au, and Mrs. Shepherd, I began to see myself as a vessel for Christ, and to stand up and be ready for influence in His name. Since then, through the coaching and the guidance of Dr. Moon and the team, I began to look at things differently. What seemed to be a major problem has become a major learning experience of how I can improve, to be an even better communicator for Christ. Looking back on how God has brought me so far in this ICC journey- from a shy and incompetent speaker, to a speaker who cares for the audience, stands up for God, and takes feedback graciously. Like I shared in my Influence story, I've learned that through my actions, I can actually be a big influence to others, whether for the better or for the worse. I've realised how powerful words can be, especially on the platform. This entire experience has taught me way more than I asked for, and not even a huge sum of money could buy the lessons I have learnt. I am really thankful for Dr. Moon and the team for raising up young leaders like myself and the rest of the East Asian team to stand up for God and to do what is right in today's generation!
Photo credit: unknown
East Asia Area Expo Influencers 2016!!!
