Wednesday, June 2, 2010

News Update A different kind of church


Church members have been known to go as far as adapting the most current Lady Ga-Ga or Black-Eyed Peas songs for concerts and celebrations, swopping out original lyrics for some of a more religious nature. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE LIM
CITY HARVEST church is somewhat different from an ordinary place of worship - it uses stars and pop culture to stay relevant, counts a number of prominent business leaders among its congregation and its events have links all around the world.
Even founder Kong Hee calls himself a businessman on the church website and, together with his singer wife Ho Yeow Sun, owns two companies.
One is International Harvest, which company records say is a provider of corporate training services and motivational courses.
The other is fashion company Skin Couture, which has three boutiques - Ed Hardy at Heeren, Skin at Great World City and Christian Audigier at Ion. Clothes sold are described as 'glam rock' and follow trends in cities such as New York and Japan.

This rock theme is even extended to City Harvest's church services, which some members say are akin to attending a rock concert.
Church members have been known to go as far as adapting the most current Lady Ga-Ga or Black-Eyed Peas songs for concerts and celebrations, swopping out original lyrics for some of a more religious nature. These shows are complete with full-scale sets, costumes and coloured lighting, which go beyond an amateur production.