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Helicopter pilot Lieutenant-Colonel
(NS) Tang Tong Seng soars with the eagles, but when he lands,
dons a uniform of a different kind — the neon-coloured
vest of a Traffic Marshall at Trinity.
He is a familiar and comforting sight to drivers parking
at Trinity’s carpark. Rain or shine, Tang Tong
Seng always has a friendly smile that never seems to
fade.
With a wave of his hand, he
directs traffic in and out of its carpark, ensuring
smooth traffic flow during “peak
hours” at
Trinity. His easy and amicable demeanour belies the fact
that
he is actually a Helicopter Pilot and a Lieutenant
Colonel in the Air Force. |
Down to earth
The Lieutenant Colonel himself sees no contradiction between
his rank and what he does in the House of God. “God
is no respecter of persons. It does not matter to Him what
rank we hold. He looks at our heart and our attitude. Therefore,
I gladly serve Him as a Traffic Marshall. It is
a worthwhile and meaningful ministry expression because
I can help someone
park his car
quickly, enter the auditorium early, prepare
himself to worship God and to encounter God,” says
Tong Seng.
Throughout the 25 years of his military career, he has made
it a point to serve God. When his busy flying schedule made
it difficult for him to take on key appointments,
he did what he could whenever he was in town. That was how
he started off as a Traffic Marshall. “Traffic Marshalling
was readily available to me, and it did not demand a lot
of time. I applied a lot
of the aircraft marshalling skills into traffic marshalling.
In fact, some people commented we talked very professionally
when using the walkietalkies, and directed
cars very militantly!” he quipped.
| There were other lessons he applied from
his Air Force experience. “Being a Commanding Officer
in the highly demanding Air Force operations taught me
to smile and be calm in the face of adversity. As a Traffic
Marshall i/c, I would teach my team members to smile
when welcoming drivers into Trinity’s carpark,
to smile when drivers get impatient, to smile when it
rained, and to smile when the sun kept beating on our
faces and backs. Traffic Marshalls are truly the frontline
servers and greeters of Trinity,” he says. |
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Tong Seng embodies Trinity’s Vision and Values – a
Strategic Leader with a Passionate Honour for God and His
House. Having been in Trinity since 1981, he is a son of
the House. In these 26 years, he and his wife
Ng
Soo Kum have served in a variety of ministries
and roles, including logistics, worship leading, Youth Ministry,
Thai Ministry and RGB Team.
A place of destiny
Finding his place of destiny started with a simple invitation
from his college pals. “I first accepted
Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour when I was in
Secondary
1. Thereafter, for the next five years, I backslided
and drifted far away from God. But some college friends,
who were Trinitarians, encouraged and challenged me to return
to His sheepfold again. That’s
how I came to Trinity.”
“One night, when I was all alone in a classroom preparing
for my GCE ‘A’ Level exams, God baptised
me in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking
in tongues! From that night onwards, my life changed
as I became greatly aware of God’s presence.
I began to commit my life and my future into His hands. I
still remember saying to Him: “Lord,
make my life count for you!”
It was a prayer that was soon to be answered. Not long after
that encounter with God, Tong Seng received a letter of off
er from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
He
responded “for fun” to
discover if he had any aptitude for flying. To his surprise,
he passed
every stage of the selection process for a pilot
trainee, and was soon faced with the decision
to
sign on the dotted line. He remembers being in
the valley
of decision.
“I prayed very hard as I only wanted God’s will
for my life. My pastors and friends from Trinity prayed for
me
too. In an overnight prayer meeting, the youth pastor
laid hands on me and asked God to unfold His plan
in my life.”
What followed was an earnest 10 days of seeking the Lord.
God spoke to him through the Book of Matthew to be
a witness for Him in the Air Force. “The
training as a pilot trainee was long-drawn and tough – mentally,
emotionally and physically… in
that order! Every flight was an assessed fl ight. If you
started
to slip up in your grades, you would quickly end
up on the “chopping
board”. The two years
of training were not easy, but God was always there
for me! And the pastors from Trinity were always there
for me too.”
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A
destiny unfolds
God’s promise and purpose for Tong Seng as His witness in the Air Force
began to unfold. As he cared and connected with his colleagues and friends, his
contagious faith became evident to all. “God used me to lead and influence
many people in my sphere of work. The feeling of seeing my Air Force buddies
come to know and love God is indescribable. Today, these senior pilots and officers
are all still in Trinity, loving and serving God!”
Tong Seng found himself strategically positioned, not
only to reach the lost, but to be a Strategic Leader who
would carry God’s Passionate Heartbeat for the |
nations. “Being
in the Air Force was my calling from God. As a helicopter
pilot, I was in the business of
rescuing
and saving lives – Singapore, South China
Sea, Brunei, Palembang, Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. I have seen
real
action in the Hotel New World Collapse Disaster, Silkair
MI 185 Crash in the Musi River in Palembang, and
Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami Relief Operations
in Sumatra. As a senior officer, I helped establish policies
and directives to shape the air operations for the present
and the future.”
Serving with Godly pride
A godly pride – and a sense of Passionate Honour, if
you will – is evident in the way he carries out
his duties, whether directing a car or flying a helicopter;
whether driving his children to school or airdropping humanitarian
aid parcels. “I believe that serving God
is love in action. When I started serving in Trinity, I started
off in logistics because I wanted to learn
humility
(I was a very proud person then… and
maybe still am!) There is a song we used to sing in Trinity: “I
would not offer Him anything that costs me nothing, I will
give Him nothing less than
my very
best…“, which is what King
David said in 2 Samuel 24:24. That is exactly how I see my
service
unto God. It must cost me something;
otherwise it is meaningless to God.”
Tong Seng’s latest appointment is as Head of Operations
at Trinity@Paya Lebar. In this lay capacity, he co-ordinates
the ministry expressions and
manpower needs of the entire centre, overseeing
the eff orts of all the
volunteers every weekend. “I
took on this challenge because I was roped in at an early
stage by Pastor Dominic as a project member to conceptualise
the traffic fl ow there. Since I started the
concept, I thought I had better crystallise the
concept into a workable action plan; otherwise, people
may say that I am NATO – No Action, Talk Only! Seriously,
I am very happy to see the Traffic Marshalls, Celebration
Hosts, Nursery & DiscoveryLand
Teachers and Helpers, and Communion Servers from all districts
coming together every weekend
to serve our God and to help create a Vibrant
Atmosphere
for people to worship and encounter
God.”
| His sense of belonging and loyalty to
the House is evident. “I love this church because
I have learnt a lot and grown a lot here. I have been
discipled through all the teaching, sermons, nurturing
and relationship over the years. There is always
a Vision being cast in this House about how God wants
us to be salt and light that impacts our environment. This
held me steady in my early years, in the face of peer
pressure and challenges. It has built in me a sense of
integrity, a sense of purpose and destiny. This church
has also nurtured my wonderful children Grace and Matthew.
They are growing in their leadership skills, loving God
and serving God. Of course, I owe it to my wife Soo Kum
for raising them up in |
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the ways of the Lord. She was
always there for the family whenever I was called away by
the Air Force.” “Whichever uniform I wear, I am always thankful
for the opportunity to serve and make a difference,” he
says. “I know that God has placed me strategically
to make an impact for Him. I am proud to be a Trinitarian!” |
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