CLAY Cafe Night 2008

Last Saturday, CLA Youth Ministry (CLAY) held their special Cafe Night 2008. It was not only a splendid night but more importantly , it was night for the fine youths in CLA to strut their stuff as youths ~ musically, socially and spiritually. The setting for the Cafe Night was very interesting though. The sanctuary atrium was turned into a classical setting of French cafe. Against the backdrop of a piece of large black cloth, interesting stage for singing performances and classic French cafe background music made this event such an eventful evening. It was really a fun night for every one who attended this Cafe Night. The whole idea was to get the youths to invite their friends over for a night of music and food. It was encouraging to see a good turnout for the event. Special performances by special guests and our own special CLAY teams were great.

It all started when Stefanie asked me and my buddies [ Errol & Steven ] if we could help her run the kitchen section for the Cafe Night. Seeing her enthusiasm and great heart, we said. " Why not? Let's get cracking!" So, in came Jessica, Soon Ling, Wan Sin and later on Evelyn and Betty. Not forgetting, we had extra hands in Josephine & Jocelyn Gan! Stefanie and the team corresponded through e-mails and impromptu meetings while everything came into place.
With food servings like spaghetti, nachos dip, mini pizza, happy meal [ nuggets and cocktail sausages ] ,roti kahwin, garlic bread & mushroom soup, tuna dip with potato crisp and red bean dessert, it was a fun night for all of us. Our Food Cordinator was Soon Ling and soon, she was belting out the food list as they came in a flurry of action. Clearly, everyone did their job well and it was really fun being in the kitchen with these wonderful men and women.

Then, there this special concoction of drinks with names like Wango Tango, Arsenic, Joker, OO7, Rasa Sayang, Chocolate, Cappucino Shake, Something....with ..something bee [ too long to mention ] and a few other concoctions in which I have forgotten their names, it was a nice way and fun to see it going out of the drink station multi-coloured. The taste...LOVE IT! I guess, our unofficial food taster was Bro.Lawrence who just ate and slurped all the wrong orders! He, too had a great time!
Yunno, as far as the food and drinks are concerned, a lot of effort and a lot of care were taken to ensure that the food is ready, cleanly prepared and served on time. Yes,it was hectic at the small kitchen section but we managed it with great style, enjoyment and great team effort. That makes it very special but one back-breaking work, man especially the cleaning up! Thank God for the great team, we managed to get the kitchen area squeaky, spick and span cleaned in no time! Thanks guys for the great effort.

As for the crowd, somehow, I felt they were blessed that night.It was a night of really great music, a serving heart and a great time to fellowship. During one of my breaks in the kitchen, I went out to greet the youths - table by table and asking them about the food and the music. Many were happy with the food and the music fare. Many were impressed with the set-up and some even asked me if this was a regular thing for church youths. I told these youths [ boys & girls ] that we pray hard and we play hard too ~ sending them into a fit of laughter! Then I told them that they could drop by and see what CLAYouth meetings could offer them. I guess, I just wanted to do my part in helping out the team. Anyway, I told them, be ready for an adventure of their lives!!! So, youth leaders out there, you pray hard for the youths to drop by and bless their lives, ok? You just pray and lead them well, God would do the rest!
At the end of the day, I was dead beat tired as it was a working day for me earlier while I still had to run up and down the town to get things for the cafe night. It was really a worthwhile effort to help out. I always find it rewarding to be able to serve in the best capacity I could. There is no self glory in this ~ only a servant heart. That's what the kitchen crew [ Errol, Jessica, Soon Ling, Betty , Evelyn, Steven, Wan Sin , Josephine, Jocelyn ] felt that night ~ to be of service and be a servant for a good cause.I am truly blessed that at my age, with bones creaking & tweaking everywhere and tiredness, I could still play a small part in His Kingdom. That is truly satisfying!

BTW, Cheers to you, Stefanie! You did a great job of managing the preliminary works and helping out at the drinks section! You are truly special ! ~

Oh!Yah! I forgot to mention that we [ the chefs & waiters ] had specially sewn apron by Faith, Stefanie's mom. Thanks a lot, Faith! We really look good in the apron and it fitted us nicely! OhYes! One very concerted and agreed observation is that youths of Malaysia has food grinder and processors in their stomach! Boy! These young people can eat,eat,eat,eat and eat as though there is no tomorrow. Somemore, they can ask what's for supper?!! Aiyoooooo................