Teen Challenge Singapore 3.82

• Healing Communities

These 2 words sum up the whole philosophy behind why we do what we do, that is, to bring healing and hope to all our beneficiaries.

At Teen Challenge, we reach out constantly to provide solutions to the pressing needs of the marginalised in our community. This is because we believe in the potential that is contained in each life. We want to provide inspirational and quality rehabilitative and therapeutic approaches that can set oppressed lives free though the uniqueness of the human touch and the awareness of God.

• Redemptive Love

We believe that the love of God knows no boundaries and each staff member is charged to demonstrate the redeeming love of God to every beneficiary of Teen Challenge (Singapore). This is the type of love that touches a cold heart and brings about a desire for Kingdom living; a love that will cause the beneficiary to be willing to let go of sin, hate, anger, bitterness, hurts, resentment, and help bring him/her into meaningful relationships, with a desire and ability to be loved and give love in return.

This kind of love is also known as ‘Agape’ and can only be shown and given through close connections, flowing out of a genuine concern and desire to see a beneficiary’s life delivered from the problems and definitions of his/her past.

• Relational Confrontation

Redemptive love within our ‘Healing Communities’ must be demonstrated with a quality of ‘toughness’ – a balanced love that cares enough to confront with the truth, without fear. Many call this ‘tough love’ but we call it ‘relational confrontation.’

This type of confrontation is based on the basic building block of being a ‘family’ which is why we call each other ‘brother’ and ’sister’ within our premises. Each family member is valued and has to be confronted when necessary because we value him/her as an individual. It is not to ‘find fault’, ‘nit-pick’ or tear down but to confront the discrepancies that are displayed while the individual is on the road to change, and to help him/her build up and walk a new life. These discrepancies are highlighted in our weekly family meetings where socially unacceptable behaviour is confronted in an atmosphere of openness and love. Proverbs 27:6 says, ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend’.

It is our hope that the individual will be grateful for such a ‘relational confrontation’.

• Re-Learning Habit Patterns

The end goal for each beneficiary in Teen Challenge’s programmes and services is behaviour change! Through our many years of experience we are convinced that new behaviour do not appear automatically simply by mental assent! It has to be re-learned. Values have to be impacted and new concepts and principles must be internalized so that the new behaviour is intrinsic and not cosmetic.

In this residential setting, the individual must learn new patterns of behaviour that will develop into an acceptable manner of living, and improve the way in which stress situations are handled in the future. Residential living strengthens re-learning by building new relationships, learning new principles based on a spiritual understanding of God and the Bible, worship and music that help the individual break free in their emotional and spiritual needs, increasing faith in the living God through personal prayer and devotional life, re-training in new skills and work experience, community service and social responsibilities, and having good nutrition and health while learning to rest, relax and enjoy recreation.