The Church first began as a small community of disciples. There were no Churches, Cathedrals or Convents.  However, they had a strong sense of community. As the early Christian community grew, new communities were formed and they spread all over the world. 

What happens when we are in a community?

1) We experience a sense of belonging: Belonging is a fundamental need. When we are part of a community, we belong somewhere. 

2) We experience a sense of hope: There will always be ups & downs in our lives. The community gives us hope to go on. 

3) We experience a sense of meaning: When we are facing struggles, we are not alone. We find meaning when we interact with each other.

4) We experience a sense of service: When we are in a community, we find ample opportunities to serve. Service to one another unites us as one community.  

Caption: Edelweiss NCC’s 11th year anniversary celebration this year

Imagine what would a parish be without neighbourhood communities?  Everyone would be strangers!  It is because of our neighbourhood communities that we know our neighbours by names. We also know what are their joys, struggles, anxieties, and dreams. 

When someone in the community is celebrating a birthday or anniversary, the whole community rejoices in celebration! Likewise, when one family is grieving over the loss of a loved one, the whole community shares the grief. There are times when someone needs help. Perhaps, we need others to pray for us, or we simply need a word of encouragement. It is said, “We can’t help everyone. But everyone can help someone.”  

Let us bring back the “kampung spirit” into our parish by building NCCs.

Caption: Green Court NCC in a new housing area is growing by the week  

Neighbourhood Christian Community (NCC) is our extended family. The young and the old, the sick and the healthy, the strong and the weak are all part of this extended family. You belong to this family!

NCC is Fun, Food, Fellowship and Friendship. Occasionally, NCCs also organise nature walks, barbeque parties, picnics and games! 

Sometimes in life, when our faith is too weak, we need to depend upon the faith of others. Community is our support group when our faith is shaky.  That is why we need a community. Man is a social being. We are all connected to one another as members of the community. Community can help us to be the best version of ourselves.

Everyone belongs to an NCC. Our NCCs are very welcoming and will be glad to include you! You will enjoy life-long friendships and have memorable experiences. We invite you to join your nearest NCC and make Church of Divine Mercy a role-model in building communities.

Caption: Jalan Loyang Besar NCC   

What to Expect next weekend?

• NCC Video: Before every Mass, a video featuring the transformation in our Parish through NCCs will be displayed in the Church. 
• NCC Testimonies: One or two members of NCCs will share their testimonies at the end of the announcements.
• NCC Booth: There will be a NCC Booth in the foyer where NCC members share their experiences with parishioners. 
• NCC Bookmark: All parishioners will be given a NCC Bookmark with a QR code which they can scan and find out more details
• NCC Canteen: NCCs will run the canteen next weekend. Home-cooked delicacies prepared by our NCC members will tickle your taste-buds.
• NCC Activities: Various NCCs will showcase their community activities and sing uplifting songs. 
• NCC Membership Drive: Parishioners can find their nearest NCC and interact with the NCC members.
• NCC Opportunities to Lead: Parishioners inspired to launch a new NCC in their neighbourhood can register their interest and get all-round support from CDM-NCCs.

Caption: Brontosaur Park NCC’s happy family 

Do you know, what was one of the greatest inventions in the history of mankind? “Quest for fire” is an award-winning movie in recent years. 80,000 years ago humankind faced a big crisis. It was extremely cold all over the earth. All would have died! And then, man accidentally invented fire. This saved humankind from extinction. 

Today the Church is in a crisis. What can bring back the fire of the early Church? How can we ignite the fire of love in the Faithful? Perhaps, we must go back to our roots! We have much to learn from the early Christian community – brethren who met regularly, shared the Word and the Bread. The strong bonding this creates, will reignite the faithful with renewed zeal and fervour. 

Pope Francis describes a parish as, “a Communion of Communities” (Evangelii Gaudium, #28). By default, every baptized Catholic belongs to a neighbourhood community.  All of us have a mission to build Christ-centred communities that spread the message of love and compassion.  Let us strive to make our Church of Divine Mercy, “a communion of communities.”

There was a time when neighbours knew each other’s names, when the young and the old alike had more than their families looking out for them. There was a time when our neighbourhoods were our closest communities.

No more. Neighbourhoods have become the place where nobody knows your name. As neighbours gradually became estranged, parishioners became strangers! Into this “neighbourhood crisis” the words of Jesus still ring true: second only to the command to love God is the command to “love your neighbour as yourself.”

It is in the neighbourhood that we meet men and women who are in need of our love and care. The Church promotes vibrant Neighbourhood Christian Communities (NCCs) to make the dream of vibrant parishes come true. Saint John Paul II said, “NCCs are the new way of being Church.”

Let us try to make our neighbourhoods into places where compassion and care are once again part of the culture, where good news is once again more than words, and where the love of God can be once again rooted and established.