Church to co-own Suntec

• vince69

  11 Mar 10, 11:59

  Originally posted by iveco:

  NCC? weren't they in the news last year regarding the pastor's salary? Someone should audit all churches to prevent another Joachim Kang, Durai or Ren Ci from happening again. The church donations are parishioners' hard-earned money.

  
  All audited already... after NKF thingy, all major non-profit org including churches, temples, VWOs all kenna audit. (oh,... this was how the problems at Ren Ci was found out)

   

  and, usually, its either IRAS or MCYS that conduct/request the auditing.

  In the above incident, it was IRAS (if I don't remember wrongly) appointing external auditing firms to conduct the audits on these organisations.

• eagle

  11 Mar 10, 12:08

  Originally posted by BadzMaro:

  Ask yourselves..

  What Would Jesus Do ? WWJD ?

  Wonder if Jesus will flip tables when he visits suntec.

  Buy Suntec and put a cross in the centre of the fountain?

• Dondontan

  11 Mar 10, 12:13

  Originally posted by vince69:

  
  All audited already... after NKF thingy, all major non-profit org including churches, temples, VWOs all kenna audit. (oh,... this was how the problems at Ren Ci was found out)

   

  and, usually, its either IRAS or MCYS that conduct/request the auditing.

  In the above incident, it was IRAS (if I don't remember wrongly) appointing external auditing firms to conduct the audits on these organisations.

  
  We will wait for the report on CHC from the govt.  

• As romanista2001

  11 Mar 10, 15:46

  Originally posted by Dondontan:

  
  We will wait for the report on CHC from the govt.  

   

  considering the CHC has over 33,000 mindless goons, the GOVT will be most lenient and soft on the pastor or maybe even cover things up............

  election coming also, PAP scared those 33,000 goons will influence more Christians to vote for Opposition mah.....................

• laurence82

  11 Mar 10, 19:47

  You can fault a monk from taking from a charity organisation, but can you actually fault a businessman making withdrawals on his business?

   

• Dondontan

  11 Mar 10, 19:51

  Originally posted by As romanista2001:

   

  considering the CHC has over 33,000 mindless goons, the GOVT will be most lenient and soft on the pastor or maybe even cover things up............

  election coming also, PAP scared those 33,000 goons will influence more Christians to vote for Opposition mah.....................

  
  Any PAP member in CHC?

• As romanista2001

  11 Mar 10, 21:07

  Originally posted by Dondontan:

  
  Any PAP member in CHC?

   

  don't know leh but PAP will not want to stir up so many mindless goons so close to elections...............if it's a monk, PAP will nab him for sure becoz buddhist followers are much less likely to cause trouble.............

  don't forget, there's more christians here than other followers so they'll postponeany action if any at all after elections........

  also Christian mindless goons are different, they like kana hypnotized by the pastor..............as if the pastor can do no wrong.................or they scared they'll lose their place in heaven if they don't defend their pastor................LOL

• RoyFang

  12 Mar 10, 09:18

  Originally posted by BadzMaro:

  Ask yourselves..

  What Would Jesus Do ? WWJD ?

  Wonder if Jesus will flip tables when he visits suntec.

  Judging from the bible passage about Jesus visiting the Herod's Temple in Jerusalem, I believe it's a "yes" to your question...

• As romanista2001

  12 Mar 10, 13:39

  Originally posted by RoyFang:

  Judging from the bible passage about Jesus visiting the Herod's Temple in Jerusalem, I believe it's a "yes" to your question...

   

  yeah..........Jesus would flip tables and chairs and say '' WTF !!! so much money..........and none for me ???!!!''

• Dondontan

  12 Mar 10, 15:50

  Originally posted by RoyFang:

  Judging from the bible passage about Jesus visiting the Herod's Temple in Jerusalem, I believe it's a "yes" to your question...

  
  Reading from that, I knowJesus will ask them to get lost.

• As romanista2001

  13 Mar 10, 21:11

  Jesus will tell them to get lost but leave the money..............

• Whatdatoot

  13 Mar 10, 21:15

  cheat money in the name of religion, soon the whole of singapore become christian country and those who are non christian can expect higher taxes, lower subsidies, and the list is unexhaustable

• Cc hern

  15 Mar 10, 11:22

  Money... Religion... Will we get caught and charge in court for making remarks in this forum, e.g. Defamation, False Accusations, disrupting to religious harmoney...  I no money to pay for the Fines and got family to feed leh...

• laurence82

  15 Mar 10, 21:09

  Originally posted by Cc hern:

  Money... Religion... Will we get caught and charge in court for making remarks in this forum, e.g. Defamation, False Accusations, disrupting to religious harmoney...  I no money to pay for the Fines and got family to feed leh...

  Defamation/False Accusations - Which the Church that tries to take over AWARE?

  Disrupting to religious harmony - The couple who distributed Chick's tract, Rony Tan

  Need me to find out from global perspective?

  

• googoomuck

  15 Mar 10, 22:37

  Originally posted by Whatdatoot:

  cheat money in the name of religion, soon the whole of singapore become christian country and those who are non christian can expect higher taxes, lower subsidies, and the list is unexhaustable

  dont bluff

• noahnoah

  15 Mar 10, 23:44

   

  next time

  if one is christian

  will pay lesser taxes?

• eagle

  16 Mar 10, 01:08

  Renamed the place to

  Suntec City Harvest!

• Togogal

  16 Mar 10, 01:26

  i think the church to co-own suntec is a bad idea.

• Dondontan

  16 Mar 10, 01:27

  Originally posted by Togogal:

  i think the church to co-own suntec is a bad idea.

  
  Is there a "pte ltd" after the name City Harvest Church?

• As romanista2001

  16 Mar 10, 13:14

  sole proprietorship lah....................

• Fairyfairy86

  16 Mar 10, 15:14

  Originally posted by Togogal:

  i think the church to co-own suntec is a bad idea.

  
  it gives non christians and even some christians bad impression on them. i know pastors and christians from other traditional church do not agree with chc. my friend told me that their pastor said the youngsters in chc will one day become mature enough to know what is real christianity and return to traditional church.

• noahnoah

  16 Mar 10, 15:22

  Originally posted by Fairyfairy86:

  
  it gives non christians and even some christians bad impression on them. i know pastors and christians from other traditional church do not agree with chc. my friend told me that their pastor said the youngsters in chc will one day become mature enough to know what is real christianity and return to traditional church.

  
  then u are wrong

  they will stay there till for next generation

  because mega churches just too hype

  because tradtional church never change much

  still the same old music..

  so quiet that i step till i fall zzzz

   

• laurence82

  16 Mar 10, 21:35

  dun be surprised, i see foolish older adults joining such churches

  after Lee Kuan Yew generation, Singapore is having a brain drain

   

• As romanista2001

  17 Mar 10, 14:06

  Originally posted by laurence82:

  dun be surprised, i see foolish older adults joining such churches

  after Lee Kuan Yew generation, Singapore is having a brain drain

   

  these older folks will join any religion to try to get wealthier.............if go church don't work, they'll go to the mosque next............the cycle is like this..........

   

  temple >> church >> mosque >> synagogue >> back to temple for 2nd try.........LOL

• Avfyrais satkäring

  21 Mar 10, 17:39

  City Harvest Church questioned over its $310 million stake in Suntec

  City Harvest Church (CHC) has been questioned by the Commissioner of Charities over its $310 million purchase of a stake in Suntec Singapore which it announced two weeks ago, the Straits Times reported today.

  The Church said earlier that it would use two floors in Suntec to house a 12,000-seat auditorium for worship services and that it would be used exclusively for its services, except for about five times a year to allow for international conferences or events to be held there.

  The stake raised some eyebrows among Singaporeans who questioned if registered charities should be allowed to go into business and if the income collected by CHC through its Suntec rentals would be taxed.

  An irate Singaporean Lester Lam wrote to the Straits Times Forum on 11 March 2010 questioning the relevance of giving religious organisations tax-exempt status when many of them own commercial properties and derive rental income from them.

  “Should the Government continue to let religious organisations own commercial properties and earn income from rent? After all, the revenue these organisations use for the purchase is tax-exempt in the first place. Suntec City was developed for commercial purposes. With the church’s purchase of the development and its proposal to convert a section of the exhibition space for church use, is it in breach of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s land-use policy?” he asked.

  A letter jointly issued by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore explained that “incomes earned by charities are tax-exempt because their main purpose is to provide public benefits through their activities.”

  There are no laws against charities being involved in business activities except that they “must be done in the best interest of the charity and not subject the charity’s assets and resources to unacceptable risk.”

  The Straits Times article did not reveal the exact questions asked by the Commissioner of Charities to CHC. Its Senior Pastor, Kong Hee could not be reached for comments.

  Source TR 20 March 2010