“It is more blessed to give than to receive”: Generosity Movement in Singapore launches

We have all read Jesus’ words: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Few statements run more counter to the values of our world – a world that places achievement, success, and wealth on a pedestal.

In the year 2000, an organisation emerged that deliberately challenged these values. Founded by four men – missionary Todd Harper, investor David Wills, Daryl Heald (Senior Grants Manager at the Maclellan Foundation), and Stewardship Pastor Forrest Reinhardt from Saddleback Community Church – Generous Giving was established to promote generosity as a joyful way of life.

Generous Giving advances its mission through two primary expressions: Journey of Generosity (JOG), a full-day or overnight small-group retreat, and Celebration of Generosity, an annual large gathering. At these events, participants hear personal testimonies from individuals who have chosen to live generously and have discovered the freedom and joy that follow.

In 2017, Generosity Path, a daughter organisation of Generous Giving, was formed to take this message of extraordinary generosity to a global audience.

The Generosity Movement in Singapore has begun

On November 25, 2025, Generosity Path Singapore launched the Generosity Movement in Singapore with the first Celebration of Generosity, gathering a community that shared local stories. Witnessing how God birthed this work in Singapore and sensing its significance – that God was beginning a deeper work in the hearts of His people – moved me deeply.

Yap Poh Kheng, Lead Catalyst of Generous Path Singapore, at the launch of the Generosity Movement in Singapore last November.

I was first introduced to Generosity Path (GP) when my daughter returned from her Master’s programme in the United States and spoke passionately about its impact on her life. At that time, I had just stepped down from leadership in a non-profit organisation within the social service sector. During those years, I witnessed immense needs on the ground. I saw charities doing meaningful, life-changing work, yet often struggling to raise the resources they needed.

As Christians, we know that our giving is meant to flow from gratitude for God’s unimaginable generosity toward us. Yet, if we are honest, many of us still wrestle with this.

We struggle to give in ways that truly reflect our convictions. We hesitate to release our resources, even when needs are clearly presented. Some of us feel constrained in being generous; others feel we have already given “enough.” We struggle even to talk openly about money, let alone experience the transformation Jesus invites us into when He calls us to live generously.

As I grew deeper in my walk with God, knowing that I serve a generous Father who is the true source of every resource, I began asking myself:

• Why am I blessed?
• Why has God entrusted me with resources and time?
• How should I use them beyond my own comfort and pleasure?
• How can I be generous, just as my God is generous?

As I researched Generosity Path, I connected with its leaders – Daryl Heald, Founder of Generosity Path, and Emmanuel Bistrian, Executive Director – and arranged a meeting. Through our conversation, I gained a deeper understanding of GP’s work, and it resonated strongly with what God had already begun stirring in my heart.

Generous Giving founder Daryl Heald (in blue) and his daughter Frances (first from left) meeting with Generous Path representatives across Asia: Yap Wei Ying, Mario Singh, Jaydee Lin, Yap Poh Kheng, James Yen and Bonar Tanudjaja.

This led me to register for a Journey of Generosity retreat in Singapore.

During the retreat, I watched a testimony video about a town in Western Uganda that had been completely destroyed by war. As the community gathered to rebuild their church, a crippled woman responded to the call to give. She said: “Even though I am crippled, I wanted to give, so I donated my only chicken for the rebuilding of our church.” Though she had so little, she chose to give sacrificially, offering her only livestock.

Her story pierced my heart. I found myself asking: “I have so much – why am I giving so little?”

Through JOG, I learned that sacrificial giving is a journey – one that unfolds over time. It is a process of learning to trust God more deeply, sometimes to the point where generosity may even shape or limit one’s lifestyle choices.

During the retreat, the Lord spoke clearly to me about bringing this biblical message of generosity to the Christian community in Singapore. I shared this with my retreat group, and, by God’s providence, these individuals, whom I had only just met, resonated deeply with the same vision. Together, we formed a team to prayerfully discern the next steps.

In 2025, the five of us received Generosity Path International’s blessing to form Generosity Path Singapore.

Generosity Path: A movement rooted in Christ

Generosity Path is a global movement with a vision of seeing the world healed through generosity. At its heart is a longing to see lives fully surrendered to Jesus, expressed through radical generosity.

Through facilitated conversations and reflective storytelling at Journey of Generosity retreats, Generosity Path nurtures a culture where generosity can be explored freely, without pressure, fundraising, or obligation.

The JOG retreat serves as the entry point into this movement, creating a safe space for participants to examine gratitude, stewardship, and faith in relation to their resources. To date, over 35,000 people across 127 countries have participated in Journey of Generosity retreats.

Generous Path Singapore’s leadership team and advisers: (from left) Ernie Lim, Yap Poh Kheng, Christine Ong, Lim Wen Li, Yap Wei Ying, Lynette Lim, Pamela Phua-Hsu, Mario Singh and Jaydee Lin.

The Generosity Path Singapore team hopes to partner with churches, ministries, and individuals to host JOG retreats and spread this message locally. Our desire is to cultivate a culture of generosity that reflects the heart of Christ and the values of His Kingdom.

We long to see generosity embraced not as a duty or obligation, but as a grace-filled response: An overflow of a life deeply rooted in Christ.

Three biblical convictions that ground the Generosity Movement

1. Generosity as a response of gratitude

In Luke 19, when Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, gratitude transformed him. His instinctive response was generosity: he gave half his possessions to the poor and repaid those he had wronged fourfold.

His giving was not commanded, it was compelled by grace. When we truly encounter Jesus, gratitude naturally overflows into generosity.

2. Generosity as compassion and justice

Zechariah 7:9–10 exhorts us to “Show mercy and compassion to one another… do not oppress the widow or the fatherless.”

Generosity is not merely kind, it is just. It reflects God’s Kingdom, where the vulnerable are seen, valued, and restored. To be generous is to join God in His redemptive work in the world.

3. Generosity as faithfulness and obedience

Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

Generosity is an act of remembrance. When we give, we acknowledge that everything we have comes from God, and we return to Him what is already His – an expression of humility, faith, and obedience.

My hope is that Journey of Generosity becomes a place where hearts are formed without pressure; where giving becomes worship rather than obligation; where conversations about money are honest, freeing, and redemptive; and where believers rediscover the joy and freedom of living open-handedly.

What we pray to see is not merely a moment, but a culture.

Not a programme, but a posture.

Not just acts of generosity, but lives marked by Christ-like abundance.

Because ultimately, generosity is not about the amount we give – it is about the heart from which we give.

We are most like God when we are generous.

If you are interested in exploring biblical generosity, we invite you to participate in a Journey of Generosity retreat. These gatherings are offered freely and can be hosted in homes, churches, or workplace settings. To join on please email Generous Path Singapore at generositysingapore@gmail.com

If you have attended a JOG retreat and would like to host future gatherings, we would love to hear from you as well at generositysingapore@gmail.com

Click here to learn more about the global movement.

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