President - Abigail!

The prospect of being President may seem overwhelming and downright scary. It embodies a certain sense of accountability – one that I wasn’t sure I was ready for, or even wanted to take up a year ago. Yet, God being God, was strangely persistent in His calling and through this amazing journey, I have gained so much more than I could ever give.

In formal constitutional terms, your role as the President is as follows:

   -          Take care of each ministry in COSDU

   -          Oversee and ensure the overall smooth running of COSDU

   -          Keep the Spiritual Directors informed of COSDU’s wellbeing

   -          Supervise and delegate tasks to committee members

   -          Chair and prepare AGM

   -          Call and chair committee meetings

   -          Liaise with the Archdiocese

   -          Attend AGM and other necessary training conducted by UMSU

In point form, things look much more straightforward, don’t they? I think the implication behind these points is that the role is not necessarily always tangible and you get to decide how much time and effort you want to invest into each aspect. It is a delicate balance. Allow the various ministries to overwork and there will be a burnout very soon; neglect deadlines and nothing gets accomplished. Undoubtedly, I have made mistakes along the way. Thankfully, I have had a great line of pillars supporting me – my fellow committee mates, Fr Thinh, Sr Delma, and most importantly, God.

Over the past year, I have truly learnt a great number of humbling lessons. Even though COSDU is a Catholic society, we sometimes can get so caught up in the things we are doing that we fail to reflect on God’s presence in our midst. I am certainly guilty of that. Being a perfectionist, it undeniably irks me when lines are crooked, circles are not perfect or plans simply collapse. But through God, I have learnt the value of serenity to accept God’s plans. For God is the real strength behind everything, not man!

Admittedly, you don’t have to take on a role in the committee to direct change for the better. Everyone can do it; we see this every day in the people around us. Nonetheless, leadership is, in its own right, a powerful concept. As the COSDU president, I have realised that you have to think before acting, simply because others DO look at you differently and judge you for being the leader of a Catholic group in a secular university. Yet at the same time, this role also carries with it the capacity to translate vision into reality. As Kim once remarked, the president of COSDU influences the vision of the committee, which in turn impacts on the direction that COSDU takes.

As such, I was initially very worried because I knew I had enormous shoes to fill. It troubled me that I didn’t have that ‘X-factor’ required of the president – I wasn’t holy enough, charismatic, or courageous… and I didn’t even have any vision for COSDU! But you see, I think we can all concede that Jesus was arguably the most effective leader of all times – so let HIM be the shepherd of this flock! Consequently, I now strongly believe that anyone who loves God, loves COSDU and is ready to dedicate a bit of time and heart to both is indeed prepared to be a leader in this unique family away from home.

Thus, I urge you to pray and discern if you are called to serve COSDU, this great ministry, as President. I am always happy to lend my support and encouragement.

God Bless,
Abigail