CONFERENCE ON CHRISTIAN OUTREACH AND SOCIAL CONCERN

How Church can help the marginalised

A CONFERENCE on Christian Outreach and Social Concern will be held at Wesley Hall, Wesley Methodist Church , on April 18 and 19. It aims to create an awareness for the marginalised people and help Christians express compassion and care for their well-being.

“Breaking Down Barriers: The Church for the Marginalised” is organised by the Board of Outreach and Social Concern of Trinity Annual Conference ( TRAC ), together with Wesley Methodist Church and the Fellowship of Evangelical Studies.

The conference will comprise two plenary sessions and a choice of four workshops. For the first plenary session on the evening of April 18, the Rev Dr Daniel Koh, a lecturer at Trinity Theological College, will speak on “Biblical and Wesleyan Perspective of Social Concern”. The Rev W. P. Ebenezer Joseph, President of The Methodist Church in Sri Lanka , will talk about “Concerns for the Marginalised” in the second session on the morning of April 19.

“Attending to the Needs of Foreign Workers in Singapore”, to be led by Dr Goh Wei Leong, the founder and

Director of Linking Hands, a medical networking agency. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Operation Mobilisation Singapore.

“The Church in Action: Sharing the Love of Christ with the Migrant Community”, to be led by Dr Christopher

Cheah, a medical doctor with public health training who works with the Ministry of Health. He is the Chinese Ministries Coordinator at Fairfield Methodist Church and oversees its outreach ministries among migrant workers from China living and working in Chinatown .

“Caring for the Families of Prisoners” – Rev Dr Chiu Ming Li is the Senior Chaplain of the Singapore Prisons

Fellowship. A pastor with Trinity Annual Conference of The Methodist Church in Singapore , he began ministry among prisoners and recovering addicts since 1987.

“Dispelling Discrimination: Towards an Acceptance of People affected by HIV/Aids” – Pastor Pax Tan is the Senior

Director of Prison, Drugs and Aids of Malaysian Care, a Christian non-governmental organisation, serving the poor and needy. He is an Associate Pastor of Canaan Lutheran Church , Kajang-Lutheran Church in Malaysia .

Director of Prison, Drugs and Aids of Malaysian Care, a Christian non-governmental organisation, serving the poor and needy. He is an Associate Pastor of Canaan Lutheran Church , Kajang-Lutheran Church in Malaysia .

There will also be an afternoon session talk on “Migrant Singapore: Past and Present” by Associate Professor Shirlena Huang Swee Lian, Head of the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore . Her research and publications focus mainly on gender issues, labour migration flows, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region, as well as on urbanisation and heritage conservation.

This talk, to be held at the YWCA Sophia Cooke Ballroom, level 2, will be followed by a penal discussion at which Assoc Prof Huang, Dr Goh and Dr Cheah will take part.

The registration fee for the conference is $20 for working adults and $10 for non-working adults. Registration closes on April 13, 2008 . For enquiries, call Ms Christine Pillay at tel: 6837-9211 or email her at christinep@wesleymc.org