By Mylene Koh

IT IS A BLESSING to be able to bless. It is with this in mind that we celebrate the 125^th Anniversary of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) by reaching out and blessing the community in need.

Though not as visible as the poor in developing countries, there are chronically poor people in Singapore. They are the bottom 10 per cent of the socio-economic ladder and subsist on an average per capita income of $350 a month.

Various sources put this figure at 10,000 to 80,000 people. This means they live hand-to-mouth and do not have the resources to improve their situation.

What makes them chronically poor? Their circumstances, many of which are beyond their control; minimal or no family support, low education, resulting in employment in daily-rated or contract jobs.

Often, adult members of their family have disabilities and/or are too ill to work, or are incarcerated. There is also a likelihood of instability as health and mental issues are often unaddressed. These factors, or a combination of them, work against them and perpetuate the cycle.

While there are financial schemes to help these families, some are short-term, conditional and very often do not help them to look beyond survival needs. These families need more financial help and they need it for a  longer term. While it may be possible for some families to eventually break free from chronic poverty, the process takes many years and there is no “ballpark time frame” for this.

In line with the theme “Together in God’s Mission”, the MCS’ 125^th Anniversary Community Outreach Project aims to galvanise the Methodist community into active service – not only to help the chronically poor with what they need most (money) but also to reach out and befriend them in the love of Christ.

Blessing others as we have been blessed

There are two parts to this project. First, to raise the funds to bless the chronically poor. Methodist Churches and our members are asked to reflect on the blessings that God has poured into our lives, and to prayerfully consider how much we can bless the chronically poor in return.

Cell groups too may consider “adopting” a number of families. As this fund will be managed by the Methodist Welfare Services (MWS), donations will also be subject to two-and-a-half times tax deduction.

Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine …

The second part of the project involves making monthly visits to the homes of the chronically poor people to disburse the money to them. These can be done by pairs of individuals or again, by cell group members. Through these 12 monthly visits, we hope that a relationship can be built with the families, and that you will be able to truly befriend them and perhaps even help with other needs.

Be assured that you will not be thrown into the deep end – the MWS will hold briefings for the volunteers and provide guidelines for visitations.

Where will these families come from?

Family Service Centres around Singapore will be informed of the project, so chronically poor families who seek help from them can also be put on the programme, based on a set of selection criteria. Many churches may already have ministries serving needy families. If these families meet the criteria, they too can benefit from this programme

What is your response?

The target sum which we aim to bless the community with is $1.25 million. This will be disbursed to chronically poor families, giving them $125 per month for a period of 12 months.

While $1.25 million may sound like a large sum, for this outreach project it equates to care for only 834 families. With a population of 36,000 Methodists in Singapore, we believe that this target is achievable.

In the coming months, there will be posters and flyers on the MCS’ 125^th anniversary activities. Do look out for details on how you can sign up for this community outreach project and be a blessing to someone in need.

Mylene Koh is the Manager, Communications of the Methodist Welfare Services.