'Surely the Lord is in GMSS'
By SNG SWEE LIAN
IT IS difficult to see the bulldozers
and cranes congregate at what used to be the school grounds of
Geylang Methodist Secondary School (GMSS) without feeling a tinge
of awe and sadness.
Awe because the sight of those mammoth earth-moving machines makes
you realise the reality of the new structure that is, at this
moment, in the early stages of its making.
Sadness because the once hallowed chambers and corridors of learning
are now either rubble, or marked starkly with "X" to
indicate their eventual demolition.
Where there used to be sounds of the carefree chatter and laughter
of students and teachers, the place now emanates the hum and clatter
of machines and workmen.
At the Ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the upgraded
premises on Oct 28, 2005, the Guest-of-Honour, Bishop Dr Robert
Solomon, gave a most stirring reminder of the God-given potential
of the school.
"Surely the Lord is in this place (Gen 28:16)," he said,
"and the new GMSS will be a stairway to heaven where the
people who inhabit this sanctuary will meet Him."
And as we prayed and dedicated the school ground to God, I was
filled with the utmost gratitude and thankfulness for the many
years that He had showered His grace on a school with such humble
beginnings.
Later, as we pored over the massive layout plans of the new school
at the site office, ripples of excitement spread among the GMSS
staff. An upgraded school, spanking new classrooms and facilities
and future generations of students who will traverse the grounds
where God has promised to watch over. The sense of anxious anticipation
was palpable.
For now, like anxious parents-to-be, we wait for the completion
of our revamped school building in 2007, when we can then celebrate
the birth of new life, the emergence of all things fresh and beautiful,
like the coming of spring.
Sng Swee Lian is a teacher at Geylang Methodist Secondary School.
All smiles at the Ground-breaking
ceremony: Bishop Dr Solomon (front row, fifth from left)
flanked by the Principal, Mr lim Yan Hock (left) and the school
Chaplain, the Rev Goh Lai Nat (right),
with members of the school board and staff. - GMSS picture.