125 years of serving
the community
MCS rendering financial and other kinds of aid to help transform society
THE METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE (MCS) has been involved in community work for the past 125 years. From its early days when the missionaries arrived in February 1885, the MCS has been rendering financial and various kinds of assistance to help transform society.
In the year-long celebrations of its 125th Anniversary last year, the MCS personified its mission in transforming society by galvanising church members to befriend and render financial help to 1,000 “chronically poor” families, each family receiving $125 a month for a whole year.
This Community Outreach Project, helmed by the Methodist Welfare Services, is an offshoot of the rich heritage of the MCS’ 125 years of serving the community. With the anniversary theme, “Together in God’s Mission” in mind, church members rallied to help those caught in the poverty trap, regardless of their race or religion.
Christian social responsibility is rooted in the teachings of the Bible. The Methodist Church in Singapore has a special interest in social concerns because it desires to be obedient to Jesus Christ, and such obedience is exemplified in the life and work of John Wesley, the “Father” of Methodism.
Our social outreach is carried out through our Churches, Agencies and Schools.
Our mission can best be appreciated by our programme of outreach both in Singapore and in Asian countries. It covers not only the religious mission but also the educational and social commitment, encompassing the care of the poor, the needy and the sick. Our Methodist Churches have also been involved in ministering to prisoners and their families and helping to tackle social ills such as opium smoking, prostitution, the protection of women, gambling, drinking and drug abuse.
Today, the MCS comprises 44 local churches in three Annual Conferences with more than 38,000 full members, 16 schools with a student population of more than 22,000, 14 social service units and seven mission fields.
Recognising that Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious society and that everyone is of equal worth in God’s sight, the MCS commits itself to helping the poor, the sick and the marginalised through various programmes to alleviate their difficulties, such as:
All these services are provided to the needy, regardless of race, language or religion.
MCS today continues to serve
the community,
regardless of race or religion
As early as 1889 – four years after the Methodist Church was established – basic medical and healthcare services were provided. The Rev B. F. West, a Methodist Missionary and a trained physician, opened a dispensary in his rented house in Chinatown to serve the people there.
The main social concern efforts of the Methodist Church after World War Two were directed towards the eradication of opium and the rescue of women from oppression. The Anti-Opium Movement, which arose out of the fight to eradicate opium, was strongly supported by many Methodists. At the forefront of this movement was Dr Chen Su Lan, who directed the work of the Anti-Opium Clinic.
The work among women arose out of the need to protect the women migrants from being lured or forced into prostitution, and opposition to child slavery.
Other actions which the Methodist Church took during this period included urging the colonial government to abolish gambling houses and ban lottery and bookmaking, and prohibit liquor traffic.
The Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society (WFMS) played a significant role in caring for children, rescuing women from vices and slavery, and visiting lepers and the sick in hospitals in the late 1800s.
The Deaconess Home, which later became known as Nind Home, was set up to house the WFMS women and as a boarding home for girls and orphans. There, the children were cared for and schooled. The women missionaries also visited hospitals regularly, and when Mrs Gusta Morgan, wife of a missionary, arrived in 1896, the work with the lepers gained momentum.
As the Methodist Church grew with the development of Singapore, its mission expanded. The Methodist Welfare Services (MWS), formed in 1981, provides a wide variety of services to about 5,500 people every month to alleviate their financial, physical, social and psychological problems.
This is done through its Homes for the elderly sick and destitute, Family Service Centres, children’s centres and a hospice home care service. It runs the 299-bed Bethany Methodist Nursing Home in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4. The MWS also gives bursaries to pupils from low-income families.
While the MWS coordinates the work of looking after the socially disadvantaged in Singapore, the Methodist Missions Society (MMS), set up in 1991, helps to build compassionate and caring communities in neighbouring countries in a way that is consistent with our Methodist Social Principles as well as to establish indigenous churches in those countries with the love of Christ.
Over the years, our Methodist Schools have grown and expanded since the opening of the first three schools in quick succession – Anglo-Chinese School in 1886, Methodist Girls’ School in 1887, and Fairfield Girls’ School in 1888.
They are conscious of the common purpose of being part of the outreach arm of the Church, and their staff and students have rendered services to society, at home and abroad, through their Community Involvement Programmes (CIP) such as welfare home visitations, befriending welfare home residents, and short teaching stints during the school holidays.
Our Methodist Schools have produced professional, social and national leaders for Singapore.
Dr Tay Eng Soon, an Old Boy of Anglo-Chinese School, played an important role in the field of education. When he was made Senior Minister of State for Education, he paid special attention to the development of polytechnics and ITEs (Institutes of Technical Education).
This year, Anglo-Chinese School celebrates its 125th Anniversary with a series of events just as the MCS did last year .
Today, The Methodist Church in Singapore continues in the Wesleyan tradition of serving the community, regardless of race or religion. It is a work in progress.
Peter Teo is the Editor of Methodist Message.
QUOTE FOR CENTRESPREAD:
“As the Methodist Church grew with the development of Singapore, its mission expanded. The Methodist Welfare Services (MWS), formed in 1981, provides a wide variety of services to about 5,500 people every month to alleviate their financial, physical, social and psychological problems. While the MWS coordinates the work of looking after the socially disadvantaged in Singapore, the Methodist Missions Society (MMS), set up in 1991, helps to build compassionate and caring communities in neighbouring countries in a way that is consistent with our Methodist Social Principles as well as to establish indigenous churches in those countries with the love of Christ.”