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Methodist Church in Singapore

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The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) is the church that Methodists in Singapore belong to. The Church has 46 churches island-wide with around 42,000 members, and is the largest mainline Protestant denomination in Singapore.[1] Its current bishop and head of the Church is Bishop Dr Gordon Wong, who was elected at the 12th Session of the General Conference on 7 September 2020.[2]

Methodist Church in Singapore
Logo of Methodist Church in Singapore
ClassificationProtestant
TheologyMethodism
PolityConnectionalism
(Modified episcopal polity)
BishopBishop Dr Gordon Wong
FounderJohn Wesley (spiritually)
Origin1885
Members42,000
Places of worship46
Official websitemethodist.org.sg

The Church also has 15 schools, 13 kindergartens and five childcare centres under its umbrella.[1]

History

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The Methodist Church in Singapore started out as a missionary initiative by Rev James Thoburn of the South India Conference in British Raj India in 1885 . Rev William Fitzjames Oldham travelled to Singapore to plant the foundations of the mission. Oldham started the church's first English-language boys' school in 1886, the Anglo-Chinese School. Two girls' schools (Methodist Girls' School and Fairfield Methodist Girls' School) were subsequently established in 1887 and 1888, respectively. The mission also developed a clinic and hostels for homeless children.

 
Wesley Methodist Church was initiated in February 1885. The church is sited on Fort Canning Hill.

From this Singapore base, the mission then spread to the Malay Peninsula and Sarawak in the 1890s. The Methodist Mission in Singapore and Malaya expanded over time, eventually growing to the administrative status of a conference in the Methodist Church. Eventually, the church spread throughout Southeast Asia, leading to the establishment of the Southeast Asian Central Conference in 1950.

The Malaysian and Singapore components of the mission officially became autonomous of their Western parent bodies in 1968; thus, becoming an Asian church with a bishop elected from the local ministers. In 1976, the church was restructured into The Methodist Church in Singapore and The Methodist Church in Malaysia to reflect the secession of Singapore from Malaysia.

Organisation

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The Methodist Church in Singapore, which consists of 46 local congregations, is organised in conferences: general conference, annual conferences, district and local conferences.

 
Christ Methodist Church was established in 1930. It is situated along East Coast Road.

The General Conference, which meets every four years, is the highest decision-making body of the MCS, led by the elected Bishop and an equal number of elected representatives (both clergy and laity) from each of the three Annual Conferences. For day-to-day matters between sessions of the General Conference, the powers of the General Conference are to be found in the General Conference Executive Council (GCEC).

The General Conference is the only body that speaks officially for the church. No person, no paper, no organisation has the authority to speak officially for The Methodist Church, this right having been reserved exclusively to the General Conference under the Constitution.

 
The Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (TA1) was instituted in 1889. It was gazetted a national monument by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore on 23 March 1989.[3][4]

The Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) was set up to help Methodist women grow in the knowledge and experience of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, challenge them to respond to God's redemptive fellowship, to make Christ known throughout the world and to develop a personal responsibility for the whole task of the Church. Its ministries include Spiritual Life, Social Concerns, Christian Education and Missions.

The Methodist Missions Society (MMS) was established in 1991 as the missions agency of The Methodist Church in Singapore. MMS seeks to establish indigenous churches supported by mission endeavours in communities across the region where there is no Methodist presence. The current focus is on the Asian region, particularly Cambodia, China, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, owing to their proximity to Singapore and the multiple opportunities to reach the large numbers of unreached people groups in these countries for religious conversion.

The Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) is the outreach and social-concerns arm of The Methodist Church in Singapore. It provides care, support and practical help to communities experiencing poverty in well-being – such as poor health, fractured relationships, broken dignity and financial distress – through an integrated range of 22 healthcare and social services. These include a home care & hospice service, nursing homes, a senior care centre, active ageing centres, the Christalite Methodist Home for the destitute, family service centres, parenting and marriage support, a debt clearance and asset building scheme, a girls’ residence and student care centre. MWS’ support extends to all, regardless of their ethnicities and religions.

The Methodist Church in Singapore is a member of the National Council of Churches of Singapore.

 
Aerial view of Kampong Kapor Methodist Church. The 1928 building is on the left; the education block (c. 1980s) is on the right

List of bishops

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This is a list of Bishops of the Methodist Church in Singapore, in order of their election to the episcopacy, both living and dead.[5]

Elected by General Conference, U.S.A. to superintend Methodist work in Southern and Southeast Asia

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  • James M Thoburn (1888 - 1904)
  • Frank W Warne [assisting James M Thoburn] (1900 - 1904)
  • William F Oldham (1904 - 1912)
  • John E Robinson (1912 - 1914)
  • William P Eveland (1914 - 1916)
  • [No Resident Bishop - Episcopal duties covered by Bishops John E Robinson and JW Robinson] (1916 - 1920)
  • George H Bickley (1920 - 1924)
  • Titus Lowe (1924 - 1928)
  • Edwin F Lee (1928 - 1948)
  • [No Resident Bishop - Episcopal duties covered by Bishops Ralph Cushman and Arthur J Moore] (1948 - 1950)

Elected by Southeastern Asia Central Conference

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  • Raymond L Archer (1950 - 1956)
  • Hobart B Amstutz (1956 - 1964)
  • Robert F Lundy (1964 - 1968)

Elected by The Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore

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  • Yap Kim Hao (1968 - 1973)
  • Theodore R Doraisamy (1973 - 1976)

Elected by The Methodist Church in Singapore

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  • Kao Jih Chung (1976 - 1984)
  • Ho Chee Sin (1984 - 1996)
  • Wong Kiam Thau (1996 - 2000)
  • Robert M Solomon (2000 - 2012)
  • Wee Boon Hup (2012 - 2016)
  • Chong Chin Chung (2016 - 2020)
  • Gordon Wong Cheong Weng (2020-)

Annual conferences

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The Methodist Church in Singapore is organised into three branches called "Annual Conferences" as each of them meets once a year. These are the Chinese Annual Conference comprising churches with largely Chinese-speaking congregations, Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference for churches with largely Tamil-speaking congregations and Trinity Annual Conference for churches with largely English-speaking congregations. However, many churches now conduct services in languages other than the language appropriate to the annual conference that they belong to.

The three Annual Conferences are headed by the Bishop. Each of the three Annual Conferences is headed by a President.

List of Methodist churches in Singapore

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Chinese Annual Conference

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Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church began in 1939. It is at 299 Upper Paya Lebar Road.
 
The Tamil Methodist Church was founded in 1887. It is located on Short Street.

Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference

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    • Ang Mo Kio Tamil Methodist Church
    • Jurong Tamil Methodist Church
    • Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church
    • Seletar Tamil Methodist Church
      • Bedok Preaching Point
    • Sembawang Tamil Methodist Church
    • Singapore Telugu Methodist Church
    • Tamil Methodist Church
    • Toa Payoh Tamil Methodist Church

Trinity Annual Conference

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Paya Lebar Methodist Church had its beginning in 1932. It is situated at 5 Boundary Road.
 
Fairfield Methodist Church in Tanjong Pagar

Schools

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There are 16 schools managed by the Methodist Church, which is represented by the Methodist Schools Foundation.

Six of the schools are part of the Anglo-Chinese School family which includes a junior college.

 
Methodist Girls' School, 11 Blackmore Drive.

The other schools are:

Schools under the ACS family:

Other Methodist Schools:

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Methodist community gets a new bishop". The Straits Times. December 3, 2016.
  2. ^ Admin, M. C. S. "About Bishop Dr Gordon Wong". methodist.org.sg. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  3. ^ "List of Singapore's National Monuments" (PDF). Urban Redevelopment Authority.
  4. ^ "Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church". Urban Redevelopment Authority.
  5. ^ Admin, M. C. S. "Bishops of The Methodist Church in Singapore". methodist.org.sg. Retrieved 2020-12-06.

Further reading

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  • Edwards, Norman; Keys, Peter (1996) [1988], Singapore – A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, Singapore; Kuala Lumpur: Times Books International, ISBN 978-981-204-781-6.
  • Lee, Geok Boi (2002), The Religious Monuments of Singapore, Singapore: Landmark Books, ISBN 978-981-3065-62-8.
  • Lau, Earnest (1994). Lest we forget 1894-1994. Singapore. ISBN 9810062672.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Lau, Earnest (2008). From mission to church : the evolution of the Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia, 1885-1976. Singapore: Genesis Books. ISBN 9789814222426.
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