Saint George's Church (Chinese: 圣乔治教堂; pinyin: Shèng Qiáozhì Jiàotáng) is an Anglican church located on Minden Road in Singapore's Tanglin Planning Area, off Holland Road.[4]
| Saint George’s Church Singapore | |
|---|---|
 Church view from Minden Road | |
 | |
| 1°18′17.39″N 103°48′54.0″E / 1.3048306°N 103.815000°E | |
| Location | 44 Minden Road Singapore 248816 |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | National Monument[1] |
| Designated | 10 November 1978 |
| Architect(s) | William H. Stanbury [2] |
| Style | Unadorned Romanesque |
| Years built | 1910-1913 |
| Completed | 1913 [3] |
| Construction cost | £2,000 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Singapore |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd. Dr. Jonathan Wong |
| Priest(s) | Revd. Paul Tan |
| Designated | 10 November 1978 |
| Reference no. | 15 |
Constructed between 1910 and 1913, the church was built for the British troops stationed in Tanglin Barracks which was once the General Headquarters of the British Far East Land Forces.
The church's community comprises members from Singapore and many other countries. They are bound by a common desire to follow Jesus Christ, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives.
Leadership
editSt. George's Church is a parish of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. The present vicar is Revd. Dr Jonathan Wong.[5] He is supported by Revd. Paul Tan (Auxiliary Priest).
The previous vicars of the church include Revd. Canon Lewis Lew, Revd. Mark Roland Dickens, Revd. Canon Philip Sinden, Revd. Mervyn Moore (acting vicar), Revd. Loren Fox, Revd. Paul Corrie, Revd. John Benson, Bishop Dudley Foord (interim, vicar), Revd. Bruce Winter, and Revd. Bob Robinson.
History
editOrigins of the Church building – Serving the British military in Singapore
St. George's Church was constructed from materials imported from England and cost £2,000 to build.
The land was formerly used as a nutmeg plantation and it included Mount Harriet, a 103-foot high hill on which the church now stands. The land belonged to William E. Willan and was sold in 1865. However, even before the church was built, an ordained minister for the garrison was appointed in 1871.
The current building dates back to 1910 but there was an earlier St. George's built in 1884 near the site of the present church. Both churches were built for the British troops quartered at Tanglin Barracks which was once the General Headquarters of the British Far East Land Forces. After the British forces withdrew from Singapore in 1968, the place was used by Singapore's Ministry of Defence as its headquarters before it moved to its new premises in Bukit Gombak
From Military to Civilian Church
St. George's became a civilian church after the British troops left Singapore in 1971.[6] It was gazetted a national monument by the National Heritage Board of Singapore on 10 November 1978,[7] and now serves a multinational Christian congregation in Singapore.
Major Ivan Lyon Memorial
On the outside of the church is a memorial tablet to Major Ivan Lyon D.S.O. M.B.E., who was killed on his second commando raid on military shipping in the Singapore Harbour in October 1944. At the time of the raid, Singapore was more than 1,000 miles inside Imperial Japanese-held territory.[8]
Services
editThere are three regular services conducted on Sundays and one on Wednesdays. All involve lay participation:
- At 8am on Sundays and 10:30am on Wendesdays, A more traditional Holy Communion service following the Anglican liturgy, with hymns from Common Praise.
- At 10:15am, an informal service with a mix of modern songs and hymn, lead by a band, suitable for families; Holy Communion on the third Sunday of every month or at specific during Holy Week, happens after the Communion service
- At 5:30pm, an informal contemporary service; Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month, happens on afternoons after the Japanese service.
The Filipino Fellowship meets at the Lower Hall every Sunday at 12pm while the Japanese fellowship meets every Sunday at 2.30pm by the Singapore Japanese Christian Fellowship.[9]
Additionally, a youth service will be conducted for children aged 12-19 during the 10:15am service on Sundays and sunday schools is also applied for children aged 3 to 11 during both 8am and 10:15 services.
Courses
editA number of courses are run at St George's Church, including Alpha, Christianity Explored and Moore College theology courses.
Notable members
edit- Tony Tan Keng Yam, the 7th President of Singapore.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "List of Singapore's National Monuments" (PDF). Urban Redevelopment Authority. 2011.
- ^ "TREASURES OF SINGAPORE, The Sunday Times, 29 July 2018". p. B9.
- ^ "Saint George's Church: A sanctuary in war and peace, The Straits Times (online), Thursday, 2 February 2017".
- ^ "Saint George's Church (Singapore), Google map". Google Inc. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Staff & Leadership | Saint George's Church". Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "St. George's Church (Our History)".
- ^ "List of Singapore's National Monuments" (PDF). Urban Redevelopment Authority. 2011.
- ^ Connell, Brian (1961). Return of the Tiger. New York: Doubleday & Company. p. 282.
- ^ "シンガポール日本語キリスト教会｜Singapore Japanese Christian Fellowship". シンガポール日本語キリスト教会. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
Further reading
edit
- Anglican Theology, Chapman, Mark. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, (5 April 2012; ISBN 978-0567008022)
- Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction, Chapman, Mark. Oxford University Press, 1st edition (15 July 2006; ISBN 978-0192806932)
- Anglicanism, Neill, Stephen. Oxford University Press, USA, 4th edition (12 October 1978; ISBN 978-0195200331)
- Singapore's 100 Historic Places, National Heritage Board (2002), Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3
- Singapore - A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996), Times Books International, ISBN 9971-65-231-5
- The Religious Monuments of Singapore, Lee Geok Boi (2002), Landmark Books, ISBN 981-3065-62-1
News articles
edit- "St George's Church: A sanctuary in war and peace". The Straits Times (online). 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- "100-year-old tree gets the axe after safety inspection". The New Paper (online). 17 January 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2018.