2019 God's Work in the Blind Community in Singapore
Ng Choon Hwee
Choon Hwee is our Director of the Ministry to the Visually Impaired (MVI). If you wish to find out more about the Ministry to the Visually Impaired and how you can serve there, please drop Choon Hwee an email at mvi@plmc.org.
Nearly 60 years ago, Varsity Christian Fellowship started the Sunday school at the then School For The Blind. Each Sunday during the school term, Members from VCF would come to the boarding school to teach Sunday school songs and tell Bible stories to the children.
In time to come, the Bible in Braille became available to the visually impaired community. However, it was bulky and impossible to carry the entire Bible around.
The RSV, for example, came in 18 volumes each the size of a phone book. When stacked on top of one another, the Bible was almost 1 metre high.
Nevertheless, God’s Word became even more readily available when the Bible was recorded onto cassette tapes and cds in the 80s and the 90s. Today, with the advent of modern technology and the internet, we, like our sighted counterparts are able to read many versions of the Bible and get access to Christian resources online.
Meanwhile, the work of reaching out to the visually impaired continued to grow. In the 1970s, it was taken over by the Blind Adult Christian Fellowship and subsequently by Gospel Mission To The Blind.
In 1988, Paya Lebar Methodist Church started the Ministry To The Visually impaired to take care of the needs of its visually impaired members and to make Christian resources more readily available in Braille, large print and electronic format.
Another important aspect of the work among the blind was the willingness of brothers and sisters from the sighted community to come and provide practical help, share the Gospel and to nurture the blind Christians. As a result, and through God’s mercy and grace, many visually impaired persons have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour and are worshipping and actively participating in the life of the church around Singapore. Those who may not be comfortable or ready to join a church can participate in fellowship meetings organised by Gospel Mission To The Blind and conducted in English and Mandarin.
The Bible and other Christian resources are available in audio, Braille, large print and electronic format. Practical help and counselling are provided to those who lose their sight later on in life. At least 6 visually impaired persons are in full time ministry, serving in their church or in Christian organisations.
Not all visually impaired people are healed and while we may never know the reason for this side of heaven, it is comforting to know that God also cares for them. For salvation is for all who believe in Christ (John 3:16), a gift we receive with gratefulness and thanksgiving.
