Bringing HOPE to Punggol Feature Heartbeat Heartbeat Sunday, 04 April 2004 ​ Making Disciples of Jesus Christ The soft strains of worship songs drifted gently across Edgefield Plains on a tranquil Sunday morning. It was 22 February 2004, the first Sunday that the members of Hope Mission were gathering in homes in Punggol for their house celebrations. ​ Quietly, but steadfastly, the members of HOPE (our community said blessing venture in Punggol) are working to bring the Lord's presence to this neighbourhood in the northeast of Singapore. The group of about 50 members will hold their house celebrations on every third Sunday of the month, and every fortnightly in their Cell Groups. On the other Sundays, they will come together for combined Sunday service at PLMC. ​ This is the third year since HOPE stepped out to be a mission outpost in the new estate of Punggol. Our vision is to transform the community by “salting” and “lighting” the land. The group has covenanted to “use every gift and every opportunity given by the Spirit to sow, to plant, to touch and to win the people into the Kingdom of God”. ​ HOPE plans to reach out to the residents of Punggol through “Ultimate Frisbee” (sports ministry). A game is held every Sunday afternoon at 4.30 pm at the open field next to Edgefield Primary School. They will soon wear specially designed T-shirts to be more visible to the community and plan to “turn professional with proper training and by forming an Ultimate Frisbee League to bring the game up to competitive levels. ​ To reach this unique population, HOPE plans to organize programmes and activities that are family orientated, with particular emphasis on children's ministry and parenting skills. ​ In April, HOPE will be launching the ALPHA course to reach out to their family, friends, colleagues and Punggol residents. The course will be conducted in Cells over a period of three to four months, and end with a “graduation" celebration for those who have completed the course or who have received Christ as their Lord and Saviour. ​ “We need the support of our church members, in terms of February 2004, the first Sunday that the members of HOPE your prayers and even your participation in our activities. We are also praying for more homes in Punggol to be opened for prayer meetings, Cell meetings and House Church meetings. Even if you are not worshipping at HOPE, it would help us if you can offer your home for our gatherings and activities,” said Rev Sng Chong Hui, pastor of HOPE. ​ Let us continue to support this small army of HOPE as they seek to fulfill their mission of taking Punggol for Christ. You may also like Share Testimony 2005 Blessing the Community Early Years Outreach - Pulau Sambu Outreach

Decades Click picture to enter Early Years 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010 - 2021

You may also like Share Testimony 2015 Marriage Course Cell Croups Family Life Family Life Ministry Down Memory Lane Tan Mok Sang The Family Life Ministry (FLM) was set up in PLMC in 2015. Its purpose is to strengthen families and marriages, so that they can be a blessing to their children, the church and the community. Over the last few years, the FLM has been focusing on 2 main areas, namely: a. marriages (marriage preparation, marriage enrichment and marriage mentoring) and b. parenting of young children and teenagers Marriage Marriage Enrichment Marriage Weekend Married couples came together for a special time to grow and strengthen their marriages. The Jordan Hall was transformed into a romantic setting. There were candle lights, flowers, music and a warm atmosphere conducive for each couple to have unhurried intimate conversations with each other about their marriages. Throughout the day, Bishop Emeritus Dr Wee Boon Hup engaged the couples with topics like Nourishing Our Marriage, The Pillars of Marriage, The Little Foxes, The Marriage Toolbox and The Marriage Covenant. After each message, couples engaged each other in a heart-to-heart talk to affirm their strengths and surface weaknesses to work on. The Alpha Marriage Course An 8-session course designed for married couples who want to work together to develop a fantastic marriage and a great husband-wife relationship. Lessons cover fundamental but essential topics like communication, conflict resolution, family influence, sex, and love in action. The course is designed to let couples participate in a relaxing and non-threatening way with your spouse. Each couple goes on eight dates. Every date will start off with a nice buffet dinner, and lessons will commence after dinner, via video programming. Couples are given the opportunity to discuss the video programmes in private. Marriage Preparation Course The Marriage Preparation Course aims to help couples understand the biblical concepts of marriage and be equipped for life as a couple. There will be small group (about 4 to 5 couples per group) sharing and discussion led by experienced facilitators. Couples will be able to learnt much from their peers and the facilitators. Couples undergo a Prepare-Enrich Assessment on their own where each complete a customised online assessment inventory which covers all aspects of their relationship. A trained Prepare-Enrich facilitator to help them interpret and guide them through the results of the assessment. Marriage Mentoring Marriage Mentoring started in 2016 with the purpose of reaching out to our newly married couples to safeguard and strengthen these marriages towards Oneness in Christ. We align a pool of matured godly married couples who are willing to journey with younger couples over a season (~ 2 years), to be their spiritual friends to pass on godly wisdom and invaluable life lessons. This is in line with the teaching of Titus 2: 1- 8 where older men and women are to teach younger men and women to ‘’be reverent in the way they live”. We hope to develop a culture in PLMC where a young couple would actively seek out an older couple to relate to intentionally and regularly, to build a relationship of trust and care. Parenting Connecting with our Teens Teenagers face many stresses and pressures on a daily basis. This is the most awkward growth stage of their lives. They have to cope with internal struggles like hormonal changes, puberty and their changing body image. They are also expected to cope with external struggles like social and school pressures and parental expectations. Here is a practical workshop for parents, with teens 11 – 18 years old, to understand the causes of their teenagers’ challenges, know their feelings and empathize with them by ‘wearing their shoes’. Principles for parenting teens was shared using four local case studies. The Alpha Parenting Course The Parenting Children Course is a 6-session course designed for any parent or care givers of children, whether they consider themselves to have strong parenting skills or are struggling in this very important role. Participants get to watch videos and participate in small group discussions facilitated by our church members. Topics include: Building Strong Foundations, Meeting our Children’s Needs, Setting Boundaries, Teaching Healthy Relationships, Encouraging Responsibility and Passing on Beliefs and Values. You may also like Share Testimony 2015 Marriage Course Cell Croups Family Life

2015 Honouring Our Volunteers Worship, Music & Creative Arts Ministry Andy Toh ​ As much as we give thanks to God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do, we are also grateful to the many who have been faithfully and sacrificially instrumental in enabling us to do what we do. We are ministered to by the untiring expressions of love of the many people involved in the Worship, Music and Creative Arts Ministry. As Vernon Meng, a worship leader, aptly puts it, “God has a message through His words expressed in songs that He wants His people to hear and worship Him with. We are called to convey them." And he does that together with his family members, Patricia, Vera and Vanessa, who are also serving in the worship team. Sophie Yu, a musician, agrees with Vernon and says that music and songs have the power to express God's love and many lives have been ministered to as a result. David Ng, another musician, noted that the ensemble enables one to "worship without words." Eddy Ooi, our band's guitarist, hopes that through each worship session, people may be brought into the heavenly realms and a deeper relationship with God. Lawrence Yeow, a keyboardist, is moved to see people connect to God in worship. “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." (Hebrews 6:10) You may also like Share Testimony 2015 A Note From Ps Wendy Outreach 2010 - 2021

2017 Unlabelled Run Story Running The Good Race Justin Cheong ​ ​ Confession: I hate running. Never liked it, nor the perspiration and exhaustion that comes with it. But with frolleagues (work colleagues who are friends) , I appreciated it. They are the ones whom I share many a lunch and laugh with. They are also the ones who started me off on a journey to get – and stay – fit, beginning by dedicating one day a week (we call it “Walk Walk Wednesdays”) to wander around our office environs after work. ​ One Sunday, the Unlabelled Run came up in the church announcements, and I was immediately prompted by the Holy Spirit to rally my work kakis to participate – not only as a personal challenge, but, more importantly, as a way of supporting the removal of labels. Too often, especially in the media industry which my frolleagues and I are in, we hear words like “stupid”, “slow”, “amateur”, “too fat”, “so gay”, “lousy”, “cannot make it”, “ugly” – all of them unkind and unnecessary. ​ So when I asked them if they wanted to support a run against labels, the response was an unanimous “Ok!”. In fact, the majority wanted to sign up for the 10km run. Mind you, many of us could barely jog 2km before feeling like we were walking in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But persevere, we did. For weeks, we pushed ourselves to run 5km, slowly increasing the distance as the date drew nearer. On the actual day, in the many moments I felt I couldn’t go on, these lyrics kept running through my head: “And I will soar with You, Your Spirit leads me on in the power of Your love.” And before I knew it, I had completed the 10km run – without stopping! Praise God for His strength and faithfulness! ​ “Running early in the morning with the warm sunshine in my face – that’s what I enjoyed,” said my friend Amelia. “But it was the pre- and post-run that was even more special because we trained together as a group and ended off the run with a breakfast for champions! Being with our group of 10 was the real medal at the finishing line.” You may also like Share Testimony Getting to know Ps Alex 2011 Friends of Jesus 2010 - 2021

You may also like Share Testimony 1962 30th Anniversary Missions Early Years The Pulau Sambu Connection Outreach During the Early Years (1946-1949) Mr. Wee Hood Seng (One of several of our members involved in the work on the island. Much of this article itself comes from the pen of Mr. Wee himself.) Pulau Sambu is an oil installation island which formerly belonged to the Royal Dutch Shell Company. The island itself had been Dutch territory until 1949 when sovereignty was transferred to the Indonesians. The Company was subsequently taken over by Pertamina. It is situated about 12 kilometres to the south of Singapore – about an hour's journey from Clifford Pier and in its size is slightly bigger than Pulau Bukom proper. Pulau Sambu During 1946-1950, just after the Occupation, many Singaporeans could be found on Pulau Sambu. Some worked there for Shell. Others retreated there during weekends, away from the cluttered roads and spaces of rubble and reconstruction, the aftermath of the Occupation. Sambu was naturally endowed with a nice, clean and tranquil beach for relaxation and retreat. Shell also had provided holiday bungalows for its Singapore personnel, their relatives and friends. ​ The work began in late 1946, when a group of members from Paya Lebar Methodist Church on their retreat to the island began conducting fellowship gatherings in the evenings to which the Sambu residents were also invited. The meeting consequently became opportunities for preaching the gospel. Initially, those attending were only passive adherents. However, subsequently a good number believed and were baptised at Paya Lebar. ​ ​ Gradually more members from Paya Lebar came to assist in the work - both laymen and clergy - headed by the Rev. Chew Hock Hin. The work was later bolstered upon its discovery by the Shell Installation Manager, a Mr. Van Neutegem. Through his assistance, a former school building was renovated and furnished with pulpit, altar cross and benches - all for free. ​ The church with its new chapel functioned satisfactorily for a year or so, with a membership of about 20 and moral support from about 5 members from the Bethesda Church in Singapore. However, several reasons gradually led to the cessation of the Pulau Sambu mission. Firstly, the bulk of members and worshippers at the church were transitory. Weekday prayer meetings were well attended because members, their wives and families were on the island. Sunday services therefore meant that members had to remain on the island during the weekends just to attend them. If they did remain for one Sunday, it was unlikely they would remain the following weekend. Hence, the Sunday congregation was made up of Singaporeans who accompanied preachers and pastors to Sambu, usually on Saturday afternoon, stayed overnight, and helped make up the congregation the following day. For some time there was no lack of such people. ​ Secondly, attendance was eroded by transfers and resignations of Shell employees. As children of school going age were sent to school in Singapore, wives had to stay away from Sambu to look after them. Some found this situation unsatisfactory. ​ Then in 1949, Indonesia gained independence. Entry into Sambu became difficult with changes in travel regulations. Although the pastors working there (Rev. Wee Chin Kam and Rev. Khoo Chiang Bee) were allowed entrance, they could not bring the same entourage as before. The holiday bungalows were later taken back by the Company since there were hardly any visitors to the island. The church premises were finally reacquired by the Company, then under a different manager, for use by kindergarten children of its Indonesian employees. ​ Although attempts were made to continue the work in spite of the reacquisition of the premises by the Company, the work finally had to be closed down. ​ Mr. Wee Hood Seng, however, has happy thoughts in spite of the closure of the work. Mr. Wee and his own family, his in-laws, his former washer-woman's entire family - altogether about 25 persons - were influenced to the faith while they were on Sambu, and in his own words "... this all started from a very small beginning in the once Pulau Sambu Methodist Church." You may also like Share Testimony 1962 30th Anniversary Missions Early Years

1999 67th Anniversary Church Building Dedication It was with much excitement that the congregation of PLMC welcomed the dawning of 11th July 1999; for it was a day of double celebration and joy testifying to the faithfulness and goodness of our Heavenly Father. (Right to left): Bishop Wong Kiam Tbau, Rev Dr Isaac Lim (TRAC President), Rev Wee Boon Hup (Pastor, PLMC) Not only was it the day that our church celebrated its status as a grand old dame of 67 years old, it also represented the culmination of the hard work of many individuals working as a united body of the church; the dedication of our new building. Dedication of PLMC new complex Matching the happy disposition of the worshippers, the sun blazed forth encasing PLMC as the congregation celebrated by giving due thanks to the Lord. You may also like Share Testimony 2000 Church Camp 1982 New Church Building 1990s

1982 50th Anniversary Entering the New Year with Hope Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon Pastor, PLMC ​ 1982 is a special year for Paya Lebar Methodist Church. It marks the end of a 50-year period and we celebrating the Church's Golden Anniversary with different programmes throughout the year. It also ushers new era as the Church enters into the next 50-year period and looks forward to celebrating its centenary in the year 2032. Another reason why I think 1982 is significant for our Church is because we will be having a New Sanctuary which will be completed sometime in October. To me, this New Sanctuary is a symbol of something which we need all the time. It is a symbol of Christian Hope . It points to God who is: "Our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!" Christian Hope is rooted in God - in His activity and presence in our world. It is knowing that God has not forsaken His world, that He still loves the world as much as He first created it and later sent His Son to die for it. Rev Abel Hendricks, twice president of the Methodist Church in South Africa, widely known for his work for Christian justice and liberation of all people, and last year's recipient of the World Methodist Peace Award, said in his recent lecture on "One Hope': "Christian hope is rooted in God's activity and presence in the world. It is eschatological..... it is an outgrowth of Christian faith..... ..... it is God's offer to man and it makes life worthwhile. It is making an appointment with the future that is wrapped up in the past and unveiling itself in the present." ​ This Hope is not something we can seize upon on our own; it is not something we can earn or buy or even pray that we possess it. You cannot demand hope of God or other people; Hope can only be given – God can only give you hope and you can only give hope to others. When those close to us (be they family members, neighbours, or Church members) do not have much hope, the reason may be because we have failed to give them any. It calls for an investment of ourselves in the lives and struggles of others. ​ Hope is the thing we give each other in life, one of those precious elements that can only be given away and not taken from. As we enter the new year, May God continue to grant us hope, may Paya Lebar Methodist Church be a symbol of hope to the community, and may we individually give hope to the lives we touch daily. Grace & Peace, ​ REV DR KANG HO SOON Pastor You may also like Share Testimony 1984 Musical 2004 72nd Anniversary 1980s

Church Ministries Click picture to enter Cell Group Children's Ministry Family Life Gym His Media Men‘s Ministry Ministry to the Visually Impaired Missions Outreach WSCS Young Adults

1989 An Interview with the Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon A Vision Fulfilled Koh Buck Song ​ “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” Matthew 4:19 ​ On New Year’s Eve 1979, the Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon preached his first sermon in Paya Lebar Methodist Church. Taking Genesis 12:1-9 and Matthew 4:18-22 as his texts, he exhorted the small congregation to “go forward”. ​ Now, 10 years later, Pastor Kang says with a deep sense of fulfilment: “We have certainly moved forward.” He recalls that the church was at a low point in 1980. The church was in the red, the building was rundown and there was an ongoing dispute with the adjacent school for the piece of land where the Covenant Centre now stands. With the grace of God, membership grew steadily to the figure of more than 1,000. At present, church finances improved to a healthy surplus, the dispute was amicably settled and relations with the relocated school are better than ever. You may also like Share Testimony 1989 Watchnight Service PLMC Sponsors TTC Chair Chew Hock Hin 1980s But the most significant achievement in Pastor Kang’s view was the building of the new sanctuary. “A physical project can do wonders to the spirit of man”, he says, the memory clearly bringing fond thoughts to him. More than any other project, the need to raise about $1.5 million brought the church leaders together to work as one, as they had to meet, discuss and pray every week, to crack their heads as to how to meet the target. The whole congregation chipped in. In Genesis, God called upon Abraham to look at the stars to have faith in the future, as He would provide. “Just look at the stars” became a common greeting among the church leaders at that time, as they sought to place their faith and the future in God’s hands. The new sanctuary, dedicated on Christmas Day 1982, has become for Pastor Kang a "symbol of the spirit of the people” , reminding them that with the grace of God they are able to do things beyond their imagination. His foremost priority has always been to build up the people. Focusing his energies on making the Sunday worship experience one that would uplift the people, he preached on as many as 50 Sundays in his first year. He made the Beacon a monthly bulletin - previously it was bimonthly - and introduced a mailing service to reach out to those who missed Sunday services. His hope is that the people will “remember that they should become channels of blessings, that their religious experience is never an end in itself but to bless others.” The building of the Covenant Centre in 1987 — with its wide range of services from nursery to qigong — serves this aim of sharing God's blessings with the community beyond. Now, with the church itself in pretty good shape all-round, there is only one direction to look — out. Pastor Kang's prayer is that the people will find new challenges and continue to go forward, as he called them to do on New Year's Eve, 1979. You may also like Share Testimony 1989 Watchnight Service PLMC Sponsors TTC Chair Chew Hock Hin 1980s

2011 Bintan Mission Trip Bintan Weekend Trip John Chan, Margaret Chan & Chan Hoe Meng ​ Tanjung Pinang is a city of about 200,000 residents, located south of Bintan Island, with a majority worshipping idols. The locals speak Teochew, and are warm, friendly and gentle. Thanks to the deep relationship developed over the years, by our co-labourers from GMC. Our work centres around a small village comprising stilt houses along the shore. A house Church stands in the midst of this village and we were amazed by the congregation - regardless of age, they worship GOD passionately. Hallelujah! Part of our work involved home visits. Some of us went to a main land village while some stayed to tutor the children. We were touched by the villagers' humility and simplicity as they welcomed us into their homes. It was also an opportunity for us to share God's love as we listened to their woes. Despite their harsh environment, they had perseverance and a hunger to learn, which left a deep impression on us. The first day ended with a night service at the Church. On Sunday morning, after a delightful breakfast, some of us continued with the children's ministry, while the rest joined the Small Group Bible Study facilitated by Herbert, our team leader. The locals were forthcoming in their sharing. They were very inquisitive and came prepared with questions pertaining to some Bible verses! We left after the Church service. ​ The two days' trip left us with a deep impression of the love and grace of our Mighty GOD. He gathered like minded people from different churches to fulfil His purpose. We were truly blessed and were reminded of Matthew 9:37 - The Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. We pray that more will take the step of faith to witness God's amazing work and be inspired to serve in Missions! You may also like Share Testimony 2013 Missions 80:80 Jubilee Walk Missions

2015 The Marriage Course The Marriage Course is an 8 session course designed for married couples who want to work together to develop a fantastic marriage and a great husband-wife relationship. ​ Developed in 1996, the course is now run worldwide by founders Nicky and Sila Lee, co-authors of The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book, from the Holy Trinity Brompton Church, London, UK (where the Alpha Course originated). For this issue, we invite Adrian and Emily to share their experience with us! We excitedly signed up for the Marriage course, eager to experience the course’s objective of strengthening couples' relationships and to gain deeper insights into the various aspects in marriage. The topics, such as building strong foundations and resolving conflicts, were of keen interest and practicality to us. The highlight of the marriage course was the discussions in the candlelight setting. The video facilitators employed light-hearted discussions and humour to arouse our interest. Week after week, we learnt how various couples across the world, of different ages and years in marriage, improved their marriage by utilising the appropriate tools from the course. Talking through the material in the course manual within a comfortable and confidential setting during Friday evenings has helped us to understand each other and the individual differences we both have a little better. We dated for eight years before we got married and even after three years of marriage, there was actually more to find out about each other so that we can better match our strides. Discussion duration was set at a good pace, between three to thirty minutes depending on the breadth and depth of the particular topic. Through all those discussions, we learnt how we can communicate better with each other. We have always taken time to face and resolve issues. However, with the tools, we now understand what our personal and spouse's barriers to talking are, or hindrances to listening. Thus, we are able to identify communication issues and attempt to apply principles to solve the problem more effectively. Discussing our upbringing also gave us time to reflect on our unmet childhood needs and allowed us to list ways to help each other. In the course, we also had time to reflect on how we respond when we feel hurt and how we display anger. Talking about it helped us to identify each other ‘s trigger point and how we can better express our views even in the midst of disagreements. We encourage all married couples to invest in strengthening their bond through the course. Those with great marriages can make it even greater! After all, it’s seven meaningful evenings of great food and learning in a safe and romantic environment.. Since marriage is designed to be in a dynamic state, we have much more to learn and encounter as a couple in every season of our life! You can also look forward to the 8th session where you and your spouse renew your covenant vows! You may also like Share Testimony 2015 Honouring Our Volunteers Family Life Ministry 2010 - 2021