You may also like Share Testimony 1982 50th Anniversary 1996 Rev Wee Boon Hup's Message 1980s 1982 New Church Building The Church With A Beautiful Roof Kang Ho Soon & Lorna Khoo Pastors, PLMC ​ The comments made about our Church have changed these days. For the past months we have heard people identifying our Church as “The Church Without A Roof”. BUT THESE DAYS we hear remarks like "What a beautiful roof you have in that Church!” In fact we not only agree with this comment, but also see a parallel between the beauty of the roof and the beauty of the story that led to it. First & foremost, the story began when a group of people here in Paya Lebar decided to unite themselves, young and old, rich and poor, to put up a building to the Glory of God. Every single tile on the roof represents individuals in our worshipping congregation who have sacrificed their money, time and talent. Like the single tiles which when nicely laid together form a beautiful roof, so also are individuals in our congregation who when they put together their resources in the Master's hand, can become a great united Church of God. This Church with a beautiful roof is the sign that we can be that great Church of God in this part of the world. Secondly, the beautiful roof became possible because a group of people resolved to give of their best to the Master. The roof is beautiful only because the workmen have given of their best and some Church leaders have spent much time over-looking every detail of the building. They are all dedicated to a work of excellence because they are doing it for God. Finally, the story of this roof is the story of the people whose faith is in the God who has given them a home. To have a roof is to have a shelter over our heads, that is, to have a home. It is our belief that God in Jesus Christ is our eternal home and this new sanctuary is a witness to the faith that God is ​ “Our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!” We can all thank God that in Him and through Him, we have been able to be united in our effort in putting up this sanctuary of great excellence to His Glory. We look forward to the day when we can dedicate this building to this God, who is our help, our hope, our shelter and our eternal home. Grace & Peace, ​ KANG HO SOON & LORNA KHOO PASTORS You may also like Share Testimony 1982 50th Anniversary 1996 Rev Wee Boon Hup's Message 1980s

1996 Fun-tasteSia Allen Cheng ​ We were a small and young cell group then and most of us with young kids and all busy with our careers then. But when we heard that the government is acquiring part of our church land and we had to rebuild our church building, we were all ready and excited to do our part. When we heard about this "Fun-tasteSia" - Fun Fair to raise funds for the building project, we all decided to help out. We came together to brain-storm ideas and finally we had decided on having a BBQ-Chicken Wings Stall. You may also like Share Testimony 1996 Rev Wee Boon Hup's Message 67th Anniversary & Church Dedication 1990s We had help sell tickets and even bought extra tickets to give away. But the best part is to be able to be involved together as a cell group to run a stall for the fun fair. ​ Preparations involved buying the chicken wings and marinating them, buying all the BBQ-equipment and even paper plates and plastic bags for takeaways. We thought we were all set that morning, being there early and even testing the 1st batch of the delicious chicken wings. ​ Within the first hour of the fun fair, we realised that we had a long queue at our stall, not because our wings were the best but just because the production rate was too slow. A quick discussion and decision was made and I had to rush home to get the gas-stove, huge pot and oil to convert our BBQ to Fried Chicken Wings. That was the start of "PLFC" - Paya-Lebar Fried Chicken! ​ Thank God, we had managed to increase our production rate and sold much more chicken wings. At the end of the day, the chicken wings were sold out, we were drained but we were full of joy. ​ In the end, it was not how much we had sold but just to know that we had done our part and done our best to help raise funds for our new church building. Thanking God for the opportunity and even now, looking back "Down Memory Lane" the joy is still bubbling out from our hearts. You may also like Share Testimony 1996 Rev Wee Boon Hup's Message 67th Anniversary & Church Dedication 1990s

75-Hour Worship and Prayer The Time For Transformation "Revival has begun in PLMC. Now is the time for transformation.” – Rev Peter Koh ​ Indeed, the unprecedented 75 hours of worship and prayer, led by individuals, cell groups, ministry groups, church leaders and pastors to invite the Lord's presence into His church at PLMC as we enter our 75th Anniversary year, was testimony to the wonderful and awesome work of God in the lives of His people! Only He could have moved in the hearts of His people to respond to fill up all of the 75 hours of worship and prayer! You may also like Share Testimony 2008 Church Bells Dedication 2004 A Season of Prayer 2000s The Lord's presence with all the various groups throughout the 75 hours was evident. At the Closing Service on Monday, 1 January 2007, from 10am – 12pm, Annie shared how she could literally smell the sweet fragrance of the Lord during her cell group's slot from 2 pm - 4 pm on Saturday, 30 December 2006. They also received the Lord's assurance that He would always take care of His church. ​ Yoke Ming, whose cluster took the 10pm - 12am slot on Friday, 29 December 2006, shared that they were led to pray for our church leaders. Annie from the Mandarin Service, who was obviously deeply touched by the Lord, shared about the Lord's transformation of her life two years ago and how she longs to dance in worship to Him. She reminded the congregation that God does not want our offerings, He wants our hearts. She had a vision of Jesus carrying the cross, carrying all our burdens of broken families, divorced couples, those in debts etc. She encouraged all to trust in Jesus, believe in Him and families will experience breakthroughs in Christ. In his message, Rev Peter Koh shared from Zechariah 2:4-5 where Jerusalem was described as a city whose people and livestock multiplied beyond its walls. In the same way, he said that PLMC will be like a city without walls, where we will expand beyond the walls of the church. And the Lord will be a protective ring around the “city” and the glory within it! Amen. Soo Hoong, our Director of Spiritual Formation, who co-ordinated the entire 75-hour event with Andy Toh shares: ​ The experience of coordinating the 75 hour worship and prayer was truly a gift from the Lord. It was encouraging to see the leaders embracing the idea and signing up for the slots willingly and eagerly. The day before the 75 hours began, there were still 3 empty slots (between 2-4am) and I was prepared for it to be so. But that night, I received phone calls from two members expressing their desire to take up two slots. By the next morning, just after the Opening service, word came to me that the Cluster Leaders decided to take an additional hour and that was how all the slots were finally taken. It was truly the Lord Himself who was at work, stirring the hearts of our people and filling all the hours on the schedule. What was sticking was the amazing timing -- that as the 75 hours began 29th Dec, the last hour was taken up. The Lord did not stop there. At the Opening service, it was evident that the Lord’s peaceful presence descended upon is as we lifted up our hearts to worship Him. I had the opportunity to join a few groups and the experience was beautiful - as each group worshipped the Lord in their own creative way - through Scriptures and silence, through hymns and confession, and through honest and heartfelt conversational prayers of thanks, uttered by individuals whose families and lives had been touched by the Lord in the past year. And God was graciously present in all these hours, no matter the form and manner of worship and prayers as hearts were turned towards Him in praise. I am deeply grateful to God for this experience of seeing His amazing hand at work in this event and to experience His faithful presence among us. I believe that the Lord has done a spiritual work in us through this time of worship and prayer as a church. May the Lord’s great name be praised! ​ ​ Testimonies ​ I took the 1-2 am worship and prayer slot on 1 January 2007. There were only five of us but, boy, was the worship intense. And God, being the wonderful God that He is, came and stood among us as we worshipped Him. And as we approached Him and entered into His presence, we could not help but stand in awe of Him. There was nothing else more appropriate that we could have done. ​ God has revealed Himself to us as the Awesome God. And that word, "awesome”, should only be reserved for Him. Matt Redman says that we have become too frivolous with the word "awesome". Too often, we mis-use the word and say that the burger is awesome, or the movie was awesome, or the football team was awesome. No. The Bible says that awesome-ness belongs only to God. So, I've decided to reserve that word "awesome" to ONLY describing God. I shared this as we worshipped. And we all realised the truth. Only God is awesome. ​ God has been faithful to our church for 75 years. We need to show our faithfulness to Him. We've taken his blessings for granted far too often. One way we can do this is to acknowledge and worship Him as the one true, only, Awesome God. Let's reserve all our praise, worship, exaltation and adoration for Him. Shalom! – Eugene Cheong ​ ​ My cell group gathered in the Haven room with an expectant heart to meet the Lord. As I stood before His altar, with a lighted candle on it, I felt as if I had entered His court and throne room. The peace of Jesus transcended upon me beyond comprehension. During the worship, the Lord gave me His Word in Isaiah 29:17-19 and 22-24 that promised spiritual transformation, renewal of minds, unity and harmony in our church. The scripture also spoke of the next generation's acknowledgement of His holiness, commitment to keep His name holy and their awe for our God. ​ My cell member, Irene Shu, received a vision from the Lord. It was a huge ship that represented Noah's ark in Genesis 8:20-21. The Lord desires us to worship Him, and to present our lives holy and blameless before Him, which is our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1). This was confirmed by the word that was impressed upon the heart of our cell leader, Irene Goh, that we are to remain holy and righteous. We believe that the Lord is at work in our church right now both to will and do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). – Maureen Kam ​ ​ We were quite nervous as it was a new experience for us to be in church during the wee hours before the Lord. When we saw the Hope Mission members worshipping, we felt very small as each one of us had to hold a song sheet in our hands and sing without musical instruments. The simple Hokkien tune that we sang gave us much more confidence to come to HIS throne of grace. – Kenneth Fok ​ ​ During the Healing Service, I prayed for my second son, Marc, who was not in church with us. He had a local inflammation of the skin (boil) about two weeks before, and it had gotten worse one week later. That night at the healing service I committed this to the Lord. I claimed that the boil be burst open in the Name of Jesus. The next day, the boil broke and bled. Praise The Lord! ​ I was ministered by the way the children of Ernest Seah's cell group joined the worship and prayer at their slot on 31 December 2006. God impressed upon my heart that the children are very important in the life of PLMC. They are the leaders of the next generation and as we nurture them, they will in turn nurture their children's children. I shared with the children how important they are in God's Kingdom. I reminded them that Jesus said in Luke 18:16 "Let the children come to me." During Ernest's slot at 8pm on Sunday, 31 December, a stranger walked into the Haven when we were praying. I spoke to him after our slot was over and found out that he is all alone in Singapore, without a place to stay. His name is Calvin and he had just been released from prison. He was supposed to meet up with the Pastor of a church in Serangoon Gardens but the Pastor was not able to keep the appointment. He walked into Trinity Methodist Church but could not find anyone. Finally, he walked to Boundary Road where he found help and solace in our church, and all because we had people praying in church over the 75 hours of worship and prayer. Thank God that He chose to use us. Glory To God. – John Lim ​ ​ The 75-hr worship and prayer event has brought our cell group even closer together through the preparation process and in leading various aspects of the worship session. A key thought from our worship session came through the song "Through it all” - “You are forever in my life; You see me through the seasons. Cover me with Your hand; And lead me in Your righteousness. And I look to You; And I wait on You." The Lord has blessed many cell members particularly over the past year, seeing us through and providing for us over very difficult times. We thank God for his faithfulness and are assured of His continued watch over us in many seasons to come, just as the psalmist says in Psalm 121- that our Help comes from the Lord ... He who watches over us will not slumber. Our response was to sing to Him a hymn of love for His faithfulness to us - and that was how it all came through in our worship session and as we continue to serve him in the Missions field and the music ministry. – Cho Hiong ​ ​ During our worship and prayer session, I felt in the spirit to pray specifically for our youth - to challenge our youth with God's Vision and to commit our youth to God's Mission, especially as they will be constantly surrounded by the world's values. – Hoe Meng You may also like Share Testimony 2008 Church Bells Dedication 2004 A Season of Prayer 2000s

1932 Early Years from a series of articles on the Methodist Churches of Singapore, 1941 Lee Teck Hock (The author is a lay preacher who serves as the assistant minister of the Paya Lebar Church. He is also the Singapore District Lay Leader and President of the Singapore District League.) ABOUT twenty years ago Miss Sophia Blackmore, began regularly to visit the homes of Methodist members living in the Paya Lebar community, and to hold cottage-prayer meetings. In this work she was at first assisted by members of the Wesley Church and later by members of the Straits-Chinese Church. This opportunity for Christian service proved very attractive because the youth of the district gladly-responded to the message of Jesus Christ. No Conference appointment was made for several years, but there were laymen (Mr. Chew Hock Hin, Mr. Philip Khoo, the late Mr. H. E. Bunn, Mr. David Sundram and others) who interested themselves in this new field of Christian labour. These men formed the nucleus of the new church and the first official appointment made was in 1929 when Mr. Chew Hock Hin was appointed as supply pastor. An English School was opened and worship services were first held in one of the school classrooms. However, the church was rapidly growing and the classroom could not accommodate the increasing of worshippers so a campaign was launched in 1935 to obtain funds for the erection of a Church building. Within the short space of three years sufficient funds were collected and the new church; built on a hill, was completed. The dedication took place on Sunday morning, May 8th, 1938. You may also like Share Testimony Early Years Outreach 1992 Rev Chew Hock Hin Early Years THE Paya Lebar Church has been characterized by fearless and aggressive evangelism on the part of the pastor and personal work on the part of the members. ​ This is carried on through the use of 2 languages, the English and the Malay. At first the church ministered only to the English-speaking group composed of boys and girls of the English schools and the Straits-born young people. Sunday School classes were organized and worship services held. But as the pastor came into contact with the young people and visited their homes, he was genuinely concerned about the older folks, the Straits-born Chinese men and women who could not understand the English. Thus Malay work among these people began. Meetings primarily of an evangelistic character were held on Wednesday afternoons. As the group grew in number, it was felt that Sunday services should be held for them. These were duly organized and the response was very gratifying. Wednesday meetings were continued in Malay, and converted into prayer meetings and testimony meetings. ​ It was these meetings and particularly the testimony meetings that drew the largest crowds of Straits-bom Chinese men and women. The groups were not only eager to hear the word of God, but to get the Power of God; and having obtained that power they came rejoicing to testify to its manifestation and work in their lives. Further, the need arose that Bible Study classes should be held and these were conducted on Tuesday evening. ​ The Church is actively engaged in a forward programme. The beginning has been small but at present the average Sunday School attendance is 160 and that of the Worship Service 120. This is very gratifying considering the fact that there are only three rows of shophouses in the Paya Lebar Village. However, the field is large because the Church is working in a growing residential area. It includes in its sphere of activity an area occupied by three villages: the Paya Lebar, Yio Chu Kang and Tampines Villages. A few members have removed to town and elsewhere; nevertheless they still continue to give the Church their strong support. THE Church is creating its Christian impact upon the community - through her various organizations: ​ 1. Through the Sunday School she is reaching the students of the district Government English School, private schools and non-Christian homes. ​ 2. Through the Epworth League are supplied the needs of the youth in the district, especially in recreation and culture. ​ 3. Through the Boys' Brigade and Girls' Life Brigade, the boys and girls of the schools are provided channels for self- expression and occupation of leisure hours in wholesome ways. ​ 4. Through the Woman's Society of Christian Service much has been given by the members in flower contributions for Sunday services and money to the Church Building Fund. ​ 5. Through the efforts of the choirs, both junior and senior, under the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Thomas, the Church has been greatly blessed and the Sunday morning services made more worshipful. ​ 6. Last but not least, are the Class Meetings organized last year and found to be of great practical value. These are composed of various age groups, each under a leader, meeting weekly for discussions, calling and personal evangelism. Perhaps these constitute the most effective force in the Church in her evangelistic programme and social service. ​ There is yet another medium through which the Church proclaims the Gospel and that is the publication of The Christian Circle. Under the wise and loving pastoral guidance and ministry of the Rev. Chew Hock Hin the Church is a beehive of Christian activity. But all praise and thanks must be given to God, for it was not without trials and difficulties , opposition and persecution that the Paya Lebar Methodist Church was permanently on the Solid Rock of Christ. You may also like Share Testimony Early Years Outreach 1992 Rev Chew Hock Hin Early Years

2004 Filipino Ministry Celebrating 20 Years of Fellowship The lovely ladies from the Filipino Fellowship celebrated their 20th anniversary with a song and dance presentation at the Sanctuary services on 25 April 2004. Today, there are about 30 members who come together to worship God and provide love, spiritual support and encouragement to each other every Sunday. From 1 May 2004, the Fellowship meets in a single session on Sundays at 10.30 am. Combining the previous two sessions into a single one will foster greater unity among the members, as well as facilitate coordination in discipleship training and planning for evangelism activities. Filipino Fellowship New Timing Sundays at 10.30 am ONLY! From May 2004, the Filipino Fellowship will meet weekly at the Conference Room from the 2nd Sunday of each month. On the first Sunday of the month, the Fellowship will join the sanctuary services for the Holy Communion service. We would like to encourage all our members to allow their Filipino helpers to join this Fellowship as a way to reach out to them and bless them with the opportunity to know God's love during their time away from home. You may also like Share Testimony 2007 Vision of Filipino Fellowship 1991 New Peranakan Service Filipino Service

1987 Official Opening of Covenant Centre July 1987 It was a day many of us have worked hard for and indeed a day in which all of us in Paya Lebar Methodist Church have waited for - The Official Opening Of Our Covenant Centre. ​ Held in conjunction with our 55th Anniversary Celebrations, the one Covenant Centre is to all of us, not only … a coming of age for our Church but also the fulfilment of a promise - the realisation of our vision. You may also like Share Testimony 1989 Interview with Pastor Kang Ho Soon 1993 Church Building Project 1980s The celebrations began in the early morning, at our Sunday morning services. Special song items and thanksgivings were included in our order of worship. One of our former pastors, the Rev Ng Ee Lin from Malaysia was specially invited to be our guest preacher. And, to make it a 'specially memorable occasion’, the congregation was invited to join in the cutting of the 55th Anniversary cake at the pavilion. In the afternoon, despite threatening clouds, the official opening of the Covenant Centre kicked off at 2:30pm with the arrival of guests and members. With the accompaniment of music provided by the Swiss Cottage Secondary School band, the respective MPs: MP for Braddell Heights, Mr Goh Choon Kang, Bishop of the Methodist Church (Singapore), Bishop Ho Chee Sin and Minister for Community Development and 2nd Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Wong Kan Seng arrived with clockwork punctuality. The MP for Braddell Heights, Mr Goh Choon Kang in his greetings congratulated PLMC on the official opening of the Covenant Centre. He said that what made the project strikingly different was that it was "entirely funded by contributions from members and friends - considering that the amount is nearly $1 million, it's certainly no mean feat!” In his opening address, our Guest-of-Honour, Mr Wong Kan Seng, drew upon examples in the bible to define the meaning of Covenant. “In a religious sense, it's more than a legal agreement. It covers human relationships as well. It's a bond uniting 2 parties for the benefit of mankind” . In that light, he said that it was appropriate for PLMC to call our centre a Covenant Centre because — "its activities will benefit the people." A prayer of thanksgiving was then offered by Bishop Ho Chee Sin. This was followed by the singing of the hymn, "Make us O God, A church that shares” , led by our pastor, Rev. Dr Kang. Mr Hulbert Lee then invited Mr Wong to unveil the plaque at the Covenant Centre. Mr Wong, the VIPs and guests were brought on a tour of the Centre. ... VIPs and guests were later invited for a reception in the pavilion. With the official opening of the Covenant Centre a New Beacon now shines from PLMC - a testimony of God's Greatness and Goodness! Mr Hulbert Lee, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, extended a warm welcome to all VIPs, guests and members on behalf of the church. This was followed by the opening hymn “To God Be The Glory” led by our Assistant Pastor Rev. Leslie Quahe, in praise of the great things God hath done for PLMC and its members. After the song of praise, Dr Michael Loh, Chairman of Covenant Centre Project thanked all who have supported and who have helped to make our Covenant Centre a reality. Adding to the significance of the occasion, the San Francisco Christian Centre's Choir gave a beautiful rendition of “There's no failure in God." You may also like Share Testimony 1989 Interview with Pastor Kang Ho Soon 1993 Church Building Project 1980s