2008 Peranakan Fellowship The Peranakan Fellowship of PLMC Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Puji Tuhan! We, the Peranakan Fellowship of PLMC, bring greetings to you as we embark on a new year in 2008. Looking back, we are thankful and count the numerous blessings that God has showered upon us. Though our members come from different churches all over the island, yet it is a great joy to know that we, as one body of Christ, worship the same God together in spirit and in truth. God's mighty power is manifested in us as we come faithfully week after week without any obligation. Singing of hymns & praises before worship at our regular Saturday Peranakan Fellowship gathering outdoor activity in November 2006 at Changi Civil Service Club Most of us are senior citizens, some with white or grey hair, and are already grandparents. Yet, it is so amazing that in our sunset years, we can still praise God and proclaim Him. This Peranakan Fellowship, which began many, many years ago, is still going strong. Puji Tuhan, untuk kekuatan yang diberikan sepanjang masa, tahun demi tahun. Perhaps, you are wondering why we can still carry on and stick to it like glue. Firstly, our worship is purely focused on God. Secondly, we care and show concern for one another. Dalam Tuhan kita bersaudara. We exchange phone calls to keep in touch. Thirdly, we promote togetherness as God's people in the bond of love. Our Peranakan gathering helps us to maintain our identity in our multi-racial society. The objective of setting up a Peranakan Fellowship was to reach out to unbelievers. That is the main goal we wish to achieve. Many Peranakans are still not aware that Jesus is our Saviour. They are idol worshippers or free thinkers, and are still living in the dark. Most of the Peranakans are from Penang, Malacca or Indonesia, with some through inter-marriages. Like the Chaitty, the so-called Indian Babas, their origins are from Malacca and they speak the Peranakan language. Our duty is to look around and try our best to lead some lost souls to the right track. The good news should be shared, and you will be richly blessed. Everybody is welcome, and the door is always open. Puji Tuhan! Tuhan banyak baik. At our Peranakan Fellowship on Saturday afternoons, activities include Praise and Worship, invited guest speakers who share the Word of God, testimonies, news updates of members, birthday celebrations and some light refreshments. We also have recreational outings and visits to places of interest. At the end of the year, we celebrate Christmas with a Peranakan Christian play, some songs or other musical presentations, a kebaya parade, and not forgetting the delicious nonya feast. Ooi, sedapnya, buat air liyur meleleh saja! The recent 2007 Christmas party drew a crowd of 150 people. Puji Tuhan! Let us all lead a life with a special purpose to serve God. In closing, what will your New Year resolution be? Let me end with a pantun: Ramai-ramai Baba & Nonya, Mari semua ikut saya, Carilah Tuhan digereja, Paya Lebar-lah tempatnya. Kalau saya sumur diladang, Boleh saya tumpang mandi, Kalau ada umur panjang, Sabtu depan kita jumpa lagi. To God be the Glory! Happy New Year! Keong Hee! Love in Christ, Telly Onn You may also like Share Testimony 2016 Peranakan Christmas Celebration 2015 Our Filipino Friends Peranakan Service

1986 Methodist Adult Fellowship (MAF) Announcing the Birth of MAF Praise the Lord for the formation of the Methodist Adult Fellowship (MAF), which aims to cultivate fellowship through worship, studies and activities. We thank God for members and friends who came and helped to make the election possible, despite the rain! ​ The Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon made the opening address and this was followed by the establishment of the quorum. This led to the nominations for the following offices : - (a)President (b)Vice President (c)Hon Secretary (d)Hon Treasurer (e)Committee Members The election proved to be exciting as there were two or more nominations for each respective office. It was enriching to see fellow brothers and sisters coming together to elect their leaders for this committee. (Heb. 10: 23-25). For those elected, it was an honour and privilege to be chosen to serve the Lord in the Methodist Adult Committee. You may also like Share Testimony 2008 Beginning YA Ministry 1987 Official Opening of Covenant Centre Young Adults

1986 Cradle Role Tan Choon Gan Attention all mothers-to-be and parents with infants and toddlers below the age of three! Have you registered your child as a member of Cradle Roll? This 'club' is exclusively tailored for your children. On registering your child as a member, your baby will receive a special gift from the church, birthday cards till his/her third birthday, annual Christmas gifts and exclusive attendance to Christmas parties. If your child does not attend the Christmas party, you can still collect his belated Christmas gift from the Church's office. ​ This 'club' at present has 44 members and according to its superintendant Mrs Alice Lim, she will personally visit new born babes and their mothers upon registration with the Church's Office. She urges all mothers to promptly report to the office their whereabouts (hospital or residence) as soon as their babies are born. This is to facilitate her visits. You may also like Share Testimony 1987 WSCS Beginings: Centennial Service Children Ministry WSCS

1988 Launch of Cell Group Ministry Don't Remain A Stranger Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon Pastor God has created persons in order that they can have meaningful relationships with Him and with one another. In fact, we depend upon relationships for development (especially emotional development) and for meaning in life. The family is a good illustration of this truth. At the moment of birth, a baby has the potential for personhood. But in order for these potentialities to be realized, it is necessary for the baby to be welcomed and loved by his immediate circle which may comprise his father, mother, grandparents, siblings and caregivers. If the baby experiences more moments of love and acceptance, he will grow up a happy, lovable and loving person. ​ CLOSELY-KNITTED CHURCH It is the prayer and hope of the Pastors and leaders of LMC that our church will evolve into a close-knit community where persons can find warm acceptance and eventually grow to be lovable and loving persons, where persons are no longer strangers to one another when they meet for worship on Sundays and where they will in turn share their love with those beyond the bounds of the church. This is a formidable yet challenging task for our congregation has grown to over a thousand persons. However, your leaders have solved to seek new and creative ways of helping people to relate to one another in depth and to have a healthy concern for one another's welfare. LAUNCH OF THE CARE GROUP MINISTRY After much deliberation and prayer over this matter, your leaders have decided to launch the CARE GROUP MINISTRY at PLMC's 56th Anniversary Sunday which falls on 10th July 1988. The Rev Norman Wong will direct this special ministry. Leaders of care groups are now undergoing training. WHAT CAN YOU DO? * You can begin by praying for the launching of the Care Group Ministry and for the leaders who are being trained. * Look out for more information on the Care Group Ministry. * More importantly, you should be praying about signing up to be a member of a care group. If all PLMC members were to sign up to be members of care groups, then we can look forward to the day when we are no longer strangers to each other. In His Love, The Rev Dr Kang Ho Soon Pastor You may also like Share Testimony 2004 Cell-Leaders' Dedication 2014 PLMC Leadership Retreat Cell Group

2018 Penang Mission Trip Joshua Chai Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. - Matthew 25:40 From 11 to 15 November 2018, a group of 5 youths led by Aunty Lucy, Mark and Benedict went on a mission trip to Penang. During the trip, we primarily visited two locations, Kawan and House of Hope. Kawan was a drop-in center for the homeless run by YWAM, providing breakfast, lunch, showers and other basic necessities on several days of the week. Under the direction of the Kawan staff, we were able to help with the preparation of more than 100 portions of food per meal time, no easy feat for such a small kitchen. Additionally, we played simple games with the people there, such as “guess the price” and Bingo, and also sang simple Hokkien Christian songs to lighten the atmosphere. We were touched and surprised by the warm hospitality of the Kawan staff in how they continually showed God’s love to the people who dropped by. We were able to see how easy it is for us to practice our faith in Singapore under ideal circumstances, but the Kawan staff did not have the same luxury we do, yet they extended God’s love to strangers who came by seemingly just for a meal. ​ We also visited House of Hope, a non-profit organization that supports low-income families who live in the rental flats in Rifle Range. It was God’s divine timing that we were to visit that day as there was initially supposed to be an external group come and prepare meals for those there to eat. However, due to a miscommunication in the dates, the group who was supposed to prepare the meals was not present, but the invited residents from the surrounding low-income flats had already begun pouring into House of Hope’s premises. Despite the challenges, God provided the opportunities to serve Him and we were able to help in preparing the meals, and all those who came, by God’s provision, received food to eat. Following that, we also hand-delivered meals to certain individuals who were unable to come down to the House of Hope premises for their meals. As we delivered the meals we were able to get to know some of the residents there as they shared with us about their lives and various struggles that they were facing. We also got to meet Aunty Cheng See who runs House of Hope. To be able to return after several years and see how God has continued to bless the ministry that she leads was extremely inspiring. To be able to see how God rewards her ever-growing ministry as she leans upon the Lord was a pleasant reminder of His faithfulness to His people. The team also learnt the importance of placing Him first and setting aside time for Him. The team at House of Hope would daily set aside time to seek after Him together, going into the office to pray together after lunch, regardless of how busy they were. It is a practice that has continued since the last time I had the opportunity to visit, several years ago. It taught us that no matter what happens, God rewards us when we place Him at the center. We would like to thank God for this opportunity to go to Penang to show His love to the people we had the privilege of interacting with. He revealed Himself to us through the divine openings of opportunities to serve the various communities and showed us what it meant to display His love to those around us. However, it was also an eye-opening experience for us to be able to go out of our own comfort zones in Singapore to see how God is working beyond our small city. You may also like Share Testimony 2004 Bring Hope to Punggol 2011 Bintan Mission Trip Missions

2017 Christmas Community Blessing Outreach Blessing Serangoon Residents With Christmas Cheer Lianne Chia It was the 26th of December, the day after Christmas. But at a block of rental flats in Serangoon, the Christmas spirit was still going strong. ​ The sound of caroling filled the air, mingling with the excited squeals of children playing games at makeshift carnival stalls. Nearby, some elderly residents tried their hand at glass painting, while a group of volunteers decked out in red shirts helped guide a few young children with their handiwork. Some 40 befrienders had come together to organise a mini carnival and Christmas party as part of PLMC's efforts to bless the surrounding community. The week before, a team had gone around inviting residents to join in the fun, and about 130 had shown up. One of them was the mother of three, Huang Hui Ping, who was spotted painting tiles with her children. "The volunteers came round to invite me, and I thought, why not? The children had fun painting and colouring, and I would come back for more of this." Director of Outreach Mary Chai described the carnival as a means to host the presence of God in the community around the church. "We want to show them the love of God, and if we have an opportunity to minister to them and if they want to come to our church, we will be more than happy." You may also like Share Testimony 1984 WSCS Retreat at Penang 2002 Peranakan Christmas Celebration Outreach

Great Is Thy Faithfulness While shooting for a video on PLMC's past, present and future, we had the privilege of interviewing Aunty Nancy Chua, 90, who has been worshipping at our church in the past 82 years. Aunty Nancy has seen PLMC grow from a tiny kampong church to a larger building in the 1990's and to the magnificent sanctuary we have now. ​ She shared that during the war years, when the sirens sounded while service was on, the late Rev Chew Hock Hin exhorted the congregation to seek protection in the air raid shelters but NOBODY moved from their seats and Rev Chew would continue in prayer. That same resilience and faith in God has seen PLMC through many difficult times when the church land was acquired and the newly built sanctuary had to be torn down due to the MRT Circle Line works. The various ministries have developed or re-invented themselves, Sunday School to Silver Boxes and Sonshine Kids; Seniors Fellowship to Glowing Years Ministry; M YF to Youth Ministry and Young Adults ministry, to reflect the changing times and needs. We have worked out our church theme of "A Family Blessed to for Bless the Community and the Nations", in numerous Outreach events to the homeless, to the mi grant workers, and to the poor and the needy in the neighbourhood, and the multiple Missions trips around the world. As we celebrate PLMC's 85th Anniversary, exceedingly more than our faith in Him is God's faithfulness to PLMC for He is faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments." Deuteronomy 7:9 "Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me! You may also like Share Testimony 2016 The Safe Place Getting to Know Pastor Kow Shih Ming 2010 - 2021

2014 WSCS Missions Trip TRAC WSCS Mission Trip to Oikos Helping Hand Elizabeth Khong 18 ladies from 11 different Methodist and non-Methodist churches joined in one Spirit to minister to the poorest of the poor in Manila, partnering with Oikos Helping Hand (OHH) in Manila - an organization run by Maureen and Ivan Ho. We were welcomed into the make-shift homes of Filipino families living in the slums in Aroma, and prayed for them, sharing the love of Jesus, after distributing small food bags to the disadvantaged families. ​ OHH ministers to the youth, men, women, children, and families through various programs such as the Learning Center Kindergarten and an outreach program for the families of children with cancer. While we were there, an enthusiastic team ran a children's programme for the children at the Learning Center Kindergarten and the children with cancer. What a joy it was when the many children with cancer raised their hands to proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. In our week there, the Lord's Word was taught and shared among the youth, women and men, many of whom walked an hour to the Agape Center where OHH is held. We had a great time interacting with these people. This mission trip has truly been a Spirit-filled one. We were blessed to learn from a great leadership team of godly women. We thank God for His faithfulness - He diverted the typhoon that could have afflicted us and we were kept safe. We give thanks to all the prayer warriors who prayed for us. You may also like Share Testimony 2016 WSCS 80th-Anniversary Missions WSCS

2007 Welcoming Pastor Reuben Ng Welcome Pastor Reuben Ng, Our New Assistant Pastor! We officially welcomed Assistant Pastor Reuben Ng to PLMC at our main worship services on 5 August 2007. The 36-year-old ex ACS boy has come one full circle. His parents used to worship at PLMC and he was baptised here as an infant. After his family moved to worship at Toa Payoh Methodist Church when he was about two years old, he has been worshipping and serving there since until the Lord moved him back to serve in PLMC as an assistant pastor. ​ Although he was born into a Christian family, his personal journey with God started during one of the Religious Emphasis Weeks in school. “I was in either primary 5 or 6 at ACPS (Anglo Chinese Primary School) and they had this religious emphasis week. There was a group of people from the States who came and did a music and drama presentation. There was dance and mime and they portrayed the life of Jesus and towards the end, they showed Him being crucified. Even though I had attended Sunday school all my life, I did not really believe or know much about Jesus . At that point, when they played the sound effect of the nails being pounded through, to Jesus' feet and hands, the reality hits in that Jesus' love for you means something. After that, I stayed back for the altar call and that was when I really received Christ'' shared Pastor Reuben. Since then, God has been using him in the area of youth work and subsequently in the worship ministry. And having felt God’s call in his life, Pastor Reuben left his job as a forex trader of a bank to pursue full time studies at Rhema Bible School for two years and subsequently Trinity Theological College for three years . His motivation came from the desire to please God. You may also like Share Testimony PLMC Sponsors TTC Chair-Chew Hock Hin Getting to know Pastor Alex 2000s

1995 Dialect Speaking Fellowship The Lunar New Year Dinner this year was held on 11 February. The event is an evangelistic outreach programme planned and organised by the PLMC Evangelism Committee targeting the non-English speaking, non-Christian parents and relatives of PLMC Church members. ​ This year, more than 120 thronged the PLMC Pavilion at about 6.30pm on the day. After a short ice breaking sing-along session and an exchange of New Year greetings led by Mr Ronny Chan in Mandarin, dinner commenced. Our prayers for good weather were answered by God. (It had been raining cats and dogs for the whole week before the event.) After dinner, the children were bundled up to the Conference Room where Boon Seng, Boon Sian and Belinda kept them occupied with stories, video shows and other activities. At the Pavilion, Billy (a local Chinese performing artiste) was already sharing about his faith and how God had been a continuing source of hope in his struggle against cancer. He also shared a few songs with the guests, who were very touched by his testimony. Printed copies of his testimony (in Chinese) were distributed to the non-Christians present. Later, another renowned local artiste, Ms Pan Shiu Chuong joined him in the rendition of a few Christian songs to the guests. After that, the speaker, Rev Koh Keok Nguang came on and spoke about the peace that our God brings. The programme for the night ended with a prayer and benediction by Rev Koh for the unsaved. You may also like Share Testimony 1995 The PLMC Building Project Mandarin Service 1990s

2012 Arise Camp It's Time To... ARISE Carolyn Lee On Saturday, 14 April, about 100 Silver Boxes children, with their families, the Sonshine Kids with their leaders, the children from HOPE Student Care Centre, and the youths from B12 participated in ARISE! held in PLMC. It was a Global 4/14 Partnership which believes that "It is Time" that the children in the 4/14 Window take their place in lifting up the name of Jesus, not just in Sunday Schools, but as one body, in unity, across the nations. ​ The session at PLMC was webcast to 30 other nations across 20 time zones, to mobilise our children to enter the presence of God to fast and release prayers for their own generation. It was an amazing afternoon of praise and worship to the Lord, as the children clapped their hands and sang their hearts out to Him. Let's continue to pray that God will always be enthroned in the praises of His children and that these little ones will grow to be oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour. You may also like Share Testimony 2016 Jungle Christmas Youth Service Children's Ministry

2015 A Note From Pastor Wendy Tay I still remember my first assignment in the pastoral ministry a few years ago when God gave me His Word to journey with me. He said, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way y ou should go; I will guide you with My eye." (Psalms 32:8). ​ I am thankful for God's faithfulness, and this verse has been a great source of assurance. Throughout, the Lord has always reminded me of His guiding hand and His constant advice: "One Step at a Time." This new year, as I enter a new season and the family of Paya Lebar Methodist Church, I rest with the same conviction that God will do the same and continue to lead and guide. Also, this new year, I look forward to serving and contributing to the leadership team, sharing the vision of Paya Lebar Methodist Church and working out my call in God’s sovereign plan. On a more personal note, my family decided to do something different as we started the year. We decided to have our first family New Year resolution together to honor God. We pray that we can do that by honoring each other in the family. (adapted from Mark 12:30). Here it goes: We will love the Lord our God with all our hearts (by doing family devotions together) and with all our soul (by being kind and encouraging in our words) and with all our minds and with all our strength (by helping each other to keep a healthy lifestyle, example: exercise). Please pray alongside us. May we all be a family blessed to bless others. R ev Wendy Tay is married to her lifelong best friend and soulmate, R ev Aaron Tay, who is the pastor-in-charge of Living Waters Methodist Church. They have two energetic boys, Nathan (11) and Jerome (9). You may also like Share Testimony 2015 A Note from Pastor Gladwin 2006 Pastor Barnabas Chong 2010 - 2021