The song was a timely reminder of the W in “Worship”, TRAC’s theme for the coming year. TRAC’s logo carries five W’s: “Word”, “Worship”, “Welcome”, “Witness” and “Wonder”. TRAC President, the Rev Dr Gordon Wong, pointed out that in the 2013 session, TRAC began with a focus on the “Word”. The theme for each subsequent year followed the sequence of the five W’s.
Wesley and Worship
In the President’s Address on 19 Nov, the Rev Dr Wong covered “Wesley and Worship Participation” in the first section of his address. He encouraged the delegates to continue worshipping God in song and prayer. He described how congregational singing was not practised in churches before the 18th century. The Anglican priests recited or sang musical changes and choirs would perform, while the congregation respectfully listened. But John Wesley, inspired by the Moravian Christians, promoted congregational singing, a legacy that lasts to this day. The Rev Dr Wong also encouraged the delegates to pray with one another as a Conference.
In “Wesley and Worship Wars”, the second part of Rev Dr Wong’s address, he advised the delegates that if they disagreed with how other Christians worshipped, they should do so in a “charitable and respectful manner”. One of Wesley’s more famous sermons was entitled “The Catholic Spirit”,1 where he used the word “catholic” in the sense of “universal”. In the Rev Dr Wong’s words, “a big, large, wide-hearted spirit, a catholic spirit of universal love”.
For contentious issues—such as infant baptism as a holy sacrament, singing in tongues, withholding Holy Communion from those who have not yet been baptised, or matters to do with divorce—the Rev Dr Wong said, “By all means, let us try to persuade each other as to what we believe is the Bible’s clear teaching, but let the manner of our persuasion and debate be marked by a catholic, charitable spirit.”
Conferring and Worshipping Together
Over the next few days, the delegates focused on worship as the boards and councils gave their reports. They conferred together and approved policies on pressing issues of the day, particularly with regard to loving homosexual persons in the church.
At the opening service, nine local preachers were recognised. At the closing service, Mr Robert Kee was ordained as Diaconal Minister; Pastors Jacob Lim, Anthony Phua and Collin See were ordained as Deacons; and the Rev Benjamin Fong and the Rev David Ho were ordained as Elders. The Rev Fred Tan, the Rev Sng Chong Hui, the Rev Irene Thung and Christian Ministry staff Mrs Agnes John are retiring and were thanked for their years of service. The latter three will be re-engaged or re-employed by TRAC.
Let us draw near with faith.
Let us hold unswervingly to hope.
Let us consider how to love. (From Heb 10:22–25)
In his sermon at the closing service, the Rev Dr Wong preached from the New International version (NIV) of Hebrews 10:22–25. The NIV, he said, has managed to preserve the three-fold repetition of the Greek phrase that translates to the English “let us”. He reminded the leaders of the TRAC churches, especially the newly-appointed deacons and elders, to draw near to God with faith (v22), hold unswervingly to hope (v23), and consider how to love (v24)—together.
Church leaders, he said, should not be so busy running the church that they forget how to be the Church. He admitted, “Pastors struggle. We struggle to remember what God has called us as pastors to be, and to do.”
“But please,” he implored the ordinands and the pastors in attendance, “do not give up… Let us encourage each other, and stir up each other…to words of love, and acts of love even to those we regard as enemies. Because in Christ, we are family.”
The Church, he said, “is a congregation of people who are learning how to worship together, helping each other to draw near to God in personal communion, helping each other hold on with hope when life’s trials push us towards despair, and inspiring each other to thoughtful acts of love and good deeds to our neighbours everywhere.”
The Rev Dr Wong reiterated the well-known Christian trilogy of “faith, hope and love” he had mentioned in the previous year’s conference—that in the Church, the greatest of these is love.
1 John Wesley, “The Catholic Spirit”, Sermons on Several Occasions, trans. into modern English by James D. Holway (Ilkeston: Moorley’s, 1987).
TRAC Appointments for 2020
DISTRICT 1
District Superintendent: Rev Alvin Chan
|
Barker Road MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Dr Chiu Ming Li |
| Pastor | Rev Dr Daniel Koh | |
| Pastor | Rev Lawence Chua | |
| Pastor | Rev Wendy Watson | |
| Pastor | Rev Jeremy Ong | |
| Pastor | Rev Benjamin Fong |
|
Bedok MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Khoo Kay Huat |
| Pastor | Rev David Gwee | |
| Pastor | Rev Timothy Yong |
|
Christ MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Dr Edwin Wong |
| Pastor | Rev Dianna Khoo | |
| Pastor | Rev David Ho Gim Pin | |
| Pastor | Pastor Benjamin Lau | |
| Pastor | Pastor Tay Li Ping |
| Christalite Methodist Chapel | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Shaun Chong |
| Pastor | Pastor Reginald Chan |
|
Kampong Kapor MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Kenneth Huang |
| Pastor | Rev Gabriel Liew | |
| Pastor | Rev Tay Kay Leong |
DISTRICT 2
District Superintendent: Rev Dr Edwin Wong
|
Ang Mo Kio MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Anthony Lee |
| Pastor | Rev. Lee Yam Kai | |
| Assistant Pastor | Pastor Emanuel Goh |
| Living Hope MC | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Ivan Tan |
| Pastor | Rev. Joshua Loo |
| Methodist Church of the Incarnation | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Edmund Koh |
| Assistant Pastor | Pastor Joey Chen |
|
Paya Lebar MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Dr Kow Shih Ming |
| Pastor | Bishop Emeritus Dr Wee Boon Hup | |
| Pastor | Rev. Christopher Chin | |
| Pastor | Rev. Wendy Tay | |
| Assistant Pastor | Rev. Jacob Lim | |
| Assistant Pastor | Pastor Alex Chew |
|
Pentecost MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Dr Jonathan Seet |
| Pastor | Rev. Jason Phua | |
| Assistant Pastor | Rev. Collin See |
| Trinity MC | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Alvin Chan |
| Pastor | Rev. Paul Nga | |
| Pastor | Rev. Sng Chong Hui | |
| Assistant Pastor | Rev. Byron Teo |
DISTRICT 3
District Superintendent: Rev Dr Chiang Ming Shun
| Agape MC | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Nga Mee Hee |
| Pastor | Rev. Lim Jen Huat |
| Cairnhill MC
|
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Dr William Sam |
| Assistant Pastor | Pastor Allan Lee |
| Fairfield Methodist Church | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Daniel Cornilius Tan |
| Pastor | Rev. Ling Kin Yew |
|
Toa Payoh MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Reuben Ng |
| Pastor | Rev. Ming Feong Ching | |
| Assistant Pastor | Rev. Poh Zhi-Hui |
|
Wesley MC |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Stanley Chua |
| Pastor | Rev Edmund de Souza | |
| Pastor | Rev Philip Lim | |
| Pastor | Rev Michael Tan | |
| Pastor | Rev Lilian Ang | |
| Pastor | Rev Chia Chin Nam | |
| Pastor | Rev Benjamin Lee | |
| Pastor | Rev Gladwin Lee | |
| Pastor | Rev Adrian Ng | |
| Pastor | Rev David Ho Seng Hian |
DISTRICT 4
District Superintendent: Rev Stanley Chua
| Aldersgate MC | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Dr Lynette Sathiasingam |
| Assistant Pastor | Pastor Jeremy Yap |
| Covenant Community MC | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Malcolm Tan |
| Pastor | Rev. Daniel Terence Yeo | |
| Pastor | Rev. Ian Lee |
|
Faith Methodist Church |
Pastor-in-Charge | Rev. Raymond Fong |
| Pastor | Rev. John Benedict Foo | |
| Pastor | Rev. Peter Koh | |
| Assistant Pastor | Rev. Eddie Ho | |
| Assistant Pastor | Rev. Anthony Phua |
| Holland Village MC | Pastor-in-charge | Rev Joel Yong |
| Pastor | Rev. Dr Lorna Khoo | |
| Pastor | Rev Loretta Lim |
| Living Waters Methodist Church | Pastor-in-Charge | Rev Dr Aaron Tay |
| Pastor | Rev Chan Siew Chye |
SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS
| Director, Truthmin | Rev. Ian Lee |
| Assistant Directors, Youth Ministry | Rev. Shaun Chong |
| Rev. Gladwin Lee | |
| Rev. Byron Teo |
| Director of Young Adults Ministry | Rev. Ivan Tan |
| Director, Lay Equipping and Development Institute (LEAD) | Rev. Ming Feong Ching |
| Assistant Director, Lay Equipping and Development Institute (LEAD) | Rev. Ling Kin Yew |
| Director, Seniors’ Ministry | Rev. Irene Thung |
| TRAC Crisis Relief Coordinator | Rev. Jason Phua |
|
TRAC Chaplains to TRAC TTC Students |
Rev. Dr Chiang Ming Shun |
| Rev. Bernard Chao | |
| Rev. Wendy Tay |
| Lecturer, Trinity Theological College | Rev. Dr Chiang Ming Shun |
| Rev. Bernard Chao |
| On Sabbatical Leave | Rev. Dr Peter Wong |
| On Sabbatical Leave (1 Jan–30 Jun 2020) | Rev. Vincent Goh |
| Study Leave | Rev. Barnabas Chong |
| Rev. Lai Kai Ming |
| Coordinator Peranakan/Indonesian Ministry | Rev. Jimmy Wong |
| Coordinator Peranakan Ministry | Rev. Christopher Chin |
APPOINTMENTS MADE THROUGH THE BISHOP’S OFFICE
| Director, Ministry in Schools | Rev. Dr Aaron Tay |
| Associate Director, Ministry in Schools | Rev. Dr William Sam |
| Rev. Anthony Lee |
METHODIST MISSIONS SOCIETY 2020
| Executive Director | Rev. Derrick Lau |
| Missionary Pastor (East Asia) | Rev. Tan Cheok Kian |
| Missionary Pastor (Thailand) | Rev. Clarence Lee |
| Missionary Pastor (Vietnam) | Rev. Leslie Lim |
| Area Director (Timor-Leste & Laos) | Rev. Teresa Wilborn |
| Missionary Pastor (Timor-Leste) | Rev. See Swee Fang |
Sheri Goh is the Editor of Methodist Message.
Photos by Daniel Lie