The Anglo-Chinese School community gathered in force at The Kallang (formerly the Singapore Sports Hub) on 26 February 2026, as about 12,000 students, alumni, educators, parents and friends filled the stadium for the ACS140 Combined Founders’ Day Thanksgiving Service—a joyful and moving celebration of 140 years of Christian education in Singapore.
A stadium full of faith
From 2 p.m., the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric. The processional parade marked the official opening, with the arrival of Guest-of-Honour Dr Ng Eng Hen, a former Cabinet Minister and ACS old boy, followed by the National Anthem and a Guard of Honour inspection. What followed was a two-hour programme that seamlessly wove together worship, reflection and celebration.
The service was anchored in the theme verse from Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” It was a fitting banner for a school founded on Christian mission and still very much driven by it today.
A message rooted in Scripture and history
Delivering the exhortation, Bishop Philip Lim, Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS), drew the congregation back to the founding story of ACS. He recounted how Rev William F. Oldham arrived in Singapore in 1885 and started the first Methodist worship service. He was moved by the sight of young boys loitering in the streets, leading him to start the school on 1 March 1886 with just 13 pupils in a rented shophouse on Amoy Street, Chinatown. Within a year, enrolment had grown to over a hundred.
“God has given all of us, here in this stadium, a mission,” Bishop Lim declared. “And the mission is to be a light. To be a light means to bring light to places where there is darkness. To be a light means to bring the truth to the people.”
He also shared the inspiring testimony of Lee Wei Kong, a former Anglo-Chinese Junior College rugby captain who sustained severe head and spinal injuries in an accident. Through the prayers and faith of the ACS and Methodist community, Wei Kong made a remarkable recovery and today serves as a pastoral care volunteer at MWS nursing homes—a living example, the Bishop said, of light overcoming darkness.
Bishop Lim closed with words from Oldham’s own address to the school, in which the founder called on every agency connected to ACS to “seek the power of the Holy Spirit” and remain “embedded and rooted in the Christian faith”. The challenge, he said, remains as urgent today as it was in 1886.
Bishop Lim closed with words from Oldham’s own address to the school, in which the founder called on every agency connected to ACS to “seek the power of the Holy Spirit” and remain “embedded and rooted in the Christian faith”. The challenge, he said, remains as urgent today as it was in 1886.
Count your blessings, then strive higher
Guest-of-Honour Dr Ng Eng Hen, himself an ACS old boy, called on the assembled ACS family to approach this milestone with both gratitude and a “divine discontent”, referencing former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wish for Singaporeans in his National Day Rally speech in 2016. “We must recognise how richly we’ve been blessed,” Dr Ng said, urging every member of the ACS community to give thanks as one family.
He drew on the wisdom of Dr Goh Keng Swee, one of Singapore’s founding architects and an ACS alumnus who attended the school from 1926 to 1937. In his last major speech before retirement in 1984, Dr Goh urged Singaporeans to regard the nation’s progress “not as a pinnacle of achievement but as a base from which to scale new heights”.
Dr Ng applied that same spirit to the school’s 140th Anniversary, encouraging ACS boys to “count our blessings” and to “resolve, from that spirit of thanksgiving, we strive never to be contented, until we have scaled new heights which God has planned for the school.”
Dr Ng applied that same spirit to the school’s 140th Anniversary, encouraging ACS boys to “count our blessings” and to “resolve, from that spirit of thanksgiving, we strive never to be contented, until we have scaled new heights which God has planned for the school.”
Celebrating faithful service
The service also honoured the people who make ACS what it is. Long Service Awards were presented to 19 educators and staff from the various ACS schools—a recognition that the school’s light shines through the quiet, daily faithfulness of its teachers and staff.
The Educators’ and Staff Pledge, led by Rev Reuben Ng, President of the Trinity Annual Conference, was a solemn and stirring moment as staff reaffirmed their commitment to bring out the best in every student, to “guide our students to be good and useful citizens” and to “serve with integrity, to the Glory of God”.
Music, performances and a grand finale
Worship was led throughout by the Combined ACS Schools Worship Team, with the congregation raising their voices for beloved hymns including “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “Be Thou My Vision”, alongside contemporary praise songs “Praise” and “Goodness of God”. The rich blend of traditional and modern worship reflected the breadth of the ACS family across generations.
A highlight segment titled “A Beacon of Truth and Light” featured a remarkable array of performances: the ACS (International) Vocal Ensemble, the Anglo-Chinese Junior College’s ACSian Theatre, the ACS (Primary) Synergy Performing Arts Group and the ACS (Junior) Choir all took the stage, with a special video message from ACS Jakarta and ACS Bali reminding the crowd of the school’s international reach.
The programme concluded with everyone rising to their feet to sing the school anthem, led by the ACS (Barker Road)‘s Chinese Orchestra and Choir—a jubilant close to a service that had been equally rich in diversity and unity.
The best is yet to be
As the 12,000-strong crowd departed The Kallang, the words of Bishop Lim lingered: “Let us continue to hold up the Beacon of Truth and Light. For in so doing, others will see your good deeds and give praise to God. The Best is Yet to Be! To God be the Glory!”
For 140 years, ACS has shaped generations of leaders, servants and faithful citizens. If the energy and conviction on display at the National Stadium is any measure, the school’s light shows no sign of dimming.
