From a rented semi-detached house at Mayflower Rise and an average attendance of 35 persons in 1977, Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church (AMKMC) has come a long way as the first church building project undertaken by the General Conference of The Methodist Church in Singapore. Our first Sunday Worship Service in our first sanctuary was held on Easter Sunday, 5 April 1981.
Today, more than a thousand of us worship in a newly-built, tri-Conference church completed in 2012, shared by Trinity Annual Conference, Chinese Annual Conference and Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference.
Back in 2008, God had moved our hearts towards rebuilding the church and through the faith, sacrifice and generosity of our members and friends, we thank God that the beautiful church building was completed and is fully paid for.
Our current church vision is “To Be a Methodist Family after God’s Heart”, and we pray that we will be humble and obedient to His commandments and Great Commission. This year’s theme is “The Family That Prays Together”.
Missions at our doorstep
The Witness and Evangelism Ministry and Church Cell Ministries have worked together to help establish Filipino and Indonesian cell groups so that our overseas friends can hear the gospel, be cared for, established in the faith and also be integrated into the church.
Since 2013, International Day Celebration has been held annually in August to bless our foreign friends for their contributions to our families and country and to show God’s love to them. There is a time of singing the different national anthems, enjoying the cultural songs or dances, delicious food, fun games and gifts. Employers are also invited to attend this festive event.
Apologetics Forum
1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” (NLT)
The Apologetics Forum was started in 2014 and is held twice a year to buttress and support believers in their faith. We not only want believers to know what and why they believe in Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, but also to be able to answer queries from their pre-believing families and friends. We have covered the topics of:
“Can the Bible be trusted?” (March 2014 by the Rev Anthony Lee)
“Can we lose our salvation?” (August 2014 by the Rev Melvin Huang)
“The Problem of Evil & Suffering in the world” (February 2015 by Dr Leow Theng Huat)
“Does science disprove the existence of God?” (Upcoming in August 2015 by the Rev Chiang Ming Shun)
We have seen how God has brought us through – with good leadership, hardworking volunteers in our various ministries, and generous member support – to extend His Kingdom here in Ang Mo Kio and beyond.
What is more satisfying than the physical building or numerical growth is seeing the people whom God has called and is calling into the ministry and mission field. We are supporting three overseas missionaries in Philippines, Japan and Cambodia, and three local ones working in parachurch organisations.
God has also answered our prayers to be a mission-conscious church as some are enrolling at Trinity Theological College and other schools to be better-informed believers, to serve and also to enter full-time ministry.
We continue our series of profiling local churches from our three Annual Conferences of The Methodist Church in Singapore. As we come to have a better understanding of each other’s history and ministry, we may discover more opportunities to forge cross-church partnerships and collaborations.
PRAY Each conference church has its own sanctuary with shared usage of classrooms and conference rooms based on timing and need. Pray to build on our unity in Christ as we face challenges in space constraints and different working styles.
We need to be faithful to teach the Scriptures and the whole counsel of God; to disciple and to care for our sheep as Jesus instructed. We need wisdom to help our people face challenges in their families and work, and to stand strong in challenges to their faith.
Photos courtesy of Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church
Irene Tay is a Pastoral Team Member in Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church and the Editor of their newsletter, The Journey, which is published three times a year.