Outreach

Annual MMS fundraising banquet aims to raise $700k

Funds raised will support Mittaphab Methodist Church, Thung Yao Preaching Point and top up field deficits

Site of Thung Yao Preaching Point
(top) Site of Thung Yao Preaching Point (above left) Mittaphab Methodist Church Family Day (above right) Thung Yao Paddy Plant Children's Club which operates on Saturday mornings during the school term

Methodist Missions Society (MMS) will be hosting a fundraising banquet on 25 August 2024 at the Fullerton Hotel. The annual “My Father’s Business” banquet has been titled “Ask of Me” this year, based on the Bible verse in Psalm 2:8, with the focus on galvanising support for the mission in Thailand and other MMS mission fields. The cost of the banquet has been fully sponsored by a donor, so that all funds raised can be channelled towards church planting work and community development efforts. The fundraising target for the banquet is S$700,000, which MMS hopes to raise from its supporters in the Methodist community. Bishop Dr Gordon Wong will be the guest-of-honour for the banquet.

Rev Derrick Lau, Executive Director of MMS, said, “We are reaching out to our valued supporters and members of the Methodist community, to actively pray for and support our efforts to develop national church leaders and provide resources for church-building projects in our mission fields. MMS church building projects are a testament to the goodness of our heavenly Father, your bountiful generosity and our commitment to mobilising the Methodist community in Singapore to make disciples and multiply indigenous churches in this region.”

The evening will bring together church partners, donors, leaders and representatives from the mission fields. Methodist School of Music will provide the worship and music segment for the evening, while a group of Shan youth will present a traditional dance item. There will also be an update on the status of St Paul Methodist School, which has been built from funds that were raised at an earlier fundraising banquet in 2019.

The funds raised will directly contribute to the following three areas.

1. Mittaphab Methodist Church

A Shan service was started on 12 June 2016 as a preaching point under Shineforth Methodist Church (SFMC), located in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In 2019, the Shan group officially established a local church—Mittaphab Methodist Church (MPMC), which operates at the multi-purpose hall of Vineyard Methodist School. MPMC currently has about 10 Wa families, with local preacher Ah Chan Surin teaching in the Wa language. There are plans to start a Wa service for the Wa people who are an ethnic group originating from the northern part of the Shan state in Myanmar.

MPMC has outgrown its current space and facilities. More facilities are required to cater to MPMC’s present membership needs and future growth. MMS missionary Angela Sng and her husband are now spearheading this ministry.

Mittaphab, which means “friendship” in Thai, will be a church that connects with the Shan community, works with the village heads, and establishes God’s presence through sharing the Word of God and community services, with the aim of introducing them to the greatest friend of all, our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Thung Yao Preaching Point

SFMC, together with Rev Cassandra Lee, a missionary from MMS, started the Paddy Plant Children’s Club in June 2012 at the invitation of the Thung Yao village chief. The Club uses Thung Yao village’s multi-purpose hall to hold its activities. In January 2016, Thung Yao Preaching Point (TYPP) started to reach out to and make disciples of the Paddy Plant children, their parents and guardians. TYPP is led by Pastor-in-Charge, Rev Niwet Jawwin Naikham, and supported by Rev Cassandra Lee. In March 2020, TYPP purchased a piece of land with an area of 1,600 square metres near the present Children’s Ministry area, with the intention to build a church building.

In Thai culture, a visible place of worship is essential, as it symbolises God’s presence in an area where the majority are Buddhists. The acquired land has about seven villages within a 2 km radius with 5,000 residents. These villages are located near Wat Mae Kaed Noi School, which has about 1,000 students, and Mae Cho University in Chiang Mai, providing further opportunities for outreach and evangelism.

3. MMS General Fund

To maintain the stability and continuity of the MMS fields’ church planting and community development efforts, the mission fields rely on annual financial top-ups from the MMS General Fund to cover operational deficits. These top-ups are crucial in ensuring that outreach work can continue without disruption.

For more information on how you can partner MMS, contact Grace Chung at grace.chung@methodist.org.sg or call MMS at 6478 4818.

Grace Chung is MMS’ Stakeholder Engagement and Home Director. She is the Chairperson of the MMS Banquet 2024 Committee. / Photos courtesy of MMS

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