The only church in Singapore with a Hakka service celebrates 75 years of God’s faithfulness
Hakka Methodist Church (HMC), as its name suggests, was one of the churches established to reach out to the Hakka community after initial stages of outreach among the Chinese immigrants in Singapore started in 1885.
Today, HMC is the only church in Singapore with a worship service carried out completely in the Hakka heart language.
Where it all began
Though the church was only officially established in 1949, its roots can be traced as far back as 1911 when a group of Hakka believers met regularly near a Hakka cemetery in Shuang Long Shan (Commonwealth Ave today)—not exactly a meeting place one would expect for a church.
Today, some 2,700 tombstones stand, white and upright in uniform rows, on a plot of land about the size of two and a half football fields, in that same location as the last Hakka graveyard in Singapore.
From that relatively small group of Hakka believers, it grew into a church of few hundred members worshipping in a building located on Mount Sophia. Not long after the Second World War, a group of leaders would decide to move out, leading them to find a new place of worship in a colonial bungalow built at HMC’s current location in the Newton Road vicinity.
Much has changed after 75 years.
HMC members are no longer worshipping in the living room of a colonial bungalow. Instead, the three main worship services are now held in the sanctuary of a larger, architecturally unique building known for its thousand-pound aluminium cross, put in place on a tower with the help of two Royal Air Force helicopters back in 1966.
But the DNA of the church has remained the same: HMC is still a church that holds the values of family and Christian community dear, as it did when it first began.
As part of HMC’s 75th Anniversary celebrations this year, the leaders organised a 33.6km walk to commemorate significant milestones of the church. The route of the walk included historically significant checkpoints and CAC churches that were key to the church’s ministries.
It was a great time where members of different generations were given an opportunity to appreciate the church’s history and pray together as they gathered at each of the checkpoints.
Another aspect of the church that has remained through the years is remaining true to the original call to bring the gospel to the community, in particular, to the Hakka-speaking community. There is a deep sense of duty, especially among the leaders of the Hakka congregation, to press on and keep the ministry going strong.
Reaching out to the Hakka community
The need for ministry and outreach to the Hakka people is more pressing and urgent now than ever before. With the ageing congregation of Hakka-speaking members, and uncertainty on whether the younger generation of Hakkas will take over the reins, there is a very real concern about the longevity of this unique ministry in Singapore.
Despite this, God continues to encourage the leaders and members of the Hakka congregation by sustaining them in ways previously unimaginable to them.
The entirety of the weekly Saturday evening Hakka service for example, is now completely accessible to the public via livestream on YouTube, helping the ministry reach out more conveniently to many of the Hakka-speaking, who were either previously unaware of its existence or are unable to attend the services due to age and other reasons.
The Hakka ministry has also been increasingly involved in efforts to reach out to the Hakka people globally, particularly through Brother Chin Yan Hiong, who has been the HMC’s full-time Hakka ministry staff for more than a decade. However, Brother Chin will soon be stepping away from this role to serve in the mission field to the Hakka people outside of Singapore.
In August, the pastors and leaders of the Global Hakka Mission Fellowship came together in Singapore and as part of their visit, preached at the Hakka, Mandarin and English services, sharing passionately about the Hakka mission work around the world to members of the church both young and old, Hakka and non-Hakka alike.
The 75th Anniversary service saw CAC President Rev Dr Gregory Goh preach from 2 Chronicles 7:14 in a sermon titled “Yearning for Revival”. It was a timely message that challenged the church to continue to seek God through prayer, humility and repentance, and trust in God’s promise to bring healing and restoration.
With God’s faithfulness these 75 years, HMC is excited about the unimaginable things God will continue to do in the years to come.
