MRS LAUREEN ONG has been re-elected President of the General Conference Women’s Society of Christian Service (GC-WSCS) for a second term of office.
She said: “The GC-WSCS will face more challenges in the coming four years, but I’m sure as we take on those challenges, we will end up being closer to God.”
She was returned to office at the soci-ety’s 8th Session at The Renaissance Hotel, Malacca, on Nov 27. The keynote speaker was Bishop Dr Robert Solomon.
About 90 delegates, observers and guests, including the Rev Khoo Cheng Hoot, President of the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC), and Mrs Malar Solomon, wife of Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, attended the conference.
Women from the CAC, Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference and Trinity An-nual Conference and friends enjoyed a weekend of bonding and fellowship at the conference.
In her President’s Report, Mrs Ong said women play a profound role in fam-ily and church life from the home to the pulpit, and they serve God wherever they are with much joy according to their gifts.
Challenging Methodist women to serve, she said the WSCS would always work with church leadership and Methodist agencies to encourage, train and equip women to take on responsibilities in the church.
Highlighting the importance of pasto-ral care and counselling, she said that as a collaborative initiative the Methodist Wel-fare Services (MWS) had worked with the GC-WSCS on providing a culturally sensitive form of pastoral care that is “rooted in Christ” to those who are receiving profes-sional services from MWS Family Service Centres and other care facilities, regardless of creed and religion.
“The GC-WSCS has, in fact, embarked on developing a systematic training and development programme in pastoral care,” she said, adding that this project was first mooted in June 2001 when Bishop Dr Solomon met the various Methodist agencies and GC-WSCS and expressed his desire to see the creation of a Pastoral Care and Counselling Service for Methodist churches, schools and agencies.
A concept paper, “A Proposal for De-veloping a Pastoral Care and Counselling Service in The Methodist Church in
Singapore”, was prepared for use as a reference in the meetings that followed.
The other members of the GC-WSCS Executive Committee elected for the 2004-2008 quadrennium are:
Vice-President Mrs Irene Jeevaratnam, Secretaries Mrs Manimagalai Mani and Mrs Irene Ang, Treasurers Mrs Florence Yee and Ms Vasanda Pavada.
Witness & Evangelism Coordinators Mrs Sally Seow and Mrs Daisy Mahindapala, Discipleship & Nurture Co-ordinators Mrs Margaret Wu and Mrs Vivienne Goh, Outreach & Social Con-cerns Coordinators Mrs Katherine Kang and Mrs Julie Hong Siew Eng, Missions Coordinators Mrs Ivy Hue and Mrs Lydia Han, Nominations Chairman Ms Wong Pey Wah, Finance Chairman Mrs Patricia Khoo, Property Management Chairman Mrs Lydia Sng.
CAC-WSCS Conference President Ms Dorothy Lim, ETAC-WSCS Conference President Mrs Kanagi Kanakarajan, TRAC-WSCS Conference President Dr (Mrs) Teo Li Bee. Advisers are Mrs Dolly Chia, Mrs Amy Lee, Ms Lim Seok Khian and Mrs Gnanamani Philip.
VOLUNTEER YOUR SERVICE
Those who are interested in volunteering their service to the Methodist Women’ Ministries can contact the GC-WSCS Office, at tel: 6478-4760 or 6478-4761, fax: 6478-4764, or email gcwscs@methodist.org.sg
OBITUARY: MRS LORINNE REINOEHL (Feb 25, 1903 – Dec 31, 2004)
S’pore Methodists mourn missionary’s death
METHODISTS in Singapore and Malaysia mourn the passing of Mrs Lorinne Reinoehl (picture in centre) on the last day of December 2004. She was a widow in poor health and is survived by her two daughters, Ann and Carolyn.
She would have celebrated her 102nd birthday on the 25th of this month.
A Service of Celebration for her life took place on Jan 8 at Pilgrim Place, her retirement home in Clarement, California.
As mentioned in a Methodist Message article of her centenary (March 2003), she and her husband, Waldo, served in this area for more than 40 years. It is interesting to note that she was the daughter of the Rev and Mrs J. L. McLaughlin, who served as Methodist missionaries in the Philippines from 1901 for many years.
She taught at the ACS Middle School at Coleman Street from 1927 and thereafter was appointed head from 1931 to 1934. She married the Rev Reinoehl, and together served in various capacities, among them at Wesley Methodist Church, Singapore.
She was appointed Editor of the Malaysia Message, forerunner of Methodist Message, from October to December 1947 and Managing Editor from January 1948 to December 1949.