BISHOP’S TEA FELLOWSHIP WITH LOCAL CHURCH LEADERS
LAY LEADERS from all three Annual Conferences have expressed keenness in having more dialogues with Bishop Dr Robert Solomon. They find such sessions “enlightening” and “very useful”, and many have even asked for more time for discussions.
They made known their views to Methodist Message and the Bishop at the end of a tea fellowship-cum-discussion he hosted for them at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) on Sept 14, 2002. It was the second such fellowship; the first was held at Bethany Methodist Nursing Home on Aug 9 last year.
In his words of welcome, Bishop Dr Solomon told the 75 church leaders: “There will be a time to get to know one another, to have a general discussion and to experience our Methodist connections.”
After his short address, he introduced Dr Roland Chia, a lecturer in systematic theology at Trinity Theological College, who made a presentation entitled “On Being a Neighbour: The Christian and Inter-faith Relations”. The presentation was based on a paper produced by the National Council of Churches of Singapore on inter-racial and religious harmony.
Mr Yeo Pee Hock, Chairman of the Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) of Living Hope Methodist Church, said of the Sept 14 fellowship: “This is a great opportunity for all of us to interact with the Bishop and to exchange views on subjects that are of interest and importance to our Methodist Church.
“It is important that we are kept informed of developments within our Methodist Church as well as developments outside the Methodist Church.
WHAT THEY SAY
*Sessions enlightening and very useful
* We want more time for discussion
“Also, we can exchange notes with one another as we come from the various local churches from across our three Annual Conferences. As leaders, it is important for us to share our concerns and problems. From such discussions, ideas can grow, and we could perhaps find solutions to some problems.
“Undoubtedly, these dialogues with the Bishop are very useful. I wonder whether the Bishop can meet us two or three times a year. I also hope that future sessions will allot more time for group discussions.”
Mr Benjamin Tan, LCEC Vice-Chairman of Barker Road Methodist Church, said he was “very pleased” he could attend the session because “I find the session extremely beneficial”.
“The discussions we had and the address on the inter-faith relations have helped us to understand the issue better. Discussions of this nature also help us get to know our Methodist Church’s stand on certain issues.”
He added: “I think we have learned a lot from this Bishop’s fellowship. I hope we can have more of such sessions.”
An Associate Lay Leader of Wesley Methodist Church, Mr Wong Tien Poh, found the session “very interesting and very useful”.
Mr Wong, who had also attended last year’s session at Bethany Home, said: “I made it a point to come again this time because I found last year’s session very enlightening.”
The LCEC Chairman of Geylang Chinese Methodist Church, Mr Goh Say Pin, was particularly pleased that the Bishop was at hand to give direction to an important issue such as inter-faith relations to church leaders from all the three Annual Conferences.
“The session not only gave us the opportunity to have a direct link with our Bishop, but it also allowed him to receive our feedback, which he appreciated,” he added.
Mrs Veronica Poore, LCEC Chairman of Short Street Tamil Methodist Church, said the tea fellowship was stimulating, but she found the 30 minutes alloted for group discussion “too short”.
“There’s just not enough time,” she said. “There are so many interesting points to discuss.” Some of the lay leaders were taken on a conducted tour of ACS (I) after the session ended.