The new Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS), Rev Philip Lim, was consecrated on 6 December 2024 at Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church (QCMC) / Faith Methodist Church. Bishop Philip Lim, who attended QCMC as a child, will serve for the 13th quadrennium from 2025 to 2028.
In his new role, he will be the spiritual leader for more than 46,000 Methodists in 46 churches across Singapore and serve as the head of regional churches established by MCS, namely, The Methodist Churches in Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal. He will also provide counsel to 15 Methodist schools, and support MCS’ social concerns arm, Methodist Welfare Services (MWS), which runs 22 care centres and programmes. In addition, he will represent MCS to the wider Christian community within and outside Singapore, as well as in inter-faith relations and interactions with the government and community partners.
MCS’ three Annual Conferences are organised and governed based on the various churches English-, Chinese- and Tamil-speaking heritage. The newly-elected Presidents are Rev Lek Yong Tek (Chinese Annual Conference), Rev Saravana Kumar (Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference) and Rev Reuben Ng (Trinity Annual Conference). Together, they will support the Bishop in mutual consultation and collaboration on all matters related to MCS.
Bishop Philip Lim succeeds Bishop Dr Gordon Wong, who is retiring after a four-year term. The title of Bishop Emeritus was conferred on Bishop Dr Wong by the General Conference of MCS during the 13th Session in September 2024. Bishop Dr Wong has spent nearly 40 years in service, and has been a pastor, lecturer and President prior to becoming a Bishop.
About 500 people attended the Consecration Service. Guests included Bishop Lu Guan Hoe, who is President of the National Council of Churches Singapore (NCCS) and Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Singapore, representatives from the Archdiocesan Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism Centre of Singapore (AIRDECS) and government representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY). From the Methodist community overseas, Bishops from the Chinese Methodist Church in Australia, The Methodist Church in Malaysia and The Methodist Church in Taiwan, were also present.
A sermon on servant-leadership
Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon, who was Bishop of MCS from 2000 to 2012, preached from Colossians 1:24-29 on being “A Servant of the Body of Christ”. He said that the call to leadership and ministry comes with honour and suffering and highlighted three things about Paul’s life and ministry:
- Paul’s commission was by the Lord himself, called by God for the ministry of oversight and stewardship. When leaders are elected into office by the church or Annual Conferences, it is a call from God. The position is one of servant-leadership, which means humility and the anti-thesis of self-serving ambition.
- Paul’s core ministry was to present the Word of God in its fullness and to lift Jesus’ name above all. While we are proud of Methodist connexionalism, our structures and programmes, Bishop Solomon said we must remember that it is Christ that holds all things together and is at the centre of our connexional Church.
- Labour and struggle is part of ministry and can be “agonising” at times. Therefore it was important to remember the Lord’s invitation from Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He said, “As a leader, I can be lonely but as a follower of Christ, God is always with me.”
He reminded the congregation that it was to keep the Bishop covered in prayer.
Bishop Philip Lim shares plans for 2025
After the consecration and laying on of hands, Bishop Lim addressed the congregation.
He thanked Bishop Dr Gordon Wong for his service and humourously revealed that he had met up with the three Bishop Emerituses for a “crash course” on being a Bishop.
“I am well aware of the big responsibility entrusted to me, so please remember me in your prayers,” Bishop Lim said.
“Next year, in 2025, MCS celebrates its 140th Anniversary which coincides with Singapore’s 60th Anniversary of independence. MCS will continue to do our part to serve and build our nation. Through MWS, we will galvanise the Methodist community and aim to mobilise 1.4 million volunteer hours (about 35 volunteer hours a person) and raise $1.4 million for people who are in need in Singapore. MWS will also open a third Nursing Home in 2025 and set up a Special Education School together with Anglo-Chinese School, as well as operate a new Family Service Centre in 2026.”
“I call upon the Methodist community to arise and to love our neighbour as ourselves, for the Lord says, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35),” Bishop Lim said.
By MCS Communications