THE Boys’ Brigade (BB) in Singapore has a new President — Mr Choo Gim Kang.
Mr Choo, 46, is no newcomer to the BB and The Methodist Church in Singapore. Having joined the 6th Singapore Company since 1969 when he was in Secondary 1, he went on to be appointed as Captain of the Company in 1986 for almost 11 years and also served as the Brigade Treasurer at the same time.
He was elected BB’s Vice-President (Operations) in 2001. Currently he is also the Honorary Captain of the 6th Singapore Company.
Mr Choo is an active member of Paya Lebar Methodist Church, taking on various roles since 1982. He was the Treasurer of the church for at least 10 years and is currently the Chairman of the Local Church Executive Committee. He also serves in the audio-visual team of the church alongside with his son, Leon, who is an Officer in the 6th Singapore Company.
Mr Choo believes that every BB Boy must walk through the BB journey in the different phases of their lives “to be truly blue”.
He said: “To be truly blue, you need to serve, first as a Boy, then in your youth as a young officer and then as an adult volunteer.
“Boys should take the opportunity when young to remember God and enjoy their days in the BB.” They should not “short change themselves, but participate fully”.
He said that all youth organisations have their own objectives. “Boys who join the BB feel this push that calls them to serve.”
“The BB,” he added, “is a special and unique platform. Adult volunteers take their duties very seriously as they feel the mission call of God to serve in the ministry.”
For the last two years, he has led teams of BB youths to Cambodia for the Singapore International Foundation’s Youth Expedition Project.
One of the projects was the construction of the COSI Children’s Village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh by a team of 24 youths. COSI is an orphanage managed by the Methodist Missions Society of The Methodist Church in Singapore.
Mr Choo is married with two children, Joy and Leon. His wife, Lai Eng, is a finance and administration manager.
As the Brigade President, he seeks to achieve the goals of the BB21 Development Plan, that is, to help the BB grow to 150 Companies with 10,000 members by the end of 2005, bringing the “Good News” to every Boy.
He said: “The Boys’ Brigade is constantly moulding itself to meet the needs of the youth of today and tomorrow. This makes the BB always relevant and it is also the reason for the BB21 programme.”