I came to Singapore after I completed my business degree in New Zealand in 1989. I was going through a dark period in my life and feeling very depressed, and I asked my former university mate, Denny Lee, who was then a member of Wesley MC, if I could come to church with him. After two months of attending Prayer & Praise service, on 1 Nov 1992, I asked God to show Himself to me, if He really existed—and He did, in a very powerful way.
In 1998, I accepted the invitation to join Wesley MC as full-time staff. In 2003, I graduated with a Master of Divinity from Trinity Theological College. Ministries I’ve been in charge of were Discipleship & Nurture, Filipino Ministry, Volunteer Care and Family Life Ministry; I’m currently overseeing the Membership and Youth Ministry.
What I appreciate the most about being in a Methodist church is that I’m first and foremost a Bible-believing follower of Christ, regardless of where I worship or serve. I love the Wesleyan hymns because of their richness in theology, and their focus on God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I also appreciate Wesleyan traditions and liturgy. But while grounded in the Wesleyan tradition, the Church also embraces contemporary styles of worship, for which I am grateful for at Wesley MC.
I’m constantly reminded that while being a Christian is a private matter I cannot be a private Christian—the concept of Social Holiness in Wesleyan tradition provides that balance. Methodism, to me, means being involved in reaching out to the community (through schools and welfare services). On our own, we can’t do very much, but together in the body of Christ, we can impact the world greatly.
Tina Khoo is Pastoral Team Member at Wesley Methodist Church.
She enjoys reading, sewing reusable masks, walking and long-distance running. She is thankful for the COVID-19 circuit breaker and WFH arrangements because it has forced her to keep up with technology and learn to do old things in new ways. / Photo courtesy of Tina Khoo