THE Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) is appealing to all local Methodist churches to observe MWS Sunday with Christian Outreach and Social Concerns Sunday on April 25 this year.
A spokesman said: “As the churches in all three Conferences traditionally designate the last Sunday in April as Christian Outreach and Social Concerns Sunday, we would like to ask them to recognise MWS Sunday on the same day too.”
The recognition of MWS Sunday on April 25, 2004 was recently endorsed by the General Conference. However, depending on programmes planned, local churches have the flexibility to designate any other Sunday during the year to recognise MWS Sunday.
This move is in line with creating greater awareness among our Methodists that the MWS represents the social concerns ministry of The Methodist Church in Singapore, and is its social outreach arm.
In working closely with existing social concerns programmes of our Methodist churches, the MWS hopes to provide further opportunities to translate personal piety into social holiness, as this is the way of true Christian discipleship. It is the MWS’ prayer that more church members will be challenged to be involved in social concerns, through their local churches and as full-time staff or volunteers with the MWS.
For this coming MWS Sunday, the MWS would like to recognise its full-time staff and volunteers as “Uncommon People”. In many ways, they have been called by God to serve in the “mission fields” right here in Singapore among the poor, needy, disadvantaged, elderly, frail and sick.
Very often, MWS staff and volunteers work tirelessly and quietly, with limited manpower and financial constraints. They are at the frontline of a very lonely and demanding ministry, working only to be a channel of God’s blessing to those in need.
Said the spokesman: “We urge you to pray for and to support the ‘Uncommon People’ of the MWS, and we would like to encourage churches to recognise and pray for those members who are involved with the MWS either as staff or volunteers on MWS Sunday.”
The Rev Goh Aik Hiang is the Chaplain of the Methodist Welfare Services and Pastor-in-Charge of Singapore Hakka Methodist Church.
