The three Annual Conference Presidents stepped down in November 2024. These are their farewell messages penned just before the 49th Sessions of their respective Annual Conferences. Rev Dr Gregory Goh, Rev Philip Abraham and Rev Stanley Chua will return to pastoral duties in the new quadrennium.
Let go of the past and approach each new day with courage to start afresh
Rev Dr Gregory Goh
President, Chinese Annual Conference (2017-2024)
In Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV), Paul tells us, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me… forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” These three verses anchored me in serving and leading CAC.
In these words, Paul gives us a powerful invitation—not only to let go of the past but to approach each new day with the courage to start afresh, focused entirely on the goal God has set before us. We must always be striving, knowing that there is a prize waiting for us. Do not let the past successes and failures slow us down or hinder us from moving forward.
I thank CAC for trusting me and giving me this immense responsibility and privilege for the past two quadrennia. It has been my duty and joy to serve God and the Conference as President. I have always sought to discharge the responsibilities of this solemn office entrusted to me for one purpose: to serve the Lord by advancing the Great Commission.
May we all strain towards what is ahead, press on towards the goal our Heavenly Father has prepared for us.
Our faithful God helped us overcome numerous challenges
Rev Philip Abraham
President, Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference (2021-2024)
I praise God for the God-given privilege of serving as ETAC President. I never imagined this path, but it has been a humbling and blessed opportunity to serve our great King and his people. My journey began with the assurance of God’s promise in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
Guided by this hope and promise, I was able to lead by God’s grace. My two priorities were the growth of ETAC and the recruitment of new pastors.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge and at the start of the quadrennium we were still navigating the effects of the pandemic. On 24 January 2021, our traditional ETAC Thanksgiving Sunday had to be celebrated with a video-recorded sermon. It was on this day that I introduced our ETAC quadrennium theme: “Towards Harvest 2024”. The target was to reach 1,000 members in total in 2024, and I know our congregations are working diligently to reach it. Our Lord is the Master of the harvest.
In addition to growth, recruiting new pastors was on my heart. I prayed earnestly for at least two new pastors, trusting God’s provision. Amazingly, we were blessed with four new recruits over these four years. In addition, we have two students currently studying in theological colleges. I give God all the praise for his faithfulness in helping us with our pastoral supply.
Our ETAC Executive Board and churches have been pillars of support, enabling us to progress our ministries and mission. I’ve had the joy of visiting each ETAC church, meeting with LCEC members and congregants, and participating in their Sunday services. These experiences brought joy and strengthened our shared bond in Christ.
Working alongside Bishop Dr Gordon Wong, CAC President Rev Dr Gregory Goh and TRAC President Rev Stanley Chua was another blessed opportunity. Their friendship, unity and wise counsel uplifted me greatly. Together as One MCS, we upheld one another in ministry. Attending the Asian Methodist Council in South Korea and Hong Kong, and the World Methodist Council in Sweden were experiences that broadened my vision and enriched my ministry.
I am profoundly grateful for these years of service, and all praise belongs to God alone for his unending guidance, grace and mercy. To God be all the glory!
A grateful farewell
Rev Stanley Chua
President, Trinity Annual Conference (2021-2024)
As I stand at the threshold of concluding my term as President, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude and humility. This journey has been an extraordinary tapestry of challenges, growth, triumphs and trust in God. When I began my term as President, I was deeply convicted on recovering our Wesleyan heritage, inspired by the words of John Wesley when he prophetically warned all Methodists just five years before he died:
“I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out…”
~ Thoughts Upon Methodism, Works of John Wesley, Vol.13
With this conviction, I proposed to TRAC the following quadrennium theme and direction: “Remember Who We Are: Recovering our Methodist Heritage of Doctrine, Spirit & Discipline”. The hope was simple: by relearning our past, our past could instruct us on what to do in the present. Working through our theme, we managed to recover from our Wesleyan heritage some practical proposals and ideas to apply to our challenges in this quadrennium regarding our shortage of pastors, losing our youths in our churches and an ageing congregation.
On a personal note, this term has been a period of immense growth for me. The opportunities to be stretched, to step out of my comfort zone and to tackle unprecedented challenges have been invaluable. Each obstacle was a lesson in resilience, humility and trust in God; I experienced firsthand God’s grace working through my weaknesses.
Importantly, I have come to realise that I am a work-in-progress and in need of God’s grace and mercy. As Dr Robert Mulholland Jr once wrote: “Our relationships with others are not only the testing grounds of our spiritual life but also the places where our growth toward wholeness in Christ happens.” As I return to be a pastor, my prayer is that his prevenient, justifying and sanctifying grace will continue to transform me to be more and more like his son, our Lord Jesus Christ and that I will always be faithful to the pastoral call that he has given me.
As I prepare to pass the baton to my successor, I do so with a heart full of hope and confidence believing that God has chosen him to lead TRAC for the next four years. I pray that TRAC will continue to be guided by faith, be inspired by challenges and united in our commitment to serve one another and to serve our Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly.
Lastly, I extend my deepest gratitude to all our pastors, delegates, our leadership team and to every member of our staff team. Thank you for making this journey one of the most memorable and fulfilling experiences of my life. I also wish to thank my wife, Khim, and our two sons, Samuel and Silas, for their unwavering support and love to me without which I would not be able to carry on in my duties and responsibilities as President. Most of all, I give thanks to God for his immeasurable grace and mercy upon me as without him, I am nothing.