On 11 January 1925, Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (TACMC) moved to its newly built premises at 235 Telok Ayer Street. The distinctive red and white building saw generations of believers pass through its doors, many of whom were moved by revival meetings held by well-known evangelist Dr John Sung when he preached there in 1935. One hundred years later, on 3 May 2025, church members and guests gathered at TACMC for the re-opening and re-dedication of the newly restored church building.
God’s faithfulness in overcoming renovation obstacles
Surrounded by glass and steel skyscrapers in the financial district, this building in the Chinese Renaissance style was designed by architectural firm Swan & Maclaren and reflects Singapore’s multicultural heritage with the blending of traditional Chinese architectural features and the European Romanic style. Restoration work had to follow precise guidelines, such as the use of original materials, as the building is a gazetted national monument. This added to the complexity and cost of the project. However, God’s faithfulness was evident throughout, as witnessed by the church members involved in the project.
Mr Tan Hua Joo, TACMC Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) Chairman, said, “One of the most profound lessons we learnt was to surrender matters to God. We faced many obstacles, yet through prayer and perseverance, solutions emerged. Every victory reflected God’s attention to detail. We see a story of God’s faithfulness in this newly restored church. Delays to the project schedule were not setbacks but by divine appointment and challenges were opportunities to witness his provision.”
Bishop Philip Lim delivered a sermon based on Nehemiah 2:12-20 in which he drew parallels between Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of TACMC. Nehemiah was burdened because the city of Jerusalem was in shambles. Amid opposition and obstacles, Nehemiah succeeded in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem because the “gracious hand of … God was upon (him)”, and because many people across a range of vocations contributed to the work.
Likewise, TACMC faced many challenges in the restoration of the building, the most significant being the Covid-19 pandemic which set the schedule back and led to burgeoning costs. Faced with these difficulties, members of the congregation faithfully gave to the building fund and contributed their gifts and talents towards the rebuilding of the church. Support also came in the form of grants from the National Heritage Board, alleviating some of the expenses. Throughout, God was at work and enabled the successful completion of the project.
While the Bible passage from Nehemiah described the rebuilding of a physical wall, it alluded to the rebuilding of spiritual lives as well. Bishop Lim exhorted the church to arise and re-dedicate their lives to Jesus as a multi-generational and intergenerational church.
A message to future TACMC members
One hidden blessing from the delay of the restoration project was the unexpected discovery of a forgotten time capsule that was found embedded in the church wall. Its contents gave a glimpse of what life was like for the church 100 years ago. A new time capsule was installed by Bishop Lim, Pastor-in-Charge Rev Edmund Koh, Bishop Emeritus Wong Kiam Thau, Prof Tan Chew Lim and Mr Tan Hua Joo. It contained artefacts similar to those found in the first time capsule.
These included a bilingual Bible, the Book of Discipline of The Methodist Church in Singapore, the Holy Communion liturgy, a copy of the March 2024 issue of Methodist Message featuring an article on the first time capsule, Local Conference meeting minutes, a hymnal containing hymns of comfort, the Amoy Hymnal (this year being its 70th anniversary), LCEC meeting minutes, Chinese and English newspapers that featured the discovery of the first time capsule in 2024, TACMC’s financial statement, a letter from Rev Koh to the church 100 years from now which included names of 19 babies from the church born between 1 January 2024 to 3 May 2025, a letter from Prof Tan to the church in the future, souvenirs from TACMC’s 135th anniversary and the day’s Lianhe Zaobao newspapers which included an article on the re-dedication ceremony.
Mr Goh Yat Teck, TACMC LCEC Vice-Chairman observed, “Each item in the time capsule allows us to capture the essence of the church at the present moment—our faith, our mission and our identity. These serve as a bridge from where we are into the unknown future, for future generations to discover, just as we discovered the first time capsule.”
The artefacts that were in the original time capsule were on display at TACMC for guests at the dedication ceremony. These will be placed in a heritage gallery housed within the building at the end of August, allowing church members and members of the public alike to view the journey taken by the church over the years.
At the day’s event, a hybrid orchid dendrobium Dr Benjamin Franklin West named after Dr Benjamin West—the American missionary who founded TACMC—was unveiled. A plaque commemorating the 100th anniversary and restoration of the TACMC building was unveiled by Bishop Lim, bearing a verse from Hebrews 3:4, “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.”
A place for community outreach
TACMC at this location serves as much as a place of worship for its congregants as a place of outreach for the community. The four-storey structure gave refuge to some 300 people during World War II and today remains a sanctuary in the bustle of the city where its distinctive presence projects an aura of peace amid glass and steel skyscrapers. Come August 2025, students and office workers can bring their packed lunches to Oasis@TA, a community space within the building, where they can take part in programmes such as talks, tours of the heritage gallery, or just find a moment of quiet.
Rev Koh summed up the day with this observation, “What a privilege it is to be the generation that gets to restore the church building on the year it turns 100 years old! As we celebrate the faithfulness of generations, we are reminded that the church that meets inside the building is way more ancient—more than 2,000 years old. May God find us faithful in stewarding this building to be a blessing and may the life of the church overflow from it to the ends of the earth.”
Janice Khoo serves in the Choir and Media & Comms Ministry at Kampong Kapor Methodist Church. / Photos courtesy of Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church