Methodist Heritage Day Walk and Exhibition
TELOK AYER CHINESE METHODIST CHURCH (TACMC) will now be one of the three end-points of the Methodist Heritage Day Walk on Oct 31, 2010. is follows a request by the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC) to use the church as an end-point instead of Kum Yan Methodist Church, as originally planned.
The other two end-points are at Tamil Methodist Church in Short Street and Wesley Methodist Church in Fort Canning Road.
In conjunction with the Walk, there will be a Methodist Heritage Day Exhibition at the Arts Studio at the Old School displaying the rich heritage and work of The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) through photographs and other archival materials. The Old School is the site of the former Methodist Girls’ School on Mt Sophia.
The Exhibition is being put together by the Archives and History Library of the MCS with materials from the Archives, churches, agencies and schools.
The Walk, to be flagged off by the Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, is organised to round off a year-long series of events to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of e Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) this year. The theme for the celebration is “Together in God’s Mission”.
Some 3,000 members from the various Methodist churches and students from the Methodist schools will take part in the Walk.
For ease of logistics and traffic control, Kum Yan Methodist Church was originally chosen as an end-point to represent the Chinese Annual Conference churches.
However, the CAC felt that TACMC would be a more suitable choice because of its historical significance.
TACMC is the first Chinese Methodist church in Singapore, just as Tamil Methodist Church is the first Tamil church and Wesley Methodist Church the first English-speaking church. Wesley Methodist Church is also the first Methodist church established in Singapore.
TACMC, with its unique architecture, is a national monument. It has been renovated recently.
It will set up an archives room to host an exhibition of historic photographs and artefacts for participants of the Hertiage Day Walk to know more of its heritage when they end their walk there on Oct 31.
The other two end-points will also showcase their contributions to the history and mission of the MCS. They will open up opportunities for the Methodists to have fellowship over light refreshments provided by the General Conference Women’s Society of Christian Service.
The distance from the starting point at the Old School to TACMC is much further than that to Tamil Methodist Church and Wesley Methodist Church, but the Oganising Committee is hopeful that the youth and younger adults will take up the challenge of covering the full distance. However, there are plans for designated bus pick-up points along the route for those who prefer not to walk all the way.
The Organising Committee is appealing to church members for cash donations and sponsors to help defray the costs of purchasing T-shirts, goody bags, towels, party packs (balloons, horns or clappers), snacks and drinks. Sponsorship forms are available from Mr David Khew at tel: 9678-8663 or email heritage.day@methodist.org.sg
Wesley MC’s 125th Anniversary celebrations
WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH is holding a “Let’s Celebrate! Family-Friendly Day” at the Singapore Sports School on Sept 10 as part of its celebration of the 125th Anniversary of e Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS).
As the first Methodist church set up in Singapore, Wesley MC is also celebrating its 125th Anniversary.
Jointly organised by the Main 125 Organising Committee, Witness and Evangelism Committee, Sports Ministry, Discipleship and Nurture Committee, Creative Arts Ministry (CAST), Family Life Ministry, Small Group Ministry, Children’s Ministry and the Methodist Adults Fellowship, the five-hour long Family-Friendly Day event will provide activities for all ages.
There will be clinics for sports such as soccer, bowling, basketball, table tennis and badminton, health and fitness talks and seminars on topics like body/pain management, general fitness, grooming for teenagers, and geriatrics, etc., and a telematch for children.
All participants will be treated to a buffet dinner and performances to bring the event to a close. Church members will be sharing their testimonies and a special 125th Anniversary DVD will be screened.
Wesley MC is also planning to publish a “Celebrate 125. Heart, Body and Soul Cookbook”. It aims to collate a total of 125 recipes. All proceeds from the sale of the cookbook will go towards the funds for the Community Outreach Project organised by the MCS to help the chronically poor.