I felt excited when Rev Kenny Fam invited me to preach at the morning services of Bethesda Pasir Ris Mission Church. I have preached mostly in Anglican and Pentecostal churches and the occasional Presbyterian and Methodist church. This would be my first time invited to preach in a Brethren church.

My first memory of this church goes back to the 1990s. My home church was searching for a permanent home. We heard that Bethesda Bedok Mission Home was planning to sell its property in Sennett Road as it had outgrown it. We went to have a look at its building, location, and surroundings.

However, it was sold off as a residential property, and this option vanished like vapour. Later, we heard they moved to their present location in Pasir Ris, and a missionary training centre shared its premises. This tells me a lot: this church has missions in its DNA. Even today, they are actively involved in missions to five Asian countries.

During my visit on Sunday, I learned that they were mission-minded from the beginning. And they still have missions in their blood. In addition, when Rev Kenny Fam became their senior pastor, their missions have expanded to include local outreach to the surrounding community and Changi prison. Kenny Fam was on vacation, so I couldn’t take a photo of us, but below is a recent photo of us.

Their 9 am service was a traditional Brethren service, with older and 1970s hymns sung, several Scriptures read, sharing time open to the congregation, and scripted prayers. The congregation of nearly 100 attendees tended towards the 60s and older, with a smattering of middle-aged and younger folks. The tone was more solemn and sedate. I gave a more detailed and sober talk relying more on my script. I did not sense a prompting to give an altar call. Maybe I was too anxious. Nevertheless, I put my trust in the Lord, who answers prayer, for I have prayed more than usual for this church to be blessed by the message.

The 11 am service was better attended. My estimate is about 200 members. A younger crowd with young adults, young families, the middle-aged and a smattering of older folks. An all-ladies four-piece worship team effectively led the congregation with modern worship songs to praise God. It felt more vibrant, warm and passionate. I felt at home. As in the earlier service, Elder Chin Ting presided over the Holy Communion, and Pastor Tiffany was the service pastor. I felt a greater liberty to preach more freely. Preaching the same sermon again gave me greater confidence, and I relied less on the script. I also sensed the prompting to give an altar call while we were singing praises, and I did so at the end. We prayed for the several members who came forward.

Later, I discovered that their 30-year lease of this HDB religious plot ended recently, and they had to renew the lease for about $4 million plus. This was good news of great joy because a new formula was used to calculate this. Under the old formula, they estimate it would be double the amount they finally paid. Praise the Lord.

There are several vibrant churches in Pasir Ris. There are Pentecost Methodist Church, Riverlife Church, Shalom BP Church and a few others. I would say that Bethesda Pasir Ris Mission Church (BPMC) strength is their enduring, sustained passion for missions, and the added local dimension of recent years. This, I am sure, augurs well for the church’s future.