Church of Singapore (COS) was established in 1963 as an independent charismatic local church. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Over the years, God has blessed us greatly. We presently have over 4,000 members worshipping in 15 different weekly Services. As a family church, our congregation is a diverse mix of young people and elderly folk from all walks of walks of life.
STRENGTHENING OUR FAMILY CHURCH
Acts 2:42-45
As we embark on 2023 with the theme, “Strengthening Our Family Church”, we draw reference from the practices of the early church in Acts 1-2 to help and guide us in fulfilling our mission as disciples of Christ.
1. LOVING GOD: HIS WORD AND HIS WAYS
Study His Word
A Spirit-filled church loves His Word. In Acts 2:42, we are told that the disciples were devoted to the teachings of the apostles and to fellowship. That is because God reveals Himself through His Word (i.e. the Bible). To love God, we need to know God. And one of the ways to know God is through the study of God’s Word.
The study of God’s Word ultimately results in worship, which brings us into a deeper level of intimacy with God – the heart of true worship. If we are not growing in our understanding and application of God’s Word, we are not growing in devotion (and love) to the Lord.
Partaking Holy Communion
The early church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. Partaking Holy Communion is not a mere weekly routine but a reminder of the greatest act of love this world could ever witness. It is the love of a Father; the love of a King; the love of Jesus, the Son of God, who willingly took our sins upon Him as He laid His life down so that we can be saved and reconciled to Him. It is this great love that we are called to emulate and live out our life and service to God and to one another.
Prayer
To love God is to spend time with God. Whenever and wherever we meet, be it in large or small group settings, prayer should take centre place in our meetings. Prayer should also be interwoven into the fabric of our lives as we continuously converse with God daily.
Praise
As we spend time in God’s Word, partaking in Holy Communion and in prayer, our relationship with and our love for God deepens. And as we focus our mind on God, we grow in joy and praise for Him. “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God” (Col 3:1).
When David was in dire straits and fleeing from King Saul who sought to kill him, he wrote and sang Psalm 57:7 – “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.” David was resolved to focus on the Lord.
Likewise, we must resolve to be people of praise and joy, irrespective of our circumstances. God desires our praise and worship in all things. He is listening, and very much present. So praise God at all times, for He is there!
2. UNITING GENERATIONS: LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER
A Spirit-filled church is a united church. It is not possible for us to be devoted to Christ (the head), and be cut off from the church or other fellow believers (the body). We have not been created to live in isolation or in the spirit of individualism. Just as a human body requires each part in order to function, likewise, the body of Christ also requires each one of us to play our part. We need to model the relational nature of Christianity in our fellowship with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, the same way that The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in constant fellowship. Fellowship is deliberate, intentional and authentic.
As a church with multi-generations worshipping together, the importance of raising the next generation to walk in the ways of the Lord cannot be emphasised more. We need to live out our calling, passing the Gospel truth from generation to generation, and nurture our young in their formative years.
This can only be done through interactions and fellowship with one another when we gather on-site for Worship Services, in Life Groups, Bible study sessions, and by serving or participating in church activities. If one is only participating in the weekly Worship Services and nothing more, you are missing out on the blessing of fellowship that God has intended for us.
The church is not a physical place or building. The church is us – a fellowship of believers doing life together. This is why we strive to create a safe and inclusive community here in Church of Singapore – one where everyone young or old is able to worship and serve alongside each other as valued and vital members.
3. TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES: LOVE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES
A Spirit-filled church is an outward-looking church. The church should be filled with a love for the world. When we look at the early church, we see an outward-focused community that performed many signs and wonders. As a result, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)
As Christians, we believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are to submit to this transformative process where God shapes, molds, and refines us into His likeness. We are called to renew our minds and not conform to the patterns of this world.
However, we are to continue living in this world. God has placed us here for a reason. We are to be the salt and light; the catalyst for change. Change begins within and through us. As we go on to impact others, we become a light to the world. Let us take heed from Apostle Paul in Gal 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
We have the ability to influence and provoke change in our immediate and extensive relationships in the community around us. What a hope we have in Him! God promised that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6). Our personal transformation is not only for our own benefit but to fulfil His good purpose (Phil 2:13).
God’s salvation is for all who call upon His name. We have also been entrusted with the Great Commission. Thus, it is our call to entreat the Lord to add to His church daily, those whom He has saved. If we are not seeing growth in the number of new believers, then we should seriously examine ourselves.
CONCLUSION
Brothers and sisters in Christ, no church is perfect and none will ever be on this side of heaven. But that should not stop us from continually devoting ourselves to the Lord through His word, fellowship and His work that He has called us to. God sees our devotion and is able to use everything we do to glorify Him. So let us continue to fight a good fight and finish this race in keeping with our faith in order that many will be brought to God’s saving grace and His name be made known.
To God be the glory.
Loving God, Uniting Generations, Transforming Communities
Loving God
God is the beginning and the end of all things – the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. He is first in rank, honour, power, authority and glory. We have been called to put God first in every aspect of our life. But this would only feel like a burden if it is done without love. How then, do we grow to love God? It can only be through spending time with Him.
In today’s context where so many things compete for our attention and the hours in a day do not seem enough, we need to make a conscious effort to set aside time to spend with God. This could be in the form of daily Bible reading, daily prayer and conversations with God, committing to a Life Group, and attending Worship Services faithfully.
Technological advances have made it incredibly convenient for us to attend Worship Services remotely – whether at home or overseas. While this has helped those who are medically or physically unable to attend Worship Services on-site and helped us connect with church members who are overseas, it is not to be taken advantage of. It is important to continue attending Worship Services on-site for the following reasons:
Uniting Generations
Being a family church, we have multiple generations spanning across a wide age range worshipping together. Each generation views and experiences God differently. What may appear to be an act of sacrificial love by one generation, may come across as rude and callous to another. The only way to bridge this gap is to communicate and make friends across generations.
Intergenerational community that is clearly described in Titus 2, is a part of God’s vision for the church. It paints a beautiful picture of loving friendship across generations. While spending time with people of different generations might bring to light differing preferences and beliefs, it can also lead us back to God’s Word as these conflicts expose blind spots in our generation.
In recent years, there has been a lack of intergenerational bonding, and there is a great desire to return to a multigenerational community in COS. We recognise the importance of inculcating and fostering this culture within the church. In order to create opportunities to bring different generations of the church closer together, there will be more combined Worship Services, prayer meetings, mission trips, and other church-related activities. As members of this family church, let us seek to create a common identity. Let us craft a new language that can be used across all generations that tells others “this is who we are”.
Transforming Communities
Presently, COS supports and is involved in the following community outreaches:
We thank God that despite our limited resources and circle of influence, God has used our community outreaches mightily to reach out and significantly transform our community. We are also thankful to be able to launch Tung Ling Counselling Centre in 2021 and convert Tung Ling Kindergarten into Tung Ling PreSchool Education last year.
During Jesus’ ministry, He taught the disciples how to view and treat those in poverty or who are in need. “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Pro 19:17
It is clear in the New Testament that this ministry is not an obligation for individuals, but also an obligation for the church. Today, with increasing poverty, violence and injustice in the world, the role of the Church to embrace, engage and be an agent for transformation becomes more important than ever. The Church is called to make the world a better place for all by upholding justice, peace and harmony. This is only possible with you. We urge you to set aside time and resources, however much or little you are able, to find out more and get involved in one of our community outreaches.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, living in a pandemic has slowed us down, destablise many things that we have been used to, and brought us into unprecedented times. It is also an opportunity for us to examine our priorities and re-focus our eyes on God and our relationships with the people around us. Heb 10:25 is clear on our obligation to fellowship with one another, so that we may meet each others’ needs, encourage, inspire and spur each other on in our faith (Heb 3:13; Col 3:16). We are called to “hold fast” to our faith and grow in spiritual maturity. The Great Commission in Mat 28:18-20 did not merely call us to talk about Jesus, but to “make disciples”. Let us all do our part to strengthen our family church for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bro Foong Daw Ching
Elder Board Chairman
02.01.2022
By 2007, our congregation size has grown to over 3,000 members. And in 2013, we celebrated our 50th anniversary with a series of celebratory events – an Open House, a Combined Church Camp, High Praise and a Thanksgiving Celebration Dinner. As we continue to grow and expand, construction works started for the building of a new hall, Zion Hall, and it was completed in 2019.
2007 - PRESENT
1996 - 2006
By the late 1980s, the church membership has grown to approximately 1,000. Our leaders started engaging the owners of 145 Marine Parade Road to purchase the property. In 1987, the owner finally agreed to sell the freehold property to us. Praise the Lord!
In 1989, the old building was demolished and construction of the new building began. During this time, our services were held in Odeon Katong Theatre and 41 Koon Seng Road. The new building was finally completed in 1992.
To better serve our community, we joined hands with three other churches and para-church organisations to found St Luke’s Hospital in 1991. Tung Ling Student Care Centre was also set up in 1995.
1985 - 1995
As the church grew, there was a pressing need for more space. In 1977, the chief tenant offered us the chief tenancy of 145 Marine Parade Road on the condition that we continued to operate a school under the name “Tung Ling”. With that, “Tung Ling Bible School” was established in 1978.
We also branched out into Church of Singapore (Balestier) in 1979, Church of Singapore (Bukit Timah) in 1981, Church of Singapore (Woodlands) in 1987 and eventually, Church of Singapore (Harvest) in 1996.
Apart from branching out, we also sent our first missionaries for church planting work in 1977.
1974 - 1984
Our first meeting place was under a canvas roof at 8 Siglap Plain. As the number of believers increased, a new meeting place was urgently needed and we started meeting in an old bungalow at Mt Sophia that was due for demolition. At this time, the number of English-speaking members increased and the service language was changed to English and Mandarin.
In 1965, a church member learnt that the rooftop of a pre-war control building was available for rental. After successful negotiations, we moved into 145 Marine Parade Road.
1963 - 1973
Church of Singapore was founded by the late Bro Goh Ewe Kheng, the late Bro Cheng Kai Ho, and the late Bro Huang Jen Shen. In 1963, there was a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Singapore and Malaysia. Many Christians, including our 3 founding elders, were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Church of Singapore was founded in December 1963 to take care of these newly Spirit-filled Christians who were hungry for the Word of God and knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
DECEMBER 1963