“God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
– Genesis 1:31
On 7 September 2024, our BGST community of 20 gathered at Geylang Serai Heritage Centre, to learn about the heritage of Joo Chiat area. This Heritage tour brought us along the nostalgic paths of traditional shophouses, an opportune moment to meet the TikTok aunty, known affectionately as Auntie Paulin Khoo of the now famous KopiKhoo, who has a hole-in-the-wall coffee stand. She was an epitome of Christ-like attribute. She was warm and friendly and spoke and even took time to have pictures taken with our community outside of her operating hours.
Another significant moment was when we got to visit two churches. Both churches’ history and efforts left an indelible reminder of who God is and a reminder of the Commission He has given us.
The first being Katong Presbyterian Church. We saw how this church community taking hold of our Creator God of Genesis 1 and actively turning every possible product into a repurposed artefact. It was further displayed by their own church members who gladly volunteered to walk us around their church compound, showcasing their creation care artefacts. It was also a joy to see how this church embraces the importance of communion, with their recent integration of Katong Presbyterian Church with Hope Presbyterian Church. This integrative union demonstrates the power of the Holy Trinity at work, about bringing together God’s family under one roof, where ‘two become one’.
St Hilda’s Church, an Anglican Church, was the other church that impacted many of us as Reverend Martin Jungnickel personally shared about how Graham White’s fund-raising efforts and him creating a trust deed that laid the foundation towards establishing St Hilda’s Church’s present site as well as a school for boys and girls. Reverend Martin also shared stories related to the artwork of the “Tree of Life” Lord’s Table that was sculpted from recycled car fenders by the late Brother Joseph McNally.
We were amazed how both St Hilda’ Church and Katong Presbyterian Church carried God’s call for Creation Care in their own times and made artefacts worthy to remind us of who He is and what we are called to be on Earth. Truly, they illuminated Genesis Chapter 1 verse 31 on how God our Creator saw that everything He made was very good and in turn, we are called to care for His Creation. The other two stories were about the Armour of God stained-glass window panel, along with St Hilda’s Church being commissioned to be the witness to those living in the east of Singapore.
To complete this wonderful tour, Reverend Martin gave us an opportunity to ring the church bell, which is housed in the centre of this prestine church. It certainly required technique for one to pull the ringer as discovered by each of us who attempted to pull the church bell’s cord.
All these serendipitous moments were certainly special for us, and we wish to extend our appreciation to Chee Peng who coordinated these two special visits to Katong Presbyterian Church and St Hilda’s Church, among other places our community of 20 had visited.
Written by: Royston Ong
