Jacob “had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” … ”So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel.”
– Genesis 28:12, 18-19
On 31 January 2026, 45 members of our BGST community met at Upper Thomson MRT Station on a warm Saturday afternoon. We were visiting Mar Thoma Syrian Church to appreciate their history and to be more aware of the traditions of Syriac Christianity. For many of us, this was our first exposure to Syriac Christianity.
We had the privilege of being warmly hosted by the Honourable Reverend Raj Elias Verghese, along with the Church’s Vice-President, Mr Samuel Chacko, and their Honorary Secretary, Mr Lybu Sam Kuruvilla.
Reverend Raj Elias and Mr Lybu began by leading us through a worship song, inviting us to worship in their Sanctuary. They shared how the Sanctuary’s altar is designed with steps to symbolise Jacob’s dream of the ladder between Heaven and Earth (Genesis 28:12). They also shared that Mar Thoma refers to Saint Thomas in the Syriac language. Church tradition informs us that the Apostle Thomas brought the gospel to India around AD 52.
Subsequently, Reverend Raj Elias shared the importance of how the Early Church grew with three branches, namely: the Syriac Christians (Aramaic-speaking), Latin-speaking Christians and Greek-speaking Christians. While Latin- and Greek-speaking Christians advanced Christianity westwards, Syriac Christians advanced it eastwards.
Mr Sam Chacko and Dr Lai Pak Wah shared that Syriac Christians went on to evangelise as far as Xi An in China, and therefore Syriac Christians in India and Singaporean Christians have much in common than we think. For the curious, you are welcome to visit BGST’s new campus at CT Hub, where you can view a tapestry replica of the Xi An Stele (or Nestorian Stele) that testifies to this connection that the Chinese Christian community shares with Syriac Christians.
Xi An (Nestorian) Stele Tapestry Replica
Reverence Raj Elias helped to address a host of questions put up by our BGST community. We learnt how the Mar Thoma Syrian Church’s logo reminds their church community about their roots stemming from Malabar, India, where they speak Malayalam as their native tongue, and how this Singapore community branched out from Malabar, influenced by trade route and economy, establishing a Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Singapore in 1936. They celebrate their 90th Anniversary this year.
We thank Mar Thoma Syrian Church for this opportunity to interact and engage with their leaders and have a better appreciation of their rich history and profound heritage of the Syriac tradition.
Look out for more of such events on BGST’s telegram channel: BGST TELEGRAM
Written by: Royston Ong
