Stories

Project Ezra
In time, there was Project Ezra, the name chosen for the lease-renewal and renovation project. We looked to God to provide for us by opening the coffers of the king as he did for the Jews in Ezra 6 for the building of the Second Temple. At that time, the projected lease renewal premium looked set to be a withering eight-figure sum.

But the authorities began to sound out to the churches with expiring leases that they would soon announce a formula for determining the premium other than by highest bids. Until then, such churches could choose to take up a three-year tenancy upon lease expiration for up to two terms. Since Hebron’s lease was not yet expiring, we waited.

Global Pandemic
Then unexpectedly, the global COVID-19 pandemic pushed up the prices of goods and services exponentially. Reluctantly, we had to increase the Project Ezra budget. The pandemic also changed church attendance and participation habits as some worshippers changed church, church-hopped or joined online worship services of their choice even after the pandemic was over.

Hebron’s weekly church attendance fell from 800 at the end of 2019 to 660 at the start of 2023. By the end of 2023, with about another more 10 weeks to go to the end of our 30-year lease, the new formula for lease renewal premium was finally announced. For Hebron, the premium would be $4.97 million, about $1.5 million more after 30 years.

God Will See Us Through
We quickly paid up before GST increased to 9% by 1 January 2024 and saved a tidy sum—was this Ezra 6 come alive for Hebron in the 21st century? Praise the Lord!

On 25 February 2024, Hebronites gathered for a thanksgiving service to celebrate God’s goodness to Hebron for its 30-year lease in Limbang and honoured the faith of her leaders in the 1990s for daring to make a bid for land with fewer than 200 members, many of whom were students, young working adults and young parents.

Our founding Elder-Emeritus Dr Ang Beng Chong exhorted Hebronites, saying, “Our gracious and faithful God who saw us through from 1993 onwards will see us through now.”

A Church without Walls

By 2024, as we prepared for the renovation, we began to imagine a church without walls, a building that is welcoming and open, instead of being gated and forbidding, for gospel ministry. On 29 June 2024, Hebronites gathered for another thanksgiving service as we braced ourselves for relocation and sat down for lunch together for the last time in the building before it closed for renovation after the final worship services on 30 June 2024.

From July, we would worship on Sunday afternoon on the premises of Bukit Panjang Gospel Chapel and Methodist Church of the Incarnation which hosted Hebron’s English and Mandarin congregations respectively for the next two years. Their generosity and kindness in our time of need cannot be overstated.

Relocation and Disruption
The relocation and new timing were disruptive and demanded an adjustment that many families with young children and seniors could not make. Therefore, they either worshipped with other churches in the morning or online.

Ministry teams had to find other ways and venues and platforms to continue their work. In the end, we also developed new habits and a re-stated culture of stewardship, resilience, brotherly love and honouring God. We met in homes, cafes and coffee shops for Bible reading and fellowship.

We hope, when we returned to No. 10, never to forget that ministry is “out there” where the people are, and not “in here” where we are.

The renovation project lasted more than one and a half years. The impact on weekly worship service attendance was great. But amazingly, Hebronites gave more money to the church than they had ever done in any other time of Hebron’s history.

We are also grateful to a few Bible-Presbyterian churches who responded to our appeal for interest-free loans in order that we might maintain a healthy cashflow to pay the bills as they came.

Cleaning Church, Cleansing Hearts
Finally, the temporary occupation permit was issued on 23 June 2026 to great rejoicing. On Saturday 27 June, over 100 Hebronites, young and old, turned up for area cleaning as we got No. 10 ready for the first worship services to be held on the next day. It was a tremendous day as we reconnected with many whom we had not seen for many months.

But we bore in mind the sobering description in Nehemia h 13 of a people of God who, after the rebuilding of the city wall, fell back into spiritual complacency and sin and we pledged to cleanse our own hearts first before we started the area cleaning exercise.

On Sunday 28 June, there was a swell in attendance as we had not seen in the past two years as Hebronites and supporters and many newcomers showed up to worship God together. The newcomers had seen the church building under construction and were waiting for its reopening.

After the end of the worship services, Hebronites from the English and Mandarin congregations went around to explore the new facilities and marvelled at the transformation of the old Jerusalem Sanctuary and the stadium-like design of the new Maranatha Sanctuary.

Generous Love

“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Rom 12:13)



Serving the poor is a sanctifying experience. Firstly, I believe the befriender grows in the spiritual fruit of kindness, becoming more open-hearted to the needs of others instead of acting on human tendencies to harden our heart and turn our eyes away towards our own needs. Secondly, it forces us to confront how “tight-fisted” we can be with our time and resources, and challenges us to let go of certain possessions without a grudging heart. As Deuteronomy 15:10-11 reminds us, “You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging…You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in your land.” 

Generosity takes many forms: a meal, a skill, time, knowledge, social connections, a timely gift, and other creative ways. For example, we had volunteers offer their handy skills to fix broken furniture and faulty appliances for needy families. The Community Service team also created opportunities for our congregation to give items in like-new condition and our beneficiaries enjoyed the ‘shopping spree’ at the yearly free-for-all items fair at the Family Carnival. Through our ‘Volunteer Well’ group chat, I saw God’s divine provision in meeting the beneficiaries' needs through volunteers’ timely donations of pre-loved items. For example, a baby stroller for Mdm M* who had a newborn, a fridge for Auntie N when her fridge just broke down, a mobility scooter when Auntie N’s husband suffered leg injuries after a road accident.

Auntie N’s family showed me that blessings are multiplied when we open our hands to the needy. On one Sunday during Ramadan month, I asked Auntie N about her Hari-Raya plans. She was quiet for a moment. Then, she revealed her family could not afford a Hari Raya celebration for years due to financial reasons. A few days later during lunch with colleagues, I brought up my concerns for Auntie N. Afterward, my Christian colleague privately texted me to offer a sponsored Hari Raya meal for the family, explaining she can contribute her lunch money as she is fasting for Lent. Auntie N was filled with thanksgiving on hearing about this arrangement for a special meal delivery. Auntie N even invited her relatives and neighbours to share the Hari Raya feast. This event meant a lot for her. She said it was the first time she could host her relatives and neighbours for a Hari Raya meal. I was moved to see how one act of generosity rippled out, turning a gift into a community-wide praise to God.

May Romans 12:13 be a clear call-to-action for all followers of Christ to practice generosity and hospitality especially to people in need. In doing so, we demonstrate God’s love and wondrous provision. In doing so, we will be blessed.