HERITAGE AND LEGACY
Heritage and Legacy
is the title of a book on the history of the Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore. The 525-page volume by 25 contributors is unlike what has been written before by single authors. The editorial team set out to present a fair and accurate account of our history. To paint the big picture, the 12 chapters begin with “The Reformed Faith and Theology” and “Presbyterian Heritage and Distinctives”.
The book goes on to present the dramatic birth and rapid growth of the BP Church, with reflections by individuals from the pioneer generation, in an era marked by missions partnerships overseas and community services at home. Then came issues and controversies that vexed the leadership and eventually broke up the denomination. The book ends with the recent attempt to bring the BP churches together again.
Here is an excerpt of the Afterword, titled, “That the Next Generation Might Know”:
“Regrettably, the history of the BP Church as a denomination has been likened to the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness. A whole generation never made it to the Promised Land. Likewise, we never made it to our 40th year. But what happened in the wilderness is subsequently told and retold (I Cor 10.6; Psalm 78.3-4). Why?
“So both the glorious and the inglorious would be rehearsed. It’s always easier to talk about the good parts that happened. Talking about the bad parts brings back painful memories. But to present a fair and accurate picture of history we are compelled to chronicle both.
“At the risk of sounding simplistic, the history of the BP Church in Singapore falls roughly, as in drama, into two acts. The first act saw the resolute stand for the truth, the zealous spread of the gospel and the rapid growth of the churches. The second act began with a growing unease with differing views, aggravated by the inability to resolve them with grace and love, leading to a festering disunity and the eventual breakup.
“Thus our book records the ‘wonders’ the Lord had done and the ‘evil’ we should avoid doing. Bobby Sng who chronicles the story of the church in Singapore, 1819–1992, lauds the growth of the BP Church in the 1950s and 60s, but laments its dissolution in the 80s.[i] We have much to be proud of, and by the same token, much to be ashamed of. Bearing both in mind, we tread humbly, not letting pride get into our heads; yet we press on confidently, not allowing dismay get into our hearts.”
The book was launched on 29 September, 2018, and has since sold over 90% of first print order of 1,000. It is available from the BPCIS Office at $25 each.
Order your copy of The Heritage & Legacy book to learn the history of the Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore.
Email: gensec_bpcis@gmail.com to order your copy at $25.
Footnote:
[i]Bobby, Sng, In His Good Time (Second Edition, 1993), 248-249, 336.
Other Resources
Book Launch "Faithful in Ministry, Fruitful in Mission"
HONOURING PASTOR OF 33 YEARS IN ONE CHURCH
Rev Dr Daniel Chua served as Pastor, Senior Pastor and Pastor-at-Large of Mount Carmel BP Church, from 1988 to 2021. To honour him, his predecessor Pastor David Wong and successor Pastor Oh Boon Leong, co-edited a collection of essays from 33 contributors, bearing the title, “Faithful in Ministry, Fruitful in Mission”. The book was launched on 15 October on the occasion of the honoree’s 65th birthday.
Copies are available from gensecbpcis@gmail.com at $18. Proceeds go to BPCIS.
Speak Truth in Love ToolkitAdd a
We would like to highlight a resource for Christians started by a group of individuals who put together a toolkit for Church leaders and individuals to hold better conversations around the difficult topic of vaccination. On their site, it says:
"Speak Truth in Love" is an initiative that aims to foster empathy and cultivate an ethos of honor and love within the church, while providing clarity to difficult vaccine or COVID-19-related questions at the intersection of faith and science.
While we may not agree on all fronts, we can choose to honor one another in our conversations. We can choose to confront truth with love. Our team has collected real questions on-ground to produce a series of compelling videos to help shape conversations that bring life. We hope they can equip the Body of Christ to tackle hard conversations with empathy, authenticity, truth and love.
"Pastoral Selfcare" keynote address powerpoints from the Christian Mental Health Conference, 2021, in Singapore.
At the inaugural Christian Mental Health Conference, held via Zoom, 15-16 July 2021, Rev Dr David Wong gave a keynote address on "Pastoral Selfcare" sharing biblical insight and practical counsel on how pastors can take care of themselves as they take care of others.
At a hybrid seminar on Census 2020, Religions and Youth, 19 July 2021, Rev Dr David Wong gave a response to the paper by Dr Mathew Mathews, Head of Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab, outlining challenges facing churches in Singapore based on findings from the Census.
The PowerPoint slides of Pastor David's presentations are available on the BPCIS website. Download the PDFs by clicking on the following images.
