About - TPCMC

Church Building

Toa Payoh Church was established through the united efforts of the pastors and leaders of the Chinese Annual Conference and the Trinity Annual Conference.

In early June 1971, Rev. Nee Tien Tseng, pastor-in-charge of Serangoon Garden Methodist Church, learned that the government intended to auction the land at the present site of Toa Payoh Church, and he conveyed the news to Bishop Yap Kim Hao and other church leaders. Under the initiative of Bishop Yap, the Chinese Annual Conference and the Singapore District of the then Malaysia-Singapore Annual Conference jointly undertook the work of purchasing the land and building the church. On August 9 of the same year, a Church Building Committee was established at Serangoon Garden Methodist Church to carry out fundraising and the drafting of the church building plans. Foochow Methodist Church was chosen as the church responsible for the construction, while Serangoon Garden Methodist Church and Kampong Kapor Methodist Church were the sponsoring churches. A total of thirty representatives from the various churches participated in the discussions regarding the building of the church. On December 25, the groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by Bishop Yap Kim Hao.

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On November 18, 1972, the foundation stone-laying ceremony was conducted by Bishop Yap Kim Hao, with Member of Parliament Chia Kah Hui specially invited to attend and give an address. On March 25, 1973, Rev. Yang Wu Yi began gospel preparatory meetings at Block 4, Lorong 7 Toa Payoh. On August 26, a bilingual evangelistic rally in Chinese and English was held. In September, the church building was completed at a total cost of 1.14 million. On the morning of September 2, the first Chinese worship service was held, attended by several dozen worshippers. In addition, on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m., there was also a Foochow dialect worship service. The church received support from the brothers and sisters of the youth fellowships of Foochow Methodist Church, Paya Lebar Methodist Church, and Grace Methodist Church in leading the services, as well as teaching and shepherding from theological students of Trinity Theological College, Singapore Bible College, and Discipleship Training Centre. Before long, the church also started Sunday School and established a Youth Fellowship, Choir, and Women’s Society.

2005–2013

On December 21, 2005, the leaders of both the Chinese and English congregations signed a memorandum of understanding, jointly taking on the church’s expansion project. In March 2008, the church expansion work began. On August 9, a fundraising walkathon “Love in Action” was held at East Coast to raise funds for the expansion. That year, in order to shape believers into healthy disciples, the church encouraged members to participate in the spiritual movement “Discipleship 123,” thereby building up their personal spiritual lives, caring for brothers and sisters, and reaching out to their non-believing peers with the gospel. At the same time, the church also implemented “Care Circles” within groups and fellowships to promote mutual care among believers and care for non-believers. In February 2009, the construction of the right-wing education building and the left-wing new sanctuary began, while the existing sanctuary was renovated. In 2013, the church entered its 40th anniversary celebration themed “Remember, Rejoice, Rededicate.” On August 31, the joint dedication service of the Chinese and English congregations was held, with Bishop Dr. Wong Weng Hee presiding over the dedication ceremony.

Church Building

On July 8, 2018, the second expansion project was launched. The purpose of the expansion was to upgrade the facilities to meet the needs of the increasing number of people and, in line with the six-year plan, to provide sufficient space for worship, outreach, and teaching. At the end of December, the second expansion project was completed, and the new premises and facilities began to be put into use progressively from August.

In 2021, despite the impact of the pandemic, the fundraising for the second expansion was completed ahead of schedule on July 11 through the united and willing contributions of the brothers and sisters. The Building Committee also completed the installation of a thanksgiving plaque and the publication of a commemorative issue. In 2023, the church’s 50th anniversary celebration activities included a church camp from June 2 to 4, a combined worship service and luncheon of the three congregations on September 24, and a Christmas celebration jointly organized by the three Annual Conferences on December 16.