Seletar Tamil Methodist Church
More To Know About Sembawang Tamil Methodist Church
Our church was founded in the Lord’s ministry 81 years ago. Our church has a rich history that spans several pastors and four generations of people. The Sembawang Tamil Methodist Church started its pioneering activity in the Seletar Naval base as early as 1928. It initially runs as a house church by the Rev. J.A. Supramaniam and his colleagues Mr V. Devasagayam, Mr A. Athisayam, and Mr V. Chelliah. As more Indians arrived from their country were employed by the Naval Base, the church began to expand.
By the Lord’s mercy, the church established in 1934 under the direction of Rev. V. A. Chelliah. As the acting pastor, Mr V. Devasagayam is a lay preacher.
History
A school building finally constructed at 150 Jalan Sembawang Kechil in 1940 thanks to the efforts of Rev. J.V. Ayadurai and Rev. S.M. Thevathasen, and worship services were held there from 1948 to 1970. The Rev. V. Chellam chose to serve as the congregation’s interim pastor and the principal of the Tamil School. Some TTC students who served the church for a while included Ms Jannet Chinniah, Mr Joseph Devasagayam, and Mr E.J. Thoraisingam.
In point name “Seletar Naval Base” changed significantly to “Sembawang Naval Base.” Moreover, the institution had to shut its doors due to low enrollment in Sembawang Tamil Methodist Church.
Development
The congregation relocated from 150 Jlan Sembawang Kechil to Yishun St. 11 on December 31, 1995, and began holding services in a 30-foot shipping container on January 1, 1996. Later, when the congregation outgrew it, a building for worship was built there. Later, from February 1, 1998, to July 25, 1999, the church relocated for worship services to the Boys’ Brigade Campsite at Sembawang Road due to the construction of the church structure. Later, on August 1, 1999, the church relocated to new facilities at Yishun St. 11. God praised! The Methodist Bishop, Dr Robert Solomon of Singapore, dedicated the New Church Building to the glory of God on August 29.
Creating New Churches and Missions
The ETAC’s TMC is the mother church of seven more churches. The Americas, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa have all received missionaries.
The Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church established in 1927 from a preaching point when the church moved its focus to evangelistic activity in the neighbourhood after 1925 when the church facilities finished. Rev. Pakianathan, the pastor of TMC, provided pastoral care for the formation of the First Methodist Church in Johor. Evangelism among the Tamil Christians at Seletar Naval Base started around this time. Then, in 1935 and 1937, stations in Seletar and Sembawang were established as churches.
Between 1951 and 1954, Rev. T. R. Doraisamy played a crucial role in serving the Hindustani congregation, which in 1953 developed into the Punjabi Church. He then rose to the position of Tamil Methodist Church Bishop in Singapore and Malaysia. For the following 27 years, Rev. Prabhu Das Roberts served as pastor. During this time, the church dispatched several missionaries to various mission fields.
Members opened up their homes as places of worship in the 1970s and 1980s, and as a result, house churches established in Jurong, Ang Mo Kio, Marsling, and Toa Payoh. In 1977, 1980, and 1982, respectively, these house churches were formally established as churches.
