Grace Methodist Church - Social Concerns

Social Concerns

Objectives

The Ministry serves to reach out to the deprived and needy people within the church and in the community. We help to alleviate their financial hardships, recommend help in the areas of social welfare and education.

GMC supports the Methodist Welfare Services in fund-raising and volunteer participation for their various services.

What Are Our Activities?

Weekly (Caring for the aged sick)
A regular team of GMC members visits the Bethany Home each Tuesday morning from 10.30am -12.30pm. They talk to the residents, play games, sing songs, feed and pray with them.
The team’s faithfulness in their service is a great comfort to the lonely residents.

Monthly (Caring for the poor and needy)
We make home visitations to the families who are under the Church’s financial aid.
This is a healthy relationship. Through this interaction, we get to know and understand their family members better and we are able to see to their needs.
To quote 3 cases of concern :

Recently, a widowed passed away in November 2005 leaving behind two teenage orphans. They are non-believers. Social Concerns Committee decides to continue to help them but we also hope that the orphans would come to accept Jesus into their lives. Their names are Eugene -16 years old and Michelle -15 years old.
Many of us pray for Bjorn Chan, a 17 years old boy diagnosed with brain cancer and operated in 2001. This is his 2nd relapse and doctor is not encouraging another operation nor further chemotherapy. Apparently this recent bone marrow transplant is the last alternative doctors can help him.
The after-effects of the bone marrow transplant were severe. This poor boy suffered much in the hospital for the past 2 weeks. He had very bad mouth, throat ulcer, acute stomachache. There was blood in the diarrhea and he vomited blood.

We thank the Lord for His mercies are new every morning. Bjorn overcame the crisis and today he is much better.
We have put an announcement in our weekly bulletin to help a widower who is looking for a job to support a family of 4. His current salary is not enough to meet up with the monthly expenses, not to mention the children’s school fees in arrears.

We hope that more volunteers will join us in the home visitations especially the youths. The children from these families would love their encouragement and support.

Annually (Caring for the destitute / lonely)
For the past few Lunar New Years, we give ang-pows and provide dinner to the residents (under Public Assistance ) in the community.
This event is held in the church. The youths have been very supportive in this events. They helped in laying out tables and chairs, worships and serving at the tables.
We work together with Witness & Evangelism Ministry to conduct dialect-speaking evangelistic services. Telok Ayer 2 will follow-up on the new converts.
We distribute mooncakes, even CDs with evangelistic messages during the Mid-Autumn Festival. We form teams to visit the residents at selected units / blocks at Telok Blangah. There were times we listened and prayed with them.

Bi-annually (Ministry to prisoners)

Last Christmas 2005 and this Easter 2006, a total of 40 over members visited the male inmates in Changi prison for the first time.
We conducted 2 evangelistic services with worship songs, sermon, altar call and prayer. There were about 20 inmates who invited Jesus into their lives. The Prison Fellowship takes care of their spiritual growth. Praise the Lord!
In Christ’s love who came to save those who are lost, we need to minister to those who are in prison and their families. They are the lost , the last and the least.
As an expression of Christian’s concern, let’s encourage one another’s involvement in volunteering in the church / community activities. We believe that each of us has a special gift or talent which can be used for the development of a compassionate society.

How Can we Join The Ministry?
We welcome every member / friends to come alongside with us in this ministry.
Do look out in the church’s bulletin for the bi-annual and annual events.
Should you require other information or details, do not hesitate to contact
SUSAN KONG at 902 100 34

Committee Members
KHEW SENG NGIAN ( Associated Lay Leader for Outreach & Evangelism)
SUSAN KONG (Chairman)
MATTHEW HAN (Secretary)
SAMUEL LEE (Adviser)
HENRY SOH
JENNY SOH
JOE FAN
DR ALLAN HONG