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July - August 2017

ALDERSGATE

Aldersgate In and Around Bi-Monthly Issue is also available at www.aldersgate.sg

“Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name.”

2 Samuel 22:50

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Sermon SeriesBuilding

Relationships (29 May to 31 Aug)

23 Jul (Sun)Youth Sunday8.30am / 10.30am (English)Mr Christopher Chng10.30am (Mandarin) Pr Wendy Chiang

30 Jul (Sun)Pre-Pledge Sunday8.30am / 10.30am (English)Rev David Ho10.30am (Mandarin) Ms Anna Loo10.30am (Youthphoria)Workship Sunday

30 Jul (Sun)Service for Residents of Bethany Methodist Nursing Home3pm (English) Mr Gilbert Lok

06 Aug (Sun)Pledge Sunday8.30am / 10.30am (English)Pr Alan Ang10.30am (Mandarin)Rev Dr Norman Wong

13 Aug (Sun)Cell Group Sunday8.30am / 10.30am (English)Pr Wendy Chiang10.30am (Mandarin) Pr Anna Loo10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

20 Aug (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Protection And RespectRev David Ho10.30am (Mandarin) Your Leaders Need YouPr Wendy Chiang10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

27 Aug (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Your Leaders Need YouMr Loo Ming Yaw10.30am (Mandarin) Protection And RespectRev David Ho10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

Sermon Series

Missions Month (01 Sep to 30 Sep)

03 Sep (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Mr Casey Lok10.30am (Mandarin) Dr Leong Choon Kit

10 Sep (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Pr Loh Han Chew10.30am (Mandarin) Pr Richard Seow10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

17 Sep (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Mr Rudy Wong10.30am (Mandarin) Ms Sarah Tan10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

24 Sep (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Rev Dr Lorna Khoo10.30am (Mandarin) Rev David Ho10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

Sermon SeriesTransforming

Society (01 Oct to 21 Dec)

01 Oct (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Barriers to BeliefPr Wendy Chiang10.30am (Mandarin) Ms Anna Loo

08 Oct (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)Laity SundayPr Alan Ang10.30am (Mandarin) Mrs Louise Fong10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

15 Oct (Sun) Marketplace Sunday8.30am / 10.30am (English)Living for Christ in a Non-Christian World: All that Glitters is Not GoldRev Melvin Mak10.30am (Mandarin) Pr Anna Loo10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

22 Oct (Sun)8.30am / 10.30am (English)The World He LovesRev Dr Lorna Khoo10.30am (Mandarin) Ms Ellena Yeo10.30am (Youthphoria)To be confirmed

Speaker / Sermon Topic is subject to change without prior notice

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During the 2017 June holidays, the Centre planned many exciting activities and programmes for the students. Fun activities, a games day, and outings were arranged for them. They did craft activities such as Perler beads, cellophane window art, salt painting and egg carton crafts.

Aldersgate Praise CentreMs Eunice Lai

The teachers also organised a “Trashion” show, relay games, food tower competition, rounders matches, a movie outing, a day at KidzAmaze and a visit to the Gardens by the Bay. The students learned how to make their own board games, yummy ice popsicles, recite Chinese tongue twisters with precision, and made use of recycled materials to create wearable costumes in line with the Disney theme! The students had a lot fun during their outings, enjoying the time spent interacting with their friends.

From 21st to 23rd June, the teachers and staff went on a staff retreat to Genting Highlands in Malaysia. They had a great time bonding at the Strawberry and Honey Bee farm, posing for beautiful photos and learning more about different insects, just like their APC students.

In a few months, it will be Teacher’s Day and the APC staff will all take a break to celebrate with a buffet dinner. For Children’s Day, APC will put together a short programme and will be arranging a buffet feast for the kids to enjoy!

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Caleb85Mrs Caroline Lim

Make Your Own Terrarium

Caleb85 Ministry organized a Terrarium Workshop for the seniors who turned up for their regular fellowship at 2pm on 27 May 2017.

Rev Rita Wong, the instructor, assisted by our very own floral arrangement professional, Ms Trudy Tay, taught and guided the 14 seniors how to use their creativity to decorate the bottles with a mini figurine, coloured pebbles, etc. All of them enjoyed the workshop. Light tea was provided after the session.

Sixteen seniors, including two newcomers, spent a three hours at Temasek Club on 28 June 2017 afternoon. The ‘young ones’ had a fun time singing oldies in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien. Some even danced to the rhythm of the music. All of them had a good time of fellowship and after the session, proceeded to have dinner together at the Clementi hawker centre.

Karaoke Outing

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Caleb85 Senior Sunday

AMC celebrated Caleb85 Senior Sunday on 2 July 2017. Rev Dr Norman Wong, our guest preacher, spoke on “Honour The Old and Aged” (Exodus 20: 12).

After the sermon, Rev Wong prayed a prayer of blessing for the seniors. All seniors aged 55 years and above were given a card pouch as a gift during the service.

Parents Appreciation Day, 2 July

One of the Ten Commandments is to “Honour your father and mother”. The children learnt to do it through L.O.V.E.Listen to your parentsObey your parentsVolunteer to helpEnjoy being with them

As part of our appreciation to their parents, the children made a simple gift for them. We thank our parents for being our heroes and always loving and taking care of our every need.

treasure islandMr Yong Chin Loung

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CommunicationsMs Clara Toh

Twenty-two seniors attended the ‘How to use Smartphone (Android)’

workshop organised by Communications and Caleb85 on 9 July 2017.

Mr Colin Mow, who serves as a steward (Communications) in the LCEC, conducted the session.

The seniors were taught how to:• set a data usage limit warning• turn off data roaming when overseas• set up Wi-Fi (when overseas/locally)• install and use WhatsApp• install and use Facebook, including

some tips on social media etiquette• use Chrome to access AMC’s website

as well as download e-bulletins and delete them after use

• pay attention to the list of security permissions before downloading any apps and consider recommended Mobile Security apps like AVAST, AVIRA and SOPHOS

• use Google photos to back up photos taken

Colin also taught the seniors how to use Google Maps to get around by

using different means of transportation indicated in the app.

Six young adults – Kenneth Goh, Amanda Wang, Aaron Cai, Yap Jing Han, Chee Seng Wee and Ang Shuzhen – volunteered to help and guide the seniors who required assistance.

Many benefitted from the workshop and requested more of such teaching sessions. It was indeed a great joy to see the seniors so interested in learning to use new technology and the young people patiently guiding the older ones along.

How to use Smartphone (Android) Workshop

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Family Day, 26 June 2017

Thirty-seven adults and ten children from the Chinese Ministry had a good bonding time during Family Day at Aloha Changi Chalet on 26 June. In the morning, we had worship time followed by sharing by Pastor David as well as games. In the afternoon, participants were put into different groups to discuss questions prepared by Pr Anna. Through answering the questions, group members got to know more about one another.

Chinese ministryMr Yong Chin Loung

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The Market Place Ministry ran a series of Alpha God At Work sessions during lunch time from 3 March to 26 May 2017. This was an outreach programme, held at The Meeting Point@Launchpad, that targets working adults in the One North vicinity. We saw an average attendance of 15 to 20 people each week.

At each session, we started by playing a short video by Ken Costa speaking on topics such as money, making the right decisions and tackling stress etc. This was followed by open sharing of personal experiences and discussions by the participants. It was a heartwarming experience to see brothers and sisters being so forthcoming with their feelings and struggles faced both at work and at home.

Through these sessions, we have made many friends and found a support group for work-related issues. We hope that they will be encouraged to bring their non-believer colleagues and friends to our future Alpha courses so as to bring glory to God.

Marketplace ministryMrs Lorainne Seah

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Choral Workshop

The 8:30am choir had a choral workshop on Sunday, 25 June 2017, afternoon. We thank God for good attendance despite it being a long weekend, a chance for family holiday and other fun things. It was a 3-hour event, with 2.5 hours of learning from an experienced choral conductor Mr Low Xu Hao, followed by tea fellowship. Mr Low taught us using three pieces of music the choir had been working on, including one for a male chorus. The session turned out to be very fruitful, with many lessons learnt in techniques for better vocal production, breath support and ways to create a good legato effect in choral singing. In fact, lessons learnt were already evidently put to use by the choristers at the weekly choir practice that very week. Praise God, indeed. We look forward to more avenues for learning, that we may grow in our service for God, and minister effectively through music making.

worship and music ministryPr Richard Seow

Aldersgate Audio-Visual Crew

The Audio-Visual Crew including Sound crew, projectionists, videographers and photographers got their first ever AV crew uniform (designed by Ms Amanda Wang) as an appreciation of their service and also for easy identification. The crew team will be wearing the uniform during duty.

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Youth Mission trip to Timor Leste, 6 - 13 June

A youth team of nine young adults and youth (Jared Hoe, Christopher Chng, Jonathan Seow, John Yan, Christopher Oh, Amanda Choo, Athalia Choo, Angela Su and Michelle Ng) went to Timor Leste from 6 to 13 June. Alongside David Chan and family (our missionaries), the youth team ran a three-day leadership camp for Grade 7 and 8 students, who are now being taught by David. The team also visited the Methodist Hostel in Gleno and spent quality time with our missionaries in Timor Leste.

My first mission trip has exposed me to many things unseen

and an unexpectedly wonderful experience. God utilised the many facets of our team dynamics to show the Timorese a glimpse of God’s love for us. Going into this trip, I had a generic goal and that was to see the Father’s heart for the land. I think God revealed His heart to me through the hearts of the AMC missionaries and of the Timorese, especially those of the children. There are new lessons each time I reflect on those fond memories!

– Angela Su

MissionsMr Christopher Chng & Mr Jeffery Hoo

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Mission trip to Cambodia, 14 June

During the June holidays, a team of five youth visited Cambodia for a week-long mission trip. The aim and mission of Team Faith Hope Love (or FHL in short) in Cambodia was to encourage faith, sustain hope and deliver love.

With a more specific focus on missionary care and welfare, Team FHL prepared and brought over personalised care packages containing local treats as well as handwritten cards and notes of

encouragement from the church. The packages were delivered to the local missionaries as well in appreciation of their efforts towards Hope House ministry.

Team FHL also ran a two-day programme for the children in Hope House as well as in Prek Ompel Children’s Ministry. The children learned about what it means to have faith in God, hope for their future and love for others through reenactment of Bible stories, songs and games as well as crafts and balloon sculpting.

In addition to the activities conducted for the children, Team FHL also had fellowship with the residents of the Methodist Hostel by preparing a meal and playing sports with them.

We were very inspired and touched by how God is constantly working in the land of Cambodia through the unwavering childlike faith that the Cambodia youth shared in their testimonies throughout the trip.

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Walk Through the Book of Romans

‘Walk Through The Book Of Romans’ class was held on 9, 12, 16, 19 and 23 June 2017 by Rev David Ho. Approximately 100 people attended the class.

Reflection on WTTB Romans

I used to talk a lot about not doing things in my own strength and waiting on God — but actually I was being passive in many areas. Lately, however, God has been speaking to me on this, through friends and also WTTB. I’m learning that relying on God’s strength actually involves me trying my hardest to seek him, and letting Him supply His grace in my weakness. More than that is also the fact that He will supply His grace in my weakness (Romans 8:11). Now I understand Paul’s words in Romans Chapter 12 are for me to live out right now, not in the future when I am ‘stronger in my faith’: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”- Sean Yeo

discipleship & nurtureMr Sean Yeo

Missions

Dr Seet Ai Mee will be going to Cambodia as a missionary associate of AMC and a friend of Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF). She will work with an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), E2STEM, and run a higher institute of learning focussed on science, technology, engineering, maths, English and e-learning. Please keep her in your prayers.

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The Women’s Society of Christian Service (WSCS) Mrs Wendy Sui

WSCS organised a Hawker Fare for fund raising. The response was heartwarming. We praise God for 25 delicious food items and cash contributions by cell groups and church members. A total of $4,108.20 was raised to support the WSCS ministries.

WSCS Hawker Fare, 21 May

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Trinity Theological College (TTC) Sunday, 11 June

On TTC Sunday, Gilbert Lok spoke to Youthphoria on the topic Truly Human: The Privilege of Image. He shared about what it means to be made truly in God's image, and what a privilege it is. Following that, Gilbert reminded us that given this privilege, being made in God’s image implies responsibility. We are to be God’s stewards, and God gave us dominion, but not domination, over all things. Gilbert reminded us that we are made to connect with God as God Himself wants to connect with us and even went to the extent of sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. In order to live as God's stewards, Gilbert encouraged us to reach out to others by simply paying attention, showing concern and doing simple acts of kindness. No one is too small or insignificant to be God's steward.

youthphoriaMr Christopher Chng

Father’s Day, 18 June

For Father’s Day this year, Youthphoria invited Aaron Ho, a Christian Ministry Staff at Anglo-Chinese Junior College, to share with us his journey as a father. Anchoring his message on the story of the Prodigal Son, he introduced to us a new perspective on the familiar bible story. While many of us can identify with the older son’s frustration and jealousy towards his father and brother, God does not desire this response from us. We are reminded that we are called to obey God without expecting lavish material returns from Him.

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Young Methodist Leaders Conference (YMLC), 29 June - 1 July

YMLC 2017 took place at Hotel Jen in Johor Bahru this year, with a sizeable number of participants, including those from AMC. Revolving around the central theme of "His Glory", the annual conference saw Pastor Benny Ho leading everyone into a time of teaching and reflection on the issues leaders face in church and how to avoid certain pitfalls.

Overall, it was a great time of catching up with fellow Methodist leaders, friends, and even meeting new people.

The YMLC also saw Youthphoria delegates celebrating Rufus Chan's last day as our Youth worker, as he leaves for full-time study at Trinity Theological College (TTC).

To conclude, it was definitely an extremely insightful and enjoyable three days spent in JB!

Family in Christ, 28 June

Youthphoria had the privilege of our very own church intern – Jared Hoe – to share more about his journey with Christ and how it inspired him to go down a path not many would take. Jared shared about his life before joining AMC, and how being at AMC has changed him spiritually. It was also here that he embarked on a mission trip to Cambodia, which sparked his interest in agriculture and sustainable farming. That kickstarted his six-week journey to India where he met various groups of people who inspired his passion to live and build God’s Kingdom in places where people who have yet to know Christ. We

thank God for our brother Jared and the work he is doing. May he continue to sow seeds of eternal life wherever he is placed!

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On 1–2 July, three teams from People’s Association (PA )and her partners – Jurong Central, West Coast and AMC YFC – participated in the Shoot Soccer Festival Tournament. Thanks to the support by AMC volunteers, all children and their parents had fun. However, we did not participate in some of the games, as the round-robin format typical of such festivals could have left the children unduly exhausted.We continue to uphold AMC’s vision/mission of YFC being a clinic to help socially challenged children to readjust and integrate to society as well as a tool for evangelism through our Christian sportsmanship. Safety is also always the key consideration. Please keep the team in prayer as they prepare for their upcoming games. If you are able to support the team in any way, please contact Steven Black at

stevenblack8857@gmail.com.

For more details about the AMC U16 soccer team, do visit https://www.facebook.com/amcYFC/.

sports ministryMr Fu Siqiang

AMC Youth Football Club (YFC)

Date Competition Results20 May PA Friendly District Games 2017 Vs Changi Semi PACF U9: AMC won 6 - 3 U12: AMC lost 1 - 5 U18: AMC lost 1 - 624 Jun Friendly Game vs Thye Hua Kwan Combined Teams U10 (Plate) : 2nd U12 (Plate) : 3rd U14 : 3rd1–2 Jul Shoot Soccer Festival Tournament U9: 6 - 1 U12: 3 - 3 U16: 5 - 2

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AMC Football The AMC Football team continued to do well in the CrossRoad Cup (CRC) League. In the Sports Coalition Singapore Cup (SCS), however, the team was knocked out during the semi-finals when they lost narrowly to AMK Bethesda with a score of 1 - 0. The team will now focus on the remaining games of the CRC League.

The season continues with the following games in July, August and September:Date Competition Results14 May CRC League vs Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Won 2 - 021 May SCS Cup vs The Salvation Army Won 2 - 128 May CRC League vs Pentecost Methodist Church Won 3 - 14 June CRC League vs Teen Challenge Singapore Won 8 - 018 June SCS Cup (Quarter-Finals) vs Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Draw 2 - 2 Won 6 - 5 on penalties2 July SCS Cup (Semi-Finals) Lost 0 -1 16 July CRC League vs Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church

Upcoming:

Date Competition30 Jul CRC League vs BBTC Eagles6 Aug CRC League vs Faith United20 / 27 Aug Quarter-Finals10 Sep Semi-Finals (If required)17 Sept Finals (If required)

We want to give all glory and praise to God for the friendships formed over the games. Do keep our teammate, Saravanan, in prayer as he enters National Service in July 2017. Do also keep the team in prayer as they train and prepare for the rest of the season, especially for some of the players who have sustained injuries in previous games.

Upcoming

Date Competition30 July PA Friendly District Games 2017: AMC vs Yew Tee CSC 27 Aug PA Friendly District Games 2017: AMC vs West Coast CSC

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Basketball Interest Group The basketball players took a break in June due to the school holidays, but games have now resumed. Do note that we have access to two sides of the basketball court: one side is usually used by the adults for simple half-court games, while the rim on the other side is lowered to the height of primary school students. So do bring your kids along if they just want to shoot at the lower rim.

Our next few sessions for the year are:30 July27 August24 September 29 October 19 November

We play at the basketball court in the assembly area of Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) on Sundays 3–5pm.

Badminton Interest Group

We saw four newcomers in our July session after returning from our June holiday break. They are Luke Lee and his cousins Jordan and Tiffany, as well as Luke Mow, who is currently our youngest player at 10 years old.

The dates of our next few sessions are:5 August9 September7 October11 November

If you are keen to know more church members through a game of badminton, do join us for our next session on 5 August, 10am–12pm. See you at the Multi Purpose Hall (Level 2) of Fairfield Methodist School (Primary)!

For more details about the interest groups, visit our AMC Sports Facebook page. Alternatively, please contact Siqiang at 98150751 if you are planning to join us.

Newcomers Luke Lee and Luke Mow in action

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prayer ministryMs Parmjit Kaur

Rev Dr Amos Jayarathnam, co-founder of Tabernacle of Glory Church, shared God's message on 30 May 2017, Ministry Tuesday. It was attended by 34 persons from AMC and other churches. Rev Amos shared that daily communication with God through prayer shouldn't be an option, but a way of life for every believer. Drawing from Bible stories and personal experiences, he gave examples of answered prayers in seemingly impossible situations when people prayed. He also added that one should trust God's sovereignty at all times, including in times of unanswered prayers. After Rev Amos prayed for those who came forward for prayers, the meeting ended at 10:45pm.

Ministry Tuesday, 30 May

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Ms Parmjit Kaur, who joined us on 3 January 2017, left at the end of June. She has sensed that her passion is more in the inner healing ministry than the intercessory one. Though her stay with AMC was short, Parmjit developed close ties with the Intercessory and Prayer Ministry teams and members of AMC. We wish her the very best in her future endeavours.

Mr Rufus Chan will leave us at the end of June to pursue a Master of Divinity at Trinity Theological College. He has served faithfully as a Pastoral Staff (Youth Ministry) for the last five years. We take this opportunity to thank him for his service and also to bless him as he leaves for his studies.

We warmly welcome Mr Christopher Chng who joined us on 1 June 2017 as a Pastoral Staff (Youth Ministry), succeeding Mr Rufus Chan who is embarking on full-time study at Trinity Theological College. Chris is no stranger to us as he is home-grown and has served as a cell leader in Youthphoria. He was previously with YWAM Perth, where he led and discipled an outreach team. This experience has given him a glimpse into the heart and hard work of discipleship and ministry which will be of great value to Youthphoria.

Staff Movements

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Annual Blessing And Healing Of Animals Service28 Oct 2017, 3pm

Preacher: Rev Sng Chong Hui

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Yum Cha Meeting12-Aug-2017 (Sat), 9.30am at Social Hall & Worship Hall.

Bring your dialect or Mandarin speaking non-Christian loved ones and friends for a good time of fellowship.

Coming up:

Understanding Membership ClassDate: 20 Aug 2017 (Sun)TIme: 1.00pm - 2.00pm

• Do we need to emphasize membership in the local church? • Is it not enough just to be a regular attender?

In this one-hour session, we’ll walk you through:

1. The biblical significance and reasons for church membership2. The criteria for church membership3. The practical tasks of church membership

Join us to make an informed choice.

Please register at the Information Counter.For more information, please contact Mrs Wendy Chiang at 8118-7746.

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Caleb85 Meeting (Seniors Ministry)

Join us every Wednesday, 2pm at Caleb85 Corner (AMC Joy Room) for a time of fellowship, worship, exercise, games and prayer.

B A P T I S M &M E M B E R H I P

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Contacts Pastor-in-Charge: Rev Dr Lorna Khoo pastor.ic@aldersgate.sg

Pastor: Rev David Ho davidho@aldersgate.sg

Pr Wendy Chiang (Discipleship & Nurture, Cells, GB, Cluster C) wendychiang@aldersgate.sg

Ms Anna Loo (Chinese Ministry) annaloo@aldersgate.sg

Yuen Wai Mey (Children, Missions [admin]) waimeyyuen@aldersgate.sg

Christopher Chng (Youth) chrischng@aldersgate.sg

Mr Thiruselvam S/O Govindaraju (Pastoral Care, Hospitality) thirug@aldersgate.sg Clara Toh (Communications) claratoh@aldersgate.sg

Han Suat Hoon (Administrator) suathoonhan@aldersgate.sg

Catherine Chia (Lay Executive Staff) catherinechia@aldersgate.sg

Gloria Ho (Lay Executive Staff) gloriaho@aldersgate.sg

Daphne Wong (Lay Executive Staff) daphnewong@aldersgate.sg

Aldersgate Methodist Church98 Dover Road, Singapore 139647Tel: 6773-1964 Fax: 6773-3194email: contact@aldersgate.sg Website: www.aldersgate.sg

Our Sunday ServicesEnglish (Traditional): 8:30am English (Contemporary): 10:30amMandarin: 10:30amYouth Service (Youthphoria): 10.30amChurch School (Treasure Island): 8.30am & 10.30am

Helpful info Church Office Operating Hours Monday to Friday: 8.00am – 5.30pm Saturday: 9.00am – 1.00pm Sunday: 8.00am – 1.00pm Note: Staff Meeting on every Tuesday from 10.00am till 11.30am. Church office will be closed for “staff lunch” together from 11.30am till 2.15pm. (Subject to change without prior notice) Closed on public holidays except for Church Services.

Church Opening Hours Monday to Friday: 8.00am – 10.30pm (booking till 10.00pm) Saturday: 8.30am – 10.30pm (booking till 10.00pm) Sunday: 7.00am – 6.00pm (booking till 5.30pm) Closed on public holidays except for Church Services.

Editorial Team for In and Around: Rev Dr Lorna Khoo, Rev David Ho, Pr Wendy Chiang, Tan Chiu Ai, Andrew Ang, Gracia Chiang, Lorraine Seah, Dawn Seow,