Step into Wesley Methodist Church on Saturday, 11 July 2026, and you would have thought you had wandered into a food festival. From early morning till 3.30pm, the church grounds were transformed into a food paradise.
Crowds gathered around vibrant stalls serving up everything from rich stewed beef, buttery madeleines and mee siam to fresh pizza and nasi lemak — not to mention piping-hot noodles and chwee kueh, yummy waffles and burgers, crispy chicken wings and drumsticks, sizzling hotdogs, delicious kong bak pau and roast duck, fragrant glutinous rice, refreshing gelato, homemade curry puffs and more.
But it wasn’t just about the spectacular culinary spread. It was about a church family and their community united in joy, laughter and the lasting warmth of Christian fellowship.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of our congregation and the broader local community, this year’s CeleFeast was a resounding success, raising $300,000 to support Vision 2035 and our eight beneficiary charities:
-Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home
-HCSA Dayspring
-St Luke’s ElderCare
-St John’s Home for Elderly Persons
-Lions Home for the Elders
-Singapore Christian Home
-Boys’ Town
-The Salvation Army Gracehaven Children’s Home
A GLOBAL MARKETPLACE OF FLAVOURS: OVER 50 VIBRANT STALLS
Spread over the atrium, side courtyard, rooftop, Plaza Hall and the BookNook, Wesley Methodist Church was transformed into a bustling marketplace of flavours, featuring over 50 vibrant stalls.
This year’s menu brought an exciting mix of fresh concepts, including a mini-mart, cozy pop-up cafés at the Plaza Hall, and stalls selling pulled pork and durians. Additional drink stalls selling coconut juice, kedondong juice, apple juice, blue pea kamquat, canned drinks, ice lemon tea, bubble tea, matcha, and other beverages were also scattered all over the church grounds.
Beloved local mainstays like Din Tai Fung, BreadTalk, Mad Roaster’s Cafe, Burnt Cones, Ramly Burger and Tai Cheong Bakery also joined the party, alongside homemade Italian, Japanese and Korean fare, ensuring there was truly something for every palate.
A crowd favourite was the homemade popiah stall helmed by Angelina Ang, Jody Koh and their team of over 20 volunteers from the group “CM-JC1 and friends” – a staple at Wesley food fairs for over a decade. The gregarious popiah team started their preparations two days before the event for over 400 popiahs.
The longest-running food stall at the Wesley food fair is probably the rice dumpling stall, faithfully helmed by Doris Chow, Karen Mok and the Toa Payoh Small Group.
“We have been doing this for 40 years,” Doris shared. “We are selling 1,030 dumplings this year, which were generously sponsored by WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) and our Small Group. We have seven volunteers helping out at CeleFeast, split into two shifts.”
David Khoo, Phyllis Kim and members of the Trailmix Small Group, who helmed the nachos stall and served at a Wesley food fair for the very first time, said: “Our ‘Loaded Nachos’ stall is the result of our Small Group serving together in a brand-new way. During CeleFeast, we realised things had come full circle when we saw people connect over our food: the fruit of our community fosters new communities!”
Energy ran high at the Samy’s Curry and briyani stall, thanks to first-time volunteers 16-year-old Rachel Ng and 15-year-old Jarod Low. The duo answered the call to serve and eagerly served nasi briyani and Samy’s Curry to long queues.
Another first-time volunteer, Koreen Chong, who served at the bakery section located in the Baptismal Hall, said this was not only her first time volunteering at a Wesley food fair: “It is also my first time attending a Wesley food fair,” she quipped.
ALL INCLUSIVE, ALL ONBOARD: ONE COMMUNITY IN CHRIST
Particularly heartening was the turnout of the younger generation.
“Since young, I’ve had a huge passion for baking,” shared youth baker Emilia Klein. “Through CeleFeast, I am able to share the love I’ve poured into my banana bread with our church community and use my talents to glorify God’s name.”
This year’s CeleFeast also saw over 30 members from the Mandarin Ministry run the “华颂小吃” stall together. They served an impressive array of home-cooked Singaporean favourites, including fried bee hoon, laksa, curry chicken, carrot cake (local chai tow kuay) and traditional kuehs, all lovingly prepared and sponsored by ministry members.
“Serving at CeleFeast reminds us that we are one family in Christ,” shared Angelyn Peh from the Mandarin Ministry. “It has been a joy to serve alongside our brothers and sisters from the English congregation. Through preparing food and sharing God’s love, we truly experienced what it means to be the Wesley family, working together for the glory of our Lord!”
As with previous food fairs, CeleFeast is about more than just welcoming our community. It’s about coming together as one community.
Through the LCEC (Local Church Executive Committee) Love Gift (Let’s Cherish Every Child) initiative, $10,200 worth of coupons were gifted to children and youths in the Children’s Ministry and BeTween Youth Ministry so that they could join in the festivities.
Simultaneously, the Christian Outreach and Social Concerns (COSC) team sponsored coupons to bring individuals and groups from various charities directly into the celebration. (Click to read more about the ministries impacted by these sponsored coupons: Everyone Has a Seat at the Table: Sharing CeleFeast Beyond Wesley Walls.)
Continuing a meaningful tradition which started in 2017, the Wesley Prison Ministry (WPM) – a sub-ministry of COSC – also set up stalls and invited partners to participate in CeleFeast, serving together at the stalls and celebrating the feast. “We are blessed to have these families and individuals not just joining us, but stepping up to serve right alongside Wesleyans,” said Ernest Choo, vice-chairperson of WPM.
Joining them were the enthusiastic children, volunteer teachers and mentors from the Care Club, which supports the children and families of those who are in prison.
“We are overjoyed to share CeleFeast with our friends from WPM and our partners, Prison Fellowship Singapore (PFS), Yoon’s Social Kitchen as well as residents from The Helping Hand, a halfway house,” beamed Judy Tan, chairperson of WPM.
“Together as a team, we are sharing a mission and sustaining hope,” she added.
THANK YOU, VENDORS AND SPONSORS
An event of this scale requires all hands on deck, including our Wesleyan and external volunteers and sponsors.
“It has been a privilege to contribute our best-selling pandan chiffon cakes to this meaningful cause at Wesley,” shared Sophia Yeow, founder of local company Tiap Tiap Pte Ltd, which offers takeaway bakes, keropok, take-home food and more. “Seeing our bakes sell out in support of eight beneficiary charities and church fundraising was a powerful reminder that when we place our everyday passion in God’s hands, He can multiply it to touch and bless hundreds of lives.”
The impact of CeleFeast extended even further through partnerships with social enterprise vendors. A wonderful example was Yoon’s Social Kitchen by Yoon’s Traditional Teochew Kueh.
Expressing gratitude for the loving support shown by Wesley Methodist Church, Qara Yoon, founder of the popular local kueh shop, highlighted the deeper Kingdom mission behind their food: “Every kueh represents more than a tradition. It is part of God’s redemptive work in the lives of our women beneficiaries, who are finding hope and transformation through Christ.”
“It is our prayer that as people enjoy these kuehs, they will also be reminded of God’s faithfulness and the power of His redeeming love.”
BEYOND THE KITCHEN: SERVING WITH EVERY UNIQUE GIFT
Every contribution mattered.
CeleFeast was a beautiful reminder that every unique gift has a place in the Body of Christ, be it serving a meal, cooking a dish, strumming a ukulele or taking a picture, adding a bright, cheerful vibe to the occasion.
One of our five volunteer photographers for the day, Melvin Quah, captured CeleFeast moments through his lens: “Moving around to capture the food stalls and activities, I saw our church body serving people from all walks of life – both regulars and newcomers – with genuine sincerity and grace. It was a beautiful reminder of how food acts as a bridge, bringing us together to share our lives and encourage one another.”
“I really appreciated all the volunteers and stall holders. My favourite is the Sicilian Cannoli, prepared from scratch. The quintessential Italian Cannoli brought back memories of me trying this pastry for the first time back in 2019 in Boston’s Little Italy.”
SMILES ACROSS GENERATIONS
CeleFeast brought out smiles from the young and the young-at-heart.
Dorothy Wong, 82, started the day enjoying coconut ice cream and soaking in the atmosphere. “I have been coming to Wesley food fairs for over 50 years,” she said.
The kids were just as enthusiastic. Jonah Wong, 5, started his morning with a clear mission: “My mum told me we have over $100 of coupons. I want to eat ice cream.”
Nearby, siblings Charis Lau, 4, and Cephas, 2, arrived at 11am to feast on satay and sweet treats. Asked if he was having fun, little Cephas grinned and asked, “What else can we eat?”
THANK YOU, WESLEYANS
Reflecting on the joyous occasion, CeleFeast Chairperson Joni Ong was overwhelmed with gratitude for her team and the sponsors, volunteers, church staff and guests: “We give all thanks to God for His abundant grace. When we set a target of $300,000, we knew it would require an incredible leap of faith and collective effort. Seeing the congregation and their friends turn up in droves reminded me of the loaves and fishes.”
Agreeing, Stefanie Chao pointed out: “Every coupon exchanged was an investment in Vision 2035 and a contribution to the eight charities we are championing.”
Yam Ah Mee, chairperson of Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home, said: “It was a privilege to contribute to Wesley’s fundraising efforts through Celefeast. Our residents from Chen Su Lan had an unforgettable day enjoying the food and fun! I also thank the Wesley community for supporting the home. God’s light shines the brightest when love is put in action.”
“Our deepest appreciation to Wesley Methodist Church,” thanked Yeo Jih-Shian, a board member of both HCSA Dayspring and The Salvation Army, two of the charities supported by CeleFeast. “Your generosity restores hope and gives individuals strength to take their next steps toward healing and rebuilding.”
Ultimately, the true highlight of CeleFeast 2026 wasn’t just the phenomenal food; it was seeing our community unite as one.
Whether you stirred pots, chopped vegetables, wiped tables, cleared trash, made coffee, opened durians, wrapped up food, manned a booth, took pictures, set up heavy tables or simply came down to eat and encourage others, your presence mattered.
“Food fairs at Wesley are a long-cherished tradition dating back to the early years of our church. We are truly thankful to God for His abundant and sustaining grace,” said Rev Raymond Fong, Pastor-in-Charge of Wesley Methodist Church.
“Through the overwhelming generosity and faithful labour of love of the Wesley family, the Lord has multiplied the offering of our five loaves and two fish and honoured the work of our hands as we seek to raise funds to bless others. My heartfelt appreciation goes to the organising committee, every sponsor and volunteer who gave their time, energy and unique talents to CeleFeast,” added Pastor Ray.
“Thank you for beautifully embodying the true spirit of service and fellowship in Christ.”
Thank you, Wesley family, for stepping up as the hands and feet of Jesus to bless, serve and celebrate together! For more information on Vision 2035, go to Let Us Rise Up And Build
📸 Missed out on the food fair this year or want to relive the best moments? Head over to our Church Photo Gallery to see the full album. We look forward to seeing you at the next food fair.
(Photos by Christopher Leong, CJ Goh, Henry Lim, Jon Chia and Melvin Quah)
Read also: Everyone Has a Seat at the Table: Sharing CeleFeast Beyond Wesley Walls
