An anniversary is always a good time to celebrate another year of growth and accomplishment and to give thanks for God’s blessings. At Wesley Methodist Church’s 141st Anniversary Combined Services, held at the Sanctuary and Wesley Hall on 15 February 2026, we did so and even more. This triple-themed service not only marked our church’s 141 years in Singapore, it also commemorated Transfiguration Sunday and acknowledged the efforts of Wesley’s full-time staff in the smooth running of the church.
JESUS’ TRANSFIGURATION
As stated in the introduction of the liturgy, “the Transfiguration is a foretaste of the glory of Resurrection, a revelation of Jesus’ divinity that has been hidden yet is no less real.” Transfiguration refers to the biblical event when Jesus took His close disciples up a mountain top and His face and clothes shone brightly with light. Not only that, a voice from heaven spoke, confirming that Jesus was God’s Son and telling the disciples to listen to Him.
We recognised this moment in the Preparation Prayer before the service, where we recited, “We meet you … in a place where heaven and earth collide.” We were also reminded of Jesus’ shining display of deity through our responsive reading of Matthew 17:1-9 during the service.
MAKE OUR YEARS COUNT
TRAC President Rev Reuben Ng, in his sermon titled Count It This Way, quoted Romans 12:1 to encourage us, in considering God’s mercy towards us, to offer our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. Instead of simply counting out 141 years in which Wesley has established itself and grown, we should make our years count by setting ourselves apart and consecrating ourselves to God. Pastor Reuben proposed two ways in which this can be done, based on Luke 10, verses 2 and 3.
“Instead of simply counting out 141 years in which Wesley has established itself and grown, we should make our years count by setting ourselves apart and consecrating ourselves to God.”
Sacrifice time to pray: In Luke 10:2 (NASB), Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.” In this context, “plead” refers to non-perfunctory prayer. That is, pray like you mean it, not mechanically or by rote. Pastor Reuben, in a nod to Methodist history, cited examples of John Wesley and the Moravians praying and the resulting church growth and revival which occurred as the Holy Spirit moved in their midst.
Sacrifice comfort to go: Luke 10:3 continues, “Go, behold, I am sending you out…”. Pastor Reuben acknowledged that this is difficult—to step out of one’s comfort zone and speak to others about Jesus. However, bearing in mind that “Every heart without Jesus is a mission field; every heart with Jesus is a missionary”, we should try our best to do so. It was reassuring to note that even Pastor Reuben did not manage to convince all the people he had spoken to about the gospel. From this sermon, I learned a new conversation starter—tell someone about what you do on Sundays and then turn the conversation around to ask, “How about you? Do you go to church?”
“Every heart without Jesus is a mission field; every heart with Jesus is a missionary.”
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
In a moving response to the sermon, representatives from the children, youth and adult groups came forward to lead the Prayers of the People. They embodied the emerging generation of Christians who will continue the work of building and unifying the Church. Their intercessions were offered for each age group in turn—the elderly, the “sandwich generation” adults, the youths and the children.
Their prayers spoke of the life challenges that we face, the harsh reality of the world that we live in and our collective faith that God listens to us and moves in our midst. Prayers were offered in Mandarin and Tagalog besides English, reminding us that our church is formed from people who speak different languages and may come from various cultures and backgrounds but who all believe in the same God. Indeed, Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Pastor-in-Charge Rev Raymond Fong then led us in a short prayer to acknowledge the contributions of Wesley’s 116 full-time staff in serving the church. Church workers provide a framework upon which our pastors, lay leaders, committee members and volunteers can come together to worship and serve God. In praying for them, we encouraged strength and unity in the Body of Christ.
LOOKING FORWARD
During the service, Pastor Ray provided an update on Vision 2035 and the fundraising drive launched last year during our 140th Anniversary. Vision 2035 seeks to expand our church’s premises and presence into becoming a Light on a Hill. A year in, the Fund has raised $1.7 million, a substantial sum but still far from the church’s projected target of $100 million (including relocation costs).
Pastor Ray reiterated Vision 2035’s motto verse bearing the same numbers: Acts 20:35, which aptly states that it is more blessed to give than to receive. He also announced the launch of a pilot initiative to encourage more people to visit Wesley on weekdays. From March to September 2026, Wesley will be hosting Rest, Refresh and Reflect every Wednesday from 1 to 3pm. Visitors are welcome to stop by for a barista coffee and chat with our Wesley volunteers, learn a little about our church’s history through our heritage tours or simply take time to reflect quietly inside our sanctuary. This concept thoroughly befits our church’s vision to be a Welcoming, Missional and Caring church.
“Vision 2035 seeks to expand our church’s premises and presence into becoming a Light on a Hill.”
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
No Methodist service would be complete without worship music and congregational singing. Music celebrating our church’s anniversary bookended the service. The orchestra presented a prelude titled A Foundation of Faith and concluded the service by leading us in the familiar hymn, The Church’s One Foundation. The lyrics of the opening and prayer hymns reminded us of the Transfiguration with their mentions of Jesus’ glory and light. The Wesley connection was subtly hinted at: one of the songs was written by Charles Wesley and another by his grandson, Samuel S Wesley. Guess which ones?
The choir’s anthem, On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, combined elements of both the celebratory and transfiguration themes. It started on a serious note with a chorister asking, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The answer is that Jesus is the Son of God, fully human and fully divine. This is the concept portrayed by the Transfiguration. By the time the choir reached the rousing chorus, the mood had lifted as they sang joyfully of the Rock on which we stand—Jesus Christ, our firm foundation. This joyful and lively mood continued to linger after the end of service with an on-screen message reminding us to carry on the light of Jesus into the world, accompanied by organ strains of Jesus the Light of the World.
Whether it was admiring the lovely pre-Lunar New Year floral arrangements in their hues of red, pink and yellow, praying that we would have a mountain-top experience like the disciples, noting how we can “Pray” and “Go” from the sermon, sharing the peace with our fellow congregants or lifting up our voices heartily in song, a common thread ran through this special service. Throughout, we recognised God’s blessings on our church and Jesus’ lordship as our living Head. In celebrating our church’s 141 years, may we continue to follow Jesus faithfully, trusting Him to light the way.
(Photos by CJ Goh, Melvin Quah and Julian Wee)
View and download more 141st Church Anniversary photos here.
Read also: Let Us Rise Up and Build
