About 22 years ago, the Lord impressed on our hearts to capture and document the testimonies and journeys of faith of long-serving members of Wesley Methodist Church.
This led to the first edition of Our Stories, His Glory (OSHG), published as a hardcover book for our church’s 120th anniversary in 2005, with the oral interviews conducted for all 26 stories lodged with Singapore’s National Archives.
Now, 20 years later, we present another 26 stories by 34 senior members, long-serving and retired pastors and staff, in the second edition of OSHG to be published in time for our church’s 140th anniversary in February 2025.
As we live in a far more tech-driven world today, media habits have changed and evolved. This has necessitated that our OSHG legacy project take on a multimedia approach. A dedicated website was set up as a permanent repository for the stories and corresponding videos, and launched in February 2024. The content was also posted on church platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Telegram to broaden our reach.
Peggie Chan and Christina Stanley anchored the writing team for OSHG2, collaborating closely with Kevyn Lai to make up the project team. They were supported by volunteer writers, an external video team, Graceworks (a Christian publishing house), and a team from church that provided administrative and digital support.
Christina elaborates on what makes this edition of OSHG different: “We were able to do a much deeper dive into the stories of each of our candidates. The dedicated website gave us the latitude to tell each person’s story and paint a fuller picture. Looking back, what has really resonated with me was God’s persistent faithfulness in drawing them to Him, even when they went through seasons of prioritising their careers and living lives their way.
“God never ceased to be at work in their lives. God always set the stage for each of them to return to Him—some, from their early formative years through families, friends and mentors, and others, in their later years. He never imposed, but He always pursued through seasons even when they were lost, undecided, non-committal, reluctant and rebellious. It is our prayer that these stories will resonate across all age groups.
“In the Singapore of today, we live comfortable and seamless lives enabled and equipped by technology and an efficient infrastructure. Our storytellers have lived lives that were marked by cultural norms and social circumstances quite different from today. Yet, through it all, their lives have been presided over by the same unchanging God who remains ever-faithful and loving. We pray that the younger generation will be inspired to place their lives and trust in this same unchanging God even though the world has changed dramatically.”
Peggie sums up her experience in this way: “In Psalm 9:1, the psalmist declares: ‘I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds’ (ESV). And that’s exactly what the storytellers in the 26 chapters of OSHG2 have done.
“It’s been a real privilege to have had a ringside view of each storyteller’s journey of faith as they recount how God travelled with them, comforting, strengthening, and never leaving their sides. Just as each of them shares their journeys of faith marked by trials and struggles, so too it has been for us as the scribes. We received the same grace and were assured that each story would reach completion, cognisant that we were partners in the work. Our mandate was not to write the perfect story, just one that would faithfully tell of His work in their lives.
“Every story and video was a lesson in faith for me. From inception to publication, I just obeyed and relied on His wisdom and resources. He enabled us to persevere, as we trudged through plans, writing and implementation. Looking back at almost 19 months of work, I give thanks that He enabled us to emerge triumphant, telling the stories for His glory as a testament of His love for us all.”
Kevyn Lai, who stepped down from official church duties in 2024 to pursue a Master of Theological Studies at Trinity Theological College, took on OSHG2 as a special project for the church. He served as the main interface between the project team and the church, which provided support through the pastor’s office, communications and media team.
Kevyn shares, “As I reflect on the journey of Our Stories, His Glory 2 over the past months, I am reminded of one of my favourite hymns, We Have a Story to Tell to the Nations (UMH569). This hymn speaks of what this project is about—sharing the stories that God has written in our lives. Each of us has a unique testimony of His love, grace and faithfulness. As we read through the stories and watch the videos featured in OSHG2, I would like to encourage everyone to pause and reflect on our personal journeys. Let us take time to pray and consider how we can share our stories in various ways.”
The team travelled across the island to shoot the videos for each of the 26 stories. The video team comprised Ian Tan, Alan Ang and Lau Hong Keen, with Kuah Kim Peow assisting. Peggie and Christina collaborated with the video team on their respective stories, including conducting the interviews with the candidates and then working out the video sequence. The shoots took place at a variety of venues, including homes, the church, a dance studio, the Wesley@Berseh Centre, the library at Trinity Theological College, MWS Bethany Methodist Nursing Home – Choa Chu Kang and and St Luke’s Hospital.
Pre-orders for the softcover book will start on 1 February 2025, available either online or at the church foyer on Sundays (2, 9 and 16 February 2025). Each book is priced at $25, with gross proceeds from orders placed up to end-April 2025, to be given to Home for Good, a registered charity that advocates fostering and adoption in the Christian community in Singapore.
LINKS:
Watch Rev Raymond Fong’s book launch video here:
www.wesley.sg/oshg2-booklaunch (video available from 1 February 2025)
Order the book here www.wesley.sg/oshg2-bookorder (from 1 February 2025)
Photos courtesy of OSHG2
Read also: ‘God Cares for Me while I Care for My Mother’: A Caregiver’s Journey
