How many 37 years does one have in a lifetime? Yet, that is how long Felix Yeo has devoted to serving at Wesley Methodist Church as a full-time staff member. Felix’s journey at Wesley began on 1 October 1987, a time when Wesley Methodist Church was a much smaller congregation, and cassette tapes were still the common way to enjoy music.
Over close to four decades, Felix has been a constant source of support, love and inspiration to generations of Wesley members. For 32 of those 37 years, Felix served as our Director of Administration. He has been a steady presence behind the scenes, ensuring the smooth operation of our church and supporting our community in countless ways. His leadership and commitment have been instrumental in shaping Wesley Methodist Church into the thriving community it is today.
As Felix now steps down from his role to take on a new position as Senior Pastoral Team Member (PTM), Pastor-in-Charge’s Office at Wesley, Wesley TIDINGS takes this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude for his service and to learn from his insights and wisdom gained from serving at Wesley.
“Felix has had such a profound impact on the church over his 37 years of serving as Director of Administry (the ministry of Administration),” said Pastor-in-Charge Rev Raymond Fong.
“His dedication, leadership and especially his compassionate care for the staff have deeply shaped the way the church has grown in administration over the past years. We are immensely grateful for Felix’s unwavering commitment. He embodies the true spirit of Christian love and service, and his legacy will continue to inspire us for years to come.”
Life of Service, Guided by Faith
Born into a Christian family, Felix was dedicated at birth at the Salvation Army. His father worshipped at Salvation Army’s Balestier Corps, and Felix grew up actively involved in their Youth Ministry. “Although my mother worshipped with the family at the Salvation Army, but she was a member of Christ Methodist Church. So that was the only remote connection I had with a Methodist Church growing up,” recalled Felix.
Married to Geraldine for 42 years, Felix attributes his years of service to his supportive and understanding wife. “It is Geraldine’s support and understanding of my work that has made it meaningful and stress-free at home,” he shared. “She was serving with the WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) breakfast ladies, the coffee lady pre-Covid, but now worships mainly online. My children, Gareth and Gawain, are all grown up and independent and no longer worship at Wesley. I am very proud of who they have become. We continue to be a close-knit family.”
Answering the Call to the Ministry
Felix received the call into full-time ministry during his National Service days. “I wanted to pursue a psychology degree but felt and knew that God had a different path for me,” he revealed. “Instead, I went on to study at Trinity Theological College (TTC) and graduated with a degree in Divinity.”
After graduating from TTC in 1982, Felix served as an assistant pastor at Toa Payoh Methodist Church. Two years later, he left the pastoral ministry and started a childcare centre and a retail business while pursuing a career in advertising. “It wasn’t long before God came knocking on my heart again,” Felix recalled. “I chanced upon meeting Rev Isaac Lim, who was my supervisor when I was serving as a Member on Trial (MOT) at Toa Payoh Methodist Church. He invited me to join him at Wesley Methodist Church to serve as Administrative Officer in the church office, and the rest is history.”
Rising to the Challenge
At the time when Felix started at Wesley Methodist Church, it was experiencing exponential growth, and its staff members were expected to cover multiple roles. Although initially employed as an Administrative Officer, Felix was soon tasked with being the Administrator of the Wesley Centre when it officially opened in early 1983. The Wesley Centre comprised the Wesley Child Development Centre, Youth Centre, and COSC programmes, including support for the poor and needy.
“Within the first two years, I was also tasked to cover Christian education, publications as editor of Wesley TIDINGS, and soon after, oversee Property Management, Lay Personnel and Finance in the early 90s too,” Felix explained.
Despite his limited administrative experience, Felix bravely took on these challenges and additional roles. To equip himself, he pursued professional training in Personnel Management and completed an MBA in 2000. This enabled him to “take on greater responsibility for Church Administration, to support and work alongside many committed and qualified volunteers.”
Navigating Change and Growth
In the 1990s, the role of church administration evolved as many churches recognised the importance of proper management of personnel, finance and property. In the 2000s, regulatory and compliance requirements added another layer of complexity. “Volunteer management policies, internal audits, health and safety and corporate governance were introduced,” Felix shared. “I was relieved I had gone for further training to prepare myself for the evolving changes.”
“Looking back, it was God who had gone before me to prepare my path.”
Felix believes that his continual learning kept him engaged in the work. “It was interesting and a challenge to implement new initiatives brought on by the changing external environments,” he added.
Administry: A Ministry of the Church
Felix coined the term “Administry” to describe the work of Church Administration at Wesley in 2000. “I saw the work of administration as one of the ministries of the church and that all staff working in the various functions in administration are called into the church just as were the PTMs and pastors,” he explained.
It was a privilege, said Felix, to work and serve with the many volunteers in Administry and pastors. “Over the years, I have served with seven PICs (pastors-in-charge) and seven LCEC (Local Church Executive Committee) chairpersons and many, many LCEC and Administry committees,” he said. “I learnt so much from them and am thankful for their co-labour.”
A Legacy of Compassion and Grace
Tina Khoo, who has known Felix for over 30 years, described him as a man of radical compassion. “Felix is the defender of the weak and voiceless. He reminds me and others that Wesley is a church, God’s house, and not a secular organisation, and therefore, love and grace are the uppermost considerations when dealing with any issue. Felix is a gentle, gracious and big-hearted friend and person.”
Wishing Felix well in his new role at Wesley, Tina said: “May you continue to be who you are, to stand strong in your conviction and enjoy your new season of life, Felix. Thank you, you have been salt and light for God.”
Another co-worker at Wesley, Sally Ang, who knew Felix since the first day he joined, attributed Felix’s ability to connect well with those who served with him to his calm demeanour and impartial attitude when confronted with problems to resolve: “Felix is always calm and objective when faced with pressure and he gives a lot of grace when dealing with everyone. He has a caring and compassionate heart and would go to great lengths to help those in need.”
Finding Balance in Life and Ministry
Throughout his life, Felix has prioritised the importance of leading a balanced life as Christians, whether one is a full-time staff, congregant or active church volunteer. “To avoid burning out and be relevant to our community, we should pray hard and also play hard,” he advised.
To this end, beyond the walls of Wesley, one of Felix’s many hobbies is inline skating. An accomplished inline skater, Felix has received numerous commendations from the government for starting the skate assist programme that promoted park safety. “This was my Judea,” he shared.
“Through it, I met many wonderful people who got to know about the church and, for some, Jesus. I pursued international instructor and examiner certifications that brought me to cities that I would not have visited. I completed the three levels of training in Hawaii, Montreal and Munich respectively. I have coached thousands to skate and certified hundreds of inline skating instructors over eight years.”
Reflecting on the Journey
As with everything in life, there have been both happy and challenging moments for Felix during his time serving as the Director of Administry at Wesley. “There are, of course, challenging moments – moments where there are quarrels, causing division and hurt, where we allow our differing views and interests to blind us to the same grace that we all receive,” Felix reflected. “But there were many happy moments too.”
Felix counts the happiest moments as those when he sees individuals, especially staff members he is journeying with, making the effort to emulate Jesus in their lives. “It gives me joy when I witness acceptance, forgiveness and change,” he said. “Sometimes these take years to happen, but when it does, it brings warmth to my heart to see Jesus’s reign beginning to take shape.”
As he transitions to a new ministry role, Felix shared with Wesley TIDINGS a key takeaway from his 37 years of service: “Wesley is more than an organisation; it’s an organism of diverse individuals united in Christ. Each person has a place and purpose, and we should treat each other with that understanding. God works through all of us, in different ways, for our growth and His glory (Romans 8:28).”
“Everyone has a responsibility to the nation and the government,” Felix said. “We serve God, but we also live in this world and must be good citizens, respecting its laws (Mark 12:17). We are called to be salt and light, reflecting God’s values, not conforming to secular ones.”
READ also: Reflecting on a Journey of Faith: Pastor Clement Ong on His Ministry and New Beginnings
