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  NEW YORK – Pope John Paul II is being remembered by United Methodists as one of the great leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. The 84-year-old pontiff, whose health had taken a serious decline over the past few weeks, died on April 2 at the Vatican in Rome. Bishop William B. Oden, ecumenical officer […]

MY GRANDFATHER didn’t care much for Roman Catholics with good reason. Working as a missionary in the jungles of Mindinao in 1918 he barely escaped death at the hands of Jesuit zealots who saw it as their divine duty to drive out Protestant missionaries. His brush with death left him convinced that the Roman Catholic […]

‘“CAN anything be done to bring the Gospel to the thousands of seamen who sail in and out of this harbour every month?” inquired an old salt, a Norwegian captain who has been sailing in and out of Singapore for twenty years. “If God leads us to find the proper man I will be responsible […]

Twelve good years, fruitful and challenging TWELVE good and fruitful years on the whole, although the first few years were “challenging years”. The Rev Dr Isaac Lim said this at a recent farewell interview with Methodist Message after he retired as President of TRAC last November. He announced his early retirement at the 29th Session of […]

Nearly 80 years ago, Ho Seng Ong, educationist and one-time Methodist Education Secretary, had some pertinent things to say about the aims of education. He made these points, still relevant today, as Schools Editor of the Malaysia Message.   ‘… TO MY fellow teachers, I wish to address myself next. Our task is a noble […]

In the beautifully crafted Letter to Philemon, Paul tells Philemon and the church in his home how grace should work out in their situation. Scholars disagree as to how Onesimus actually met up with Paul – was it a coincidence, or did he actually seek out the apostle? If the latter, why? We don’t know. […]

We are familiar with James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who, together with Peter, were the closest disciples of Jesus. But who was Zebedee, their father, and how did he view his sons’ change of business plans? “Voices from Scripture” is a work of fiction in which we imagine the thoughts and feelings of […]

“Voices from Scripture” is a work of fiction based on some references in Scripture to “minor” characters. This issue’s article features Lucas. Lucas is an imaginary leader of the Corinthian Church. He is a merchant by trade, hosts house gatherings in his home and is generally a good man. However, he has been swayed by […]

FORMER students and parishioners of the Rev Dr Douglas Wingeier will be glad to know, and congratulate him for his honour of receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award recently from Boston University School of Theology. This event took place at a special luncheon during the 50th reunion of the class of 1954 of the school in […]

  LONDON — Two Methodist pastors have taken up seats in Britain’s House of Lords. The Rev Leslie Griffiths, Superintendent Minister at Wesley’s Chapel in London, and the Rev J. Roger Roberts, a minister serving in the Welsh Dyffryn Conwy Circuit, were among the 46 people awarded “life peerages” for their service and contributions to […]

IT’S nice to sit down with a hot drink after a difficult day, though I suppose it’s all partly my fault. But if that Syntyche hadn’t … no, I mustn’t think that way. Clement was very clear when he said that we had to forgive and work together again in our little church. Forgiveness means […]

“Voices from Scripture” is a work of fiction based on some references in Scripture to “minor” characters. As the Bible gives us few lines about these people, this series imagines what they would have been like, their personality, and what their thoughts could have been in the situations mentioned. It is hoped that as the […]