People

It was daunting to consider starting a family life ministry in church. At the time, I was juggling family and church commitments with a heavy course-load in my counselling programme at Bible College. I was very hesitant.

I believe that youths are the future of our nation. It is therefore my mission to love and walk with them.

Life has a way of bringing unexpected challenges, and for me, one of the greatest struggles was learning to trust God in uncertain times. In 2010, I migrated from India to Singapore, filled with hope and uncertainty. For almost a decade, my family and I faced numerous struggles trying to settle down.

When I was 10 years old, my mum brought my brother and me to Paya Lebar Methodist Church (PLMC). My fondest memories of my younger days were my loving Sunday School teachers and the youth camps I attended.

As Methodists, hymnody is more than musical faith expression—it is theology set to music. Having served in the music ministry since the millennial turn, sacred music has helped deepen our faith. A decade ago, heeding the call to "sing to the Lord a new song", we started composing pieces that we hoped would reflect timeless Christian truths, faith journeys and spiritual struggles.

I was born and raised in a Hindu family. As a teen in the 1980s, I had no knowledge about Christ nor did I have any Christian friends. I even told my mother that I would never marry a Christian, but God had different plans for me.

"Hello! Welcome to church!" This might be what you'll hear me say a lot of times on a Sunday as an usher. Welcoming all who attend Sunday service and directing them to their seats is essentially what ushers do. However, there's a lot of thought that goes behind how ushers work together to provide the warm atmosphere as the first point of contact, when someone enters the sanctuary.

My family was raised in Fairfield Methodist Church (FFMC). I have been here all my life, save for three and a half years when my husband was posted overseas. After returning, we asked ourselves if FFMC was still the church for us. We sought a more vibrant community, but God didn't tell us to leave.

My parents separated when I was a young child. My late mum worked two jobs to raise me singlehandedly. As I was often alone and feeling lonely, she decided to let me attend Sunday school at Geylang Chinese Methodist Church located just across from our house, although she was not a Christian.

Coming from a non-Christian family, I was only exposed to Christianity when I started attending ACS (Junior) and heard about Jesus through chapel and morning devotions. I remember Pastor Barnabas Chong preaching about Jesus every week, and we also used to have Fun Time where we would watch VeggieTales and sing and dance to Christian songs.

I work in the social work arena as a Social Assistance Officer. I attribute my social work calling to Christ because I would not have taken this route otherwise.

My personal journey with the Lord began when I was 13 years old. At a youth camp, I made the decision to give my life to the Lord and accept him as my personal saviour. It was a decision that would shape the rest of my life.