Church

Singapore Anglicans begins centenarian celebrations

Next year will be a momentous and historical one, as the Anglican Diocese of Singapore celebrates the centenary of its formal establishment, a celebration that has already started in the form a logo designing competition.

They were the first visionaries to set foot on the shores of Singapore, then Temasek. It is possible that had it not been for the vision and faith of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles the island would have taken a very different path.

It was Raffles, himself an Anglican and a ranking official in the trading British East India Company, and those missionaries from the London Missionary Society who set foot on Temasek a little later who laid the economic and spiritual foundations for what would later become a kind of major gateway for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to reach most of the world’s unreached nations.

The Anglican Church was founded seven years after Singapore, in 1826. They erected the first church building in 1837 and founded (Mrs Maria Dyer, LMS missionary) the first girls’ school in Singapore, which was later renamed St Margaret’s School.

The St Andrew’s Church Mission was formed three decades after the local Church took root, in 1856. The city’s Christian landmark and the Diocese's cathedra, the St Andrew’s Cathedral, was consecrated in 1870. Thereafter, in 1881, Singapore was officially included in the Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and Sarawak.

And at the turn of the century in 1909, the Diocese of Singapore was established, with Rt Revd Charles James Ferguson-Davie as the first Bishop of Singapore.

During the one hundred years of its history, the Diocese has expanded to 30 parishes serving more than 21,000 believers living in different communities across the island, and her network of schools has grown to comprise six kindergartens, three primary schools, five secondary schools and one junior college, making a total of 15 educational institutions.

The Church also oversees a prolific network of social service institutions including ten child care and family service centres, and eight welfare centres and hospitals, and three community service projects.

The Diocese also takes responsibility for much of regional missions with deaneries established in six countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.

It is also the first and current seat of the Province of the Anglican Church in Southeast Asia, which was established in 1996 with the Most Revd Dr Moses Tay as the first Archbishop.

The current Bishop is the eight Bishop of Singapore and third Archbishop of Southeast Asia, Most Revd Dr John Chew.

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