Saint George's Church, Singapore

Saint George’s Church Singapore
Church view from Minden Road
1°18′17.39″N 103°48′54.0″E
Location	44 Minden Road Singapore 248816
Country	Singapore
Denomination	Anglican
Website	www.stgeorges.org.sg
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Heritage designation	National Monument
Designated	10 November 1978
Architect(s)	William H. Stanbury
Style	Unadorned Romanesque
Years built	1910-1913
Completed	1913
Construction cost	£2,000
Administration
Diocese	Singapore
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd. Dr. Jonathan Wong
Priest(s)	Revd. Paul Tan
National monument of Singapore
Designated	10 November 1978
Reference no.	15

Saint George's Church (Chinese: 圣乔治教堂; pinyin: Shèng Qiáozhì Jiàotáng) is an Anglican church located on Minden Road in Singapore's Tanglin Planning Area, off Holland Road.

Constructed between 1910 and 1913, the church was built for the British troops stationed in Tanglin Barracks which was once the General Headquarters of the British Far East Land Forces.

The church's community comprises members from Singapore and many other countries. They are bound by a common desire to follow Jesus Christ, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives.

Leadership

St. George's Church is a parish of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. The present vicar is Revd. Dr Jonathan Wong. He is supported by Revd. Paul Tan (Auxiliary Priest).

The previous vicars of the church include Revd. Canon Lewis Lew, Revd. Mark Roland Dickens, Revd. Canon Philip Sinden, Revd. Mervyn Moore (acting vicar), Revd. Loren Fox, Revd. Paul Corrie, Revd. John Benson, Bishop Dudley Foord (interim, vicar), Revd. Bruce Winter, and Revd. Bob Robinson.

History

Origins of the Church building – Serving the British military in Singapore

St. George's Church was constructed from materials imported from England and cost £2,000 to build.

The land was formerly used as a nutmeg plantation and it included Mount Harriet, a 103-foot high hill on which the church now stands. The land belonged to William E. Willan and was sold in 1865. However, even before the church was built, an ordained minister for the garrison was appointed in 1871.

The church's foundation stone.

The current building dates back to 1910 but there was an earlier St. George's built in 1884 near the site of the present church. Both churches were built for the British troops quartered at Tanglin Barracks which was once the General Headquarters of the British Far East Land Forces. After the British forces withdrew from Singapore in 1968, the place was used by Singapore's Ministry of Defence as its headquarters before it moved to its new premises in Bukit Gombak

From Military to Civilian Church

St. George's became a civilian church after the British troops left Singapore in 1971. It was gazetted a national monument by the National Heritage Board of Singapore on 10 November 1978, and now serves a multinational Christian congregation in Singapore.

The church's timber roof trusses.

Major Ivan Lyon Memorial

On the outside of the church is a memorial tablet to Major Ivan Lyon D.S.O. M.B.E., who was killed on his second commando raid on military shipping in the Singapore Harbour in October 1944. At the time of the raid, Singapore was more than 1,000 miles inside Imperial Japanese-held territory.

The open arched windows of the church's east side aisle.

Services

There are three regular services conducted on Sundays and one on Wednesdays. All involve lay participation:

• At 8am on Sundays and 10:30am on Wendesdays, A more traditional Holy Communion service following the Anglican liturgy, with hymns from Common Praise.
• At 10:15am, an informal service with a mix of modern songs and hymn, lead by a band, suitable for families; Holy Communion on the third Sunday of every month or at specific during Holy Week, happens after the Communion service
• At 5:30pm, an informal contemporary service; Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month, happens on afternoons after the Japanese service.

The Filipino Fellowship meets at the Lower Hall every Sunday at 12pm while the Japanese fellowship meets every Sunday at 2.30pm by the Singapore Japanese Christian Fellowship.

Additionally, a youth service will be conducted for children aged 12-19 during the 10:15am service on Sundays and sunday schools is also applied for children aged 3 to 11 during both 8am and 10:15 services.

Courses

A number of courses are run at St George's Church, including Alpha, Christianity Explored and Moore College theology courses.

Notable members

• Tony Tan Keng Yam, the 7th President of Singapore.

See also

• Anglicanism
• Anglican Communion
• Anglican Diocese of Singapore
• Bishop of Singapore
• Book of Common Prayer
• Christianity in Singapore
• Church of England
• Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers

Further reading

• Anglican Theology, Chapman, Mark. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, (5 April 2012; ISBN 978-0567008022)
• Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction, Chapman, Mark. Oxford University Press, 1st edition (15 July 2006; ISBN 978-0192806932)
• Anglicanism, Neill, Stephen. Oxford University Press, USA, 4th edition (12 October 1978; ISBN 978-0195200331)
• Singapore's 100 Historic Places, National Heritage Board (2002), Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3
• Singapore - A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996), Times Books International, ISBN 9971-65-231-5
• The Religious Monuments of Singapore, Lee Geok Boi (2002), Landmark Books, ISBN 981-3065-62-1

News articles

• "St George's Church: A sanctuary in war and peace". The Straits Times (online). 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
• "100-year-old tree gets the axe after safety inspection". The New Paper (online). 17 January 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

External links

• St George's Church – Official site
• Saint George’s Church, Singapore www.YouTube.com
• 3D tour of Saint George’s Church, Singapore