Author Description

Product Description From Mission to Church recounts how The Methodist Church in Singapore started as a Mission station in 1885 by Rev James Thoburn, its history and the challenges it faced. The efforts of missionaries and local workers began to bear fruit by the outbreak of the Pacific War, later setting the stage for the inauguration of the Southeastern Asia Central Conference in 1950. It was to lead to the autonomy of The Methodist Church in Malaysia and in Singapore after many twists and turns. Review This book offers a fascinating and poignant account of the missional, organisational and ecclesiastical developments in Methodism not only in Singapore, but also in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Burma, with reference to developments in America and India...Perhaps the most useful part of the book is its account throughout on how Methodism grew and developed in Singapore, growing from the initial stages as a fledgling new work on our shores to becoming an autonomous national church. --Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore About the Author Earnest Lau served for many years as an educationist prior to being appointed the Archivist of The Methodist Church in Singapore. He was a teacher and Principal of Anglo-Chinese School, and latterly Director of the Regional Language Centre (RELC). He was educated at Oberlin College in the United States, and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read history. For many years, he has been closely connected with the Methodist Church, serving the local church, Annual Conference and the General Conference.