About Us
Our History
In late 2004, upon the recommendation of the then TRAC President, Rev Dr Isaac Lim, the Chairman of the Anglo-Chinese School Board of Management, Mr Tan Wah Thong, invited Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) to consider setting up a Preaching Point at ACS (International) and provide Christian ministry to the school.
The BRMC Local Church Executive Committee on 8th November 2004 was advised of the invitation and began to prayerfully consider the invitation. The BRMC LCEC on 12 January 2005 appointed a Task Force to study the proposal.
Following the report of the Task Force on 7 February 2005, which recommended the formation of the Preaching Point, and also recommended for the Preaching Point to form a Local Conference within five years, the LCEC approved the setting up of a Preaching Point at ACS (International).
On 2 July 2005, a memorandum of understanding entitled “Partnership Between Anglo-Chinese School (International) & Barker Road Methodist Church” was signed between ACS (International) and BRMC to provide Christian ministry to the school and establish the new Preaching Point.
The new Preaching Point started in July 2007 and was known as Holland Village Preaching Point. The first service was held on Sunday 8 July 2007. From its inception, a Working Committee was formed to support and lead the work of the Preaching Point together with the pastors assigned to the Preaching Point. That committee was chaired by Mr Mun Kwok On.
After more than four years of existence and steady growth, the leaders of the Preaching Point together with its pastors then, Rev Wee CS David and Rev Bernard Chao, prayerfully discerned that the congregation was ready, and it was time for the preaching point to be formed as a local church. The BRMC LCEC gave its assent on 7 May 2012 and the TRAC Executive Board gave its approval on 10 May 2012.
Holland Village Methodist Church was thus birthed and properly constituted on Sunday 8 July 2012, exactly five years from the time of the first service of the preaching point.
Our Logo
The HVMC Logo is a picture composed of mosaic pieces. These mosaic pieces represent what composes the faith community at Holland Village Methodist Church. We believe that the central focus of the church is our Lord Jesus, and therefore the cross takes center stage.
The colour blue represents our water baptism whereby we are a forgiven people, and the living water Jesus offers to the world. The colour red represents both the blood of Christ by which we have become a people of God, and our baptism of fire in the Holy Spirit who empowers us in our life and witness.
The uneven, odd and different pieces of mosaic reminds us that the church, the body of Christ, is made up of, and embraces, persons of all races, languages, nationalities, and personalities. The way they fit together reflects God’s design for the church, where every person counts because we bring our different spiritual gifts, and efforts, to present Christ more fully by our life and service, expressed through our love for God, love for one another in this community of faith, and love for others beyond.
This background of blue signifies our historical and spiritual link with Anglo-Chinese School (International), the context in which our congregation was birthed, and the context in and through which we express the ministry of our church.
The four blue quadrants represent our mission focus outside our congregation – our family, friends, colleagues and those in our sphere of influence; the students, teachers and parents of Anglo-Chinese School (International); the community living and working around us in the private estate, HDB estate and Holland Village businesses; and the nations beyond.
The overall picture resembles a crossroad – which is symbolic of the physical village we find ourselves located, but also represents our hope to be a community that leads others into the most important crossroad of their life – to meet the living Christ, and decide to follow Him.
Our Vision
Nourished to Flourished: Building Up & Reaching Out to Every Generation
Our vision is rooted in Psalm 1:1-3, which illustrates for us the model disciple who follows closely after God and his Word in the midst of a sinful and corrupt world. The disciple is likened to a tree, with roots planted close to water and, nourished by the water, endures the seasons and flourishes, bearing fruit even in the face of adversity. For the disciple, such fruit is expressed not just in his or her own spiritual growth but also in making disciples and helping others grow in their spiritual lives.
Psalm 145:4 reminds us, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts,” which presents us with the added dimension of making disciples across generations as we marvel at the great work of God in sending Jesus into our world, and the mighty acts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
In 2023, we draw on the imagery that the Apostle Paul uses in Philippians 3:14 to “Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” remembering how far we have come, but pressing on in our calling and vision to be, “Nourished to Flourish: Building Up & Reaching Out to Every Generation.” To that end, we press on in the 5 areas of focus which God has directed us to as we enter the next 10 years of our journey as HVMC.
As we begin 2023, we are ever mindful that it is the work of the Holy Spirit that will bring about the fruit that we desire. Let us always keep to mind the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:2-3, that in our life and ministry at HVMC, we may always “Serve one another with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” May God strengthen us that we may press on in our vision, to be Nourished to Flourish: Building Up & Reaching Out to Every Generation. As we partner God in what He is doing in our church, we invite you to participate by your prayer and service. To God be the Glory, the Best Is Yet To Be! Amen.
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As a church, we are thankful that we are able to return to regular rhythms of worship in the second half of 2022 and continue to envision our services as one for all AGES - Authentic, Grounded, Engaging and Spirit-filled. While we livestream our services weekly, we encourage congregation members who are physically healthy to return to church for worship and other activities and will keep our monthly Coffee Time after service on the last Sundays of every month to build it as a platform for welcoming and directing guests to suitable discipleship platforms.
Aligned with our direction Pressing On, our four sermon series for this year will be:
Book of Joshua (Jan, Feb & April) – Pressing on to Trust God’s Promises
The Lord’s Prayer (Mar) – Pressing on through Prayer
Gospel of Mark (Jul – Sep) – Pressing on in Following Jesus’ Mission
God and Family (Oct) – Pressing on to Restore our Relationships
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Life Groups remain one of the most important means of discipleship (Acts 2:42-27) for HVMC. From the early Methodist movement, small groups were encouraged to form and develop so that members could be accountable to each other, receive support from one another and be challenged to grow in their faith and discipleship. Taking up TRAC President Rev Stanley Chua’s challenge to recover and practice “The General Rules of the Methodist Church,” HVMC will examine the possibility of making Life Group participation a requirement for church membership. Following the success of last year’s Life Groups Convention in July 2022, we will be organising another Life Groups Convention on 1 May 2023 on the theme of “Adding and Multiplying.” Our prayer is that by 2025, every congregation member of HVMC will belong to a Life Group, including our youths, young adults, families, and seniors.
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As HVMC grows, we maintain that God has given every person in our congregation the necessary gifts to build up the church (Rom 12:6-8, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4:11) and everyone has a role to play. To that end, we will continue to find ways of encouraging more congregational participation in the life and ministry of the church and uncover means which will help our congregation members be equipped for the work of ministry (Eph 4:12).
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As God has revealed to HVMC our purpose as a church to provide Christian ministry and be a “beacon of truth and light” to ACS (International), our ministry to the school remains the central mission of our church. In 2023, we look forward to further strengthen our relationships with the school leaders, staff and students as well as partnering with the school to run new programs. In addition to a group of intercessors who have been praying for the school monthly, a refreshed School Ministry team has been formed from among the congregation. Areas of growth in 2023 will include the Befrienders Program and the Job Shadowing/Internship Program which will allow the church to directly engage the students.
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Youth are leaders today, not just in the future; Youths are disciple makers today, not just disciples (1 Tim 4:12). Our Youth Camp in 2022 demonstrated the potential of having our older youths take up leadership roles in the ministry and we will continue to work at equipping our youths to take on the responsibility of reaching out and building up their own generation. As a church, we pray that God will inspire our youths to form a Youth Committee while continuing to adjust our structure in a manner that will allow us to spend more time with the youths in order to disciple them to become effective disciple makers. One such change was the introduction of the monthly Saturday Youth Service in June 2022 which will increase to twice a month from January 2023.