Saint George's Church, Singapore

1°18′17.39″N 103°48′54.0″E / 1.3048306°N 103.815000°E / 1.3048306; 103.815000Location44 Minden Road
Singapore 248816Country SingaporeDenominationAnglicanWebsitewww.stgeorges.org.sgHistoryStatusParish churchArchitectureHeritage designationNational Monument^[1]Designated10 November 1978Architect(s)William H. Stanbury ^[2]StyleUnadorned RomanesqueYears built1910-1913Completed1913 ^[3]Construction cost£2,000AdministrationDioceseSingaporeClergyVicar(s)Revd. Canon Dr Lewis LewPriest(s)Revd. Paul TanDesignated10 November 1978Reference 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.^[4]

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. Canon Dr Lewis Lew.^[5] He is supported by Revd. Paul Tan (Auxiliary Priest).

The previous vicars of the church include 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 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.^[6] It was gazetted a national monument by the National Heritage Board of Singapore on 10 November 1978,^[7] and now serves a multinational Christian congregation in Singapore.

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.^[8]

Services

There are three regular services conducted on Sunday. All involve lay participation.

• a more traditional Holy Communion service following the Anglican liturgy, with hymns from Common Praise
• an informal service with a mix of modern songs and hymns, suitable for families; Holy Communion on the third Sunday of every month
• an informal service; Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month

The Filipino Fellowship meets at the Lower Hall every Sunday at 12pm while the Japanese Fellowship meets every Sunday at 2.30pm

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

References

Further reading

Protestantism

Megachurches	City Harvest Church New Creation Church Faith Community Baptist Church Lighthouse Evangelism
Anglican	Anglican Diocese of Singapore St Andrew's Cathedral St Matthew's Church Saint George's Church Holy Trinity Anglican Church Church of Our Saviour
Assemblies of God	Elim Church Grace Assembly of God
Baptist	Singapore Baptist Convention
Bible-Presbyterian	Bible-Presbyterian Church Life Bible-Presbyterian Church
Evangelical Free	Covenant Evangelical Free Church
Independent	Bethany Independent-Presbyterian Church Cornerstone Community Church Heart of God Church
Lutheran	Lutheran Church in Singapore
Methodist	Methodist Church in Singapore Wesley Methodist Church Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church Faith Methodist Church Kampong Kapor Methodist Church Barker Road Methodist Church
Pentecostal	The Alliance of Pentecostals and Charismatics The Assemblies of God in Singapore
Presbyterian	Presbyterian Church in Singapore Singapore Life Church Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church Bethel Presbyterian Church Orchard Road Presbyterian Church

Catholic ChurchOriental OrthodoxEastern Orthodox

(Ecumenical Patriarchate-affiliated)	Ecumenical Patriarchate Diocese of Singapore
(Moscow Patriarchate-affiliated)	Moscow Patriarchate Diocese of Singapore

Interdenominational
organisations