Our Church Timeline
1885
William F Oldham arrives in Singapore with Rev & Mrs. Thoburn, sent by the South India Annual Conference and starts meeting with a group of Indians on Saturdays, and also begins to hold regular services in the prison on Sundays for Tamil prisoners.
1887
The first formal Tamil Methodist worship service is held: a Tamil Methodist congregation – the Tamil Methodist Society – is formed with Rev C W Underwood, a Tamil preacher from Jaffna, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), as pastor.
1889
Rev Underwood undertakes the church’s first missionary trip as he visits Tamil workers in sugar plantations in Perak, Malaya (now Malaysia).
1897
Funds are raised for an inexpensive parsonage costing $2,000 in Serangoon Road, opposite the present Kandang Kerbau Market on a piece of land which had previously been occupied by a Hindu temple.ev Underwood undertakes the church’s first missionary trip as he visits Tamil workers in sugar plantations in Perak, Malaya (now Malaysia).
1898
The first Tamil Quarterly (now, Local) Conference is held.
1899
The Women’s Foreign Missionary Society engages a Tamil Bible Woman to evangelise to Tamil women.
1912
The Epworth League (later, Methodist Youth Fellowship) is started with 43 members. It soon attracts several students from the Medical School.
1915
The members decide to purchase the land at Short Street (front half of the present site) and build a church on it to meet their growing needs.
1926
The new building, comprising the Sanctuary, a hall and a parsonage, is completed. Address: No. 1 (later, No. 14), Short Street. Rev. S. S. Pakianathan pastors the church.
1927
TMC starts Pasir Panjang preaching point at Alexandra Brickworks. The Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church is constituted in 1972. Pastoral leadership is given by Rev. M R Doraisamy.
1935
TMC starts Seletar preaching point at RAF Seletar Base which is later constituted as Seletar Tamil Methodist Church.
1937
TMC starts Sembawang preaching point at Sembawang Naval Base. The Sembawang Tamil Methodist Church is constituted that year.
1951
Rev (later, Bishop) T R Doraisamy is appointed the pastor and later becomes the first Tamil Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaya.
1955
The Batak congregation begins worshipping at the church premises.
1969
Bilingual (Tamil and English) worship services replace the separate Tamil and English worship services. Introduced by Rev R. Prabhu Das to step the falling membership. Vacation Bible School is introduced.
1975
Outreach work begins at Jurong; the preaching point is constituted as Jurong Tamil Methodist Church in 1977.
1976
“The Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore is constituted into separate national churches: The Methodist Church in Malaysia and The Methodist Church in Singapore. The Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference – (ETAC) is constituted. Evangelistic Outreach work begins in the Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood; house-church services conducted by Rev Prabhu Das. AMKTC is constituted in 1980”
1979
“TMC applies to the Commissioner of Lands for the alienation of the land behind the church for an extension project. Evangelistic Outreach work begins at Toa Payoh; the preaching point is constituted as a church in 1982.”
1983
The Commissioner of Lands offers the land to TMC for the Building Project. The church starts an evening Tamil service.
1987
TMC temporarily moves to the school hall of the Christ Church, Dorset Road, which has been made to resemble the Sanctuary at Short Street.
1989
The new building is completed and the premises are renumbered “No. 8, Short Street”. We celebrate the Moving-in Service, as we return to Short Street.
1992
A ministry among Indian nationals is started by members of the church.
1993
The group starts to take shape with more volunteers joining and the Foreign Indian Friends’ Fellowship is officially formed. The new Sanctuary and building are consecrated by Bishop Ho Chee Sin at the church’s 106th Anniversary Thanksgiving service.
1999
Telugu services, with Rev. Prabhu, providing the leadership, with a few members, provide worship for the Telugu-speaking Indian Nationals.
2006
The Sinhala Fellowship ministry is started by members of the church.
2008
Telugu Methodist Church, the 8th church in ETAC is constituted, during the pastorate of Rev Nagulan James.
2012
TAMIL METHODIST CHURCH CELEBRATED 125 YEARS OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS<br /> (From Year 1887 to 2012.)</p> <p>Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14)<br />
2018
ARISE Service started in year 2018 by Rev James Nagulan, for those who desire a worship experience in a less traditional manner. Especially for our youths to enjoy contemporary form of worship. ARISE service still has the same passion for drawing people together in faithful worship to God that is a unique characteristic of TMC.</p> <p>Serve our local community by gathering and distributing food to those in need. Build relationships with a cross-section of people in our neighborhood and beyond and reflect the caring heart of Jesus. As part of The Giving Methodist MCS, TMC Women’s Society of Christian Service, in partnership with Methodist Welfare Service, Kampong Glam Kelantan RC and Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference reached out to families in need on 24th March & 15th Sept 2018.
2020
In early 2020, the first cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) were reported in Singapore March 2020. Tamil Methodist Church suspended worship services to help ``break the chain`` of COVID-19 infection. We continue to minister and come together every Sunday through online worship service through recordings. We reached an unavoidable and painful decision to suspend Holy Communion until Church reopen.</p> <p>April 2020 – May 2020 All Church Premises closed during Covid-19 Circuit Breaker (7th April – 4th May 2020) August 2020 Safe Reopening of Church Service on 2nd August 2020. Prepacked Communion consecrated by Pastors and served. Only 50 Person can attend each service excluding volunteers.