Saint George's Church () 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 owned by the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. The present vicar is Rev. Ian Hadfield. He is supported by Rev. Dr. Soh Guan Chin (Associate Priest) and Rev. Paul Tan (Auxiliary Priest). The previous vicars of the church included Rev. Mark Roland Dickens, Rev. Canon Philip Sinden, Rev. Mervyn Moore (acting vicar), Rev. Loren Fox, Rev. Paul Corrie, Rev. John Benson, Bishop Dudley Foord (interim, vicar), Rev. Bruce Winter and Rev. 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 Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

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 {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

as its headquarters before it moved to its new premises in

Bukit Gombak Bukit Gombak is a subzone of Bukit Batok, Singapore. It is a hilly neighbourhood in the west-central area of the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. In the Malay language, ''bukit'' means hill and ''gombak'' a bunch or collection of somethi ...

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 A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

by the National Heritage Board of Singapore on 10 November 1978, 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.

Services

There are three regular services conducted on Sunday. All involve lay participation. *a more traditional

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

service following the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

liturgy, with hymns from ''Common Praise'' *an informal service with a mix of modern songs and hymns, suitable for families;

on the third Sunday of every month *an informal service;

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.

References

News articles

* *

External links

St George's Church – Official siteSaint George’s Church, Singapore
www.YouTube.com
3D tour of Saint George’s Church, Singapore
{{Authority control Churches completed in 1913 20th-century Anglican church buildings Churches in Singapore Anglican church buildings in Singapore Tourist attractions in Singapore Landmarks in Singapore National monuments of Singapore Tanglin 1913 establishments in British Malaya 20th-century architecture in Singapore