Into the Deep

by Bethany Khng

The church family of Mount Calvary Baptist Church was ‘settling’ quite snugly and happily at the tuition centre at Bukit Batok. We entered into our third year in 1996. The Lord has been good to us. The attendance was encouraging with some regular visitors joining our fellowship. Although we were feeling the space constraint a little, the folks were willing to put up with the inconveniences and noise problems with the thin partitions could hardly be expected to keep out. We needed more room, but where to get a bigger place, considering the difficulty of getting an “approved” place for religious activities in Singapore? And with property prices escalating, how could a young church afford to pay for a building?

He, Whose ways are higher than our way, and Whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts, knew all our cares and burdens even before we presented them to Him. 

On the 23rd August 1996, John was looking at the “Shops For Sale” column under the classified ads, when we saw a 2000 sq. ft. double storey renovated shophouse at Geylang. The agent had advertised it as being “suitable for association/institution/church”. The asking price was $1.35 million. Over the past few months, we had learnt to be more “down-to-earth” and to accept the fact that in Singapore, one could hardly expect to get a sizeable piece of land for anything less than $1 million. So the price appeared reasonable. The place was ideally located along Lorong 25, which was 5 minutes from the MRT station. That would be very convenient as far as transportation was concerned. We were also aware that it was in a mixed residential and commercial area, which meant that there was a “good chance” of getting the approval for change of use from the URA (Urban Renewal Authority), especially, if there are already in existence other associations, temples or churches around. By now, we were quite familiar with that area. Yes, there are a number of associations, temples and even a church – the Coronation Baptist Church – on the next street, along Lorong 25A. However, the only set-back was that, this property in question was an intermediate shophouse and the owner was quite firm about not lowering his price of $1.35 million. We were prepared to pay $1 million, and even that would mean, having to scrape to the bottom of the barrel for every cent saved. 

Then, we saw another advertisement for a double-storey shophouse with the same built-in area, around the same location, for $1.16 million. John paged the agent and found that this shophouse, No. 3, is a corner shophouse located two doors away from No. 7 Coronation Baptist Church. It was on street 25A just across the Aljunied MRT station. John made an appointment to view the place on Saturday (24th August) morning. He went with Anna and Joshua, as I had to go to school for a meeting. When he came home, I turned pale when he told me that he had handed the agent a $5000 deposit to hold the place until Sunday. I thought he was out of his mind! 

“But…but…but…how do you know the church will approve? Where are we going to get the $1 million?”

That Saturday happened to be Men’s Fellowship and John had the opportunity to share with the 7 men present about the building. Great must have been their consternation, I believe, for, instead of going for dinner, the whole group drove to view the property at No. 3 Lorong 25A to see if their pastor had made the right decision or a “suicidal” one. It seemed that all of them took to the place almost immediately. As for me, I couldn’t sleep the whole night, trying to figure out how the Lord was going to supply our financial needs. Oh, people like Hudson Taylor and George Muller were different! They were great missionaries with great faith in God. But what are we…who are we? Small men trying to serve the Lord with little faith? Yes…and no. Small men with little faith – maybe, but we have a great and faithful God, who was also the God of Hudson Taylor, George Muller and Who owns the cattle of a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine. Surely, He will keep his promise in Philippians 4:19 to supply “all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” just as he have provided money to support Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission and Muller’s orphanages. 

When the Lord told Simon in Luke 5:4, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught”, Simon replied, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net”. It seemed like the Lord was challenging us to do just that. Do we dare to “launch out into the deep” and take the first plunge of faith? We had been praying and asking the Lord to supply a bigger place – one that could be approved for religious use and now the opportunity was opened to us. Dare we accept it?  In my cowardly, rather “kia-see” heart, I must have whimpered, “Master…I don’t know if that is the right choice. My faith is so little…nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net…”

The next day (Sunday), at an Urgent Business Meeting, the pastor explained to an anxious flock what had done. The church took a vote – with 98% “aye” and 2% “nay” – to purchase the piece of property. The members went to view the place that Sunday afternoon. (How funny, I mused. The dear folk at Mount Calvary had made a decision to support the purchase of a $1 million building that they had not seen. Madness? Or sheer loyalty and trust in the Pastor’s leadership.) 

We came, we saw and we liked it. It was a neat little place – completely vacant alright, sans rooms, sans air-conditioning, sans utilities, sans everything! John negotiated with the owner through the agent, Kellie, and the final price was reduced to $1.07 million. Kellie later told us that after John gave her the $5000 deposit, 4 other churches turned up and wanted to buy the place. One of them even offered a higher price, but she had taken the cheque from John and could not back out of the deal. Any property suitable for church use in land-scarce Singapore is ‘hot’ property. 

The rest is history. Although the decision to purchase No. 3 Lorong 25A is the biggest financial commitment we have got ourselves into, the Lord has been faithfully supplying our needs through the givings of His people. The place is tastefully and comfortably renovated. We thank and praise the Lord that the folks continue to serve Him faithfully. Every piece of job done for the Lord is sacred, from the preaching to the singing, right down to the maintenance of the building. The Lord has seen fit to add to His Kingdoms souls saved over the past few months. To God be the glory great things he hath done!