Chris Tomlins words from “The splendour of the King” comes into my mind so often whilst we’ve been travelling and today we sang it in the 9am service in the Chapel For All Peoples, which is an annex to St Andrews Cathedral in Singapore, just across the square from our hotel.
I had asked when we arrived where the churches were located so that we could make a choice as to where we went today. This kinda drew a blank as the hotel staff were Hindu or Muslim, or maybe the fact that we wanted to go to church today was because we wanted to go to Mass. It seems that if you ask abpout church in a hotel it is assumed that you are Catholic (and obliged to go)!
Well, we found out by walking across to St Andrews that there were various times for services on Sundays. As the church buildings were then closed we opted for the 9 am service. We arrived and found the Cathedral full and the service of Holy Communion still some way from finishing. Another couple visiting were given some guidance as to where the 9am service was to be held, and then we were warmly greeted and shown the way, so to speak. Clutching our Holy Week services schedule we cross to a new building in the grounds and then go down in the lift to B2 level. WOW, what a church setting greeted us. Seating probably up to 1000 or more in a theatre style was the modern worship area being used for this service. Completed in 2005, the complex has quiet places as well as a state of the art sound system filling the auditorium, and we felt completely at home. The main cathedral was built on the site chosen by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823, but the building erected on the site was twice struck by lightning and closed as unsafe in 1852. The present building dates from around 1862, when it was consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta.
The 9am service structure was just like Live Out Loud or the service at Newquay where P & T worship, for those of you who don’t know it. Worship starts with corporate praise through modern worship songs and prayers which then leads on to the Word and a teaching sermon, closing with more upbeat worship to send people out fired up with the message of God’s love.
We were 2 of about 6 visitors in a congregation of approx 7-800, and were welcomed personally by one of the young stewards. The age profile was from 8-80 so we weren’t the oldest by any means. During the service one of the musicians introduced a song that he had penned back in 2004. It was sung during the service before the offertory. The musicians are producing a CD of music to be sold in aid of relief in the Philippines. I will try to get a copy when it is produced.
After a rather fine buffet lunch, (well it is Sunday after all) we get on a city hop on –off bus as part of our orientation in the city. Maps are fine, as are guide books but nothing we had gave any idea of scale, so being driven over the routes gave us just the steer we needed. We got off at the Botanic Gardens and also at the Asian Civilisations Centre, which was having a special weekend with additional events and activities. This was a cool place to go into, as the outside temperature was up around 30⁰C, and the exhibits on display had been on tour to UK, Paris, New York and now here. There was live music and dancing among other activities of the culinary and messy kids kind.
Further riverside wanderings took us past many of the must see sights including Raffles landing place. This is such a cultural meeting and melting pot of cultures that it is hard to see where, if at all, Raffles original demarcation lines occur.
After a swim we decided to crash as we have an early start tomorrow, and we still aren’t used to the 3 hour time difference from Aus waking up at 3 am instead of 6! Tomorrow as they say is another day!
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