Dearly Beloved Brethren and Friends,

On 28th June 1987, Tabernacle BP Church had her inaugural first worship service in a warehouse industrial unit in Tampines. Initially we wanted to use an old village house in the north (near NTU) but God directed our path to the east in Tampines. We were fearful to start a new Church and wanted to try out a monthly worship service but again God, using Rev Timothy Tow, ‘pushed’ us out to the deep to be independent and function fully as a Church since 1987.

We started with many ‘supporters’ from Life BP Church then but gradually they departed and only a few were left to continue the work of the Church in Tabernacle BPC. God has His purpose to use us to reach out to a new group of people. The call to obey the Great Commission by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20 must be heeded or else the Church will decline spiritually.

Today is 28 June 2015 and 28 years have passed since the first worship ser-vice at Tabernacle BP Church. It is by God’s grace and mercy that we are preserved and we can be here today to commemorate our 28th Thanksgiv-ing Anniversary. Indeed praise God from whom all blessings flow. It is of God’s sovereign will that He has brought each one of us to Tabernacle BP Church in different period with a purpose. We are in this Church not by chance but by divine appointment that we can be together to serve God and build His Church in the most holy faith.

In these past 28 years we have failed the Lord many times with our lack of zeal and devotion to His Word and work and even in our Lord’s Day worship. Often we do not have the love for the dying souls of people to reach out to them with the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are contented to sit back in Church and merely come on Sunday for 2 hours and then go home and live our own lives. May the Lord have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and revive us! The Lord has never failed us and may we never fail the Lord. The Lord has always been faithful to us and may we too show our faithfulness to Him and increase in this fervour too.

What will the future hold for us and how will the Lord lead and guide us? I do not know but I know from God’s Word that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that He will preserve His Church for His glory. Our Church name “Tabernacle” was given to us by Rev Timothy Tow. Tabernacle is a tent and our current premises is our 4th place that we use for our worship services. Do we have to move again? The Lord knows and we trust Him to lead and provide for us. As we wait upon the Lord, it is our responsibility and duty to labour on and give our best to our God and let Him use us for the extension of His Kingdom. Let everyone from the youngest to the oldest arise and labour for the Lord in these last days and may our hearts be united to serve Him always.

With fear and trembling, let this prayer for our Church come from our hearts to our Almighty loving Heavenly Father “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).

Elder John Leong