Rev See retired on 31 Dec 2013 after 28 years of faithful service at Telok Ayer Church.
Rev See first came to Telok Ayer Church as a
theological student attached to our Church. He taught the Senior Sunday
School Choir, and at the same time served as the conductor of the
Junior Sunday School Choir. In 1971, under the conductorship of Rev
See, the Junior Sunday School Choir won the second prize in the
Singapore District Sunday School Music Competition. In the ensuing years
after Rev See’s 3 years stint in our Church, he had been to USA twice
further studies, teaching in Trinity Theological College, pastoring in
several churches in West Malaysia and Singapore. In 1986 he was posted
to Telok Ayer Chinese and has been the Pastor in charge since then for
28 years. Indeed, in these 28 years, Rev See’s ministry is a reflection
of the Chinese proverb: “Modesty Benefits” which is in his very name in
Chinese. However, Rev’s see Modesty is not to benefit himself, but
rather to benefit others.
This can be seen in the following four observations:
1. Rev
See answers every request. Whenever any church member calls Rev See,
even in wee morning hours, Rev See will readily respond. He will never
reply to say: “Sorry, today is my off-day. Please call me again
another day.” I have heard eulogies on quite a number of occasions in
wake services, where the bereaved family was so grateful to Rev See for
preaching and baptizing the deceased at the last minute request.
2. Rev
See has members’ information at his fingertips. Despite our large
membership size, Rev See remembers members’ names and the intricate
network of family trees and relationship among members. He frequently
visits members in hospitals and elder care homes. Anyone calling Rev See
about other members’ names and hospital wards will always find instant
answers. He is a walking membership database.
3. Rev
See has a spirit of steel in his humility. Jesus says: “I am gentle
and humble in heart”, yet he was tough in his criticism of the Pharisees
and in driving out the money changers and merchants from God’s temple.
Rev See is an imitator of Christ in this respect. He is quick in
reprimanding for any wrong doing. At the pulpit, we often heard his
earnest appeals and admonition on gambling, alcoholism, illicit
relationship, improper attire, and so on.
4. Rev
See leads the church with vision. When he first became the pastor in
charge in 1986, he soon started planning for the Centenary Anniversary
celebration 3 years ahead of the time. This resulted in a year-long
Centenary Anniversary celebration program in 1989. The celebration led
to the Government’s announcement of the preservation of the Telok Ayer
Church Building as a historical monument. This is an important
development for TA that allows it to stand solid in the highly lucrative
financial district. In 1997, Rev See embarked on another major
project, by rebuilding the branch church building in Telok Blangah. Rev
See called it an extension of TA and hence named it as TA2. The new
church building was completed at end of 2004. However we still could
not meet our fund raising target of $11 million. At the beginning of
2006, even though we still fell short of $2.6 million, Rev See
challenged the LCEC to take a leap of faith to plan for the dedication
of the church at end of 2006. With his vision and determination, we
exceeded our target even before end of the year. We dedicated TA2
Building on 12 Nov 2006 and hosted the Chinese Annual Conference at TA2
that year.
For
the past 28 years, Rev See’s hard work and contributions to the church
may be summarized in the three Chinese characters of his name:
施: Giving Selflessly
谦: Serving Humbly
益: Benefiting Many