Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church

Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (Chinese: 卫理公会直落亚逸礼拜堂) is a church located in the Asian nation-city of Singapore belonging to the Chinese Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore. The church is found at two locations, one (TA1) that is located along Telok Ayer Street near Chinatown in the Downtown Core, in Singapore's central business district and the other at Telok Blangah Road known as TA2. The main church building was completed in 1924 and its Telok Blangah church building in 2004.

In 1889, a Methodist missionary and medical doctor, Dr. Benjamin West, arrived in Singapore and soon after set up his dispensary and home in Japan Street (now Boon Tat Street). The Chinese living in the area were mostly Hokkiens and many were opium addicts. Dr. West started services in a rented house in Upper Nankin Street in August 1889.

At first, the congregation was mostly Hokkien-speaking. However, as more migrants came from the Methodist strongholds of Henghua, Hockchia and Foochow, many of the Hokkien speakers in the congregation left the church. Thus, two Chinese Methodist churches developed – Foochow Methodist Church and Hokkien Methodist Church developed with Lau Seng Chong and Lim Un Su as part-time pastors.

The house in Upper Nankin Street in which services were being conducted became overcrowded, so new premises were found in Japan Street for the Hokkien Church. In 1906, the Hokkien church became known as Telok Ayer Church.

In early 1913, Reverend F. H. Sullivan borrowed money and bought a piece of land at the junction of Telok Ayer Street and Cecil Street for 3,600 Straits dollars. The site was just up the road from Japan Street. A tent was put up on the vacant plot, and services and a Sunday school held here. In 1914, the tent collapsed and the church then moved to Fairfield Girls' School in Neil Road. In September 1915, the congregation returned to the Telok Ayer Street site after a building made of wood and corrugated iron was built there for about $900.

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