Over recent months, the Lord has placed a growing burden on the hearts of some in our midst, particularly Pr Cornelius Koshy, for the many Burmese (Myanmar) friends living among us in Singapore—men and women working, studying, and seeking community far from home. We believe this is a providential opportunity to share the Gospel and to build up fellow believers in the Word, right here at our doorstep.
Two portions of Scripture that speak of God’s desire for people from all nations to be brought together, come to my mind:
The vision is threefold:
Hearing the Scriptures in one’s language opens doors for understanding, comfort, and transformation. We long to see Burmese men and women come to Christ and grow as disciples who love His Word and walk in His ways.
We thank God that He has moved Pr Cornelius to take preliminary steps to seek the BOE’s guidance on beginning this ministry. He has offered to organise and preach for this fellowship. Bro. Lal Hu Thang (Timothy), an FEBC student from Myanmar who worships with us, will interpret into Burmese and assist Pr Cornelius in his care for the participants. Pastor and BOE will provide counsel and leadership to this ministry. We pray that GBF will be a ministry that is doctrinally faithful, spiritually warm, and missions-minded, working in unity with our church’s leadership and vision.
Beloved, let us remember that people of many nationalities have come to our doorsteps by God’s design. May we be good and faithful stewards of this opportunity with joy and obedience. We are not merely starting a programme, but opening our hearts to God’s work around us, leading us to the Gospel door He has opened before us. “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (Acts 11:21).
Let us pray, and offer our support to GBF, which will hold its first meeting today. Make this a matter of earnest prayer: (i) for conversions and spiritual growth; (ii) for unity, wisdom, and strength; (iii) for Pr Cornelius and Bro. Timothy, and all others who will minister in GBF from time to time; (iv) for open doors in schools, workplaces, homes, etc.
If you know Burmese friends or colleagues, kindly invite them. Offer to accompany them to their first meeting.
Offer your labour of love in practical ways (transport, refreshments, etc., when needed). As the Lord leads, support this ministry with designated gifts.
May the Lord establish the work of our hands, and may His name be glorified among the people of Myanmar here in Singapore. Let us walk by faith together, and expect great things from our gracious God.
Written by Pr Cornelius Koshy
It was in 2023, when our church resumed door-to-door evangelism, that I noticed an increase in the number of Burmese helpers employed in the homes of Singaporeans. Most spoke a smattering of English, which was enough to hold a simple conversation. Through these brief interactions, I learnt that many of the Burmese were Buddhists, and a handful were Christians (from Baptist or Pentecostal churches in Myanmar). Back then, we did not have any Burmese tracts to pass to these helpers. Realising the need, and with permission from Pastor, I contacted Rev. Biak Lawm Thang (pastor of First B-P Church in Yangon, Myanmar) to help translate the tract, “An Appointment to Keep”. Though it had been initially translated back in 2008 (by Eld. Ram Luai), upon my request, Rev. Biak arranged for Rev. Lal Lian Uk (assistant pastor of First B-P Church) to re-translate it, and the soft copy of the translation was sent to us. It was formatted by Bro. Matthew Peh, and with the coordination of Dn Lok, 5,000 copies of this Burmese tract were printed in Singapore. To date, we continue to use this Burmese translation of the tract to bring the Gospel to Burmese contacts during our monthly evangelism sessions.
The political unrest caused by the junta rule in Myanmar’s military has not improved. To be precise, it has been four years since the military carried out a coup d’état in February 2021. It is no surprise that, in Singapore, we see a growing Burmese community, especially in the food and service sectors. Some of us have Burmese colleagues at work and classmates in school, while others engage cleaning services provided by Burmese workers. Many Burmese have come through our door and sat with us in the pews. In my heart, the burden to reach out to them grew, but I could not speak the language: “…how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14b).
In June this year, Bro. Lal Hu Thang (known to us as “Timothy” or “Hu Te”), Rev. Biak’s son, started worshipping with us in Gethsemane. Having received God’s call to serve Him, Bro. Hu Te came to Singapore to study full-time at FEBC. He actively serves in the Church Choir and Audio Video Ministry, and regularly attends prayer meetings, seminars, and fellowship groups. He has expressed to me a burden to reach out to the Burmese community in Singapore. At 23 years old, he is young and eager to serve. Back in Myanmar, he used to teach English at an agency which sent Burmese workers to other countries. With this experience, Bro. Hu Te can also interpret simple messages from English to Burmese. This was God’s timely provision for a pressing need.
With a Burmese-speaking brother in our midst, and a handful of Burmese coming to our church, the fields are white for harvest (cf. John 4:35)! Two Sundays ago, when I was talking to a Burmese worshipper who attended our English service, I was also informed that Sis. Jesimiel Lim had recently befriended a Burmese lady working at the “Bibimbap” stall in SingPost Centre (Basement 1). She had given her an RPG (Burmese) and invited her to church. This lady, who recognises some Gethsemaneans who regularly patronise the stall, has an off-day on Sunday, 12 October 2025 (today), and agreed to visit our church (God willing). She also mentioned a Burmese friend of hers, working near SingPost Centre, who is seeking a church to worship. To me, it was clear that the Burmese Fellowship had to begin without delay, “because the king’s business required haste” (1 Sam 21:8b).
I spoke to Pastor the next day. Having also observed the growing Burmese presence in Singapore and the timely arrival of Bro. Hu Te, he supported the idea and advised me to quickly inform the Board of Elders. I wrote to the BOE on 03 October, explaining the background, pressing need, purpose and format of the proposed Gethsemane Burmese Fellowship (GBF). After answering a few questions, I thank God that everyone in the BOE heartily and fully supported the start of the GBF. God’s guiding hand is seen in the church leaders’ unanimity and blessing upon this work (cf. Psalm 133:1; Acts 15:28).
God’s providing hand was also seen in the procuring of Burmese Bibles and hymnbooks. What is a fellowship without God’s Word translated into the vernacular? Praise God for the Judson Bible, translated by Adoniram Judson (the American Baptist missionary to Burma in the 19th century), which is the Burmese translation of Scripture based on the divinely inspired and preserved Hebrew Masoretic Text and Greek Textus Receptus. These are the same texts underlying the KJV. The Judson Bible was our choice, but purchasing copies in Singapore was expensive. On the night of 07 October, I received a kind offer from Eld. John Leong and Pr Kelvin Li of Tabernacle B-P Church (who were on a planned mission trip to Myanmar from 08-13 October 2025) to bring back 10 Judson Bibles and 10 hymnbooks from Myanmar for the GBF. With coordination between the family members of some Burmese FEBC students, the Bibles and hymnbooks will be purchased this weekend and passed to the returning mission team. For the first meeting of GBF, the Burmese students in FEBC have loaned me their personal Bibles for our use. Praise God for this timely provision of Bibles and hymnbooks for the GBF (cf. Phil 4:19)!
With GBF’s small and humble beginning, and through the monthly meetings every second Sunday of the month (12.00pm to 1.00pm), I pray that we may (i) reach out to the Burmese community in Singapore with the Gospel (Matt 28:19-20), (ii) edify Burmese Christians through the preaching of God’s Word (Col 1:28), (iii) provide godly counsel and prayer support for Burmese brethren (Gal 6:2), and (iv) in the future, to extend the Gospel to the families of Burmese brethren in Myanmar through planned mission visits (cf. Acts 1:8). The GBF will model after other ministries in Gethsemane. Preachers who are able to avail themselves will be rostered to preach, with Bro Hu Te interpreting the message. The monthly meeting will include singing and prayer in Burmese.
The Lord has certainly led us to begin the GBF, and many have responded by earnestly praying and providing help; some have offered to play the piano or guitar for the fellowship, others have bought “Burmese snacks” for refreshments. Eld. Mah has recommended that an invitation pamphlet be printed for Gethsemaneans to invite Burmese contacts. This will be done in the coming weeks. Our prayer is that this ministry will continue to be upheld under God’s sovereign leading. May He open and bless the hearts of those who attend the GBF (cf. Acts 16:14; Eph 3:20). I covet your prayers and support for this ministry: “… pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you” (2 Thess 3:1).
