Rev Tan Cheng Huat
Board Chairman
It was in the late seventies and early eighties that I heard of WEC. Sister Sharon P from my home church heeded God’s call to missions and was accepted by WEC to serve in French-speaking West Africa. After many years there, she returned to Singapore as a caregiver for her aged parents. It was during those years that Sharon asked if I was available to serve on the WEC board. I kept declining the invitation.
I was invited to share at the Candidate Orientation course on the topic of Church and Missions, and subsequently became more involved, sharing at the staff devotions and as speaker for some of the WEC events.
Some years later, Rev Henry Hong, who was a board member, approached me to come join the WEC board. I was not ready. After I stepped down from church pastoral leadership, I was seeking a mission organization for the last lap of my ministry. WEC again came into the picture. I was making my application to serve with WEC when my church decided to send me as a non-resident missionary to East Asia, serving with the unreached people group that we had adopted for the last 21 years.
Looking back, it was God’s timing for my involvement with WEC Singapore. Since I was not able to serve as a missionary with WEC, the then chairman of the WEC board asked if I could now consider serving as a member of the board. I recalled CT Studd’s words: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Hence began my journey on the board of WEC Singapore, first as a member and now as chair. I thank God for the faithfulness of brother Robin who held the fort at WEC Singapore for many years. I’m still learning the ropes, to serve alongside the board and staff, to surf the tides of uncertainty and more so to steer WEC Singapore beyond the 40 years of God’s leading in missions. May WEC continue to be relevant in this post-pandemic era and be on the cutting edge of evangelism, edification and empowerment.
CT Studd said it well:
“Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle.”