Christ Makes Us One
We have a group of Filipina domestic helpers who worship with us every Sunday and we give thanks for members such as Pat Chan who reaches out to them knowing that it can be daunting for them to connect with the wider church community. Here, we share more about the Filipina Fellowship that she has been serving with since 1986!
Have you noticed that we have a group of Filipina domestic helpers who have been worshipping with us every Sunday? They often sit huddled together in one of the pews nearer to the back right of the sanctuary. And immediately after service, instead of heading out of church, they would meet in one of the rooms on Level 3 to catch up with one another and pray for one another.
This gathering of domestic helpers from the Philippines was started in 1985 by Beth Seow (a former member) but due to her frequent business travels, she encouraged Pat Chan to take over in 1986 as God opened Pat’s eyes to the needs of a growing wave of Filipinas who left their country to be migrant workers. Except during the COVID years, Pat has been helming a Sunday class ministering to the Filipina domestic helpers worshipping among us for four decades! Pat recognised that they have very specific needs given their constraints at work and the myriad personal circumstances that led them to their leaving home in the first place, and hence her conviction to reach out to them in Christ and to share Christ with them. She shared in an interview with Grace News in 2012, “Students here learn about Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. It’s also a venue for social interaction, emotional support, even exchange of work skills. We want them to experience God in their daily living.”
In the early years, the class size was about 25 students when off-days were not compulsorily given and so these ladies stayed on after worship service to attend the fellowship with the blessings of their employers. Some of those students had gone back to the Phillippines for theological studies and were called to full-time Christian ministry, such as Gladys Chang who’s one of our supported missionaries in Thailand, and Emilia Katalba who went on to become Dean of Lady Department in Iloilo Bible College and has since retired.
At present we have around 10 students in this fellowship and depending on their work schedule, the attendance for each meetup can vary from 2 to 10 students. Some of the students have been with us for more than a decade while some have just started working in Singapore for less than a year. Some of the students’ employers or former employers are also GBC members.
On the first Sunday of every month, Pat, almost like a mother to the students, will join in their meetup with snacks and fruits, and inquire of their well-being and prayer needs. After a short time of chatter and laughter, Pat will share a devotion from God’s Word to encourage them to turn their eyes and hearts to God. These ladies have left their families to come to a foreign place to work, and not all will encounter good employers. Their work is physically demanding with various constraints. They face the challenge of not being with their spouse and parenting their children without their presence. Thankfully, technology has enabled them to at least connect with their families more these days. In addition, there are many financial needs to meet.
In light of these, Pat often exhorts them from God’s Word to seek God in all things knowing that He has made them in His image and given them gifts. She encourages them to read God’s Word daily and to keep God’s Word close to their hearts as His Word will give them the strength and wisdom that they need in their daily living. She also emphasises the importance of prayer and urges them to cast their anxieties upon God and not be overwhelmed by their struggles. Pat’s sharing usually also includes how God has been working in her life – how He has provided for her and spoken to her through His Word – which encourages the students to trust in God’s goodness and presence, and obey Him.
In 2025, I have the privilege to partner Pat and join the students in their meetups and I have learnt much from Pat’s sharing as well. The students and I have also started going through the basics of the gospel (Who is God? Who is Man? Who is Christ? How should we Respond?) on the third Sunday of each month. These students mostly come from Catholic families and we thought it would be helpful to clarify the gospel and also use the ‘God-Man-Christ-Response’ framework to guide them in explaining and sharing the gospel as well as for their own Bible reading. We have completed it in January this year and we pray that it will be helpful to them as they meditate on the good news that we have in Christ.
At the end of each year, Pat will also host a Christmas party for the students at her place and it is a time that they thoroughly enjoy as we see the ‘ates’ (older sisters) taking charge of the food and organising games. They will invite their friends as well and last year, close to 20 ladies turned up for the party! Usually, Pat will also share a devotion during these parties but last year, God led her to ask the ladies to share one thing they were thankful for for the year past, and it was so encouraging to hear the thanksgiving and testimonies of all these ladies.
The students and their friends enjoying the Christmas party at Pat’s place!
One shared how God sustained her through abuse by her former employer and her gratefulness to her current employer who treats her well. Another shared how when her contract was completed and she was waiting anxiously for the result of her interview with a new employer, God sent a stranger to encourage her by telling her God loves her. Another shared how grateful she was to know these ‘ates’ in GBC as it was her first time working in a foreign country and with her limited English, she was apprehensive about being in church but these ‘ates’ have made her feel at home. Another shared how God has protected and sustained her family member back home through health issues. Another was excited at how God gave her the opportunity to join her employers for a trip to South Korea and she would get to experience snow for the first time in her life. Another gave thanks for how despite being physically away from her husband, God has enabled them to maintain a good and thriving relationship with daily video calls and loving words.
Despite their circumstances, these ladies chose to focus on and give thanks for what God has done and is doing in their lives and we are grateful for how they have encouraged us. We give thanks for how God has enabled this fellowship to reach out to the friends of these students such that they get to hear the good news of Christ as well during the Christmas party.
Indeed, there are many things to give thanks for in 2025 for this Filipina Fellowship. We are also thankful for:
how God sustains and strengthens Pat as she continues to love and serve the students and the opportunity for me to come alongside her to learn and serve.
the answered prayers of two of the students as they switch track from being domestic helpers to nursing care assistants. One of them underwent a 2-3 year long nursing aide course in Singapore with her former employer’s support before the transition, and another has been offered to continue to stay with her former employer, hence saving rental, as she starts her new role. We give thanks for the love and generosity of their former employers too!
how God sustains these ladies and provide for them.
As these ladies worship with us and hear God’s Word preached, pray that His Word will strengthen, encourage and challenge them to faith and obedience as the Spirit works to give understanding. We pray that more in GBC will get to know these ladies, speak Christ into their lives and be encouraged by how God is working in their lives as well.
Pastor Eugene reminded us in the recent sermon on Ephesians 2:11–22 that “we are different in many ways — we have different backgrounds, personalities, preferences, opinions, even convictions. But when we persevere in patient love for one another despite our differences, we show Jesus’ power to make us one.” May we all continue to persevere in patient love for one another and walk alongside one another well.