8 minute read
A Facelift For Faith
If the walls could speak, they would tell us of how a dedicated group of leaders from Faith Methodist Church and Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church came together to discuss the expansion and redevelopment of the church building as far back as 2014.
By Harry Tan
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“For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.” Hebrews 3:4
The project had to meet the needs of both churches and their respective ministries. The inconveniences arising from the church redevelopment these past months were subtle and posed few issues, thanks to a dedicated team who had planned meticulously from the
start to minimise the impact. According to Faith’s Pastorin-charge, Rev Raymond Fong, “The A&A project is more than just a physical renovation, it is a fresh vision for extending God’s Kingdom. With enhanced facilities and increased capacity, I believe we will realise our potential for more ministry opportunities and kingdom collaborations. I am excited to see what God has in store for us as we serve Him as One Family.”
Meeting The Needs Of A Growing Church
With many aspects to consider, we thank God that deliberations between the parties ultimately led to the project’s approval in 2016. Subsequently, the Addition & Alteration (A&A) works commenced in February 2017 after the architect and main contractor had been appointed.
The A&A works subcommittee* ensured that the renovation was phased in orderly fashion, and made safety at the worksite its top priority from Day One. It made plans to lessen the impact of disruptions and inconveniences on members and staff from both churches, as well as the kids from Faith Kindergarten.
“The issue of safety was uppermost in our minds,” said Frank Yee, who is the former Facilities Manager of the Joint Management Committee. “Thankfully, the A&A works ended on a clean sheet void of accidents. Also, the members’ support and understanding helped ease a load off our shoulders. Praise God!”
The team also monitored the noise level on-site, rescheduling high-decibel work to post-school hours and term holidays. While construction work went on within the premises, an alternative access was provided to church members and visitors.
Allan Poh, Faith’s Property Chairman and the one who helmed the A&A works subcommittee, added, “Our task was to ensure the church continued to function with minimal disruption, on top of overseeing the project to completion. We analysed carefully all the options available to resolve problems that arose.”
Thankfully and by God’s grace, the worksite was incident-free throughout the renovation.
Tackling An Onsite Challenge
After receiving the goahead for the project, the sub-committee looked at options for facilitating people movement between the floors in the building.
One option was the use of escalators. Though fast and efficient, that would have taken up a much larger floor area than lifts. So the team dismissed the idea and opted to install two new lifts instead.
To make way for the new lifts, the church building’s aging water tank and sprinkler system was relocated to the basement. In order for
ADDITIONS & ALTERATIONS @ 400 COMMONWEALTH DRIVE
THE PROJECT FOCUSED ON THREE KEY AREAS:
LIFT UPGRADING
On top of upgrading the existing lifts, two new lifts have been installed. Together, all four lifts in the church lobby will effectively shorten waiting time for transfers between floors during peak periods, and will be especially crucial to the church’s silver population. (Due to space constraints, the two new lifts do not service the basement.)
LEVEL 4 & 5 RESTRUCTURING
The restructured Level 4 opens up more ancillary rooms for the various Ministries to conduct courses and activities. Relocating the church office to the new Level 5 has freed up space for this purpose, and also houses the church staff under one roof. The church staff previously worked at two separate offices.
COVERED LINKWAY The new pedestrian linkway provides shelter and shade from the patio outside the Level 1 pantry to the church gate next to Commonwealth MRT Station. There are plans by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to extend the covered linkway from the church gate all the way to the adjacent MRT Station and bus stop.
Kairos
Charis Hall & Logos (top left corner) Agape Doulos
the new 40-cubic metre capacity tank system to sit on solid foundation, piling had to be done to the ground to reinforce it. But alas, the basement’s low ceiling would surely impede the work. Thankfully, the resourceful contractor found a quaint solution; he deployed the smallest piling machinery available and got on with the job!
Edna Wong, the Administrative Manager at Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church (QCMC) recounted how the redevelopment project was a test of faith for both churches. “Understandably, we had to deal with common logistical issues and cope with the disruptions. In the end, God saved the day. With the completion of the project, we look forward to a new season of serving with Faith together as one for His glory!”
~ Esther Ong, Pastoral Team Member at Faith
Relocation of sprinkler tank at Basement 1
SCALE : 1:250
Cross beams at Charis Hall
Compliance To Rules Is Serious Business
The church premises were last renovated in 2003. Since then, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) codes and rules to the Fire Safety Act (FSA) were revised extensively. But as compliance is a must, we conformed to the new rules.
The new measures in place included:
• Fire engine access:
New regulations require the church premises to provide access for two fire engines in case of a fire. Hence, the existing driveway had to be modified. All drivers and vehicle owners must adhere strictly to the NO
PARKING rule on the driveway at all times.
• Smoke-stop lobby (SSL):
Each of the three staircases now has a smoke-stop lobby to facilitate fire escape exits. • A new Fire Command
Centre has been set up to house all building supervisory and monitoring systems.
• A two-way intercom for each SSL and a demarcated area for people with disabilities have been installed. For the entire building, a one-way communication is mandatory.
With the facelift, Faith heralds a new phase as she embraces the direction of One Family, One Word, One Mission, set earlier this year by our PIC, Rev Raymond Fong. Many things are in store for us as a church family and we look forward to serving God and the community for many years to come!
Praise God! Let’s give God the glory for enabling us to see through the church A&A works in good time for Faith’s 52nd anniversary!
“God’s grace has made the project a reality. I am thankful to Rev Goh (QCMC’s PIC) and his team for raising our request with the leadership at QCMC to review the case on redeveloping the building. We should be mindful that the redevelopment of a church building is not as paramount as the constant renewal of our mind and spiritual life. Read prayerfully the verses from Hebrews 3:1-6, 12-15.”
~ Rev Edwin Wong, former PIC at Faith (2014–July 2017)
Harry and wife Grace with her sister Kwee Hong attend the 11am service Small Group. They are part of the fisherman.gr led by Ivan Goh.
~ Jason Goh, Faith’s Director of Operations and Administration
Level 5 church corporate office
Level 4 corridor to ministry rooms
It is worthwhile noting that the blueprint of the preceding church rebuilding project in 2003 included a structural provision for an additional floor between Level 4 and the Attic, in anticipation of revisions to the current URA guidelines. This far-sighted strategic provision enabled the allocation of more space to Level 4, more to be shared by both churches for their ministry activities.
~ Andrew Seow, former Operations Manager at Faith
Nightview of our church building (Second winning photo by Yip Yeng Yoong)
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