Home—The ACS135 Thanksgiving Service

Joy-marie Toh (MGS ’89, ACJC ’91) is the 2nd Vice-President, ACSOBA, and the Executive Producer of the ACS 135 Thanksgiving Service / Photos courtesy of ACSOBA; screenshots courtesy of Klaus Tan (ACS [I] ’18)

Guest of honour and ACS Old Boy Bishop Dr Gordon Wong delivered the sermon and led “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” Mr Richard Seow, Chairman of the ACSBOG, welcoming ACSians to the ACS135 Thanksgiving Service

135 years on, the best is yet to be

The ACS135 Thanksgiving Service

Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham 1 March is a day deeply etched into the hearts of ACSians— what those from the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) family of schools call themselves. It’s a reminder of God’s continued blessings upon our school and causes us to reflect upon the tenacity and vision of our founder, Bishop William Fitzjames

Oldham. ACS Founder’s Day is an institution of its own; the schools celebrate with much pomp and ceremony, and alumni look forward to reliving school days with friends and former teachers.

This 135th Founder’s Day was meant to be a grand endeavour. Echoing the celebration held in the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2011, 10,000 ACSians were poised to congregate at the stadium to commemorate yet another milestone year. Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions did not permit that plan to go ahead.

The path of least resistance would of course have been for us to blame the pandemic for the disruption and then hope for a better age. But that’s not the ACS nor the ACSOBA way. ACSians find a way—or make one.

Which is exactly what the ACSOBA did. We gathered in a different way, shaped by global events, but in a fashion that was no less meaningful.

On 1 March 2021, the ACS family congregated virtually at the ACS135 Thanksgiving Service. Produced by the ACSOBA, the service was telecast twice that day. The first telecast was at 8.30 a.m. to the eight ACS schools and their 11,000 students and 2,000 staff. The the second telecast was livestreamed at 6.15 p.m. on YouTube via the acs135.com website and made available for replay. Close to 5,000 alumni across the world have since watched the service.

We were honoured to have Bishop Dr Gordon Wong as the guest of honour. He not only delivered the devotion—“One Hope, One Heart, One ACS”—but also led in the muchloved hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. It was heartwarming to hear him share about his own experience at ACS, its impact on shaping his life and the gift of hope that we have been abundantly given.

Highlights of the Service included a virtual tour of the ONE ACS Heritage Centre, special greetings hosted by Singapore’s Number One ACS Fan, Kim Huat (as portrayed by mrbrown), a drone video of all the seven schools campuses entitled “On the Wings of Bishop Oldham’s Dreams”, “The Best Is Yet To Be”, a visual odyssey of the ACS journey from 70 Amoy Street to our most recent campus, ACS Jakarta, and the ACS135 Virtual Choir consisting of (over) 135 singers. We were also blessed with the angelic renditions of “To God Be The Glory” and “Be Thou My Vision” by members of the ACJC Alumni Choir and recollections by ACS alumni.

In celebrating our 135th anniversary, it should be clear that the Anglo-Chinese School is a work in progress, and that our motto of “The Best is Yet to Be” rings true time and again—that change and improvement have been a constant theme, although its stated ideals have remained as strong as ever. There was no “master plan” for the founding of ACS unless giving an education to as many who could benefit from it qualifies as one, and the school developed as a private Christian institution in response to the educational requirements of Singapore society. A decade ago, I had the privilege to work with the late Mr Earnest Lau, former ACS Principal, chief editor of The ACS Story and archivist at The Methodist Church in Singapore, on a comprehensive summary of our ACS history through the decades to commemorate our 125th Anniversary. It gave me an even deeper appreciation of the ACS I thought I knew. And yet, no words will ever adequately capture the ACSpirit that can only be felt by those who have lived it.

Affectionately known as the Mr Chips of ACS, Mr Earnest Lau influenced the lives of thousands of ACSians. Many older ACSians associate him with the stirring and nostalgic “40 Years On” that he taught and sang with gusto when he first joined ACS as a teacher in the mid1950s, whilst others from the 1977–83 era remember his charismatic leadership when he was principal.

The rich and storied history of ACS has since been captured by the ONE ACS Heritage Gallery, a gift from the ACSOBA to the ACS family of schools, which presents highlights of the history of the ACS family in a contemporary manner. It also showcases original artefacts from Bishop Oldham’s personal collection and memorabilia from all the ACS units. The gallery also provides tablets that contain special features, videos, interviews and archived photographs, as well as The ACS Story in a digital format. The gallery was officially opened by Mr Cecil Vivian Wong, Class of ’39 and President of ACSOBA (1958–61) on 27 July 2019 in celebration of the ACSOBA’s 105th anniversary.

On a personal note, it has been an honour of a lifetime to serve, and continue to serve, the ACSOBA. It is only through the efforts of committed alumni that we are able to carry on the traditions of ACS from generation to generation. Our buildings will crumble, the leadership of our nation and schools will change, but what must continue to endure is our commitment to God’s work through the ACSOBA and the ACSpirit.

(From left to right) Singapore’s Number One ACS Fan, Kim Huat (aka mrbrown) hosting the special greetings; Opening Hymn, “To God Be The Glory”, by the ACJC Alumni Choir at the Shaw Pool; ACS135 Virtual Choir leading in the ACS Anthem. All levels in each of the seven ACS schools were represented and alumni from around the globe participated