One MCS ¢ Jason Woo is the Communications Executive at MCS Comms. / Photos courtesy of the Rev Dr Goh Nai Lat.
Meet the Annual Conference Presidents: The Rev Dr Gregory Goh Nai Lat (CAC)
“I once tore apart a Bible!”
In the company of his friends at the youth retreat retreat.
A
The Rev Dr Goh was re-elected as President for a second term during the CAC 45th Session in 2020
nyone who knew the Rev Dr Gregory Goh Nai Lat
the universe?” recalled the Rev Dr Goh. Despite not having
when he was young might not have imagined
a clear idea of God at that time, he asked God for healing.
he would one day become the President of the
Chinese Annual Conference (CAC) and provide spiritual
“God did heal me,” said the Rev Dr Goh, “but it was not
leadership for 17 Chinese-speaking churches under The
total. That said, I have come to experience being asthma-
Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS). And he did it for
free, barring the rare episode here and there.”
two terms (2017–20 and 2021–24). Even as he sees the partial healing as a blessing from
Rejecting Christianity
God, the Rev Dr Goh feels the lingering asthma serves as
Born into a dysfunctional household where he saw
a reminder that God is faithful and He alone is more than
his mother continually interacting negatively with his
sufficient to keep him.
Christian grandmother, the Rev Dr Goh came to hate the faith. So deep was his disdain for Christianity that he
Finding faith in pre-university
ripped apart a Bible he received in school.
Being totally Chinese-educated, the Rev Dr Goh’s poor English O-level results made it difficult for him to get a
But God did not let go of him. His deeply personal faith
place in a local educational institution. This was in the early
journey with the Almighty has brought both spiritual and
days of Singapore’s nationhood, when the Government
physical healing, for the Rev Dr Goh suffered from chronic
decided to close Chinese-medium tertiary institutions. He
asthma since childhood.
eventually secured a seat in the Pre-University classes held at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
He endured many sleepless nights of struggling just to breathe. One such night, the young Rev Dr Goh’s thoughts
There, he met Mr Tan Hua Joo from Telok Ayer Chinese
drifted to life after death.
MC (TACMC), who would turn his fledgling Christian life around. Mr Tan invited him to the TACMC Youth Fellowship
“From my earliest days, I would often ask myself: Who is this
year-end retreat where he was ministered to and learned
voice speaking inside me? Will this voice continue to exist
more about Christ.
when I die? Where do I stand in the entire magnitude of
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METHODIST MESSAGE May 2021
