Reach Out ¢ Kate Lim worships at Aldersgate Methodist Church and serves in the Bethany Nursing Home Befrienders Ministry. / Photos courtesy of Vincent Lim
Bringing Jesus to their neighbours at Bethany Nursing Home
S
ome 15 years ago, Aldersgate Methodist Church (AMC) sent a request to its members for volunteers to reach out to the residents at MWS Bethany
Nursing Home (Choa Chu Kang). Among those who stepped forward were Loh Han Chew and Benson Woon, who were from the same cell group at AMC, and they started a befrienders group at the nursing home. Han Chew and Benson organised monthly singing and dancing activities for the male residents at the Peace Ward of the nursing home, and roped in their cell group
Bringing fun and games to the elderly residents
members to take turns to run these programmes. The volunteers often brought snacks for the residents. They
Since they started serving in 2018, Vincent and his wife,
would also spend the time chatting with them, and
Carene, have brought their four children along with
getting to know them personally.
them as they wanted them to grow up learning about compassion, and to exercise it in practical ways.
Soon, these visits evolved to Sunday Services every 5th Sunday of the month, at the Home, where up to 40
“At Bethany Nursing Home, my children learned to care
residents were ministered to each time.
for others and treat them with kindness. Through this experience, they developed a strong desire to help
Children and parents serving together
others who are in need. The residents like having the
Today, the Outreach and Befrienders’ Ministry at AMC
children around as they bring joy to them.”
which now has many befrienders groups, is led by Mr Vincent Lim, a senior manager in the aerospace sector.
Vincent’s children are an invaluable part of the ministry. “They help to push the residents around the nursing home in their wheelchairs and organise simple games that are well-received, leading to much laughter between the residents and volunteers,” Vincent told Methodist Message.
Open hearts despite language barriers As not all the residents at the home speak English, one of the biggest challenges Vincent faces is having to use Mandarin or Chinese dialects to communicate with them. He tries to overcome this by using a mixture of English and Mandarin, and the team supports each other by jumping in when they notice anyone having difficulty with the language, or if they Vincent Lim and his family leading worship
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METHODIST MESSAGE May 2022
spot conversation gaps.
