This is my story - 42

42 – A stalwart of the Corps – Ng Fook Kum

My wife and I have been blessed in our ministry through the years by support of local officers. There were many good Salvationists at the Corps, but one who made a great impact on my life was Treasurer Ng Fook Kum –a real trophy of grace and a veritable saint of God.

Before the war, a young Lieutenant Lim Siok Chin sold him a copy of The War Cry. He read it, put the paper away and gave no further thought to it. Somehow the seed of the gospel was sown in his heart.

Years later after the war, he saw a group of people, singing, testifying and preaching at an open air meeting at Dhoby Ghaut (so named because the Indian laundry men used to wash clothes by the river near where the MRT station is now) He remembered seeing the familiar uniform and recalled the day when the young Lieutenant sold him the War Cry. He listened with much interest and when the open air meeting ended, he accepted the invitation to follow the Salvationists to their hall at 30 Oxley Road. He was touched by the friendliness of the Salvationists and also enjoyed the meeting so much, that he went again the next week. Then one Sunday he went to the Mercy Seat and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour.

Thus Ng Fook Kum began a life of great adventure for Christ. He became a soldier and soon brought his whole family along. They used to live in one of a row of small wooden houses opposite Borneo Motors (now Singapore Shopping Centre) Later he was commissioned as the Corps Sergeant Major.

He believed in the printed word for it was through the War Cry that he first came to know the Army. So every Saturday evening Ng Fook Kum armed with a bundle of papers, the War Cry could be seen outside the cinema theatres such as Cathay, Capitol, Rex, selling the War Cry to the queues of people lining up for their tickets. In those days there was no television and no booking of tickets in advance either, hence the long queues of people waiting outside.

When we came to the Corps in January 1970 he was the Corps Treasurer, a very conscientious one who made sure that every soldier was handed his or her ‘cartridge’ (tithe) envelope. He gave his testimony at every open air and indoor meeting when the opportunity was given. He joined the band and played trombone, but gave this up after some time as he felt he could not cope with the marches and more difficult pieces.

He always took his holidays during Self Denial time so that he could go round collecting funds for the Army. He also arranged his vacation during carolling time. He and his family were very active at the Corps. Mrs. Ng was a Home League enthusiast. Every Chinese New Year, the servicemen would congregate at his HDB flat at Margaret Drive to share in the festivities. They were greatly loved.

In December 1970, he became seriously ill and was admitted to Singapore General Hospital. As his Corps Officer, I suggested to the band and comrades that we should visit him in hospital to sing carols to him. He himself had been a faithful caroller for many years.

I wrote to the Chief Medical Officer requesting permission for our band to play and carollers to sing in the hospital compound below the ward where Ng Fook Kum was. What little faith I had. I dared not ask to carol in the ward beside his bed. The Lord had other ideas.

I waited several days and there was no reply, so we thought we would just visit the hospital to read the Bible and pray with him. Mrs. Ng happened to visit her husband and met Professor Freda Paul whose father the Reverend Paul, a retired Methodist minister, was a patient on the bed next to Ng Fook Kum. Professor Paul asked Mrs. Ng if it were possible for the Salvation Army band to play and sing carols in that ward!

Mrs. Ng wasted no time to contact me. So on Sunday afternoon the band and carollers visited the Singapore General Hospital. On arrival the Sister in charge of the Ward welcomed and brought us right to the space between the beds of Reverend Paul and Ng Fook Kum. The band played, others sang and someone read the Scriptures, but I had a lump in my throat and asked John Rees to pray instead. John confessed to me later that he had hoped not to be asked as he was about to burst into tears of joy. Afterwards the nurses brought us refreshments courtesy of the Hospital.

The next morning, Monday, the reply came from the Chief Medical Officer expressing regret that permission could not be granted for us to sing in the compound of the hospital. Never mind, we had already done it, not in the compound but right beside the bed of Ng Fook Kum. “O you of little faith” I heard the Lord telling me.

The Lord’s hand was in this. God answers prayer and gives us more than we can ever ask or think. I believed the Lord intervened, stopped the letter from arriving on time because He had better plans.

Almost 30 years later, Henry Ng Seng Fatt, second son of Ng Fook Kum, joined the William Booth Corps and served faithfully as a soldier till his promotion to Glory. At the funeral of Henry, his son, Andrew, met an old friend, Cadet Julian Wong and reconnected with The Army. Recently, he joined the Balestier Corps and now works full time at the Kallang Outpost Youth Centre.

Ng Fook Kum’s youngest son, Ng Seng Chow and his wife Tian Huay, with sons Daniel and Matthew have always been active Salvationists. She is the Recruiting Sergeant of Chinese Corps. Grandson Daniel Ng is now the bandmaster and pianist of Central Corps. Daniel married Kathryn, daughter of Salvationists Allen and Christina whose parents were the late Brigadier and Mrs. Tan Eng Soon. Kathryn is one of the Corps worship leaders. She and her husband play active roles in mentoring the youth of the Corps. We give thanks to God for people like the Ng family.