19– Balestier Corps – my home Church
I was taken by surprise when I received marching orders and appointed as the Commanding Officer (pastor) of my home church. I was only 25 years old, very inexperienced and immature. A number of the older folk in this church had known me since I was only five years old when I first came to the Army. It was with fear and trepidation that I took up the appointment. Jesus said on one occasion “No prophet is accepted in his own town.” Luke 4.24.
The comrades of Balestier Corps were tremendous and warm in their welcome. Many expressed their pride and joy to welcome their own ‘boy’ home to be their leader. Mrs. Ong Kay Sung the matriarch who was also the Treasurer of the Church called the folk together and told them they must address me as Lieutenant Lim. She commanded great respect by the whole church and no one questioned her authority.
Balestier Corps was and still is an English speaking corps, a number of them were peranakans. It was the second corps to be opened Lieut. Colonel Herbert Lord since he came to Singapore to pioneer the work.
Adjutant and Mrs. Harold Matthews were appointed to start a Boys’ Home in the Balestier area. He rented a bungalow at the corner of Kim Keat Road and Lorong Limau for this purpose. Then he reached out to the neighbourhood and started meetings in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Syd Hensen who later became Salvationists.
Later as the numbers increased, The Army rented a shop house at 339 Balestier Road and opened this second corps in 1936. It was to this church that my brother, sister and I first attended the Sunday School our first contact with the Army.
War came and in February 1942 the British surrendered to the Japanese. Army officers were taken prisoners and the Army was proscribed. The Salvationists met secretly in the homes of Mrs. Palmer at Martaban Road, Mr. and Mrs.Yeo at Kim Keat Lane or Mr. and Mrs. Ong Kay Sung at Balestier Road. This group of believers moved from house to house as it was illegal to hold religious meetings.
Three and half years later in August 1945 the Japanese were defeated and Singapore became a British colony again. Officers were released from prison and the Army recommenced operations. Mrs. Palmer a Home Leaguer (she became a salvationist later in 1947) offered the use of her land for the Army to put up a temporary wooden hut with atap roof at Martaban Road. Later, she sold this land to The Salvation Army for a token sum of $3,000.00 to build a permanent church.
Although I was single I did not cancel the weekly Home League meeting. Mrs. Lieut. Colonel Helena Blake, wife of the Officer Commanding arranged for women visitors to visit Balestier Home League once a month. I was greatly encouraged when Mrs. Palmer said to me one day, “I like the Home League. It is the best meeting for the week.” We had a group of very faithful women who attended regularly and gave full support. One lady, a Mrs. Galistan who lived in Katong walked all the way from her home to attend the Home League every Wednesday!
The Torchbearers were an enthusiastic lot. Every now and then we would combine with the Torchbearers of Central Corps. This gave them the opportunity to interact with the young people of the other Corps.
My quarters was at 207 Clemenceau Avenue. For transportation it was either by bicycle of bus. Most of our members lived in the Balestier area.
I was also responsible for the Towner Road Kindergarten. The purpose was to raise funds for the corps and the building fund. There were two sessions – one from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and the next in the afternoon from 1- 4 p.m. Mrs. Irene Lim and an assistant ran the morning session and Miss Lai Sui Hong with her assistant was responsible for the afternoon session. I visited the kindergarten every day from Monday to Friday. On Saturday we had Joy Hour Children’s meeting in this rented shophouse.
Later the Ministry of Education Inspector turned up and found we were not registered as a kindergarten. Lieut. Colonel Bertha, the Social Secretary insisted that no registration was necessary as we were operating it as a Day Nursery. Whatever name we used, we were really running two kindergartens, so we were compelled to close down.
We had a lot of activities at the Corps. It was a thriving church with many young people from the neighbourhood. We had activities almost everyday of the week.
Our activities were as follows:
Sunday morning - 8.30 a.m. Directory Class (for children)
10.00 a.m. Holiness meeting
3.00 p.m. Sunday school or YP Company meeting
5.00 p.m. Open air meeting
6.00 p.m. Salvation meeting.
Every Saturday morning I would clean the hall and do the gardening. So with all the activities, plus eighteen hours visitation per week, and responsibility for the kindergarten, I was kept busy. The folk were very supportive and I enjoyed this appointment which lasted two and half years.
The Boys’ Home was situated at 151 Thomson Road (now Goldhill Plaza). The van would bring the officers and some boys to join the Corps for Holiness meeting. In the afternoon, the boys would walk from the Home to the corps for Sunday School, followed by open air meeting and salvation meeting. Major and Mrs. Tan Eng Soon were the superintendents in charge of the Home and they gave good support.
It was during my term as the Corps Officer of Balestier Corps that we got married.
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