The Star Online (http://www.thestar.com.my)
A quaint place of worship for the Tamils, 25 August 2008
BY PERCY D’CRUZ
MALACCA: In a world that is fragmented by religious and ethnic strife, the existence of Malacca’s Tamil Methodist Church at the very entrance of renowned Jonker Street represents a living heritage of faith tolerance and peace enjoyed by the country and its diverse populace.Built in 1908, the quaint house of worship was initially known as the Kubu Methodist Church but settled as the Malacca’s Tamil Methodist Church since the mid sixties.
It is nestled at the junction of Jalan Kubu and Jalan Tokong at the entrance of Jonker Walk within the state’s heritage core zone, an area that will ensure the protection and preservation of the iconic structure as part of a Unesco World Heritage Site.
This joy was also shared during the thanksgiving service which also saw the head of the Methodist Church in Malaysia Bishop Rev. Dr. Hwa Yung in attendance. Being a centenarian, the church can now stand on par and form part of Malacca’s Harmony Street with its 17th Century Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Kampung Kling Mosque and Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Temple.
Sketchy records reveal that Methodists came to Singapore in 1885 with the arrival of Bishop James Thornburn and Pastor William Oldham before the faith spread to various part of Malaya and the south-east Asian region as a whole.
The Methodist congregation took shape in Malacca in 1897 with the coming of Chinese missionaries from mainland China. However, they experienced limited success in winning converts to Christianity. The coming of missionary Chiew Sin Un, also from China, in 1898 witnessed the setting up of the first Mandarin-speaking Methodist community. In 1899, Penang’s Pastor Lau Seng Chong initiated the Pernakan Methodist community.
Pastor William Shellabear arrived in Malacca in 1904 and so began the first English-speaking faithful group. He is also accredited with the establishment of the Methodist boys and girls schools and also translated the Bible into the Malay language. Credit for the formation of the Tamil congregation is given to P.W. Thambiah under the spiritual leadership of Pastor Shellabear.
The drawback faced by the four congregations (Pernakan, English, Tamil and Mandarin) was the lack of a proper edifice for respective worship where the use of private homes was the order of the day. In 1904, a generous local resident Tan Keong Keng donated one of his residences in Hereen Street to be used as a school and prayer house. At that time, the Malacca Town population stood at around 90,000.
Subsequently, a Methodist Church was built at Kubu following an initial donation of US$5,000.
This edifice was shared by the four culturally diverse groups drawn together by their common faith.
Eventually, as time passed the small church became a hive of religious and spiritual activities. However, rapidly increasing number of worshippers meant pressure on space. In 1954, the Wesley Methodist Church, catering mainly to the Pernakans and English-speaking expatriates, was built in Jalan Tengkera.
In 1965, the Mandarin-speaking faithful moved into their own premises in Jalan Tan Chay Yam. From then on the church at Kubu was used by the Tamil congregation, which presently has some one hundred and fifty members. Weekly services continue to be conducted in both Tamil and English.
© 1995-2008 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
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