Of his 37 years serving different churches in the Trinity Annual Conference1 (TRAC), Rev Melvin Huang served 27 as PIC at different Methodist churches, including 14 at WMC. He just celebrated his 69th birthday in early June 2024.
Yet, what marked Melvin’s way of doing things, is perhaps best summed up by Felix Yeo, WMC’s Director of Administration since 1992: “He would not let himself be caught up with doing big things. He prefers the little things, things that matter, showing kindness and understanding. Doing church to him was doing what is good and right in the eyes of God. It was clearly the people who are the church. I remember the Allelon (One Another) series of sermons that focused on how as Christians we ought to treat one another. This I believed impacted the staff team, volunteers and congregation in learning the importance of loving one another and treating one well and rightly as how Jesus would.”
Many know Melvin as practical and straight-talking, with a gift for puns, acronyms and wordplay. He loves the English language, and says he is “…not EM1, 2 or 3, just EM – effectively monolingual”. Growing up, he drew inspiration from his school teacher at Anglo-Chinese School, the late Ernest Lau2 and listening to BBC Radio.
Yet according to Mrs Wong Hwee Cheng, member of WMC for more than 46 years, Melvin is easily misunderstood, because he isn’t a man of many important words, but of many jokes. She says: “Few know that he has a heart of gold. Few also know that he would be the last to abandon ship, colloquially speaking. Melvin is by far one of the kindest and most compassionate people around who tries to emulate Christ in Psalm 103:8 because he knows who the Lord is. He tries his utmost to be fair to his flock, to love his enemy even if it is difficult to do so. And he is especially kind to a perpetrator’s family, never putting them in the same pot. You can share something with Melvin and know it will be kept in confidence with no partiality.”
Kim Seah, who has served on many of the different TRAC and General Conference3 Boards with Melvin echoes this: “While Melvin is wont to seek to discomfort those too comfortable, he retains a basic kindness which seldom fails to soften his tongue when a transgressor says ‘sorry’ to him.”
Both Melvin and Kim served together from 1997 to 2012 on the Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) Discipline Review Commission, which put forth the 2013 Revised Edition of the MCS Book of Discipline4. Currently, Melvin continues serving as a co-opted member.
Melvin retired from TRAC in February 2019, having served a total of 37 years in different churches, including Trinity, Christ, Wesley and Ang Mo Kio. Of this length of time, 27 years were as PIC.
At WMC where he served as PIC for 14 years, Melvin reflects: “Wesley is a complex church, and running it was difficult. There were no peaks and troughs at Wesley, unlike other churches. There was always something happening all the time. I had to pastor three ‘congregations’ – church staff, the leaders and the church as a whole. Each group needed a different kind of pastor.”
Melvin was 43 years old when he became PIC at WMC. Looking back, he said: “I believe a pastor’s energy level drops every five years, so mine has dropped twice, and I don’t want it to drop a third time. By the time I got to 57 years old, my energy level was no longer high enough.”
On his leaving WMC, Melvin added: “I can now leave with peace of mind as I have completed most of the work I have intended to do. But, there are still two on-going tasks. The changing of people’s minds, and values to biblical values; and two, to progress the work of Christian maturity. Our values are still very much like the world’s in many ways. I wish I had made more progress, but I have tried my best.”
Listen to Melvin share his thoughts on “What do we say to the new generation?” here.
A Heritage Steeped in Early Singapore History
Melvin is a direct descendant of Chew Boon Lay, one of Singapore’s early pioneers who came to Singapore in the mid 1870s from the Fujian port of Amoy. Chew Boon Lay bought large tracts of land in Jurong on which he cultivated pepper, gambier, and later, rubber. He also founded the Ho Ho Biscuit Factory in Chin Swee Road which contributed to his early fortune.
The main roads of Jalan Boon Lay and Boon Lay way in Jurong West were all named after Chew Boon Lay.
Melvin’s mother, Jessie Lim was Boon Lay’s great granddaughter. Jessie’s mother, Chew Eng Neo was the daughter of Chew Boon Lay’s fifth son, Chew Hock Chye.
But what is of significant interest is God’s providence and grace in the Chew family from almost the very start. Rev Chew Hock Hin was born in 1900 as the youngest son of Chew Boon Lay and his Malaccan Peranakan5 wife. He was brought up in a Buddhist home and was dedicated to the goddess Guanyin, and tasked with reciting prayers and the family devotions. He had never heard of Christ till guided by the Holy Spirit, he was drawn to Anglo-Chinese School Chapel in Canning Rise. There he was given a New Testament Bible, and soon after became a Christian.
Rev Chew gave up his business career in 1932 to go and preach to the unreached Peranakan population of Singapore. It was through Rev Chew’s influence that Melvin’s maternal grandmother became a Christian.
Thus, Melvin was born into a Christian home, the eldest with a younger sister and two brothers. His father, Raymon Huang, was with Singapore’s national radio and TV network in the 1970s and 1980s, while his mother, Jessie was a teacher at Anthony Road Girls School, and later Principal of Braddell Rise School. Both Raymon and Jessie also taught Sunday School at WMC with Kismet, the late wife of Cecil Wong6 (who celebrated his 102nd birthday in 2024), father of one of WMC’s church leaders, David Wong.
The Journey Starts
Melvin recalls his days growing up in Wesley: “Sunday School was simple then. We sang choruses, and then we would break out into classes. I remember many of my Sunday School teachers – they included Mrs Olive Kan, Mrs Tang Poh Khim, Chandra Raj and even a late grand-uncle, who was Chew Boon Lay’s grandson. One of my Sunday School mates was Tiga Teilmann, son of Rev Gunnar and Wava Teilmann who had served the church in Singapore and Malaysia for more than 30 years. My best memories are of Dr Aw Swee Eng7, who was my Secondary Two Sunday School teacher. He was young, dynamic and sincere, and he was more than substance. He impacted me most in Sunday School.”
Melvin studied at the Anglo-Chinese schools for 12 years up to Pre-University Two. He usually did well, though he admits that he deteriorated in secondary school. He recalls: “My parents would tell my younger siblings to study like Melvin. In actual fact, I never studied very hard, I just knew how to take exams. Initially I was in the science stream up till Pre-University One, but then I switched to the arts.”
In June 1972, Melvin’s spiritual life changed forever. He was one of the students who experienced the outpouring and baptism of the Holy Spirit in the charismatic events of the ACS Clock Tower8 revival. “Norman Wong, Alex Chen and I were in the initial group. We got the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) all excited. Numbers attending MYF swelled from less than 20 to 90. At an MYF Sunday sometime that year, hands were raised during worship in the Wesley Sanctuary, and this must have come as a culture shock for some of the congregation.”
“I gave my ambition to God”
Up to that point, Melvin had the illusion that he would go into aeronautics, but soon realised that this was misplaced. In 1972, he attended the annual Keswick Convention9, where Pastor Zechariah Poonan challenged the delegates – have you given God your ambition? Melvin was convicted, and gave his ambition to God.
The following year at the 1973 Keswick Convention, Melvin responded to the speaker, Major Ian Thomas, and made his commitment to God to go full-time.
When Melvin told his father that he wanted to serve God full-time, Raymon asked his son to go to university first after National Service.
“I looked at the university application form. I cancelled the options that I didn’t want, and I was left only with business administration. I didn’t know what the three-year course entailed, but I signed up anyway. I did very badly in the quantitative subjects, but somehow got a prize for management, personnel, industrial relations and organizational behaviour. But – it pays to obey your parents, as when I was PIC, I was able to apply the lessons learnt from my course, more than at any other time.”
After graduating from university in 1979, Melvin enrolled at Singapore’s Trinity Theological College10 (TTC) for a Master in Divinity on a Wesley scholarship. He had however, been drawn to studying at Asbury Theological Seminary11 (ATS) in Wilmore, Kentucky, USA. He had read about the Asbury Revival, when on one cold wintery day, students at a small Kentucky college went to their weekly chapel service in 1970. Some 185 hours later, they emerged, changed beyond their wildest dreams. The story of the 1970 Asbury Revival is found in the book, One Divine Moment, by Robert E. Coleman.
Melvin had contacted ATS before joining TTC, but was advised that they could only offer him a place in 1980-81, the next academic year. Melvin then felt he could not wait, and so he enrolled in TTC. Halfway through his TTC course, Asbury wrote to Melvin to ask if he was coming to join the Seminary. He was allowed to transfer his credits from TTC, and so it was a clear sign from God to go to Kentucky.
He arrived in Asbury in July 1980, to start the second year of his Master of Divinity course, and graduated in May 1982. “Resources at Asbury were abundant, and we had a lot of tools to help us. Because Asbury is an institution built on the theological heritage of John Wesley and the Methodist movement, it was there that I truly learned what it meant to be Wesleyan and Methodist. My teaching professor revolutionized my view of sermons. Then I also took courses on inductive Bible study and cults, and later turned this knowledge into something I could teach others.”
After graduating from Asbury, Melvin returned to Singapore to serve at WMC, and two months later in August 1982, was appointed as Assistant Pastor to Rev Dr Isaac Lim12, then Senior Pastor at WMC. He recalls: “Those were my happiest days without the responsibilities of being the person in charge. My role was to support the senior pastor, and it even included putting out 400 folding chairs, together with the caretakers, for the morning sunrise service.”
From WMC, Melvin was then assigned as PIC to Trinity Methodist Church from 1986 to 1994, Christ Methodist Church 1995 to 1998, before being assigned as PIC at WMC from 1999 to 2012. He then took a sabbatical year in 2013, before TRAC posted him to Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church (AMKMC), as pastor, and then as PIC from 2014 to 2018. While with Christ MC, Melvin helped to set up both the Christalite Methodist Chapel, and Christalite Methodist Home (Methodist Welfare Services) for destitute persons, whose focus is on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Through his 37 years of active service in the pastoral ministry, Melvin has also served in multiple roles at Annual Conference and General Conference level. Supporting him faithfully behind the scenes, has always been Gerda, his wife. They met at Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church, where Gerda’s uncle, Rev Wong Hoon Hee was pastor. Melvin would serve in the mornings at WMC, and in the afternoons, would help out at AMKMC. When Melvin went to Asbury, they continued to keep in touch, and after graduating from the US, they got married in Singapore on 18 June 1983.
Long-time friend, and former classmate, Mrs Wong Hwee Cheng had this to say of Gerda: “Gerda is a real helpmate to Melvin in a quiet way through all these years. She neither pries nor gossips, and is very mindful of the role she has grown into, the wife of a senior pastor. She has never sought the limelight, nor ask for acknowledgement as pastor’s wife. The picture of Gerda in my mind is one who potters behind the scenes. She is a woman of great faith, having gone through many health challenges without a word of complaint or moaning.”
Doing Things Differently, Onwards and Upwards
From end 1973 to mid 1976, 2LT (Ret) Melvin served his national service as part of the first batch of the Midshipman School in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). In 1974, together with Lionel Liew and Albert Jeeris, Melvin wrote the lyrics for the song, “Onwards and Upwards”. The music was composed by their classmate, Lim Yu Sian. A third stanza was added in 1989 by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, then Chief of Staff (Naval).
Up till today, the RSN is the only service in the Singapore Armed Forces with its own song.
Melvin explains: “The song is still being sung today at most Navy events and ceremonies. It is meant to serve as an inspiration and rallying call for generations of sailors, past and present. 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the song which we updated to better reflect the times.”
Listen to Melvin’s sharing here, recorded in May 2023.
Melvin also wrote the lyrics for “Lord, Bless Singapore”, with music by Lim Swee Hong13. This response hymn was sung on Singapore’s 39th National Day in 2004 and was one of the highlights at the National Day Thanksgiving Service held at St Andrew’s Cathedral. Listen to Melvin singing this hymn with members of AMKMC here.
In many ways, “Onwards and Upwards” describes the trajectory of Melvin’s 14 years at WMC as its PIC. Melvin put things in place to enable a more satisfactory and happier working and worship environment, and at the same time, recognising and catering to changing demographics, in order to encourage greater discipleship from the ground up.
Melvin most certainly was very aware of changing times in a fast-evolving world. Children’s Ministry was a whole new way of doing Sunday School – it was not just teacher-led, but children began leading worship to instill a greater sense of belonging and ownership. Youth Ministry, which was basically the Methodist Youth Fellowship, also took on a different character – instead of classes, they had small groups.
Together with church leaders, Melvin also led the Church Upgrading Project (CUP) which created 36,000 square feet of useable space within its premises. The budget for the CUP was $12.3 million, which was paid out of church reserves and through generous donations from members and friends.
A new Plaza Hall, created by enclosing the original rooftop of the Sanctuary extension, now houses the Children’s Ministry on Sundays. Its roof, with a new glazed pavilion, has become the new Wesley Plaza. A glass canopy now shields the Atrium from inclement weather. About a hundred more seats were added to the Wesley Hall. In the basement, a new chapel was created, with room made more flexible for use by having movable partitions. The Temporary Occupation Permit was obtained in December 2012.
A Biblethon was initially conceived as a fund-raising project for CUP. However as $8.5 million was raised, exceeding the target of $7 million, the Biblethon became a church-led initiative to compile a Bible handwritten by members of the Wesley church family. Three large bound volumes with a total of 1,000 pages were the outcome, with every single verse of the Bible handwritten out in ink.
Almost 3,000 Wesleyans came together to hand-write the 31,102 verses of the Bible, honouring a sacred and ancient tradition where the main transmission of Scriptures was through handwritten copies, before the advent of printing. Biblethon 2012 was an enriching spiritul exercise that included children, youth, adults, seniors and whole families – it was truly the Body of Christ at work that enriched lives even beyond those who participated.
Peggie Chan, a member of the Biblethon team assigned to hand out the scripture assignment to different “copiers” remembers: “My job was to instruct the copiers, or writers to copy out the portions assigned to them, leave enough space between the title of the book and first line, avoid cursive writing using only script, and to proof-read the accuracy of each portion. It was hard work, but the finished product, with so many writing styles, qualities and nuances, really showed up the tapestry of God’s assignment to each of us who answered His call to write out His Word. I also realise that it’s not standardisation that God wants of us, but obedience that has been reflected in the uniqueness of this handwritten Word.”
It was also during Melvin’s time that a creative new way of telling a story was introduced. The Wesley Puppet Ministry, which was part of the Creative Arts Services Team (CAST) presented puppet shows at Children’s Ministry and during services. But perhaps one of the most lasting legacies that the Puppet Ministry undertook was an almost 30-minute production of “By My Spirit” (which was the centenary song for Methodism in Singapore – music by Leong Wai Meng, and lyrics by Melvin) with an all-puppet cast that outlined the legacy of Wesley Methodist Church, going all the way back to Dr James Thoburn, who was prompted by God to travel to Singapore with young missionary, William Oldham. The score for the puppet production was arranged by the late Jusuf Kam14 then Pastoral Team Member for Worship & Music.
Lee Hwee Chin, Pastoral Team Member for the Children’s Ministry from 2003 to 2015 and who was a long-time member of the CAST ministry, shares: “Melvin has a big view of God. Think the Sunday School song, ‘My God is so big, so strong and so mighty….’. As such, he often allowed space for God to move directly amongst people at the ground level and he would affirm the Holy Spirit’s activities in their midst. Things need not have to be organised or controlled all the time. I’ve served with him for more than ten years and he was the kind of leader that asked, ‘Why not?’ more often than ‘Why yes?’ I have witnessed many ground-up initiatives in Wesley blossom because Melvin was humble enough to say, ‘Yeah God, why not?’ He was a very empowering leader.”
“God did not call me to be successful, He called me to be faithful”
Melvin knew that his calling was to be a Methodist pastor. “God does not make mistakes. When He calls us, He will also assign the work. Our responsibility is to discern the work, accept it and to serve faithfully. My two main gifts are in teaching, and in leadership and administration. When I made my commitment to full-time ministry at the 1973 Keswick Convention, I promised God, that I would commit myself to what He called me to.”
He quotes Mother Teresa – “God did not call me to be successful, He called me to be faithful”.
And resolutely faithful Melvin has been – especially in his unwavering attendance at the Wednesday Prayer Meeting soon after joining WMC as PIC. Long-serving staff member, and Pastoral Team Member for Christian Outreach & Social Concerns, Rosalia Mahendran shares: “In my 25 years with the church, he is perhaps the only pastor or PIC to have achieved such a consistent presence. His approach to prayer is both practical and profound. He guides attendees into moments of silence before the Lord, gradually extending these periods to deepen their contemplative experience. Furthermore, he also champions the act of blessing our adversaries, instilling a practice of grace and forgiveness among the intercessors.”
Another long-time serving member, Henry Tan who has served the church in different leadership capacities said this at Melvin’s farewell service in 2012: “PIC taught me about loving the people you serve with. He reminded me that it’s more important that I should spend more time managing relations among volunteers and staff. I really appreciated this and have learnt to do it since. I also learnt about the importance of prayer. It’s evident that PIC puts this into practice at every Wednesday Prayer Meeting, and is supportive of prayer sessions like those in Men-in-Christ. Most certainly, prayer is the priority in ministry.”
Melvin adds: “The emphasis of the Wednesday Prayer Meeting was to practise corporate spiritual discipline together as a Body. Like stillness and thanksgiving. We always started with five to ten minutes of silence – this in itself was a discipline which I hope helped people to understand that it’s a part of a disciple’s life. And that no matter what – we needed to always pray and persevere.”
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
Melvin knew as a young man, his calling from God. And accepting without question, the work God assigned. So right through his pastoral career, Melvin is guided by a simple ethos: “We follow Jesus, the Truth. And as his followers, we have to stand for truthfulness. We must do whatever it takes, even if it brings us to a place that is uncomfortable. And in the process, practice the spiritual discipline of waiting as part of Christian discipleship. The Lord will inspire us even in the drudgery of everyday work. Waiting is submitting to Him all our big plans, and discovering His will and purposes for our lives.
“We wait together, doing church by operating as the Body of Christ. It is wrong to say that the church building is the ‘house of God’. Doing church is about the people, who make up the spiritual organism, the Body of Christ. We have to work together on the basis of our spiritual giftings, each one doing his or her part, all maturing together as the body grows, recognising that we are all but channels of God’s power. I have no right to expect God to live up to my expectations of Him. Rather – we each need to do our best to live up to God’s expectations of us!”
“I could not have done this ministry alone” – click on this audio link to hear Melvin expressing his gratitude to those he has journeyed with, and his thoughts on the house of God.
One significant personal moment which Melvin shared: “My (then) teenage son, Jonathan was in the back seat, and half drowsy. I wasn’t getting much conversation from him, and so I complained to God about Jon. God replied: ‘Son, sometimes you and me are like that.’”
Those who have served with Melvin in different capacities hold him in the highest regard. Leow Kim Liat, church leader shared: “I thank God for sending this angel to be my spiritual mentor. He loves God, loves people, and is caring, big-hearted and kind – a gentle giant! He always has a kind word for everyone. He is also very much an encourager. He persuaded me to be more involved with Christian outreach and social concerns. I quickly learnt to delay his offer to take on these roles by saying, I would pray about it. But Melvin would respond: ‘I prayed and God answered, so that is it!’”
Rev Wendy Watson, whose time at WMC (2004 to 2015) straddled many of the years when Melvin was PIC, and now a PIC herself at Barker Road Methodist Church had this to share about her former boss: “Pastor Melvin was not just a ‘boss’ but an avuncular, reassuring, ‘father figure’ to me and many others. He modelled integrity, reliability, and humility; teaching me never to take myself too seriously and to consider the perspective of the other. I will always remember him for his kindness, devotion to God, deep sense of responsibility to the flock at Wesley, and the safe space that he provided for me and my colleagues to just be our unique selves. And, of course, his sharp mind which translated into wonderfully witty sermons and smooth administration of our church. May God bless you richly, Sir Melvin!”
Melvin retired from TRAC at the end of 2018. Since then, he helps Gerda at home, and has had more time with his elderly parents. His father, Raymon passed away in late August 2023, while his mother, Jessie, currently 94 years old, lives with his sister. Both Gerda and Melvin are also blessed with a grandson, Zachary.
Melvin has indeed been a blessing to all who have served with him. For Melvin, it is not only about catching up with the big things he has done at WMC. He has paid equal attention to the seemingly small things that have proven crucial in important events. As Felix Yeo has said: “He prefers the little things, things that matter, showing kindness and understanding. It is indeed a spirit of ‘Allelon’, or one another, that he focused on which marked his spiritual leadership at WMC and the church at large.”
In many ways, this servant leader – WMC’s PIC for 14 years – has left his mark as a role model, including often drawing our attention to the ‘little people’ – as represented by the four hobbits in JRR Tolkien’s classic tale, The Lord of the Rings, who made a big difference in bringing about positive change.
To Melvin, a fan of the TV series, Star Trek – we offer the Vulcan blessing adapted by Melvin offered to an ageing population – Age Well!
