[Introduction message by Rt Rev Dr Caleb Soo, Vice-President NCCS]
NDTS 2026 Over 400 people from a wide range of churches attended the annual National Day Thanksgiving Service 2026 held on Thursday, 13 August at the New Sanctuary of St Andrew’s Cathedral. The inclusive service included an autistic violinist playing the Prelude, a blind Scripture Reader, Sign Language translation and the choir from Singapore Life Church. Bethesda (Bedok-Tampines) Church provided the worship team and ushers.
Rt Rev Dr Caleb Soo, Vice-President of NCCS and the Synod Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore, preached in Mandarin with translation into English and Sign Language. Rt Rev Dr Soo said that it is God who watches over our nation, and that moral and spiritual foundations are indispensable to the country. The challenge for Christians in a pluralistic society is how to respect diversity while remaining faithful to our faith. We can do this by upholding the uniqueness of our faith while respecting everyone’s freedom and right to choose their own religion. He ended with the hope that, when people talk about Singapore, they will think not only of its prosperity, security, integrity and honesty, but also of a group of God-fearing people who live with love, integrity, justice and compassion.
The offering at the service was taken for St Luke’s Hospital, an award-winning community hospital that was the first hospital in Singapore dedicated to the care of older persons.
This year, 11 Members of Parliament from both sides of the House attended the service, including Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister Indranee Rajah. PHOTOS
Electronic Offering for St Luke’s Hospital. The NDTS on 13 August had designated the evening’s offering in support of St Luke’s Hospital (SLH). While cash offerings received will be passed on to SLH in full, there was a technical glitch that affected the QR code for electronic offerings during NDTS. We regret the inconvenience caused and would like to inform all members and friends that if you missed the opportunity to donate to SLH, the Hospital has provided more information for your consideration, including tax deduction eligibility. Please visit this LINK
Invitation to a Conversation on “Marriage, Parenthood, and the Role Religious Communities Play” with Minister Indranee Rajah who is leading the Workgroup on Marriage and Parenthood Reset.
- Learn more about Singapore’s demographic situation and Government’s plans and priorities to address this challenge.
- Discuss how churches can also complement the Government’s efforts to encourage and support Singaporeans in their marriage and parenthood journeys
Pastors and church leaders are invited to this engagement to be held on 9 September 2026 at 10am @ The Cathedral New Sanctuary, St Andrew’s Cathedral. If you are able to attend, kindly register HERE
Marriage Mentoring for Newlyweds: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is expanding its Community Marriage Mentoring initiative. The training programme for mentors is known as Journeying with You (JoY) – meant to journey alongside newlywed couples and support them in building strong and meaningful marriages.
The JoY Programme is currently recruiting Community Marriage Mentors. You may sign up as a husband-and-wife team to be trained as JoY Community Marriage Mentors. Induction training is provided by MSF at no cost (FOC).
- More information at this LINK
- Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/MentorSignUpJoY
Notice Board. NCCS would like to share with you the following upcoming events and other matters that may be of interest to members and friends (details are found in the relevant links):
Koinonia Inclusion Network, or KIN, is a registered charity and Christian disability missions organisation that partners with churches, enabling them to welcome and disciple people of all abilities. They have now drawn up Inclusive Events Guidelines—a practical resource to help churches design events that are more disability-inclusive. The guide introduces the principles of inclusion, the needs of different people groups, and practical considerations for creating accessible events. A copy of the guide can be found at this LINK
Ethos Institute for Public Christianity, in partnership with Adam Road Presbyterian Church (ARPC), organised the Ethos Conversation 2026: Geopolitical Challenges and the Church on 24 July at ARPC. The keynote speakers were Elder Gan Kim Yong (Elder at Chen Li Presbyterian Church, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister for Trade and Industry) and Rev. Dr. Christopher Chia (Senior pastor ARPC, Synod Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore, 2023–2025).
Both speakers highlighted the vast challenges facing Singapore from past, present, and future geopolitical movements and changes, while also reminding us of the sovereignty of God and the need for the church to trust and have faith in God, and to continue being salt and light. Nearly 500 people participated in the event. Ethos looks forward to continued partnership with different churches to organise their key events. PHOTOS
Cybersecurity Guide for Charities. Charities in Singapore rely heavily on digital tools to manage donor information, beneficiary data, and daily operations, which make them potential targets for cyber threats. The Charity Council has developed a Cybersecurity Guide for Charities. A copy of the guide is available at this LINK
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