Artifacts from a century-old time capsule have uncovered the history and heritage of early Christians in Singapore, says a report.
The time capsule from the Chinese Methodist Church shows a glimpse of the life of Christians dating back to 1924 and before, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported on Feb. 19.
The capsule and the artifacts are reminders of the Methodist Church’s heritage in the city-state, Gregory Goh, president of the Methodist Church in Singapore said during the annual conference.
“It really depicts a whole church life at that time, and how the faith community has practiced their faith,” Goh was quoted as saying.
“[We also now know] the songs they sang. So, I think that is very interesting and it also helps us to continue the tradition,” Goh added.
The metallic box was embedded into the wall of the Methodist Church at Telok Ayer constructed in 1925. The church was listed as a national monument in 1989.
The metal box contained around 10 artefacts which included a 1919 pocket-sized hymn book and newspapers from the time among other items, CNA reported.
The hymn book also contained details on the church’s rituals and order of worship which included the Holy Eucharist, weddings, and funerals, Goh said adding that it was a reminder of their ancestor’s faith.
The box was retrieved from the church wall on Feb. 7 and kept in a dry box environment at a controlled humidity level post-extraction and was opened on Feb. 14.
The church building, which served as a refuge to some 300 people during the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945 is closed for restoration works, the report said.
The existence of the time capsule was known to the church members, but no attempt was made to retrieve it, CNA reported.
The search for the time capsule started again after the church’s archives committee which was researching content related to the church’s upcoming 100th anniversary stumbled upon an old article from The Malayan Saturday Post related to it.
The article had details on the laying of the church’s foundation stone and the location of the time capsule based on which the church engaged a contractor to locate and extract the metallic box.
Reportedly, ultrasound and metal scanning tools were used to locate the metallic box.
Sebastian Lee, chair of the church’s archives committee said the retrieved items will be a part of a heritage gallery once the church building completes its renovation in 2025 and reopens for its centennial.
“We’re in the midst of piecing up all these [items], and trying to collate and align all the information,” Lee said.
“Hopefully, the showcase will have videos of people who were from that generation [and] who are still with us, and there will be old photographs showing the social impact of the people then,” Lee added.
The church officials said that they also have plans to place a new time capsule for posterity, CNA reported.
The Chinese Methodist Church located in Telok Ayer traces its origins to Benjamin West, an American medical practitioner and Methodist missionary. Based at a rented shophouse on Upper Nanking Street, West practiced medicine and evangelized.
The first Methodist Church was established in 1885. Today, the Methodist Church is the largest Protestant denomination in Singapore with some 46 churches and 42,000 members, according to the church’s website.
Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious nation of about 5.7 million people. Ethnic Chinese are mostly Buddhists, while most Malays are Muslims.
Christians make up about 15 percent of the Singaporean population, according to official data.
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