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Our History
The Peoples Bible Church was originally
the English department of of Toa Payoh Bible Church, which
was established by CNEC (Christian
Nationals' Evangelism Commission) in the 1960s in a
shophouse at Toa Payoh East. In 1970,
a local missionary was invited by CNEC to start the English
work, and he gathered seven tertiary level students for Bible study
and training. Through
this small group, the English work of TPBC was formed. Through
a strategy of active evangelism (mainly door-to-door in the
Toa Payoh neighborhood) and nurturing of new believers, a
group of about 20 youths were gathered to form the first English-speaking
congregation of the Church (which already has a Chinese congregation).
The first 10 years saw rapid growth. By 1981, the membership
stood at 250 with five different services.
Because of space
constraint, and also to cater to the needs of different age
groups, the various services were formed:
Sunday Worship Service, Youth Fellowship and Evening Worship
Service. A Junior Sunday School was also formed to cater to
about 100 children from the neighborhood.
In 1987 the Church moved to a larger premise belonging to
CNEC at Braddell Road, leaving the Junior Sunday School and
a smaller group to continue at Toa Payoh. This resulted in
the merger of 3 adult services. In 1983,
we had our first Bible college graduate, who became the
first pastor of the English congregation. Today, we have
a multiple staff consisting of a pastoral
team, ministry staff, and administrative staff.
The growth of the ministry led us to look for a Church building,
and by the grace and providence of God, this dream was fulfilled
in 1990 when we moved into this present building at Lorong
Ah Soo (jointly financed with Logos Christian Church - formerly
the Chinese Congregation of TPBC). With the relocation, the
name of the Church was changed to The Peoples Bible
Church. The Cell group structure was adopted in 1988 to provide
the environment for growth and ministry. Today, the cell structure
is more established, and the needs of individual members and
families are being ministered to by the various cell groups.
Many people have come through the doors of the Church, many
have been baptized and nurtured, and many have gone out to
serve in other areas. Today, we still have a membership of
around 500, both young and old.
This is neither a small nor a big Church, and we
are looking forward to fulfilling greater things for God
as we expect great things from Him, all to His praise and
glory.
From basically a youth group, the Church now comprises
both young families
and a growing population of seniors. As God blesses us with more people, may He
also grant to us the wisdom, the spirit, and the resources
to fulfil His purpose for us, both in Singapore and the regions
beyond, until the Great Commission is fulfilled. Amen.
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