Before 2020, Johann Sim, a pastor with City Harvest Church (CHC), was driving home behind a small lorry filled with migrant workers, observing how precarious their transportation was. He watched as the lorry stopped next to a ramshackle building and the workers got down. 

“It was not even an official dormitory,” recalled Ps Johann, adding that there were unlikely to have been proper beds or any facilities for them to clean up. 

“That was the first inkling that I got that they have needs we don’t know much about.”

When the COVID pandemic landed, the situation became much more acute. Over 90% of the early COVID cases were migrant workers. The lockdown to stem the rise of cases meant that the workers were not permitted to leave their dormitories except to work.

Finding needs to meet

In 2021, CHC restarted its Church Without Walls (CWW) initiative in which members of the church are encouraged to “find a hurt and heal it, find a need and meet it”. The original CWW began in 1996 and reached out to children, the elderly, those with special needs, the deaf, among others.

Today, CWW extends to cancer patients, underprivileged families that need home renovation, foster care, migrant workers and more.

“When our senior pastor Kong Hee encouraged us to look for more needs to meet in society, we started to look at those people on the margin,” Ps Johann told Salt&Light.

“One of our pastors told us about Pastor Sam Gift Stephen from the Alliance of Guest Workers Outreach, who was looking for help from churches.”

Smiling faces among the migrant workers at one of My Fellow Workers’ events held at South Tuas Recreation Centre.

AGWO, headed by Ps Sam Gift, is a movement of the Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA), that partners with various churches, religious organisations, voluntary welfare organisations, civil society organisations, corporations, professional bodies, guest worker dormitories and government agencies.

“To ensure maximum efficiency in sharing resources, AGWO offers both direct and indirect opportunities of involvement for partners—as administrators of services, and facilitators in providing assistance to guest workers, respectively,” Ps Sam told Salt&Light.

Ps Johann, together with his colleagues Ian Chong and Ee Zhen Ying, both pastoral supervisors in the church, connected with Ps Sam and participated in a food distribution drive at Tuas South Recreation Centre.

“Everyone was wearing masks, sitting apart in single seats,” he recalled. “That was the start. We began to ask ourselves, ‘What else can we do for them?’”

Loving the stranger in the land

Ps Johann and his team began to have conversations with the workers when opportunity arose, so that they could find out more and identify needs.

“We heard their stories, the sort of conditions they worked under, what they paid to come to Singapore, how much money they earned – it was eye-opening,” he said.

“We always thank them and appreciate them,” says Ps Eileen Toh (second from left) who helms CHC’s Church Without Walls programme.

When he brought his findings back to the Church Without Walls team, headed by his wife, Ps Eileen Toh, it was clear that there was need for a ministry to the migrant workers.

They were reminded of Leviticus 19:33-34, “And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

“We named our ministry My Fellow Workers (MFW) to bring out a sense of identifying with low-wage workers who help to build our nation. Without them, it would not be possible. And these workers include domestic helpers to those in construction, maritime and electronic industries,” Ps Johann explained.

The blessing draw at MFW’s events is an attraction, but Ps Johann Sim (in red), who leads the ministry, says it is the personal engagement with individuals that makes the biggest difference.

MFW began with supporting Ps Sam’s efforts to bring food to the workers and befriending the heads of the dormitories.

“Then we thought of doing an event at the South Tuas Recreation Centre to bless them during Deepavali,” said Ps Eileen.

In November 2021, the MFW team gathered volunteers, including two interpreters who spoke Tamil and Telugu, and ran a carnival for the migrant workers.

The MFW team brainstormed and came up with a host of thoughtful booths, such as free haircuts and a photo booth that offered instant-print photos that the workers could keep. 

One of the best-loved carnival booths in past events was the letter-writing booth, where migrant workers could pen letters home.

There was also a letter-writing booth where letter paper, envelopes and pens were made available for the workers to write letters home. The ministry undertook the cost and logistics of mailing out the letters. 

This simple idea drew a crowd. Some workers were in tears as they wrote to their loved ones.

“The first event was successful,” Ps Eileen recalled. “We engaged between 800 and 1,000 workers through the games. We also gave out food, and the day ended with a short sharing.”

The carnival proved a hit, leading to MFW planning large scale events at least twice a year – usually in May coinciding with Labour Day, and near Deepavali – with smaller outings and meet-ups in between. The ministry has a core team of around 30, and each event draws about 150 volunteers who are members of CHC.

Each event attracts up to 150 volunteers who are church members.

Secondary school teacher Matthias Wan has been volunteering with MFW since it started. “It was during the reboot of CWW in 2021 that God reminded me of His calling to serve migrant workers, a commitment I felt deeply in my youth,” he told Salt&Light, adding that he had previously considered joining other VWOs that serve this demographic.

The first carnival “felt like a mission trip, but in Singapore,” he said, describing the Tuas venue as one that was industrial and hot. Development has been going on in the area since the end of the pandemic.

Meeting needs at MFW events has included practical needs such as haircuts.

Matthias added: “One would expect emotions to run high one were to stay there for prolonged periods of time, but despite having to work in sites and stay in these dorms every day, the migrant workers whom I have met have surprised me as one of the most polite and gentle groups of people you can find in Singapore. They speak softly and laugh gently.”

This Deepavali, he will be serving the workers again at MFW’s upcoming event. The father of four – he was father of one when he started volunteering – keeps coming back to serve because his biggest rewards is “seeing the smiles on their faces, and expressions of hope. We often hear from them that MFW is the event that they would be waiting for all year.”

Deepavali is the festival of lights: The events end with a time of sharing and ministry for those who ask for prayer.

A Feast Of Love

This is the fourth year MFW has been serving the migrant worker community. 

“We believe our project works,” Ps Eileen said to Salt&Light. “They feel loved and appreciated. We always thank them and appreciate them for all they do. We set out to acknowledge their presence.”

She adds: “We are thinking what’s next: Perhaps to equip and empower them through English classes or computer classes, to help them upskill.”

Some of the workers who have been blessed by MFW’s efforts have asked to volunteer to serve their fellow workers. 

The carnivals and other MFW events are created to uplift the workers and bring them a time to relax and have fun.

“I find that so encouraging,” said Ps Eileen. “They know we’re in this together.”

Building genuine relationships with migrant workers is a key element of MFW’s ministry, and Jesus provides the inspiration.

One New Year’s Day, Ps Johann took the head of the dormitory and a few of workers out for a meal at Changi Village, eating and fellowshipping.

“We do both big and small things,” he explained. “Eating together lets us befriend them one at a time.”

Ps Johann (left, foreground) says while big events are great, small group meal fellowships build relationships with the workers.

It is this move to engage more meaningfully with the workers that gave rise to A Feast Of Love, MFW’s Deepavali 2024 event which happens this Sunday (November 3, 2024).

The ministry will hold a sit-down feast with 1,500 migrant workers at South Tuas Recreation Centre, over three sittings. Volunteers will serve the workers and engage them in conversation as they dine on biryani together. There is also a space for those who ask for prayer to be ministered to.

Although the language barrier is real, Ps Johann is confident that, as has been the case, the volunteers will be able to connect with the workers through simple English, sign language and kindness.

“We are learning to be that listening ear for them,” said Ps Johann. “Most of the time, they want to share all about their family and home. 

“Sometimes when they tell us that they have health issues or problems, we offer to say a prayer for them.”

Ps Sam told Salt&Light, “City Harvest has been our major partner in blessing the guest workers through carnivals and events. This Sunday, CHC in partnership with AGWO is organising A Feast of Love, a sumptuous dinner with games and blessing draw.”

This Sunday, the team and volunteers of MFW are looking forward to speaking the universal language of love, said Ps Johann.

“We may be of different cultures and speak different languages but when we communicate love, it is felt,” he said.

CHC is one of the churches that support AGWO’s efforts toward migrant workers. There are many opportunities to serve: Churches can partner AGWO by emailing Ps Sam Gift Stephen at [email protected]

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