The Near East Network
One encouraging development in these last two years has been the formation of the Near East Network (NEN). Here is her formal statement:
“NEN is a collaborative family of churches and para-church organisations in and around the Katong-Joo Chiat district. We have come together to invest in friendships and to share the love of God to the neighbourhood we call home.
We believe that faith is best lived out in action and community. As a network, we serve our neighbours, seek to meet relevant needs, support local initiatives, and share our festive activities. This is seen most notably through our annual “Christmas in Joo Chiat” celebration. By combining the unique strengths of our different churches and organisations, we hope to be a real blessing to our community.
We also hope to support our the aims of our grassroot leaders and other organisations in their endeavors to serve the Joo Chiat community and hep to enliven this area.
At its heart, NEN is about forming real friendships and being a visible, loving presence in Katong-Joo Chiat. We are excited about the connections we are making, and we look forward to getting to know our Joo Chiat neighbours.”
The List of Churches:
Bethesda Katong Church, Boscombe Life Church, Charis Methodist ChurchChurch of Singapore, East Asia school of Theology, Katong Presbyterian Church, Marine Parade Christian Centre, St Hilda’s Church & Toong Chai Presbyterian Church.
We have been having regular meetings among ourselves and with our MPs from time to time). Our MPs are keen to have us engaged with the community. We have gotten to understand how each church is reaching out to the neighbourhood. Some activities include legal clinic, Pilate classes, hydroponic faming (ours), activities for seniors, heritage activities and so on.
We are also building our friendship and partnership with community and grassroot organizations such as the People’s Association, the Joo Chiat Residents Network, the People’s Association, Katong-Joo Chiat Business Association, heritage related groups etc. It has been said that Joo Chiat area is fast becoming the new “Holland Village” of Singapore.
When it comes to the Christmas season, these churches will naturally step up to celebrate with the community under the banner “Christmas in Joo Chiat.” (check the website). Various events will be organised by the different churches but one flagship combined event is the Carnival. The first Carnival was hosted in Charis Methodist in 2025. MPCC will host 2026’s and it also dovetail nicely with our 50thAnniversary Celebration. There are various components that allow for meaningful community interaction such as the Community Connect Zone and The Neighbour’s Table.
While a Carnival is a huge event, I recall the Malay proverb, “Sedikit sedikit jadi bukit.” Many little contributions will a make a huge work possible.
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