Changed Lives Flood Chaplain's Memorial Service

Turnout included over 100 ex-prisoners, some of whom became pastors

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009 Posted: 12:37:38AM HKT

It was no quiet memorial service when the family and friends of the late The Rev Henry Khoo marked the first anniversary since his passing.

At least 200 people filled the Anglican St George's Church where the service was held last week. There were more than 100 ex-prisoners at the event, some of them now pastors, recalled Neivelle Tan, an ex-convict turned pastor, whom ‘Dad’ Khoo helped.

“He was my first teacher when I was still in prison and his Christian spirit was very good; [his] personal testimony, drive, devotion. Everything that I remember about him was a very great encouragement,” Pastor Tan expressed.

Once listed among the most dangerous people in Singapore, the 69 year-old had worked with The Rev Khoo’s father, The Rev Khoo Siaw Hua, while in prison from 1972 until the latter retired as prison chaplain in 1985.

Pastor Tan went on to work with The Rev Henry Khoo, who succeeded his father.

It was the late prison chaplain and a few other Christians who encouraged him to go into Christian ministry, attend a Bible college and start a prison fellowship – by then, Pastor Tan had been released from imprisonment – which became the forerunner to the Prison Fellowship in Singapore.

The idea of starting the ministry came from The Rev Khoo, while it was Pastor Tan and a few other people including Church of Singapore’s Elder Goh Ewe Kheng and the prison superintendent who actually pioneered the work.

Pastor Tan became one of the directors of the newly formed fellowship, the Rehabilitation Life Limited, and its first fulltime worker. Today, Tan is the Senior Pastor of the Church of God (Evangelical) which he founded.

And he is only one of the countless examples of lives that have been changed for the better through the 38 year ministry of the late prison chaplain, who brought spiritual comfort to hardened prisoners, including those on the death row.

The Rev Henry Khoo died on Tuesday, 21 October 2008 at the Singapore General Hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was 76 years old.

With three successive generations in the prison ministry, the Khoo family is known for its contributions in this area.

Before The Rev Henry Khoo, his father had begun as a prison minister in 1952 and served as honorary prison chaplain from 1953 to 1985. The Rev Khoo Siaw Hua died a year after his retirement.

The Rev Henry Khoo started as a teacher conducting classes in Changi Prison in 1968. He succeeded his father as prison chaplain, serving until 2006.

His son, The Rev Timothy Khoo, is the executive vice-president of Prison Fellowship International. He serves in the prisons here as a volunteer.

Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com