Church Expands Annual Animal Blessing Service

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 Posted: 6:07:37PM HKT

An attendant at an animal blessing service held last year at Living Hope Methodist Church. (Photo: LHMC)

Correction Appended.

The only Protestant congregation in Singapore that conducts an animal blessing service is expanding its event this year. Living Hope Methodist Church will be holding a seminar to educate Christians and mobilise them to care for animals.

This will be the eighth year the LHMC would have conducted an animal blessing service. The event was started in 2002 by The Rev Dr Lorna Khoo, Pastor-in-Charge of LHMC. This was while the congregation was still worshipping at St George’s Chapel in Changi before the new sanctuary was built.

It affirms that animals are God’s creatures and are valued by God. The service creates awareness that Christians as God’s people need to care for His creation in a responsible and loving way as He would want them to.

Secondarily, it is a community outreach project. Seven people have attended LHMC and given their lives to the Lord as a result of the ministry, The Rev Khoo told The Christian Post.

Organised under the All God’s Creatures Committee of the congregation, the blessing service lasts a half hour. It comprises two hymns, a short message, prayer for individual animals by church leaders and socialisation of pets.

For the past seven years, the service has been conducted in October at 4 p.m. This year, the animal blessing service will be held on October 24 at the same time.

Previous sessions have seen attendants bringing mostly dogs but also other animals including cats, chinchillas, rabbits, hamsters, a parrot, a tortoise and goldfishes.

The seminar, Animals and God’s Kingdom, will feature two talks from a Christian perspective by The Rev Dr Daniel Koh and The Rev Khoo. Dr Koh is a Methodist pastor and ethics lecturer at Trinity Theological College.

The meeting will be chaired by The Rev Rita Wong, Senior Pastor of Bedok Lutheran Church, and The Rev Joel Yong, Pastor of Faith Methodist Church. A very well known and experienced vet in Singapore, Dr Jean Paul Ly, will be sharing some tips on animal care. Dr Ly is the head of Animal Recovery Centre Vet Clinics here.

The seminar will also consist of an exhibition by ACRES, or Animal Concerns Research & Education Society. ACRES Director Louis Ng will be sharing about their work with wildlife. A couple that helps out at Animal Lovers League will also be sharing about the rescue of stray dogs and cats.

Correction: An article on Tuesday, August 25, stated that Dr Khoo is a Methodist pastor and lecturer in ethics at Trinity Theological College. This is incorrect. It should be Dr Koh. CP regrets the error.

Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com