Georgie and Galven Lee

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Impact of ACS Clock Tower Revival: 50th Anniversary

15 February 2022 blogpastor 4 Comments

This Is The Lord’s Doing

The ACS Clock Tower revival is one part of what God was doing in the 1970’s. I would call it the 1970s Charismatic Revival as the fires that were lit among the mainline Anglican and Methodist churches, among students in schools (of which one is ACS), and at Jedburg Gardens, all happened during the early 1970s and continued to burn strongly for about a decade. This revival would have great impact on the renewal and growth of the church in Singapore and overseas.

In my case, I was spiritually born and bred in the revival atmosphere that began in the backside of science laboratories of Dunearn Secondary Technical School in the middle of 1972. When I reflect on what happened 50 years ago, I cannot help but exclaim with the Psalmist: “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23)

The impact of the 1970s Charismatic Revival would vary in significance and lasting fruit. The Anglican renewal’s impact would have the greatest of lasting outcomes as it touched its top leadership, the bishops Chiu Ban It and Moses Tay. Furthermore, Rev Dr James Wong brilliant channeling of renewed Anglican members into church planting works resulted in the formation of several churches that are well established churches today: tangible monuments to the work of the Spirit. The ACS Clock Tower school students’ influence, unlike the top-down of the Anglicans, would be ground-up. It would go on to open the heavy doors of the Methodist Church to the fresh wind of the Spirit, and this was clearly miraculous because students, even Spirit-filled ones, were pretty low in the church hierarchy. The Jedburg Gardens revival would be associated with the formation of the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International, a super-spreader of the renewal to all other denominations in the 1970s. The Dunearn Secondary Technical School revival became a local church with a strong focus on missions, World Revival Prayer Fellowship.

1970s Charismatic Revival Bore Much Fruit

One of the blessings of the 1970s Charismatic Revival was that it facilitated the gathering together of churches of different traditions and beliefs, and prepared the way for unity movements like the Love Singapore unity movement, and the great inter-denominational events like Here’s Life Singapore, Billy Graham Crusade and Festival of Praise.

It would result in the renewal of many nominal members in traditional churches. It would be a great spiritual awakening of first love for Jesus. Their lives would be turned upside down by the Spirit’s dynamic power and compel them into zealous works of service and ministry. Like people madly in love they would boldly spread the gospel and the blessing of renewal everywhere: in schools, homes, and the marketplace. Thousands came to Christ during the revival.

While many of these revived saints will remain in their vocations and be effective salt and light where they were, for some, this experience of first love would result in these revived saints leaving their jobs to go into full time Christian vocations: in churches, mission fields and para-church ministry. Personally, I could count about 20 persons I know from the Dunearn revival who have gone into missionary or pastoral work. I cannot imagine the numbers in other bigger more significant centers of revival.

The growth of the Christian church in Singapore and its expanded role in missions may be attributed to the 1970s Charismatic Revival which sort of raised the tide of spiritual renewal to overcome personal and church structural barriers to evangelism and missions. I would even say that the rise of many of the megachurches could be traced back to the influence of the 1970s Charismatic Revival.

For those who want to read a well-researched, notable and comprehensive work that described the 1970s Charismatic Revival do purchase and read, “Unfolding His Story” by Georgie and Galven Lee (pic below).

To read more about factors surrounding this this revival, go HERE.

FGB Gatekeepers’ 40th Anniversary Dinner

24 September 2015 blogpastor Leave a comment

Beautifully laid table in Fullerton Hotel ballroom

Wonderful gathering of people many of whom have served side by side with each other in FGBMF Spore

Celebrations began appropriately with songs that harked back to the heydays of FGBMF Spore.

The new face of FGBMF Singapore
Full Gospel Business Gatekeepers Singapore: this is the new name of what was once the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship Singapore ( FGBMF Spore). They were celebrating their 40th anniversary together with the launch of a book titled: UNFOLDING HIS STORY. The dinner celebration on 2nd September was well attended at Fullerton Hotel with most receptionist and volunteers manning the tables under 40 and most people attending the event over 50 years of age. On the stage that night the old and young represented the future of this middle-aged organization injected with a new zip in its movements. This partnership of young and old, hand in hand, is the new face of a miraculous but God-supervised transformation (or as businessmen would term re-invention) of the mid-lifer that was FGBMF Spore.
From dry bones to mighty army
The FGBMF Spore was at one point dehydrated and lacking vitality, if not moribund and breathing its last breath: words I dared not use if the organization was still like that today. It was like an organization that had lost its way. They had done their God-given mission so well that the churches they touched were so strong they did not need the organization’s help any more. Their heydays were in the 1970s and 1980s. They were the bearer of the transformative experience called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As people touched by the Lord returned to bless and strengthen their own churches, the role of FGBMF Spore became like the remains of a charcoal pit, covered with glorious ash, but needing some stoking for the fire to be reset. They needed a new purpose and that was found in the outworking of the theology of the kingdom of God in the world, the marketplace. Once a valley of dry bones, it’s now an inter-generational army infused with a clear mission and strategy. Thus they have changed their name to Full Gospel Business Gatekeepers Singapore to reflect the new mission. Some FGBMF national organizations in other countries are coming to Singapore to catch this fire too.

THE UNFOLDING STORY about to be unveiled and launched with prayer

The book with photographs of the newspaper stories of speaking in tongues among students and several WRPF photos is inside — The book contains valuable photographs of the ST aritcle headings of speaking in tongues among students and several WRPF photos

Pictures of my predecessors: Pastor Johney and Bro A.M. Mathew (seated L-R) — Pictures of my predecessors: Rev Dr Johney and founder pastor Rev A.M. Mathew (seated L-R)

Unfolding His Story: new book
The highlight of the celebration was the launch of an interesting book titled UNFOLDING HIS STORY, written by a father and son team, Georgie and Galven Lee. It is the story of the charismatic movement in Singapore with a special eye on the contribution of the Anglican Church and FGBMF Singapore. Even though the writing team directly involved was father and son, it was a pleasure to see the whole Lee family, including the mother and daughter, involved in the production of this book.

With Galven who did a — With Galven Lee who did his NUS research on the charismatic movement in Singapore and was conferred a first class honours for his work. Unfolding His Story used the extensive, thorough research of his dissertation.

I remember being interviewed by Galven Lee, one of the authors. He was then a NUS history research student with a voice recorder and notebook. I shared with him what I knew of our story in the meta-narrative of the charismatic revival of the 1970s. It had to do with many students of many schools being filled with the Spirit. Our little story started with the Holy Spirit pouring out his power upon a group of students behind the science labs of the lowly Dunearn Tech Secondary School, along Bukit Timah Road. What began as students speaking in tongues behind the science labs became a crying revival and finally became the church, World Revival Prayer Fellowship. This not insignificant event was mentioned in the book.

With Rev Michael Teh, Vicar of Chapel of the Holy Spirit

Enjoyable evening
At my table, I sat beside Rev Michael Teh, the vicar of Chapel of the Holy Spirit, an Anglican church that was planted as a result of the spiritual renewal among the Anglicans in the 1970s. We had a nice chat and could connect easily. He is the pastor of the church which originally started in the Lee family’s home. The fellowship was good and so was the food and service but later during the meal I had cold Coca Cola spilled over me. I left for the restroom to clean up and on the way back to my table there was the apologetic head waiter and the waitress apologizing profusely and offering free dry cleaning service. Wished they offered me a free night’s stay at the hotel with breakfast. Good thing I was wearing a Mandarin collar long sleeve not a jacket. It was a long but enjoyable night.

May the Lord continue to bless the FGB Gatekeepers. I have nothing but good things to say about them now and what they have to offer to churches. If you wish to learn more about how they train people to make disciples in the marketplace you may want to read this blogpost I wrote earlier about one of their programs.
THINE IS THE GLORY, THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE.