Karen Baptist Church Singapore History
Early Beginnings (1980s–1990s): Burmese Christians in Singapore initially met informally in homes due to their small numbers. By 1995, the Singapore Burmese Christian Fellowship (SBCF) was formally established at Thomson Baptist Church, led by Rev. Saw Augustus, with services conducted in Burmese.
Formation of Karen Fellowship (1997): As the Karen community grew larger than the other ethnic groups, many of them desired to worship in the Karen language (Sgaw Karen). With encouragement from Rev. Dr. Doh Say and local leaders like Saw Michael Thaw Tha and Saw Paul, the Singapore Karen Baptist Fellowship (SKBF) was officially founded in 1997.
Growth and Venues:
First worship services were held at Pasir Panjang (1997), then moved to the YMCA (Orchard Road) in 1998, first on the 4th floor and later the 9th floor as attendance grew from 27 to over 100.
In 2005, the fellowship moved once again to the Boys’ Brigade Headquarters to accommodate a growing congregation
Later, the fellowship relocated again to Kim Tian Christian Church as the congregation continued growing and more worship services were added.
Becoming a Church (2006): The fellowship matured into a fully constituted church and was officially registered under the Singapore Baptist Convention as Karen Baptist Church Singapore (KBCS).
Mission and Identity: KBCS was founded with a deliberate theological and cultural purpose: to preserve and use the Karen language in worship and education. Its mission extends beyond Singapore: supporting seminaries, orphanages, pastors’ training, and Karen Baptist Convention initiatives in Myanmar and abroad.
Today: KBCS has grown into a congregation of about 450 attendees, serving as both a spiritual home and cultural anchor for Karen Christians in Singapore while continuing to support mission fields in Myanmar and beyond.
Karen Baptist Church Singapore emerged from a small home fellowship into a recognized church, driven by the Karen community’s desire to worship in their own language and to sustain both their faith and cultural heritage.
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8)
Tharamudoh Naw Lydia Po
Senior Pastor
Filled with His love, shining His light to the world.
Vision & Mission
As the body of Christ, we strive to achieve our vision and mission by the:
- Exaltation of the King – a community that worships the living Lord who is master over all aspects of our lives.
- Edification of the Body of Christ – a community that learns at the feet of Jesus as Scripture is preached and taught with faithful exegesis
- Encountering Christ – a community that encounters Christ and shares the joy of that encounter with others.
Vision
A church saturated with Jesus’ love and light and becoming conduits of that overflowing love and light.
Mission
Living out our faith by loving God and obeying His command to go make disciples of all the nations.
May the blessing and grace of God be upon us all. We thank God for delivering us day by day in his love and mercy. Especially when we are going through times like this, with the Covid-19, let us encourage each other with the Word of God in Rom 12:12. May we all have complete victory through the help of our God
.Tharamudoh Naw Lydia Po
My Prayer ...
Dear Lord Give me a heart like Daniel just like how he slept peacefully in a den of lions.
Dear Lord Give me wisdom like Joseph to resist temptation.
Dear Lord Give me ability like David to overpower a giant.
Dear Lord Give me zeal like Elijah to defy a heathen cult.
Dear Lord Give me heart like John the Baptist to redirect his prominence to Jesus.
Dear Lord Give me heart like Paul to sing stress away at midnight in jail.
Dear Lord Give me strength to follow Jesus’s steps.
In Jesus name.. amen.
Tharadoh Saw Eh Htoo Nyo
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 Come, just as you are. Do not wait until you feel you are good or perfect enough to come to Christ; He wants to give you a new heart and a new life, not force you to change your behaviour and habits. He loves us just as we are, but His great love will not leave us just as we are — we will be made new, learning to love God and loving others. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 Come, just as you are. Do not wait for the pleasures of this world to relieve you of your burdens before accepting Jesus’ invitation; He is the true rest-giver and Christ alone can relieve us of the weariness of this world. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20 God invites us to come to Him, but He also instructs us to go to others. As His children, we sit at His feet for restoration and rest; as His disciples, we go out to the world to issue His invitation for them to come to Him for the very same restoration and rest that we have received from Christ Jesus. And as we go to others, the Holy Spirit goes with us — to the end of the age.
Tharamu Naw Winsome Paul
