Asian Grace Baptist Church officially became an Independent Fundamental Bible Believing Baptist Church, following nine years as a mission of Lighthouse Baptist Church Singapore, under the late Pastor Selva. It was a memorable beginning, with many brethren from other Independent Baptist Churches in Singapore attending the inauguration service and celebrating together with us. As a young and vibrant congregation, we appreciated the support from these like-minded churches which encouraged us a great deal. We were also very blessed to have had as our invited guest speaker, none other than Pastor Gerry Nable of Bethany Baptist Church, Makati, Philippines. We invited him because of his great love for missions. His attendance accentuated for us the importance of world evangelization that we also had as our church vision.

The theme of our inauguration service was “STRIVING TOGETHER” based on Philippians 1:27. It served as a reminder for us that the ministry God had entrusted to us was not just for the pastor but for all members. It becomes especially clear when we take a look at the account in Matthew 28:18-20 when Jesus put forth the GREAT COMMISSION,

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

I believe that Christ did not just commission the apostles here, but the church herself. Remember the words, “…I am with you alway…” and if we link this with Matthew 16:18, we see Christ promising to protect the church He personally founded: “…the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” So, the church that the Lord Jesus Christ personally designed as part of His great plan of salvation, is to go to all the world and proclaim, teach and baptist new followers!

Coming to the logistical history of our church – the first church service was held at the Girls’ Brigade Singapore, 795 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534667. We continued our services there every Sunday morning for almost a year. We also held our first Lord’s Supper there too. Our midweek service or Prayer meetings took place at three different times and venues – from Wednesday to Friday, and at various members’ homes. We carried on this practice until we were blessed with our new worship place at the Guilin Building in the Aljunied area.

Our membership grew and after a year, we had not only gained many new members, we were also able to begin supporting at least 35 missionaries worldwide. Although it was challenging since we were just starting out, we encouraged our members to begin everything anew, including our support for missions.

Our goal was to participate in global evangelization—not only by supporting missionaries but also, someday, by becoming a hub for sending missionaries out from Singapore.

Inspired by this vision, we celebrated our 1st World Mission Conference and Anniversary, drawing on Psalm 118:23  “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” We invited Pastor Jose B. Cabajar of Ilagan Baptist Church in Isabela, Philippines. He blessed us with a powerful, insightful message from the Lord, challenging us with the theme verse from Psalm 118:23. The worship place in Aljunied was a result of our diligent and sincere prayers. That is why Pastor Cabajar was the right person to grace us with an encouraging message from the Bible. More than anything about him, he is known as a man of prayer.

The work of the Lord through us has truly been remarkable. The church’s significant influence on each brother and sister, was deeply moving as we saw lives being impacted. The Bible studies held in various locations contributed to an incredible ministry, offering guidance and encouragement, especially during those challenging times. Clearly, it was not just human effort. This church belongs to Christ and we can boldly affirm that it was the Lord’s doing, and it was marvellous in our eyes.

As we celebrated our 2nd Anniversary and World Mission Conference, the church adopted the theme based on Psalm 66:16 “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul”. We were inspired to continue God’s marvellous work through us, so we had to “DECLARE WHAT HE HATH DONE FOR MY SOUL.” What a testimony! As we continued to grow as a church, the Lord entrusted us with a growing number of ministries to stretch us to do even more in His name.

This is how we devised the theme for our 3rd Anniversary and World Mission Conference, “…THAT THY FAITH FAIL NOT,” taken from Luke 22:32, which says, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren”. Indeed, over time, we were tried and tested; our faith was put to the test time and again. The challenge for every church member was to continue in their faith, ensuring that nothing and no one was to come between us and our service to the Lord.

In doing so, we continued to enjoy God’s faithfulness. We celebrated our 4th Anniversary and World Mission Conference with the theme, “GO, STAND AND SPEAK,” taken from Acts 5:20, which states, “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” The church faced many obstacles, but the challenge for every member was to remain faithful in preaching the Gospel to every creature. We were compelled to still go, stand, and speak to people from all walks of life about Jesus.

Through those years, despite the many heartaches and pains, we endured as a church. God’s amazing grace enabled us to call to mind that God’s foundation “standeth sure”. This is where we found our 5th Anniversary and World Mission Conference theme – “THE FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDETH SURE.” This was taken from 2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity”. During that time, which was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, God proved to us once again that nothing could shake us, no matter the storms that we faced. Our foundation rested upon the Rock, Jesus, and no one has been able to bring us down.

In fact, we became motivated and committed to doing even more, and in so doing, to be obedient to the Master’s call. That’s where we got our 6th Anniversary and World Mission Conference theme – “THE LORD SAID… GO, COMPEL, COME IN, BE FILLED” which was taken from Luke 14:23 “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled”. We faced a great challenge then, but despite the lockdown, the command given to us was truly compelling: to GO and invite people to come hear the good news! This was also the time when we sent out our first trained missionary, Joel Sandoc, together with his family. We sent them to the Philippines to reach particularly the Filipinos who have held on to traditional Christianity, and yet who are lost. We were thankful for this great opportunity, and now AGBC Zambales Philippines, is a growing mission, being blessed abundantly by the grace of God.

In order to continue sending out missionaries, we had to PRESS ON, after the lockdown was lifted. That’s where we got our 7th Anniversary and World Mission Conference theme, “PRESS TOWARD THE MARK”, which was taken from Philippians 3:14, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Past experiences, whether positive or  negative, can sometimes slow us down or hinder us from fulfilling God’s purpose. However, it is crucial to keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, who awaits us at the finish line.

By maintaining our eyes on Him, we were blessed to send out a couple, the Sapidas, to the island of Fiji. The ministry led by the Sapidas has been growing by leaps and bounds and they have even introduced World Evangelization to the church there, and motivated many to commit to missions. As a result, we have successfully established a Bible School in Fiji and conducted online training, in partnership with the mother church, AGBC, Singapore. With perseverance and by God’s mercy and grace, we have seen great success as we press toward the mark.

While we faithfully pursue our own course, we must remember the importance of the souls of men. Following the principle of farming, each of us has an assigned TASK (sowing). As we carry out this task, we inevitably face hardships in our ministry, often with TEARS. However, our comfort from the Lord is that our efforts in Him are never futile. Instead, we will always find OURSELVES TRIUMPHANT (reaping with joy) because the Lord is always with us. That is where we derived our 8th Anniversary and World Mission Conference theme, “THEY THAT SOW IN TEARS SHALL REAP WITH JOY”, which is taken from Psalm 126:5,6, They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

At that time, we were also grateful to have partnered with the Caoilis, long-time missionaries to China. We were able to help redirect their mission to serve in Nepal instead and supported them in beginning a new mission work there. I believe this is the purpose for which God placed AGBC here: to be instruments in reaching the lost with the Gospel of Christ in Asia.

Throughout the years of serving the Lord, all of these experiences have taught us and reminded us time and again of the preciousness of a soul. This was the foundation of our 9th Anniversary and World Mission Conference theme, “THE PRECIOUSNESS OF A SOUL,” taken from Isaiah 13:12, which says, “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” Reflecting on what God has accomplished through us; it is truly remarkable to consider that He has enabled us to send out our own missionaries — no less than six — and to support an increasing number of missionaries — now up to a hundred all around the world.

We know that by partnering with missionaries around the globe, we also partake in the blessing of witnessing souls being reaped in fields that we may never be able to reach ourselves! God has enabled us to commission three more families: the Leongs to Ipoh, Malaysia; the Mercados to Fiji; and the Felipes to Singapore.

Over the past nine years, God’s faithfulness has helped us fulfil our vision of sending out our own missionaries. This achievement is truly the Lord’s work, and we see it as marvellous. When the Lord is on our side, and we follow His will, our prayers are always answered. Despite various ups and downs in the ministry, we have seen God’s mighty hand guiding us. During stormy times, He carried us through, protecting and sustaining us. The church has faced many discouraging and disappointing experiences, but once again, God’s faithfulness has enabled us to persevere and continue our mission.

Above all, there is only one thing that has enabled us to keep on keeping on through the years, and that is the love of Christ. Christ’s love is everlasting and never changes. For Him who loved us before we loved Him and also because of love for His work, we engage in all these ministries! Love is the foundation of how we were saved and of all our service and ministries, past, present, and future.

We celebrate our 10th Anniversary and World Mission Conference this year 2026, with the theme “FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINETH US”, which is taken from 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. We boldly testify that God is truly with us. His immense love empowers us to fulfil the great commission entrusted to us. AGBC’s vision is rooted in this great commission: to go and preach the gospel to every creature, and our mission is to diligently fulfil this great commission. No other motive surpasses this. With this great love of Christ in us we are motivated to continue to walk with Him, which will be the theme for our 11th Anniversary next year, “WALKING WITH JESUS.”