ABOUT US

A Church with Deep Roots and a Heart for the Community

For more than a century, St Matthew’s Church has sought to be a faithful presence wherever God has placed us — calling people to worship, nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ, and serving the needs of the community around us.

Established in 1902 and located in Tiong Bahru since 1996, St Matthew’s Church continues to experience renewal in our ministries while holding on to something that has characterised our church through the generations: warm relationships, genuine community, and a desire to make a positive difference beyond our church walls.

Our Story

St Matthew’s Church began in 1902 as a humble Cantonese congregation, sharing premises with St Peter’s Church at Stamford Road. In 1929, the congregation moved to Neil Road, where St Matthew’s Church was formally established. Almost three decades later, in 1958, we attained parish status — an important milestone in our journey of faith.

From our earliest years, ministry at St Matthew’s was closely connected with the needs of the surrounding community. In the 1950s, St Matthew’s Kindergarten was established to serve families living around Chinatown. In 1956, we also participated in the founding of Anglican High School, the only Chinese-medium mission school in the Diocese of Singapore.

When the Government acquired our Neil Road site, St Matthew’s relocated to Tiong Bahru in 1996, where we continue our ministry today. In 2022, we celebrated 120 years of God’s faithfulness and renewed our commitment to the mission that has shaped us from the beginning.

Who We Are Today

Tiong Bahru is a neighbourhood where heritage and renewal sit side by side. In many ways, this reflects the season St Matthew’s Church is experiencing today.

While our surroundings and ministries continue to evolve, our desire remains the same: to be a vibrant church that faithfully responds to God and to the changing needs of the people around us.

We are an intergenerational church, seeking to create a community where people of different ages can worship, grow and serve together. Relationships matter deeply to us, and church life extends beyond Sunday services into friendships, cell groups, outings, shared interests, music, gardening, children’s ministry, youth ministry and many other opportunities to journey through life together.

Simply put, we believe church is more than a place we attend. It is a community in which we belong, grow and serve together.

Growing as Disciples of Jesus

At the heart of our ministry is a desire to make every member a disciple of Jesus Christ.

We encourage our members to grow through cell groups, Bible teaching, faith-building courses and opportunities to serve. Our desire is not simply that people know more about the Christian faith, but that our lives increasingly reflect Jesus in the way we worship, relate, work and serve.

The Alpha Course remains an important part of our outreach, providing a welcoming environment for those exploring life’s deeper questions and wanting to discover more about the Christian faith.

Whether someone has followed Jesus for many years or is simply beginning to ask questions about faith, we want St Matthew’s to be a place where there is room to explore, grow and encounter Christ.

Serving Beyond Our Walls

Community engagement has always been woven into the story of St Matthew’s Church.

Today, that commitment continues through our involvement within Tiong Bahru and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Since 2020, our ministry at Anglican Senior Centre (Havelock) has sought to bring friendship, joy and meaningful engagement to seniors. We also maintain regular connections with a nearby nursing home and the Community Club, creating opportunities to serve residents through activities, talks and festive celebrations.

We believe the church has been blessed not merely to gather, but also to go — bringing the love of Christ into the everyday places where people live.

Part of the Anglican Family

St Matthew’s Church is a parish of the Diocese of Singapore (Anglican).

Within the Diocese, we belong to Area Group 2, together with Church of Our Saviour, My Saviour’s Church, Church of the Good Shepherd and St Andrew’s City Church. The Area Group structure enables parishes to support one another, share resources and work together for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

Looking Ahead

Our history reminds us of God’s faithfulness, but we believe our story is still being written.

Our prayer is that St Matthew’s Church will continue to be transformed from glory to glory — growing as disciples, strengthening relationships across generations, reaching those who do not yet know Christ, and faithfully responding to the evolving needs of our community.

After more than a century, the call remains the same:

To worship God faithfully.
To grow as disciples of Jesus.
To love one another deeply.
And to serve the community generously.

We invite you to be part of the story.