Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, Singapore
Copyright © Timothy Tye.
Orchard Road Presbyterian Church
The Orchard Road Presbyterian Church was founded in 1856 to minister to the Scots business community in Singapore, with .
The site at Orchard Road was granted by the Governor of Singapore in 1875. The foundation stone was laid on 1 August 1877, and the first church building was completed in 1878. That building was extended a few times, the most recent being in 1975, when the sanctuary was extended. In in 1985 a wing was added. Over the years, the Orchard Road Presbyterian Church developed from one supporting the English-speaking expatriate congregation to one supporting four different language congregations. In addition to the English-speaking congregation, the Orchard Road Presbyterian Church today also has the Mandarin-speaking congregation formed in 1968, the Indonesian congregation in 1976 and the German congregation in 1978, all worshipping regularly as part of the same church.
With four congregations, the Orchard Road Presbyterian Church began planning an expansion program from the late 1980s. The church tendered for a site in Bukit Batok, and was awarded a 30-year lease beginning 1 July, 1992. After receiving planning permission, a new church building was on the way. The inaugural service of the English Congregation of the Bukit Batok Presbyterian Church took place on 2 July 1995 and a few weeks later, the Mandarin and Indonesian Congregations commenced regular Sunday Services. Worship facilities at Bukit Batok comprise two sanctuaries with galleries and a chapel.
In 2006, the Orchard Road Presbyterian Church celebrated their 150th Anniversary.
