Welfare Services

Suet Ehr (right) brings Chinese New Year cheer to Mdm Chan

The circuit breaker to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was a period of social isolation. Many of us could not see our loved ones in person and had to adapt to attending church service online.

But Mdm Chan Ah Choo’s situation was far worse than a loss of personal freedom. On top of having to adapt to COVID-19 measures, Mdm Chan, who is in her early seventies, was then the main caretaker of her terminally-ill husband. The couple have no children, and external family support was also limited. Due to her injured shoulder and leg, caring for her bedridden husband was an immense challenge. Mdm Chan was also frustrated by her difficulty in obtaining basic essentials like food and toiletries during the circuit breaker. When her husband passed away in Aug 2020, the grief she had to deal with made her extremely vulnerable.

MWS Senior Activity Centre – GreenTops@Sims Place (MWS SAC – GreenTops@Sims Place) staff Lee Oi Wei and Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) volunteer Teo Suet Ehr subsequently befriended Mdm Chan. She was initially shy and reserved, but the MWS befrienders helped Mdm Chan emerge from her shell by regularly visiting her home and they have since become her welcome companions. The MWS befrienders also encouraged Mdm Chan to attend activities and make friends at the SAC, as well as use the gym to improve her physical health.

Suet Ehr, who worships at Geylang Chinese Methodist Church, sees volunteering as a Biblical commandment to serve and bless those in need. She is further motivated by the faithfulness of MWS volunteers, which serve as constant encouragement in her volunteering journey. “Some volunteers travel long distances weekly to where MWS SAC – GreenTops@Sims Place is located. They also make available themselves when we are short of volunteers. I know of a volunteer who is rather elderly and has family commitments, yet she will make time to help out even though she stays at West Coast,” she said.

Suet Ehr is a positive example of a Methodist who perseveres in doing good. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9)

Let us take this season of Lent to rally our family and friends to bring love and hope to those facing social and emotional poverty, so that they may have life to the full. Although we may be facing a difficult time ourselves, let us reach deep into our hearts to give others a warm and friendly face, heartfelt camaraderie and caring fellowship to tide them through tough times. Let us be the friend they need now.

In the spirit of helping those like Mdm Chan, we invite you to join MWS’s Persevere in Doing Good campaign by reaching out and befriending those who are isolated and distressed, for a period of six to 12 months.

MWS will connect you with socially isolated seniors, disadvantaged and distressed families and individuals, and disadvantaged children in need of meaningful, longerterm friendships, advice and emotional support to guide them through the struggles in their lives.

Be a Befriender to a child, a senior or a family in need.

Empower over 8,000 disadvantaged and distressed individuals and families.

Encourage someone to give. Pray for the last, lost and least. To sign up as a befriender and find out more about the campaign, go to