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Singapore and Malaysia 1968-1996
Establishing the Church in the Hub of Southeast Asia
Singapore: Hub for Spreading the Gospel
Situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, a little above the equator, the small tropical island that is the Republic of Singapore is the hub of communications and economic activity in the islands of Southeast Asia. The name Singapore is derived from the Sanskrit words Singa Pur, meaning "city of the lion." Two-thirds of the nation's 2.7 million people live in the 37-square-mile city of Singapore, one of the most densely populated areas of Asia. The nation is stable and prosperous, and Singapore is among the cleanest, most modern cities in the world, with striking skyscrapers, beautiful parks, well-maintained roads, an efficient subway system, and an extremely attractive and well-planned airport. Eighty-eight percent of the populace is literate (generally the schools teach in two languages, English and Mandarin Chinese). The economy expanded rapidly during the 1970s and early 1980s (with an average annual growth rate of 9 percent), making Singaporeans wealthy by Southeast Asian standards (the per capita income by the early 1990s was more than $13,900 a year, and most Singaporeans own their own homes or condominium apartments).
The populace is ethnically diverse-truly a nation of immigrants-consisting of Chinese (76.4 percent), Malayan (14.9 percent), Indian (6.4 percent), and others, including Caucasians (2.3 percent). The principal religions of Asia are all represented: Chinese Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and animism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity. The Christian community is fairly large, with about 220,000 believers (8 percent of the nation's population). Singapore has no state religion, and religious freedom is allowed.
Opening the Work
Latter-day Saint interests in Singapore began in the late 1950s when Elder Mark E. Petersen planned to visit Singapore but canceled his trip because of political turmoil. Elder Spencer W. Kimball visited there in the early 1960s but found no members. In May 1963 Elder Gordon B. Hinckley found three members, all British, and held meetings with them. On December 10, 1964, Elder and Sister Hinckley and President and Sister Jay A. Quealy of the Southern Far East Mission met with three families who had been holding regular Sunday services since the previous September. At that time Elder Hinckley concluded that the Church should be fully established there, but four years passed before LDS missionaries entered the country, and only then did any native Singaporeans come into the Church. Elder Marion D. Hanks was also involved in the development of the Church programs in Singapore during these early years.
On March 19, 1968, about a month after President Keith E. Garner took the first six missionaries to Thailand, he sent Elders Todd Bake, Joel Richard III, Kim Shipley, and Melvin Shurtz to Singapore to begin proselyting work. Their efforts were soon rewarded when Alice Tan was baptized on May 4, 1968, and other local people joined the Church soon after.1