Going Wherever They Saw a Need

An Interview with Reverend Oh Beng Kee and Mrs. Mary Oh, by Geraldine Ng

Geraldine with Ps. Oh and Sis. Mary

Grace Missions, according to Rev. Oh Beng Kee and his wife Mary, is for starting many ‘small fires’. Grace Assembly of God was a small church then and did not have much financially, but members had a burden for the lost. They went wherever they saw a need. First, it was to Ilo Ilo in the Philippines, and Indonesia was next.

In those days, a small house was rented as the church space, and the same space was used for accommodation at night. Year after year, small teams of Gracians would go over to disciple the locals. Today, the church in Medan is thriving and has its own building! Mary shared that they did not take many photos then, as cameras and developing photos were too expensive. “Although we did not have much, Gracians were united in heart to see the Gospel in all nations, and God sustained us,”said Rev. Oh.

Eyes Kept on God

After stepping down, Rev. Oh continued to preach and share the Gospel in various nations, conducting Gospel rallies in the language most familiar to the elderly people — their dialect. I was curious how they managed to keep the fire for the lost and for God burning for so many years, especially when they faced many challenges and rejections in their journey. They knew who they were serving — God who is faithful and who never changes. They kept their eyes on the Lord so that they would not waver and be influenced by external factors. They were clear that they were not serving man, or a position, or anything else. They also knew that they were not the saviour, and that they were just scattering the seeds and the growth was in God’s hands. To them, it was truly the grace of God and their willingness to depend on Him, which gave them strength all along.

“Although it is a blessing to serve the Lord, it is not always a bed of roses. You have to fix your eyes on God. When you know who you are serving, then you will not be easily affected. In this journey, there are ups and downs, there are times of living in plenty and in want. Some will applaud you, some will attack you, and you will meet all kinds of people. But we shall not be affected by these. Be it on the mountain top, or in the deep valley, we will not be affected. We are just thankful that we serve a God, who gives us strength to face all these challenges.”

Today, both Rev. Oh and Mary are in their 80s and they still have a strong desire to continue serving God for as long as they live.

“No matter how old you are, there is no age limit for serving God. Even when you are retired, you can still serve God with joy. Serving God does not necessarily have to be confined within the church; there are no boundaries in serving God. You can serve God anytime, anywhere.”

This is their encouragement to all Gracians: We are never too old to serve the Lord in His mission!

In Their Words…

We, who have been bought with the blood of Christ, belong to Him, and need to remember His mission. It is not only about going to another country but having the burden to spread the Gospel to everyone. Let us hold onto this mission beyond Grace Missions’ 40 years!

In those days, Rev. Oh had prayed and God gave three sets of verses which were then displayed at different places at the old church building located at Tanglin Road, which had since been demolished. We had placed a large print of the verse: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11:28) at the front, right outside the church, with the hope that people who passed by would see the verse, be touched by the Holy Spirit and walk into church, with their burdens lifted because of Christ.

Inside the church, there was a verse of thanksgiving to all who had received the grace of God: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalms 103:1-2).

And before members walked out of church, there was another verse to serve as a deliberate reminder to all who had received the grace of God to also share the Gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

God is faithful and His grace is sufficient for us to continue journeying with him in His unfinished story.

Reverend Oh Beng Kee was Senior Pastor of Grace Assembly of God from 1966 to 1989. Grace Missions was started under his leadership in 1981. Together with his wife, Mrs. Mary Oh, they have been serving God and sharing the Gospel for 63 years. We thank God for them!