Polglase, John

1854 - 1933
Lay leader of the first Methodist church in Singapore
Methodist
Singapore

John Polglase was born on January 3, 1854 in England. He received a private education and, at a young age, came to Singapore where he occupied an influential position in the British government from the late 1880s onwards. 

A dedicated Wesleyan, Polglase was a lay person but he played a pivotal role in the founding and establishment of Methodism in Singapore. 

Methodism on the island got its initial push from Charles Philips, the head of the Singapore branch of the Seamen's Institute. In 1883, Philips wrote to the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States about the huge potential for mission work on the island. It was a “Macedonian call” to Reverend James M. Thoburn, who was the presiding elder of the South India Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the time. Thoburn chose William F. Oldham from among 20 young American volunteers for the daunting task of pioneering Methodism in Singapore.

In 1885, Thoburn, his wife Anna Jones, Oldham and an organist named Julia Battie arrived at Singapore’s New Harbour (now Keppel Harbour) from India on board the SS Khandalla. It was a faith mission for the party as Thoburn did not have enough money for the return trip. Much to their surprise, Philips was at the wharf to welcome them. Apparently, he had dreamt of their arrival the night before. His home became their headquarters, and the Seamen’s Institute was offered for evangelistic meetings. However, Thoburn found it too small for the purpose.

It was Polglase, who was then the assistant municipal secretary, who offered the capacious Town Hall as an alternative site. At the Municipal Council meeting to decide on permission for the use of the Town Hall for religious purposes, there were three votes for and three against. Ultimately, it was left to the seventh vote from a non-Christian Chinese council member that secured the right to use the venue.[1]  

That same evening, February 8, 1885, which fell on a Sunday, the first evangelistic meeting was held at the Town Hall. Earlier, 2,000 handbills had been distributed throughout Singapore to publicise the event and the organisers were encouraged to see 150 people turning up. Reverend Thoburn stood in front of the hall and preached eloquently on the text, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). As a result of the positive response, nightly evangelistic meetings were held. The crowd grew in number as the days went by. Many also responded to the confession of faith by coming to the front at the end of the meeting.[2] In fact, 17 people publicly responded to dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ.[3] 

After two weeks of nightly evangelistic meetings, Thoburn decided it was time to formally organise the first Methodist Church in Malaya. On Monday, February 23, 1885, following the provisions of the Methodist Discipline (the Methodist Church’s book of rules and procedures), William Oldham was appointed the first pastor to a congregation of three members, namely, John Polglase, F. J. Benjafield and Maurice Drummond. There were also 15 probationers consisting of Eurasians, Indians and Chinese.[4] The charge Thoburn gave to Oldham was as follows: “Methodism appoints you as an herald to a nation and there must be continual overflow to your activities which will never end until you overtake all Malaysia.”[5]

At the quarterly conference to elect office bearers from among the three church members, due to the absence of the other two, the only qualified member left was Polglase, and he did not back down. As a result, he was summarily elected to all offices of the new church, from Sunday School superintendent to trustee, steward and treasurer! It was to be a self-supporting missionary church without any outside financial aid.[6] Polglase as the treasurer was undeterred and smilingly said to Thoburn and the young Oldham: “I think they (the missionaries) can live on seventy dollars a month, and as to the raising of it, all I can do is to try, and if Oldham can stand the arrangement, of course I can.”[7]

Two days later, Thoburn and the two ladies sailed back to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), leaving behind Oldham and Polglase to shoulder the heavy responsibility of charting the future of the Methodist movement in Malaya (the region was referred to by missionaries as Malaysia). In the early days, Polglase was virtually a one-man organiser and facilitator. It was not until 1888 that the mission work in Singapore was officially incorporated as the Malaysia Mission and thus entitled to receive support from the Missionary Society in New York.[8]

Polglase served in the municipality of Singapore in various positions for 38 years. He had joined the island’s municipal service as assistant municipal secretary in 1882, and was secretary of the municipality from 1892 to March 1920. Many in the community, Europeans and Asians alike, had fond memories of his cheerful and friendly disposition. As a member and lay leader of the church, he was very active and participated in many of the church activities. He held many important positions on the official board. He was also well liked by members of the Sunday School which he served as superintendent for a long period of time.[9]

The missionary and district superintendent, Reverend Abel Eklund, recorded in the Malaysia Message the following: “To the missionaries, Mr Polglase was a real friend, always ready with valuable counsel and kind advice. On two occasions Mr Polglase represented Methodism in Malaysia as Lay Representative to the General Conference in the United States, first in Los Angeles 1904 and next in Minneapolis 1912. I will remember his speech to the Annual Conference after this latter trip to America. In vivid terms he told us how he arrived in Southern Europe, dashed across the Continent to England in an attempt to catch the ill-fated “Titanic” —  and missed it. What at first seemed a great disappointment, proved to be a great blessing.”[10]

Polglase retired at the age of 66 and returned to England. He passed away at the age of 79 in 1933. In recognition of his contribution to the city of Singapore, a bridge, Polglase Bridge, was named after him. It was a fitting tribute to his role as a bridge builder between society and church, between one race and another, and undeniably between clergy and laity.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ Nathalie T. Means, Malaysia Mosaic: A Story of Fifty Years of Methodism (Singapore, The Methodist Book Room, 1935), 17.
  2. ^ Means, Malaysia Mosaic, 17.
  3. ^ Ho Seng Ong, Methodist Schools in Malaysia (Petaling Jaya, Board of Education,      Malaya Annual Conference, 1964), 245.
  4. ^ Ernest Lau, From Mission to Church: The evolution of the Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia, 1885–1976, (Singapore, Genesis Books, 2008), 10.
  5. ^ T. R. Doraisamy, The March of Methodism in Singapore and Malaysia 1885-1980,      (Singapore, The Methodist Book Room, 1982), 8.
  6. ^ T. R. Doraisamy, Heralds of the Lord: Personalities in Methodism in Singapore and     Malaysia (Singapore, The Methodist Book Room, 1988), 4.
  7. ^ William F Oldham, Thoburn — Called of God (The Methodist Book Concern, New York,      1918), 134, https://archive.org/details/thoburncalledofg00oldh/page/n7/mode/2up. Accessed March 1, 2021
  8. ^ Lau, From Mission to Church, 10.
  9. ^ Doraisamy, Heralds, 5.
  10. ^ Doraisamy, Heralds, 5.
  11. ^ Doraisamy, Heralds, 5.

Tai Kim Teng
The author, an orthopaedic surgeon and the former executive director of OMF Malaysia, is the executive director of DCBAsia.

Bibliography

Doraisamy, T. R. Heralds of the Lord: Personalities in Methodism in Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore: The Methodist Book Room, 1988.

Doraisamy, T. R. The March of Methodism in Singapore and Malaysia 1885-1980. Singapore: The Methodist Book Room, 1982.

Ho, Seng Ong. Methodist Schools In Malaysia, Their Record and History. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Board of Education of the Malaya Annual Conference, 1964.

Lau, Ernest. From Mission to Church: The Evolution of the Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia, 1885–1976. Singapore: Genesis Books, 2008.

Means, Nathalie T. Malaysia Mosaic: A Story of Fifty Years of Methodism. Singapore: The Methodist Book Room, 1935.

The Methodist Church in Singapore, Methodist Heritage Exhibition, Overview. https://www.methodist.org.sg/index.php/about-us/heritage-history/method…. Accessed March 1,  2021.

The Methodist Church in Singapore, Wesleyan Heritage. https://www.methodist.org.sg/index.php/heritage-history. Accessed March 1,  2021.

Oldham, F. William. Thoburn — Called of God. New York: The Methodist Book Concern, 1918. https://archive.org/details/thoburncalledofg00oldh/page/n7/mode/2up). Accessed March 1,  2021.

Wright, Arnold. Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, Ceople, Commerce, Industries, and Resources. London: Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing, 1908.  http://seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu/catalog/seapage:233_617. Accessed March 1,  2021.