Rev Tan Phek Geok was born in Xiamen, China on  April 20, 1911 to a religious Buddhist family. Her grandmother was a vegetarian who fasted regularly and was the matriarch who held sway over all the matters of the family. 

Phek Geok was a beautiful and lovable girl, well-indulged by her family. One day when she was nine years old, Phek Geok, her second sister, younger brother and several others accompanied their mother and grandmother to worship at the Xianzugong temple in Xiamen. It was sundown by the time they got back to the house of their aunt, a widow, where Phek Geok and her second sister had been living since her younger brother was born. 

Phek Geok took off the jewellery that she had worn earlier, to hand over to her aunt for safekeeping. Her aunt was just preparing for the evening prayers and was pouring oil into the lamp. Phek Geok’s sister was holding a lit match to light the lamp. But the match burned quickly and she dropped it in a panic. It landed on the oil lamp which burst into flames. Their aunt quickly swept the oil lamp to the floor, but the burning oil fell on Phek Geok who was standing nearby. Feeling the burning sensation, on her face, Phek Geok fell to the ground screaming in pain and was rushed to the hospital. Despite the valiant efforts of the doctors, the severe burn left a permanent scar on Phek Geok’s face. 

When the doctor found out that Phek Geok was not attending primary school, he encouraged her to enroll in one and even recommended a church school for her. Phek Geok finally entered the primary school run by Taishan Church at the age of 11. From there, she went on to the Zhangzhou Jinde Middle School for girls for her secondary education. After graduating, she taught in her alma mater for four years. 

In 1933, when she was 22, Phek Geok returned to Taishan Church School to teach. At that time, Dr John Sung was preaching in the coastal cities of China. In 1935, he arrived in Xiamen to conduct spiritual revival meetings. It was at one of these meetings that Phek Geok dedicated her life to serve in the Lord’s ministry.

In September 1935, Phek Geok entered the China Bible Seminary in Jiangwan, Shanghai for theological studies. Upon graduation, she became a preacher at Xiamen Xi’an Church and was also concurrently the primary school principal. On July 7, 1937 war broke out in China. In 1938, when Xiamen fell to the Japanese, Phek Geok left Gulangyu for Hong Kong and from there went to Vietnam where she was able to preach more freely. 

Not long after, she moved to Thailand, then through Penang and finally settling down in Singapore, where she served as a preacher with the Geylang Chinese Methodist Church. In early 1939, while the world was still in the grips of World War II, she was formally appointed as preacher to the Sin Chew Hougang Chinese Methodist Church ^[1] (now known as Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church), until 1947. That year, she made a short trip back to China, returning in August to continue her appointment. 

From 1950-1953, preacher Phek Geok was appointed to the Jasin Chinese Methodist Church in Melaka, Malaya as pastor. During her 3½ years serving in Jasin, the women’s group, Sunday School and short-term school ministry improved greatly.

From 1954 -1967, she was pastoring in the Alor Star Chinese Church, Kedah in the far north of Malaya.^[2] In 1956, Rev Tan was ordained by the Singapore-Malaya Methodist Church as Deacon and then as an Elder in 1958.  

In 1968, she served in the Taiping Chinese Methodist Church, Perak for 11 months. At the end of 1968, Rev Tan returned to the Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church in Singapore where she continued to serve until she retired in 1976.  

In 1968, Rev Tan was one of seven ministerial delegates from the Malaysia Chinese Annual Conference (and the only female minister, and one of just three female delegates) to the historic Constituting Conference which saw the formation of the Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore (MCMS), independent and autonomous from the United Methodist Church. ^[3]

As Malaysia and Singapore had separated politically, it was also “logical” to separate the Singapore and Malaysia components of the autonomous MCMS. Thus in 1976, Rev Tan was also a ministerial delegate (representing the Malaysia Chinese Annual Conference, CAC) at the historic final session of the MCMS and the first General Conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore where she was party to receiving and approving the recommendation of the Restructure Committee, including the new Constitution, Discipline, Social Principles, without changing any of the Doctrinal Statements and General Rules. 

In 1987, at 76 years of age, Rev Tan served as supply pastor at the Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church for four months when the church was without a pastor. After her retirement, Rev Tan continued to serve in the Paya Lebar church as a voluntary pastor until 2002, when at the age of 93 years, she returned to the Lord.^[4].

Hers was a life dedicated to full-time ministry for the Lord, spanning nearly 50 years. Her unswerving commitment saw her preaching and pastoring in different countries and serving in unfamiliar surroundings, breaking new ground and patiently growing the congregations. She was a beacon of light and a tower of strength. 

To the writer, Bishop Emeritus Dr Chong Chin Chung, she was “a wonderful mentor in whom I sensed a shepherd’s heart. She treated me like a son, saw me as part of the next generation of pastors, and demonstrated how meaningful it was to serve as a pastor and what it meant to be faithful and humble.”^[5]