Sanctuary of St. John's Garrison Church

1971 – Dover area was just an open field; no flats, no schools, no road, no sign of life. Some said the area surrounding the church was a graveyard! The present sanctuary, formerly St. John’s Garrison Church, stood lonely on a hillock. The British forces had left, the place was unoccupied and dead quiet. One could only hear the wind and, some claimed, the sound of organ music.

A distance away at St. Margaret’s Secondary School, the church planted by St. Andrew’s Cathedral, a congregation of about 90 people, was looking for a more suitable place to worship. After months of discussion, permission was given for this group to use St. John’s Church. Finally, on 28th Nov 1971, the birth, or more appropriately the marriage, of St. John and St. Margaret took place…

For the first 5 years, St. John’s – St. Margaret’s Church remained the daughter church of St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Rev. Cecil McSparron, a Cantonese-speaking Irish missionary was Priest-in-charge. He became the first Vicar of SJSM in January 1977 when the church was given parish status.

1st Vicar of SJSM, Rev Cecil MacSparron

Rev. McSparron wrote in the Diocesan Digest in 1974 regarding his vision for the young church.

“Our new surroundings were peaceful and quiet, a veritable haven away from the noise and bustle of city life. One day, one of our members expressed her concern that ‘… out here we could so easily forget that we live in a great city, teeming with men and women who need Christ. What can we do to make sure we don’t forget?’ Her question was soon to be answered. One day, last year, the bulldozers arrived. Life would never be the same again. Now, flats are sprouting up all around us. The whole character of the area is rapidly changing. Within the next few years, the University of Singapore’s new buildings will be added to the centres of education which are already on our doorstep – the International School, and the Singapore Polytechnic. So with all that, it will not be so easy to forget the outside world in the future.

Where do we go from here? How are we planning to meet the new situation? Our plans could be summed up in three words. Fellowship, Teaching, Evangelism. We want the fellowship to reach beyond the mere pleasure of each other’s company over Parish breakfast, into a real Christian community growing up in our midst. This will not come about easily or automatically, so, we are planning to set up house meetings in every area of the “Parish”, led by lay men and women. Another important aspect of our future planning is, to take seriously the ministry of the laity. So, teaching and training will form a vital part of our programme. A well-informed membership who understand the content of the Gospel could well express our objectives along this line.

A Christian community, with a sound knowledge of the faith could very easily and quickly become a proud, smug clique. On the other hand, it could, under the constraint of the Holy Spirit, become an evangelistic agency witnessing boldly, yet humbly to its Saviour. Within one year, opportunities for Evangelism will abound among young and old alike. If we are to grasp these God-given opportunities, we will need new vision, courage, self-sacrifice, discipline, zeal, and the power which only the Holy Spirit can give. And, we will need your prayers. So, please pray with us that the congregation at St. John’s – St. Margaret’s will become a well – taught, outgoing, evangelistic Christian community, for the Glory of God, and for the spreading of the Gospel.”

[Source: St. John’s – St. Margaret’s 25th Anniversary magazine]