In early 1894, Rev Tinsley William Stagg was appointed to set up a Methodist Mission Station in Ipoh. Ill health caused him to be succeeded by Rev William Edward Horley later in the same year. William Horley in good speed, began to pioneer Education, by setting up the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) and Anglo-Chinese Girls’ School (ACGS) in July-August 1895. Horley later wrote “A new building which served as both schoolhouse and church was built, completed and opened in May 1896.” Thus began Wesley Methodist Church Ipoh in 1894, ACS and ACGS (later renamed Methodist Girls’ School, MGS) in 1895!
Wesley Methodist Church Ipoh is the oldest Methodist Church in (what was then known as) Peninsular Malaya. [Penang Island had Penang Wesley MC planted in 1891]. Prior to 1919, the congregation was small and consisted almost entirely of European worshippers. According to records, “the English-speaking congregation included nearly all the English-speaking people in Ipoh… the Tamil and Chinese worshippers also increased greatly.” Out of Wesley Methodist Church Ipoh, vernacular work led to the setting up of Tamil and Chinese Congregations.
The main building of the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) was constructed in 1914. Throughout the war years, the church remained dedicated to its work and service. Missionary efforts returned after the end of the war.
Since 1957 when Malaya gained her independence, more and more young locals were trained as associate pastors in this church. The baton was passed on to them as they eventually became senior pastors and leaders of Methodist churches throughout the country.
The Wesley Church Kindergarten (WCK), begun as the Wesley Church School in 1962 as a ministry to the children, evolved into a fully-fledged pre-school Kindergarten. A “Christian Education Block” was erected to meet the needs for more space and enhanced facilities for WCK. It was completed and dedicated at the end of 1984.
On the 23rd February 1992, fire gutted the old sanctuary completely, leaving only some residual skeletal structures. After much prayers, planning and fundraising, restoration works named “The Project Nehemiah” was launched, to restore and extend the Sanctuary. A new Block for Christian Education and Office spaces, a Library, a Music Room, Conference Rooms, a Wake and Chapel, with 2 units of living quarters were added. Sequentially, the Wesley Hall and Gymnasium were renovated and extended. They were completed ahead of the Centennial Celebrations held in August 1994.
Preceded with prayers and fasting, and led by the Holy Spirit, a Preaching Point was set up in a rented Jelapang Village house, at No. 357 Jalan Sekolah, in July 1995 to minister the Gospel’s “Jubilee Message” to the Jelapang community. A new 3-storey building was erected and dedicated as the Jubilee Methodist Centre in April 2001, and further extended in 2015 to expand the Childhood Education Ministries.
The Methodist Youth Centre (MYC) & Kindergarten Extension-Renovation (KER) Projects were initiated in 2003 and completed in 2008; with the former to provide venues for ACS and Church Youth ministries, and the latter to upgrade & extend the WCK.
Today…
Wesley Methodist Church Ipoh (affectionately referred to as Ipoh Wesley by her members) continues to seek to honour God and serve the community – through social outreach and Missions, holiday camps for children, youths and families, Alpha courses, evangelistic concerts, and fundraising for Missions.
Ipoh Wesley is the sponsor of two Boys’ Brigade (BB) and two Girls’ Brigade (GB) Companies which are run in six schools, and also manages two Kindergartens – WCK and JMK. In 2008, we led in the upgrading, renovation and re-branding of the former Methodist High School (MHS) along Jalan Silibin, into a Private Wesley Methodist School (now Wesley Methodist School Ipoh International, WMSII), with a Vision of arriving at “Academic Excellence…Transforming Lives”. Later in 2015, WMSII added the Cambridge IGCSE syllabus to its curriculum.
– edited by Dr C.S. Ting
Wesley Methodist Church Ipoh 