Heritage Trails :: Ang Mo Kio Trail :: Bethesda Hall (Ang Mo Kio)

Completed in 1986, Bethesda Hall (Ang Mo Kio) was established by two assemblies of the Brethren Movement, the history of which in Singapore dates back to the 1860s, when a group of believers began meeting regularly. They began conducting public worship in 1864, in a rented room at Bencoolen Street. In 1866, the Assembly decided to erect a building to house the congregation, and Bethesda Chapel was built in the same year at 77 Bras Basah Road.

The Assembly continued to expand and in 1936, Bethesda Katong Church was established. After World War Two, more Assemblies were founded in Frankel Estate, Bukit Panjang, Toa Payoh and Bukit Arang. In 1981, the land occupied by Bethesda Chapel at Bras Basah Road was acquired by the government for redevelopment and, in 1982, the site of another Brethren assembly in Geylang was acquired for the same reason. Both assemblies appealed to the government for a piece of land to replace the two properties, whereupon they were granted a 30-year lease for a vacant plot in Ang Mo Kio. The building you see today has gone through extension works and renovations since 1984, including the addition of a four-storey block.