Margaret Seaward and Naomi Dowdy, both over 90 and still preaching, among winners of 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Award

We worship no one but Jesus. But the Bible tells us to outdo one another in honour. (Romans 12:10) Since 2016, Salt&Light and the other websites on the Thirst Collective have published thousands of stories of believers whose obedience to God has seen lives, communities, and even nations, transformed. This year, to recognise these heroes of faith […] The post Margaret Seaward and Naomi Dowdy, both over 90 and still preaching, among winners of 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Award appeared first on Salt&Light.

Religion Oct 6, 2025 0 4 Add to Reading List

Margaret Seaward and Naomi Dowdy, both over 90 and still preaching, among winners of 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Award

We worship no one but Jesus. But the Bible tells us to outdo one another in honour. (Romans 12:10)

Since 2016, Salt&Light and the other websites on the Thirst Collective have published thousands of stories of believers whose obedience to God has seen lives, communities, and even nations, transformed.

This year, to recognise these heroes of faith who labour in love for God and community, and to invite support for their ministries, we are pleased to announce the inaugural 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Awards.

The seven categories in the 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Awards are:

Creation Care Award
Stories of Hope and hhm.sg Evangelism Award
Missions Impact Award
Marketplace Impact Award
Caleb Award (Age 65 and above)
Thir.st Youth Inspiration Award (Age 21 and below)
2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Award

The 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Award honours individuals whose God-inspired initiatives and service have brought positive transformation to a community and who inspire a life of faith.

The 2025 Salt&Light Inspiration Award winners are: Rev Dr Margaret Seaward, Rev Naomi Dowdy, Dr Kenny Tan and Jemima Ooi.

(Catch the winners of the other categories on Salt&Light all this week.)

REV DR MARGARET SEAWARD, Missionary & Preacher, Victory Family Centre

At 94, Rev Dr Seaward has been a pillar of faith in Singapore’s Christian community for more than seven decades. Together with the late Rev Fred Seaward, she pioneered churches, trained Pastors and continues to minister tirelessly.

Rev Dr Margaret Seaward at The School of Acts, HIS Church, Kuala Lumpur.

Divinely positioned in Singapore in the nation’s formative years, she and Rev Fred significantly shaped the spiritual landscape. Her story, as captured in Letta in China, reflects a life of humility, faith and surrender to God’s call.

She still preaches and teaches twice a week, inspiring generations with her unwavering passion for Scripture and her deep love for people.

It is often said that “Rev Seaward is more than a missionary, she is a spiritual mother and mentor to generations.”

How did you get started?

“Pastor Fred and I heeded the call of God to Singapore as Faith Missionaries in 1955. We were sent to relieve the Pastor at Revival Center for one year. After that, the Lord led us to establish Bethel Revival Centre on Jansen Road.”

Rev Dr Margaret Seaward and Ps Andrew Ong (in tie) at Bethel Assembly, Jln Sekolah Arab, Johor Bahru in 1970.

How have you seen God in the journey?

“The teaching and preaching ministry entrusted to me by the Lord has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It has been a joy to witness the power of the Holy Spirit restore and transform not just individual lives, but families and entire communities. Hearts are changed and minds are renewed as they choose to walk in His ways and take on the likeness of Jesus.

“It is in these moments that I am reminded that the work we do for God does not stop with us but continues on, through the lives of those who faithfully carry forth His Word.

With the graduating class of Tung Ling Bible School 2019.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

What are your hopes for this ministry?

“The desire of my heart is to leave a legacy that endures – to mentor, to guide and to help people disciple others. My hope for this ministry is that it will serve as a lasting legacy of faith, one that equips and empowers the body of Christ.

“May it continue to raise up faithful followers so that the work of God continues on, from generation to generation.”

To order the biography Margaret in Singapore, contact Sharon at +65 9665-7478.

You can watch Rev Margaret’s teaching and preaching videos on her YouTube channel.

REV NAOMI DOWDY, Network for Christian Women, TCA College, Trinity Christian Centre

Rev Dowdy came to Singapore from the US as an evangelist in 1972, and in obedience to God, returned in 1975 when she became Senior Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre for 30 years.

Along the way she founded Teen Challenge Singapore (a halfway house for youths) in 1976, TCA College in 1979, and other expressions of ministry, including the Network for Christian Women (NCW).

Rev Dowdy grew NCW into a mentoring network, equipping and raising up women in pastoral ministry and in marketplace leadership. This year, NCW launched its first Mandarin-language conference.

Her lifelong dedication to the furtherance of the Kingdom has impacted generations of believers, both men and women. She has written six books on discipleship and marketplace impact, and at 90, is still speaking at conferences and in churches.

How did you get started?

“I started out as a missionary sent to the Marshall Islands. All along, I never saw myself as a Pastor, but when I came to Singapore, God spoke to me audibly about pastoring a church. Let’s just say that God won that argument! I began pastoring a struggling congregation called Trinity Christian Centre in 1975, and handed over in 2005.”

What makes you do what you do?

“God’s call upon my life. His passion burns in my heart. To mentor and raise up powerful leaders, as I see Him touch hearts, change lives, transform families, redeem drug addicts, and transform nations keeps me going.”

How have you seen God in the journey?

“From a mysterious fire that hovered above a revival meeting in the Marshall Islands, miracles of healing and restoration, including multiple locations for the Church in land-scarce Singapore, God makes a way where there seems to be no way!

“God’s miraculous power and amazing provision have made the impossible possible, over and over again.”

What are your hopes for this ministry?

“There is always more in God. Knowing Jesus will soon return puts an urgency to not settle for status quo! God is always advancing His people and bringing them from one level to the next. God awaken your Church!

I am believing for:

Believers to go beyond the status quo and press in for more of God’s presence and power
Leaders to advance in their destiny in God
For sparks of revival to spread
Men and women to partner one another in the Kingdom
Marketplace leaders and Pastors to combine their strengths for the Kingdom, unlocking new levels of insight and anointing in God!”

Learn more about Rev Dowdy here.

DR KENNY TAN, CEO, St Luke’s Eldercare

Dr Tan is bi-vocational, being the CEO of St Luke’s ElderCare and Senior Pastor of Zion Gospel Mission (ZGM), as well as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore University of Social Sciences. He is also Adjunct Associate Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology and Chairman of the Board at Eagles Mediation & Counselling Centre Ltd (EMCC).

He believes that ministry extends beyond church walls, and that the marketplace is a sacred space for service and transformation.

Among his healthcare awards, particularly in global ageing, is the Public Service Medal (COVID-19) in 2023 for helping to manage healthcare through pandemic conditions.

Under his leadership, ZGM launched the SALT ministry (Senior Adults Living Triumphantly), empowering those aged 50 and above to flourish physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. He also oversees the church’s Foreign Ministry, strengthening global partnerships and encouraging the congregation in the work of the Great Commission.

How did you get started?

“I often describe myself as an ‘incidental leader’, placed by God at the right place and time. What I seek to be intentional about is offering my ‘five loaves and two fish’, trusting Him to take what little I have and multiply it for His Kingdom.

“I have seen God lead me through unexpected turns in life. I was trained in obstetrics and gynaecology and was preparing for a specialist examination when I sensed God’s call to leave and enter Bible school. Subsequently, I had a stint at the Dean’s Office at a medicine school before I was headhunted to join the eldercare sector.

“I have come ‘full circle’ – from clinical to administrative, from hospital to community, from ‘womb’ to ‘tomb’. It was not the path I had imagined, but it impressed upon me that life and ministry are not separate, but a seamless continuum of service unto Him. Ministry does not end at the church door – the marketplace, too, is a sacred space where God can touch and transform lives.”

What do you hope for the future?

“I am a strong believer in living life to its fullest. It stems from a near-death experience I had when I was 30. I had contracted acute epiglottitis and the experience changed my perspective. I am thankful for a second chance in life – for the privilege of living on borrowed time.

“The joy of witnessing lives transformed keeps me going. My hopes for ministry – whether in my church or the marketplace at St Luke’s ElderCare and Eagles Mediation and Counselling Centre – are that people’s lives will be touched and transformed, and that they will go on to impact others.”

JEMIMA OOI, Missionary, LIAM Global (Love in Action Missions)

Jemima has served in full-time missions since 2012 and co-founded LIAM Global (Love in Action Missions Global), expressing the Gospel through tangible acts of love.

An alumna of both YWAM and Iris Global, Jemima works with genocide victims and refugees in war-zones and famine-afflicted countries where few would venture. She spearheaded solutions in agriculture and education that have transformed settlements of thousands.

LIAM builds schools for refugee children and gives scholarships to youths. They provide vocational training for HIV+ women and disciple children who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS.

During COVID, Jemima worked with Pastors and community elders in Africa to feed 20,000.

She has faced bullets, terrorists, illness and deprivation in the field, but continues to praise God and uplift communities. She also inspires many with her preaching at churches and missions organisations in Singapore and abroad.

How did you get started?

“My journey began when I encountered God’s deep and personal love in university. I would take long walks with Him each night, and an inner confidence of His watch over me grew; I knew I could depend fully on Him, and that He was my Good Shepherd.

“I would often ask questions like: ‘Who’s on Your heart, God?” Scenes of hungry African refugee mamas clutching their children and begging for food would fill my mind. I prayed for their suffering, not realising it was part of a specific calling that would mark my life.

“In this lifetime, I long to follow in the example of Jesus – to be a love offering poured out to the world. Every heart needs to encounter God’s love. He has led me to preach to rebel soldiers, disciple ex-child soldiers, minister to genocide survivors and destitute refugees. His unfailing love nourishes parched and weary souls.”

How have you seen God in your journey?

“God has come through for us in the most miraculous ways. During COVID we sheltered up to 20,000 people, for over two years, mostly refugees reduced to the barest existence. More recently, we established a 30km pipeline to bring fresh water from the mountains to the desert where 30,000 refugees were settled, saving lives and providing livelihoods.

“I feel undone to have witnessed God’s marvellous orchestration and His obsession for the poor and broken. The reality of God is expressed in refrains like, ‘God is with us, we’re not going to die.’ Or the precious sound of adoration rising from the most unlikely places.

“My hope is that every heart God calls us to will experience His love undeniably and be transformed into His likeness.”