Two teenage brothers began an outreach and 61 years later, God is still multiplying their efforts

When a mother told her two teenage sons to clean their bedroom in December 1965, her instruction sparked a chain reaction that is still bearing fruit more than six decades later.

As 16-year-old Lawrence and his 17-year-old brother cleaned their room, they came across a bag of Gospel tracts they had collected from Youth for Christ.

Young Lawrence Chua (left) and his older brother, Stephen. Historical photos courtesy of Ps Lawrence Chua.

“We decided to go to Blk 48 Lower Delta Road (part of the Bukit Ho Swee housing board estate) to distribute the tracts,” Lawrence Chua, now a Pastor in his 70s, recounted.

Speaking at the recent Love Singapore Summit 2026, the Senior Pastor of Living Sanctuary Brethren Church (LSBC) reflected on how God multiplied the “humble work” he, his brother and six friends did 61 years ago.

Reenactment of the Chua brothers finding Gospel tracts in their room. Screenshot from video from Living Sanctuary Brethren Church (LSBC), shown at the Love Singapore Summit 2026.

A bag of tracts and a bus

But on the way to Bukit Ho Swee, the brothers wondered: “Should we just give the tracts to the people there, or do something else?”

They decided to invite children from the estate to Sunday School.

One of their teenage friends knocking on doors at Bukit Ho Swee.

What happened next surprised them.

“Parents actually released their children to us teenagers to bring to our church, which was some distance away,” Pastor Lawrence said. 

“Today, parents wouldn’t even let you take their children to the next block. It could only have been God’s grace.

Young Lawrence Chua and friends’ mission field as teenagers – the children of Bukit Ho Swee – pictured on a picnic.

“That was really the start of CP (Community Pastoring) work – sowing into the lives of very young children,” he told Salt&Light. “God was preparing me a long time ago to do CP work.”

In 1997, when Living Sanctuary Brethren Church moved into Hougang, it officially started CP as a form of outreach – to go beyond church walls to connect with the residents, bless the community and show God’s love through acts of kindness. For churches in the Love Singapore network, this is formally known as Loving Singapore Block-by-Block. The nation-wide call was launched in November 2004.

The teenagers had no budget to speak of.

“We were ignorant, poor boys with no resources,” Ps Lawrence recalled. “When we started the work and gathered other workers – six friends – each of us contributed a dollar.

“Eight dollars was our capital.”

Kindness in deed: Ps Lawrence and Stephen and two workers from the Bukit Ho Swee Mission brought a young girl (centre) from a disadvantaged family to the Van Kleef Aquarium to celebrate her birthday.

They provided free tuition, and with whatever little they had, occasionally gave practical help to families in financial difficulty.

“Unknown to us at that time, the anointing of the Holy Spirit was upon us. Our team of teenage workers grew. Great grace was upon us as CP workers, and we achieved astounding results that have lasted till today.”

A ripple across more than half a century

At the Love Singapore Summit earlier this month, a video was shown that powerfully illustrated the ripple effect of that first small step of reaching  out to the community in Bukit Ho Swee. 

The video began with Primary 2 student Liam Tan, who spoke about his Sunday school counsellor. The video was made four years ago.

“My Sunday school counsellor Kor Kor Darren is always kind and patient and helps me know more about Jesus. Thank you, Kor Kor Darren!” said Primary 2 student Liam Tan at the start of the video.

Darren Tan, the Kor Kor Liam had mentioned, then came on screen and spoke about Matthias, his first leader in youth church who became his mentor. Matthias was someone who not only taught him Scripture but “did life” with him.

Matthias Wang in turn shared how his tuition teacher Benjamin Chua became a father figure to him during his parents’ divorce when he was 12.

“My life is really changed by him,” said Matthias.

Benjamin, in turn, spoke about his own mentor – Chan Keng Khuen (KK) – who walked with him through his struggles as a youth, praying and speaking life into him.

KK traced his journey back to his teenage years at Holland Road Chapel (now LSBC), where a perceptive youth leader named Wan Tiak Cher noticed his struggles in school and personally coached him, especially in English.

Finally, the story came full circle.

Wan Tiak Cher shared in the video how she came to Christ “as a result of SP (Senior Pastor Lawrence Chua) and his door-knocking work”.

“When I was about eight years old, he and his brother came knocking at my house door. 

“They spoke in Teochew to my mother, and requested for my siblings and I to attend Sunday School,” recalled Tiak Cher.

“As a result of that, my siblings and I came to salvation. Subsequently, my parents and the whole household came to know Christ,” she shared in the video.

Today, one of her siblings, Wan Tiak Kweng, is the Senior Pastor of Brighton Community Church – another fruit of that original CP outreach.

Finally, the video panned to Ps Lawrence, now in his 70s, who shared his astonishment at what God has done. 

“All the individuals you saw in the video are still at LSBC,” he said. “And Tiak Cher has impacted many lives over the past 50 years.”

Ps Lawrence Chua speaking at the Love Singapore Summit 2026 in January. Photo by the Thirst Collective.

“I am so surprised when I hear the testimonies of people who came to Christ as a result of some humble work I did some 57 years ago,” he said in the video. (Editor’s note: It’s now 61 years – the video was made four years ago). 

“It’s so amazing how God can use simple people, and a simple way of going into the community, knocking on doors, and reaching out to people.”

The same God will bless your work

Addressing leaders from churches and parachurch organisations at the summit, Ps Lawrence offered both encouragement and assurance.

“I share this testimony to encourage you to make a commitment to really Pastor the community,” he said.

Even in modern Singapore, he reminded the audience that many have never heard the Gospel, while acknowledging that believers may never see all the fruit of their labour.

The responsibility, he said, is not results but obedience.

“We cannot guarantee the percentage of pre-believers that will come to Christ. But that is our job (to share the Gospel).

“The same God who blessed the work of a 16-year old and a 17-year-old boy is the same God who will bless your work,” Ps Lawrence told the Love Singapore gathering. 

Young Lawrence and friends from the Bukit Ho Swee Mission praying together with him in the bedroom he shared with Stephen.

“I want to assure you that there shall be longlasting fruits from your CP work. Most of you may not get to know all the fruits, but you will get to know some of the fruits. And you will be astounded.”

RELATED STORIES:

“Unity is not optional. It’s mission critical”: Rev Edmund Chan urges greater collaboration among churches for the Gospel

“What dividends are you expecting from your investments?” asks Ps Lawrence Chua

“It starts with me”: Love Singapore block by block this National Day

The post Two teenage brothers began an outreach and 61 years later, God is still multiplying their efforts appeared first on Salt&Light.