Senior Pastor Rony Tan, founder of the Lighthouse Evangelism church, was born into a Taoist family.
In an online biography on his website, he wrote of how his childhood was a time when he was lost and bewildered, and how he ‘blindly followed’ the practices of his parents who worshipped ‘a great variety of gods’.
He was filled with uncertainties, doubts and fears, and said that in matters of religion, ‘I was left on my own to figure out the mysteries of life in order to make some sense out of sheer nonsense’.
He dreamed of being a pop singer, and eventually played in a band. He revealed how his contact with the ‘spirit world’ - through games and experiences with fellow band members and singers - marked a turning point in his life and brought him to Christianity.
The church he now leads boasts two buildings - one in Tampines, and another in Woodlands, a seven-storey structure reportedly built at a cost of $33 million.
Married in 1976 to his wife Kwee Hong, Pastor Tan started the church two years later with eight others. Services were first conducted in Chip Bee Centre.
As the congregation grew, services were held in hotel auditoriums until the church moved into its Tampines building in 1992.
More services were added, including those in Mandarin and Indonesian. A regular ‘Miracle Service to touch the lost, sick and afflicted’ was also started.
And as response grew, a second premises for the church was built at Woodlands.
Pastor Tan’s two children are also involved in the church. His son Pacer is listed as youth pastor and director of the church’s Children Ministry; his daughter Tracy is the church’s drama director.
Pastor Tan was in the news in 2008 for having composed a song for Singapore’s 43rd National Day. Called The Singapore Song, it was a hit on the Internet, drawing more than 10,000 views within days of its release.
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The man behind the controversy
By Jennani Durai
Senior Pastor Rony Tan, founder of the Lighthouse Evangelism church, was born into a Taoist family.
In an online biography on his website, he wrote of how his childhood was a time when he was lost and bewildered, and how he ‘blindly followed’ the practices of his parents who worshipped ‘a great variety of gods’.
He was filled with uncertainties, doubts and fears, and said that in matters of religion, ‘I was left on my own to figure out the mysteries of life in order to make some sense out of sheer nonsense’.
He dreamed of being a pop singer, and eventually played in a band. He revealed how his contact with the ‘spirit world’ - through games and experiences with fellow band members and singers - marked a turning point in his life and brought him to Christianity.
The church he now leads boasts two buildings - one in Tampines, and another in Woodlands, a seven-storey structure reportedly built at a cost of $33 million.
Married in 1976 to his wife Kwee Hong, Pastor Tan started the church two years later with eight others. Services were first conducted in Chip Bee Centre.
As the congregation grew, services were held in hotel auditoriums until the church moved into its Tampines building in 1992.
More services were added, including those in Mandarin and Indonesian. A regular ‘Miracle Service to touch the lost, sick and afflicted’ was also started.
And as response grew, a second premises for the church was built at Woodlands.
Pastor Tan’s two children are also involved in the church. His son Pacer is listed as youth pastor and director of the church’s Children Ministry; his daughter Tracy is the church’s drama director.
Pastor Tan was in the news in 2008 for having composed a song for Singapore’s 43rd National Day. Called The Singapore Song, it was a hit on the Internet, drawing more than 10,000 views within days of its release.
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