How MHI Should change 2001

Dear Mabel,

I was thinking seriously about the restructuring in the MHI Committee. Of course I have already email you the taboo subject of what I absolutely do not wish to see in MHI.

            We can approach the subject in different ways. One way is to approach it from the point of the previous Chairpersons. The other way is to approach it from the needs of the HI friends.

            The first way is quite not appropriate at this point of time. But I shall discuss with you why the Committee was structured in the way when my Committee was just starting out.  You know that when we first started from the Wesley Room, we have no deaf students. But we know like any Committee, we need the Chairman, Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer.  Chairman gives direction, Secretary scribes and replaces the Chairman when he is not free and the Treasurer is accountable for all money matters and works with the LCEC Treasurer.

            Next, we know that volunteers are needed for the ministry to run. The hands and the feet of the ministry.  But because the ministry we chose needs ppl who can sign. So we develop the Sign Language Coordinator.  MHI takes up a lot of our own time and thus we need a Devotion Coordinator. The thoughts were that most of us will stop going to our small group ministry and then we form a volunteers small group ministry in MHI (meet our own spiritual needs and fellowship).

            To provide for the Deaf (in anticipation), we know traditional to the Methodist of building schools and concentrating on education; the Tuition Coordinator emerge.  And because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, the Social Club Coordinator position is created.  As more and more Deaf students come to MHI over the years, we realise the need to provide Spiritual food for them, thus the Sunday Fellowship Coordinator was created.

            To do publicity and coordination, we added the Publicity Coordinator.

            The Full time position comes later when Evelyn was the latest edition.  The first Full time Coordinator. That time, the number of HI students were so many.  We realise the need to do out of church outreach.  Evelyn was employed to not only run the tuition, but also during office hours to work in the schools for free to provide interpretation in the classes in Upper Serangoon Secondary school as well as provide social services and counselling to the parents and family.  She became the link of MHI, Wesley Church with the outside world. Subsequent full time workers unfortuantely did not see it and remained in Wesley Church (very much an expanded “paid” role of the volunteer).  Evelyn’s role was very clear. She answers to the Pastoral Care Member , Vivian during office hours and takes directions from the Committee. Never is her role the same as the Committee, though we admit she probably is the more current amongst all of us then.

            Now, Janet just followed on my footsteps and developed the Volunteers part, the Sign Language Coordinator has a big role. Teaching and also assigning….like a HR manager. The only person who knows the Volunteers strengths and weaknesses.  So remember the meeting we had with Janet and Marieta? This need is better defined. The teacher will remain the teacher and the volunteer coordinator the volunteer coordinator.  Under her leadership, volunteers continue to thrive.

            Then comes the transition when Steven took over. The structure was revamped following the sheep and shepherd.  Management take on a more spiritual role rather than administrative.  It is where we are now.

            Actually I believe under his leadership, it gave the area of Sunday Fellowship as well as Volunteer spiritual development more meaning.  The roles in these areas are very well defined.  Discipleship at the end of the day is the name of the game in MHI.

 

            Now we should look at forming the Committee in another way; by looking at the needs of the MHI.  Again, we look at the needs of the HI and the volunteers.  The volunteers needs have not changed.  Sign language and devotion.  But we know also that most volunteers see their role in MHI not as a member of MHI, but as a member in Wesley Church.  Thus, their hours they spent in MHI is more like extra hours. They have their own small group and those who does not have small groups usually have their own families to look after like yourself.  We need to change the attitudes of most of these volunteers to think that they are also members of MHI and not just volunteers.  Members being they have a say in the running, they have a responsibility here as well as a stake here. So that no matter what, they must make sure MHI sail and not sink.

            We have a new edition to the family.  The Drop In Center.  This place is very under utilised.  There is no committee to provide direction for the DIC.  My fear and there has been rumours that LCEC would want to utilise the place more by moving other ministries to use the premises when we do not need it.  Also there has been talk of taking the DIC back and put Full Time Coordinator back to Wesley Church. After all, the Level 4 area is bigger than the DIC. Why not go back?   We need a person to be in charge of direction here.  How to fully utilise the place.

            The HI needs have changed.  Our contacts with the schools are lost. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education have moved to encourage integration and not putting disabled children in special schools.  The number of students in USSS, Boon Lay Secondary School, Singapore School for the Deaf have severely diminished. This cuts down the supply of students to MHI.  We struggle with other organisation for clients such as Touch and SADeaf.    Tuition, no matter what will be a need in the Singapore context. But we need to know how do we increase the number of students.

            Fortunately, the increase in the Cochlear implants in the hospitals have raised a different group of HI students.  These are those which we saw in our own tuition. Chips and wires sticking out of their heads.  These hospitals have worked closely with Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired.  Mei yun is a teacher at CSHI.  We have ENT surgeons in Wesley Church who was the head of Department in ENT.  I am very sure that in other Methodist Churches, we have other ENT surgeons….(too bad I am only a colorectal surgeon)

            So….the faces of the HI have changed.  They may be Cochlear implant students and also some Deaf students who use sign language.  There may be students attending completely mainstream school, but they are struggling.  So the need to really have sign language as a requirement to serve as a volunteer is getting lesser and lesser.  I have often spoken to the Committee I sit with SADeaf.  I feel that Deaf Awareness is a must no matter what.  Publicity enables the public (or church) to be aware of this group of people they are sharing society with.  Sign language is one important aspect, but it will become less relevant, like latin. (kind of like nice to have, but not absolutely needed)   A lot has to be done on the Awareness or Publicity part.  We are actually preparing the HI students to be received by society which we have already primed through our efforts.

            Next we talk about these Cochlear implant students and their parents.  Each student who underwent an operation to implant it into their head costs $40,000.  Parents must be willing to foot the bill. Thus those parents who have children using cochlear implants will be more caring.  When we reachout to the children, we reachout to the parents as well.

            But we also have a changing demographics of the Deaf we used to know.  Most of them are in Polytechnic and ITE. Some of them have started to work.  For few, they have decided to get married and 2 of our students are now with children.  The term Outreach has not changed yet.  Only the needs are different.

            I think for Sunday Fellowship, Evelyn has already talked to you about her plans and hopes.  But this year, I start hearing about the Love Singapore Deaf Churches. I think it is an initiative from FCBC from Pastor Lawrence Kong.  Unite the Deaf Churches.  It will be a more demanding task for Evelyn to decide where we stand.  Do we have our identity? What is our role related to the rest of the Deaf churches?  What about overseas?  Last time we were asked to become a member of the Committee of the Asia Deaf Christian Missions Conference.  What is our relevance as a Christian Deaf Community in Singapore to Asia?  These are big issues to explore.

 

            Below is a schematic diagram of looking at the needs of each group of people in MHI.  I do hope that the Committee will review the needs carefully so as to be able to make MHI relevant for the next decade.

 

	MHI