GOD AT WORK: EULOGY FOR MARCUS LIM

by Dr Peter Lim

Marcus was called home to the Lord last Sunday night at the age of 91. His lifespan exceeded the Biblical yardstick of 80 “if we have the strength” stated by Moses in Psalm 90:10.

Marcus is older than me by 7 years. Due to this age gap and family circumstances, we were never very close.  But I do know that he was very filial. When he first started working, he gave up almost his entire pay check for many months to our mother. This kept our family going during the hard times then. My mother remembered Marcus’ act of sacrifice and filial piety till her dying day.

His biggest legacy however, is the founding of the Sunday Bible School, the predecessor of The Bible Church. Under the mentorship, support and encouragement of missionaries Mr and Mrs Paul Contento, he founded the Sunday Bible School on 12^th January 1958 with the support of 14 other young people. He felt deeply convicted that a systematic study of the Bible was fundamental to enduring Christian ministry and personal spiritual growth. Six years later in 1964 this work morphed into The Bible Church, an independent evangelical local church.

Marcus also played a key leadership role in the Varsity Christian Fellowship (VCF) where he was the secretary in 1962. He was also the chairman of the VCF Mission in 1963 when the renowned John Stott was the speaker.

In addition to service in church, he encouraged our church members to participate actively in parachurch groups like VCF, Teachers’ Christian Fellowship (TCF) and Nurses’ Christian Fellowship (NCF) to avoid being parochial in Christian ministry.

Marcus was a gifted preacher. His sermons were full of appropriate anecdotes to enable the listeners to grasp the teaching he was trying to communicate. He was well grounded in God’s word, the Bible. On one occasion, when a girl he was courting opted for another guy, he found solace from Psalm 30:5 – “. . . weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”.

In closing I will quote snippets of what some older church members who know Marcus have said about him:

“Marcus was the leader I respected. He would spend time to build up my faith in the Lord and shared his dreams for the church with me.  He is kind and used to fetch me to and from church.” (Dorothy Ho)

“I know enough to understand how God shaped the heart of one man to be founder and leader of the Sunday Bible School which subsequently became The Bible Church. . . Spawning the various centres was a bold step of faith and visionary for its times. But so was God’s grace and steadfast love. Marcus’ vision, passion, and leadership laid the foundation for The Bible Church. . .” (Lim Eng)

“Marcus was a charismatic leader who had greatly impacted me in my formative years. . .” (Anthony Lim)

“Marcus had been my teacher and mentor in my early years in Sunday Bible School.” (David Tan)

“A fervent Christian student worker and a courageous church-planter” (Shek Kum Chew)

“I knew Marcus in 1966. . . I am thankful to him for laying my foundation in understanding the Bible. In the early years of TBC, Marcus had the foresight to see the value of household churches. . . Even in the latter part of his life I can feel his love and concern for TBC.  He strongly believes that for the TBC to grow, the strategy is not to grow as one big congregation but to multiply ourselves in small groups. Even in his old age I found him to have an enquiring mind. . . Though absent from the church, his love for TBC never waned. He was eager to meet up with old friends to share what he had learnt.” (Andrew Chua)

“In the mid-sixties when I was a student of the Sunday Bible School (SBS) there was no mistaking the fervour, focus and faithfulness of Marcus in serving the Lord. He was in his labours the principal and lay pastor of SBS while also holding a full-time job. He had visionary ideas, preached frequently and even wrote lengthy commentaries on books of the Bible taught in the SBS.” (Seah Jiak Choo)

“Marcus made an impression on me when I and a few other secondary school students were identified as potential youth leaders in The Bible Church. We were invited to meet with Marcus. . . I recall the story he told about Jesus after His ascension. . . Jesus Himself was the ultimate Risk Taker, entrusting the mission of spreading the gospel of salvation to His disciples. Marcus’ point to us was not to be afraid of taking risks for God.” (Teh Bong Lim)

“. . . To me, Marcus was a leader in heart, vision, and action. His leadership was prominent, marked by a rare dynamism and drive that inspired those around him. He carried within him a passion for the Word, the church, and God’s people.

Many of us have been shaped by his leadership. Whether through his instruction, his initiatives, or his encouragement, he motivated us to give our very best for the Lord.

Yet beyond his drive and passion, there was also warmth. Together with his wife Lai Peng, they hosted bible study, prayer, and fellowship meetings of which I was a beneficiary. . .

I deeply respected him and looked up to him. As we mourn his passing, we also celebrate his legacy. He has left us not just with fond memories but an encouragement to love God wholeheartedly, to serve others faithfully and to press on with zeal until we too finish the race.” (Peggy Quah)