“I marvel at how God creates such beautiful souls who endure excruciating pain without letting resentment take hold”
In 2007, Chiew Poh’s husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she plunged into an existential crisis, paralysed by an unshakeable grief. Just as they were losing all hope, a profound encounter with Jesus Christ transformed their lives.
“God sustained us through the caregiving journey and restored our hope,” Chiew Poh shared. “During this painful period, I questioned the meaning of life. That divine encounter was a moment of epiphany, revealing a deeper purpose to this existence and prompted me to rethink my life pursuits.”
After her husband’s passing, Chiew Poh left her two-decade career in finance to study at a theological college. Her seminary journey deepened her faith, and in 2017, she answered a call to chaplaincy ministry.
Addressing patients’ spirituality
Since then, the 54-year-old has served as a Chaplain at Methodist Welfare Services (MWS), offering spiritual, psycho-social and emotional care to staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and their families.
On the ground, she works closely with staff and volunteers at MWS Nursing Home – Yew Tee (YTNH) and MWS Home Care and Home Hospice (HCHH), as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver holistic care to our beneficiaries and their families. This care approach addresses the whole person—combining medical support for physical well-being with pastoral care that nurtures emotional, social and spiritual health.
Her work includes co-leading initiatives like legacy work, dignity intervention and reminiscence facilitation. Among these was “The Beautiful Me” project, which sought to uplift the self-esteem of female residents at MWS YTNH. “Many grew up in a time when women were undervalued, and they dedicated themselves to their husbands and children, while neglecting their own worth and well-being,” explained Chiew Poh.
To help them discover their self-worth, residents take part in activities like cooking or floral arrangement, and have their photos taken professionally. “After the floral arrangement session, one participant drew a comparison between the tenacity of seemingly insignificant wildflowers in weathering storms against the fragility of more striking flowers like roses,” shared Chiew Poh. “The sessions helped participants to discover their own strengths and inner beauty, restoring a sense of dignity.”
Addressing patients’ spirituality
Since then, the 54-year-old has served as a Chaplain at Methodist Welfare Services (MWS), offering spiritual, psycho-social and emotional care to staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and their families.
On the ground, she works closely with staff and volunteers at MWS Nursing Home – Yew Tee (YTNH) and MWS Home Care and Home Hospice (HCHH), as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver holistic care to our beneficiaries and their families. This care approach addresses the whole person—combining medical support for physical well-being with pastoral care that nurtures emotional, social and spiritual health.
Her work includes co-leading initiatives like legacy work, dignity intervention and reminiscence facilitation. Among these was “The Beautiful Me” project, which sought to uplift the self-esteem of female residents at MWS YTNH. “Many grew up in a time when women were undervalued, and they dedicated themselves to their husbands and children, while neglecting their own worth and well-being,” explained Chiew Poh.
To help them discover their self-worth, residents take part in activities like cooking or floral arrangement, and have their photos taken professionally. “After the floral arrangement session, one participant drew a comparison between the tenacity of seemingly insignificant wildflowers in weathering storms against the fragility of more striking flowers like roses,” shared Chiew Poh. “The sessions helped participants to discover their own strengths and inner beauty, restoring a sense of dignity.”
Shepherding God’s flock
Chiew Poh’s work is not for the faint-hearted. Each day, she confronts human suffering and brokenness, including the pain of those nearing life’s end. But she finds solace in witnessing beneficiaries depart from this world in peace. “Some even have a smile on their faces,” she shared.
Chiew Poh sees her role as that of a shepherd, pointing people towards a deeper relationship with God and faith in his love and presence. She recalled ministering to an MWS YTNH resident, who, in his youth, had been a triad member involved in violence and a grievous crime. Haunted by deep regret, he struggled with self-forgiveness. For years, Chiew Poh spoke to him about God’s forgiveness, but he resisted her message.
“During his final hospital admission, I was suddenly prompted by God to visit him, not knowing that it would be our last meeting,” she shared. “When I saw him, he was intubated and semi-conscious, breathing heavily. I called his name, and he opened his eyes to look at me. I shared with him that God loves him and has forgiven him. Tears streamed down his face. Within hours of my visit, he passed away. At his wake, his sisters revealed that in the final days, he appeared to be hanging on even though the whole family had visited him but gently slipped into rest after my visit. They were relieved that he subsequently passed away peacefully. I was very comforted by the mercy and grace of God that enabled this beneficiary to find peace and forgiveness before his passing.”
Equipping others to provide spiritual care
The profound impact of spiritual care in soul tending has inspired others to join her in this ministry of compassion.
Since March 2023, Chiew Poh has been training church volunteers in pastoral care to serve alongside the MWS Chaplaincy team, using a programme adapted from the century-old Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) method still used to train hospital chaplains today.
“This approach not only enhances volunteers’ capacity to care for others and themselves, it also deepens their intimacy with the Lord through reflection,” said Chiew Poh. “In responding to the Lord’s call to love others, their faith journey grows.”
Growing in faith
While Chiew Poh pours care and compassion into the lives of those she serves, she is deeply enriched by them in return. “I marvel at how God creates such beautiful souls who endure excruciating pain without letting resentment take hold,” she shared. “Joy and sorrow are part of life, and finding inner peace amid trials is a profound gift.”
Journeying with beneficiaries through life’s end has impressed upon Chiew Poh life’s brevity and deepened her focus on what truly matters. “As James 4:14 says, our life is but a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes away,” she said. “Witnessing many beneficiaries pass on reminds me that our time on this earth is fleeting, and we must learn to let go. In the end, only love endures forever.”
While the opportunity to touch lives has kept her going all these years, trusting in Christ’s sovereignty has buoyed her through the job’s lows. Her pastoral care work is a heartfelt response to the greatest commandment of the Christian faith: to love God and others as oneself, rooted in a deep desire to align with God’s will for her life.
“The work is challenging, and at times, painful as I stand with others in their struggles,” she shared. “Yet, it has deepened my own walk with the Lord, as I find myself relying more and more on him to continue this seemingly impossible work of touching human souls.”
“Over the years, caring for others has been a deeply meaningful journey, helping me find my own answers to life’s existential questions. This is what keeps me going.”
If you’re interested in joining our Chaplaincy team as a pastoral care volunteer, please email Rev Dr Norman Wong at normanwong@mws.sg.
This article first appeared in Methodist Message produced by The Methodist Church in Singapore.
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