CHURCH Stories

Paya Lebar Methodist Church

Paya Lebar
Methodist Church

Paya Lebar Methodist Church (PLMC)'s journey towards Disability Inclusion

PLMC has long had a vision to be a safe place for the various communities within the church family. Among these, the disability community became an area of focused action in recent
years.

2021

Leadership Takes the First Step

PLMC has long had a vision to be a safe place for the various communities within the church family. Among these, the disability community became an area of focused action in recent years.

2023

Laying the Groundwork - A Collaborative Strategy

With a growing conviction for inclusion, PLMC reached out to KIN to explore the next steps.
Through conversations, we worked together to understand the church’s vision, discuss strengths and challenges, and co-develop a strategy that made sense for PLMC’s unique context.

From these discussions, two key initiatives emerged:
● PLMC would form a disability inclusion task force to spearhead efforts within the church.

● KIN would support by providing congregation-wide training, equipping interested members to take part in the journey. This phase underscored the value of partnership—PLMC proactively took ownership of its vision and initiatives, and KIN came alongside to help strategise, provide guidance on practical steps forward, and share ministry insights.

2024

Turning Vision into Action

The year saw exciting progress as both partners played active roles:
● Bible Study Resource – PLMC took initiative by purchasing Enabling Communities, KIN’s Bible Study resource, empowering cell groups to explore disability inclusion at their own pace.

● May: Congregation Training – KIN conducted a training workshop for the adult congregation, deepening members’ understanding of disability and reinforcing learnings from the Bible Study

● June: Koinonia Groups Resource – Following the book launch of Koinonia Groups, a practical guide for cell groups, PLMC recognised the need to deepen equipping of the church. They purchased the resource and made it widely available to its cluster/cell leaders and ministry leaders.

● August: Strategy Review & Next Steps – PLMC and KIN reconnected to evaluate progress and identify the steps forward. In the following months, the church’s task force was formed, and a survey was rolled out to gather insights from the congregation. A paper, titled Embracing Inclusivity, was produced and shared with church leaders so that they too would commit to the vision to shape an inclusive community at PLMC. The paper was also circulated to the entire congregation on PLMC’s Vision Sunday, on 5 January 2025.

2025

Expanding Inclusion in Children’s Ministry

As PLMC deepened its commitment to inclusion, they engaged a trainer connected through KIN’s Community of Practice to equip their Children’s Ministry team.

This ensured that the team received targeted training aligned with their specific ministry needs.

Looking Ahead: A Shared Commitment

PLMC is now building upon this momentum with a long-term plan to integrate inclusion into the different aspects in the life of the church, with a training session by KIN slated for early 2026 on an inclusive Sunday School.

As this journey unfolds, one thing remains clear: Disability inclusion is not a one-time initiative, but an ongoing commitment that grows through partnership.

Together, PLMC and KIN continue to learn, lead, and take action, with each bringing unique strengths but moving forward with a shared heart for disability inclusion.