On a warm summer morning, we meet Pastor Glenn Koh at a ‘building site’. The café down the road is open, but we decide to chat amongst the clamour of hammers and screw drivers, overlooking unfinished surfaces and frequently needing to pause until the saw has done its job. It is the site of Pathway Baptist Church(PBC). It is the site of growth and the evidence of a church that is flourishing together as family. The noise doesn’t deter him. He is an enthusiastic man with kind and wise eyes.
Glenn speaks purposefully with excitement, “I always encourage people to be part of a building project in their church life because you can see God at work.” He is buoyed by the faith of the people around him who are hopeful for the ways that the new PBC extension building will minister to the Bulleen community. This is where Glenn has put down roots and has committed to cultivating the soil. A place completely unknown to Glenn in his formative years, and even unexpected in his adult years.
At the age of seven, Glenn was selling newspapers on the streets of Singapore. Every secondary school holiday, he sold biscuits door-to-door. One particular day he started with his usual line. “I am selling biscuits to help finance my own education.” However, the potential customer immediately responded with, “You wait! You wait!” Glenn stood at the door as the man fetched his own son from within the house. Using Glenn as an example and a moral lesson, he said, “Look at this boy! He has to work!” A packet of biscuits would sell for $3.20, which would earn Glenn 40 cents, but this man handed over ten dollars and said, “I don’t want your biscuits. You keep the ten dollars.” As Glenn recounts the story from his childhood, he laughs, “I will always remember this. I met so many customers, but I only remember him because he was so kind to me. Kindness always leaves a deep impression in people’s lives.” Kindness, as was shown to him is now a mark of his own life and ministry.
Glenn’s buoyant outlook belies a tough childhood. At just 10 months of age, Glenn’s father passed away, leaving his mother, without a welfare safety net, to care for him and his five older siblings. Tragically, his mother passed away when Glenn was nine years old. His older sisters, still teenagers themselves, raised him and his three brothers, while holding the family of six siblings together. In his young years, Glenn’s was exposed to the gospel through church people singing in his housing estate. But, it was through a friend’s invitation to a Scripture Union Camp that fifteen-year-old Glenn first experienced a Christian community. His curiosity at their kindness led him to explore faith more deeply and within six months he had decided to follow Jesus. “If my friend didn’t bring me to church, I might be a drug addict. I was surrounded with good people from a young age and that helped me understand how the Church was such a good environment for me and set me on the right path.”
Soon after his decision to follow Christ, Glenn attended a mission conference. More than 35 years on, Glenn recalls with clarity the challenge delivered to the conference delegates. “The God we worship is worthy to be made known.” This challenge moved Glenn onto the next step of obedience. By his mid-twenties, Glenn was serving through Operation Mobilisation in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. Although not knowing it at the time, these two precious years were preparing Glenn for the challenges of cross-cultural ministry that would imbue him as a pastor in Melbourne.
With the support of his home church in Singapore, Glenn began studies at the Bible College of Victoria (now Melbourne School of Theology) in 1996. He then continued in post-graduate studies at Ridley College. His original plan was to return to Singapore, however, Glenn became a youth pastor at Evangelical Community Church in Blackburn South, a role he held for six years. Then, in 2007, Glenn established Sonlife Community Church, which amalgamated with Bulleen Baptist in 2016 to become Pathway Baptist Church – two culturally distinct congregations which have become one family.
Glenn reflects on his life of living in different cultures. While serving with OM, “food wise, there were no challenges. I could sleep anywhere, I could talk to anybody. My OM cross-cultural experience prepared me as a pastor.” However, being Singaporean in Australia, there are deeper and more challenging cultural distinctives. Australians have very firm personal boundaries. But, Asian culture doesn’t say, “It’s your day off, I won’t call you!” Glenn is well suited to this pastoral work, as he is imminently relaxed and prepared to give time to those who need it.
However, this begs the question, how does he find rest and rejuvenation when always on call? Glenn pulls out his watch to reveal his answer. That morning he walked for two hours. In fact, he walks for two hours every morning. On hot days he will head out early. The rain doesn’t deter him. There are no excuses. While walking he spends one-on-one time with God. He listens to sermons, listens to music, formulates sermons. His daily discipline helps him to remain vital in his work. He acknowledges that his leadership of twelve years in the church is at times a struggle, and commitment to the work can be tough. But, he is keen to rebuild an old adage. He says with conviction, “The grass is greener where you water it. Stay put, grow roots and cultivate.”
Glenn is passionate about sowing seeds of the gospel and kindness in people’s lives. But, there are also times Glenn has been able to reap. Recently he baptized an 86-year-old lady. “I cannot imagine getting credit just because I preached one right message. Can you imagine how many people ahead of me have sown seeds in her life?” In this own life, Glenn is keen to acknowledge the kindness that has been sown in his life – those who have gone beyond what is expected. The ones who have taken on the role of nurturer, extended an invitation, given generously and supported his learning.
The diverse family at Pathway is partly a reflection of its pastor. However, for all the training and varied experiences that have helped to shape Glenn, he is quick to acknowledge what draws together God’s people in Bulleen. “We have a 102-year-old and teenagers in our congregation. It is important to always go back to God’s word. Preach God’s word. It is timeless. We don’t have to contextualize until we lose the distinctive truth, as truth is always relevant.” Pastor Glenn is leading his congregation to sow the gospel – a timeless gospel transcending cultures and generations. As he sits amongst the unfinished walls and delights in the progress around him, he offers encouragement to all who are in the midst of this gospel work. “Sow seeds and God will do the work.”
