Clarissa Chung sheds light on the ministry at Shal Home, a home for those who struggle with
mental disabilities.

Sitting ensconced in the corner lot on a quiet street, Shal Home is a play on the word “Shalom” which means peace.
The home houses those who have mental disabilities, and despite the rocky start in establishing the home 18 years ago, it now stands as a safe space for them to recover and live.

“There are people from various backgrounds. There are those who studied right up to
university, some studied overseas, some were medical students, some were lawyers. We have housewives, fathers, people from all walks of life,” said Sheela Thomas, the owner of Shal Home.

Sheela shared encouraging testimonies drawn throughout her years in managing the home.

“The majority of the residents are Chinese and some of them are Christians. Praise the Lord, quite a number of them have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.”

“They’ve also been baptised. Every week we have Bible classes run by volunteers. Every Thursday we have Bible classes and we also have an Illness Management Recovery (IMR) class.”

Once a month on a Saturday, volunteers from St Mary’s Cathedral visit the home for a prayer and music session.

Agnes Chee and Shantha Sabapathy, residents of Shal Home, say that they were “touched by the love and concern” the volunteers showed towards them. They explained that the volunteers would play the guitar and sing Christian songs, play games, and deliver a message from the Bible.

Agnes said, “There’s someone who keeps reinforcing the fact that Jesus is the one and only thing that we need to depend on and focus on, not on other things, like whatever we are unhappy about.”

“We have to forgive and forget and love each other and have the Word of God deep inside us. We need to remember what Jesus did on the Cross for us, and how He died to give us eternal life.”

The visits have also attracted the attention of non-Christian residents. Some of them join in the classes and look forward eagerly to the visits. Jaganath Nagarajah and Martin Phoon, who are also residents, shared how their faith in Christ manifests in the way they live their lives.

Jaganath gives out tracts and shares the Gospel with his friend, a Hindu who likes to attend the Christian classes. Martin spoke of the importance of personal godliness in one’s walk with God. “If you just take the medicine, it can’t do anything. If you never change your attitude or your behaviour, you’re still the same person. I must always believe in Jesus and follow His ways,” he said.

Martin’s words are a good reminder for St Mary’s church family as well. There are many ways to give in terms of meeting the practical needs of this ministry, like the maintenance of the house. Volunteers can be sent to help with painting the house, while roofing and housing materials can also be donated. However, the gift most cherished by the residents is spending one’s time in showing them God’s love.