Right Reverend Dr Moses Tay Leng Kong, the seventh Bishop of Singapore and the first Archbishop of the Province of Anglican Church in South East Asia, was called home to the Lord on the night of September 24. He was 88.

He is survived by his wife of four decades, Cynthia, two children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Bishop Moses served as Bishop of Singapore from 1982 to 1999, a period that saw significant growth and change in the Singapore Anglican Church.

In 1996, he also became the first Archbishop of the newly formed Province of South East Asia, which brought together the dioceses of Singapore, West Malaysia, Kuching and Sabah.

From doctor to Bishop

Bishop Moses was born in Malaysia on June 14, 1938, and came to know Christ as a child through his mother, who “laid the foundation of faith and prayer” in his life, he shared in a 2006 interview with Bolivian Beat.

Early on in his career, Bishop Moses was a medical doctor who studied medicine at the University of Singapore.

He practised in what was then Malaya, where he was born, for eight years before returning to Singapore. He later rose the ranks to become the Director of Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

In 1982, he stepped down from his medical career to become Bishop of Singapore – a move that many of his medical colleagues deemed “crazy”, recounted former Cabinet minister S Dhanabalan in a 2019 interview with Salt&Light.

The move also came at challenging time in his personal life. Just two months earlier, his first wife had died following a brain operation for a ruptured aneurysm.

“It was the most difficult period of my life because of my transition from work as a doctor managing a big hospital to becoming the Bishop responsible for work in six countries, with two teenagers needing care in bereavement,” he said.

During his medical career, Bishop Moses had already been serving the Diocese of Singapore as its Dean from 1974 to 1982. He was also ordained as a non-stipendiary priest in 1978, according to his 2008 autobiography, Born for Blessings.

In his years as Bishop, he placed a strong emphasis on evangelism, missions and the work of the Holy Spirit.

According to the Diocese of Singapore, Bishop Moses was one of the prime movers behind the its Gospel work in Timor-Leste, which began in 2007 and eventually led to the establishment of the Deanery of Timor-Leste in 2024.

He also became an influential figure in the charismatic renewal within Anglicanism in Singapore and beyond, and was known internationally for his firm stance on biblical authority and morality.

After retiring from episcopal ministry, Bishop Moses continued to be involved in mentoring, missions and ministry in Singapore and overseas.

He saw the parishes as “fighting units” advancing God’s Kingdom

In remembrance of Bishop Moses, Archbishop Titus Chung told Salt&Light:

“What I remember most about Bishop Moses was the strength of his convictions and the clarity with which he led the Diocese of Singapore. He had a strong charismatic faith and a deep belief in the work and power of the Holy Spirit. He was also very clear that the Church must be outward-looking.

“I remember him describing the parishes as ‘fighting units’ advancing the Kingdom of God, with the Diocese serving as the command centre. That image has stayed with me because it captured how he saw the Diocese — not simply as an institution, but as one that must equip, support and send its people for the work of the Gospel.

“He gave very practical expression to that vision. His passion for mission took us beyond Singapore, and during his episcopate the work in places such as Nepal began to take shape. He also cared deeply about equipping ordinary church members for ministry, and the Diocesan Lay Training programme became an important means of doing this. At the same time, he strengthened the Diocesan Administration so that it could better support the growing work and responsibilities of the Diocese.

“I have a deep appreciation and respect for Bishop Moses’ contributions to both the Diocese and the Anglican Province in South East Asia. Much of what we have today was built on foundations that he helped to lay. His leadership, convictions and vision continue to shape the life and mission of our Diocese and Province.”