In 1986, Singaporean pastors, Toh Nee and Lily Lim, were called to the mission field in Iloilo City, Philippines in their early 20s . Fueled by a strong calling to serve God, they were tasked to plant a church in the city with limited resources and manpower.
As Senior Pastors, they put great importance in the preaching of the Word, drawing from their deep study of the Bible and guidance of the Holy Spirit. They remain brutally honest and open to the congregation about what the Lord would teach them personally– whether it be an assurance, a revelation, or even as a rebuke. In his book, “Strengthen Yourself in the Lord”, Bill Johnson wrote that one’s personal testimony is a unique experience that becomes a powerful tool through which the Gospel is shared more powerfully. Pastor Toh Nee and Pastor Lily exemplify this and through their testimonies reveal that they too are works in progress as their characters are being shaped and molded by God.
As the Bible commands us to love one another, the pastors put primary importance in the spiritual and personal welfare of the members, giving wise and sound counsel for encouragement, identifying problems and leading them to praying and seeking the hand of the Lord for solutions. They are always willing to spend time to listen and employ their gift of discernment to resolve conflicts and restore broken relationships.
Just as God made us to be a part of a body of believers, Pastor Toh Nee and Pastor Lily uphold the Lord’s teaching that each member of the body of Christ is significant.
Caring for the needs of those from low-income communities in Iloilo City has been part of Evangel Tabernacle’s DNA to model Christ’s compassion to the poor. Through the years, the church has worked with international non-government organizations and individuals in feeding programs, distributing food and medicine, weekly community visitations for evangelism and providing financial assistance to poor yet deserving students.
Both Pastor Toh Nee and Pastor Lily actively see to it that Evangel Tabernacle will continue to contribute and play an important role in helping various communities in the city. Their work as missionaries were featured in an episode of “On The Red Dot”, a Channel News Asia documentary in 2019.
Pastor Toh Nee and Lily is a partnership that demonstrates, teaches, ministers and inspires. Their relationship as a team and lifelong partners is a rarity these days– working to their strengths and learning from their weaknesses. And while theirs is far from the picture-perfect, blissful, saccharine life constantly seen in Korean dramas and other rom-com classics, they seek to pattern their partnership– both in their ministry and their marriage– after Christ’s relationship with His Church.
By God’s grace, Pastor Lily and Pastor Toh Nee continue to live up to the call they answered 36 years ago: to preach the Word to many and nurture the body of Christ in the City of Iloilo, Philippines. The trials, victories and breakthroughs of their spiritual journey as missionaries continue to shape the vision and ministries of Evangel Tabernacle– beating to the heart of a strong Christ-centered Ministry.
Showing you the way
Toh Nee Lim
Senior Pastor
Rev. Toh Nee Lim is the Senior Pastor of Evangel Tabernacle in Iloilo City, Philippines. A graduate of the National University of Singapore, he has been devoted in his calling as a missionary from Singapore to Iloilo City for 36 years. Together with his wife, Rev. Lily Lim, they continue to serve the church through its pulpit ministry and community work.
Lily Ang Lim
Senior Pastor
Rev. Lily Lim is the Senior Pastor of Evangel Tabernacle. Born and raised in Singapore, she answered the call to the mission field 36 years ago and continues to serve the church and the community in Iloilo City through prayer, counseling and in the preaching and teaching of the Word.
She and Rev. Toh Nee Lim have two daughters, Joy and Jan.
Pastor Toh Nee and Pastor Lily are proud parents to two daughters, Joy and Jan whom the Lord have blessed in many ways as they shine in the fields of language, education and science.
Joy, their older daughter, is currently a Research Fellow with a PHD in Biomedical Sciences at A-Star in Singapore. She is married to Ben Goh, an Engineer. Jan, the younger daughter, pursued her Masters in Applied Linguistics at the Université Paris Sorbonne with a full scholarship and is currently an Acting Level Head French Teacher for the Ministry of Education Language Center in Singapore. She is married to Daryl Yong, an Engineer.
Both Joy and Jan continue to serve the Lord in various ministries in Singapore.
[L-R] Daryl, Jan, Rev. Lily, Rev. Tohnee, Joy, Ben
Toh nee Lim