Secular Assembly October 2024

26 October 2024 by

Date
26/10/2024

Time
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Location
Harmony in Diversity Gallery (HDG) seminar room
Ministry of National Development (MND) Building Annexe B, 7 Maxwell Road, #04-05/06
Singapore


Join us at the Secular Assembly on Saturday morning 10:30am!

The Assembly by Humanist Society Singapore is a (almost-)monthly gathering of humanists, freethinkers, atheists, agnostics and other like-minded people.
This month’s Assembly is held in collaboration with Harmony in Diversity Gallery (HDG). Before the Assembly at 11:30am, there will be a optional 45mins tour of HDG starting at 10:30am.
Registration is required, please do so at the bottom of this page.

Schedule of Assembly on 26 Oct 2024 (Sat)

  • 10:30am – 11:15am: optional HDG gallery tour. Please arrive 10mins early to find your way to the gallery, instructions below.
  • 11:30am – 12:30pm: Assembly session. Please arrive 10-15mins early to mingle and contribute your stories, more on this below.
  • 12:30pm: End of Assembly, optional mingle and lunch in small groups.

Assembly brief

In the 1 hour, there will be: short sing alongs, a short talk, sharing of personal stories, moments for reflection and gratitude, and more.
Light refreshments (packet drinks) will be provided. Assembly will start at 11am sharp, please arrive 10-15mins early. There will be slips of paper for you to contribute your personal stories and thoughts anonymously.
Speaker and topic will be shared a week before each assembly, sign up and block your calendar early!

Assembly participants singing and dancing to Singalongs, Sep 2024

Speaker sharing

Dan Thio, society co-founder and Assembly programme director, will expand on his motivations for organising the Assembly, and explore how we as a community can lift each other and help each other find our meaning and purpose in life. There will be an anonymous survey for introspection and a digital bulletin for us to pen and explore our personal goals and common community projects, be sure to bring your smartphone with you!

Assembly background

The Sunday Assembly movement was started in London, UK by comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans in 2013. They had both been churchgoers in their youth, stopped going and then realised they missed something; not the religious part, but rather the community, the stimulation, the singing, the being with others, the tea and cake afterwards. So they set up Sunday Assembly to see if a ‘church-like thing without religion’ could be done. And it could!

A typical Assembly program consists of (in no particular order) and lasts about 1 hour:

  • Songs – pop songs, or even songs of religious origin if they are lovely to listen and sing to
  • Speakers– on science, history, or current affairs to get you thinking and discussions going
  • Reading – This could be a poem or other short piece, related to the talk or not
  • Doing Your Best – Someone shares a personal story about something going on in their life. It could be something they have been grappling with, striving at, succeeded with, failed but learned from, or are involved with that’s worth sharing. It’s about reminding each other that we’re all trying the best we can.
  • Moment of Reflection – Invite the group to do a short reflection e.g. 2 minutes.
  • Life Happens – Invite the group to share highs and lows in their life.
  • Gratitude – Invite the group to express gratitude to their loved ones and others in life
  • Announcements

Collaboration with Harmony in Diversity Gallery (HDG)

The Harmony in Diversity Gallery (HDG) was developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with community partners and organisations like the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO). The Gallery aims to promote an appreciation of Singapore’s rich religious diversity. It hopes this will foster a spirit of give and take, mutual respect and understanding, necessary to nurture and strengthen the religious peace and harmony we enjoy today [in Singapore].

Assembly participants taking part in the HDG gallery tour, Sep 2024


Seminar Room Layout

HDG Seminar Room


Pie Chart of various Faiths

HDG gallery

Directions to HDG

HDG is located at MND Building Annex B, Maxwell Road. It is on the 4th level above Amoy Street Food Centre. You can:-

(i) take MRT to Tanjong Pagar MRT Station (Exit G )and 5 minute walk towards Amoy Street Food Centre, access HDG at the 4th floor via lift A or B on the ground floor of Amoy Street Food Centre

(ii) take MRT to Maxwell MRT Station (Exit 2) and 10 minute walk along Maxwell Road towards Singapore City Gallery towards Amoy Street Food Centre and access HDG via lift A or B on the ground floor of Amoy Street Food Centre

(iii) take MRT to Telok Ayer MRT Station, (Exit A) and 10 minute walk towards Amoy Street Food Centre, access HDG at the 4th floor via lift C at the other end on the ground floor of the Amoy Street Food Centre where the AXS/ATM machines are located

(iv) self-drive and public parking is available at URA Centre East Wing via Kadayanallur Street or MND Complex Annex A car park. MND’s car park can be accessed from Maxwell Road and is located on the same level as HDG

(v) alight at Amoy Food Centre (proceed to lift A and B or lift C ) or at MND Carpark if they are arriving by taxi/Grab

Registration

Participants must register below to attend the event. [Event has ended]