Published on 10 June, 2026
While love and resilience are built at home, families cannot thrive in isolation and are often strengthened by the communities around them. Communities such as charities, churches and non-profits offer support, encouragement and practical help.
This year, Focus on the Family Singapore honours community organisations that have placed Family at the heart of their mission. The Family Champion Award for the Community category celebrates those who strengthen marriages, equip parents, and nurture children through programmes that ripple outward into society.
Our featured nominees, Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church (BBTC), Bridging Hearts, and Qijia Familyworks Asia (QJ), each show how community organisations can become spaces of belonging and anchors of resilience for families across Singapore.
BBTC is a local Christian church that strengthens families through its congregational ministries, kindergarten, and community services arm.
How did your organisation’s journey begin?
At BBTC, we have always believed that strong families are the foundation of a strong community. This conviction has shaped both our ministries within and beyond the church.
Through initiatives such as our Together Forever Marriage Conference in 2025 and our 40th anniversary community outreach efforts, we intentionally seek to strengthen marriages and support families from all walks of life.
Together Forever Marriage Conference in 2025
How does your organisation intentionally foster a family-friendly culture?
We believe that strong families are built when people feel supported and encouraged. Through such programmes, we aim to cultivate meaningful relationships within our community and beyond.
Through Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Kindergarten (BBTK), we partner with parents to shape character and support children in their formative years. Our commitment to families also extends into the wider Bedok community through Bethesda Care Services (BCS). Through programmes such as BCS @ College East, YouthSpace, Family Services and Welfare Services, we journey alongside children, youths, and families facing financial, relational and emotional challenges.
By adopting a holistic family-centred approach, we seek to deepen parenting capacity, nurture resilience in children and youths, and provide coordinated support for families in need.
Family Uplift Programme
BBTK Gathering
What impact have you seen?
One of the greatest joys has been seeing how support for one person can bring change to the whole family.
Through BBTK, parents have found friendship and support beyond formal programmes. Some mothers first met through their children’s education, but over time, those connections grew into a community where they could walk with one another through different seasons of parenting and family life.
Children and youths have also benefited from having safe spaces and systems in BCS, as well as caring adults that help them grow in confidence and resilience. BCS has also been able to provide practical help and care for families going through difficult seasons.
What we have seen is simple but powerful: when parents are supported, the whole family is strengthened. When mothers and fathers feel encouraged and less alone, children grow up in homes where they feel secure.
How have you partnered with Focus on the Family Singapore?
Through our Family Ministry, we have utilised many of Focus Singapore’s resources, such as the Connect2 Marriage Assessment and parenting materials to mentor couples and provide practical guidance for parents. We have also supported Focus’s wider initiatives, including marriage preparation programmes and family-focused events.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work together in building stronger marriages and families in Singapore.
What impact do you hope to make?
Our vision is to be a church that cares not only for those within our walls, but also for families in the wider community.
We want to strengthen marriages, support parents, nurture children and youths, and build communities where families do not have to walk alone. When families are strengthened, communities are strengthened too.
Ultimately, we hope to leave behind a legacy of strong families and strong communities that will continue to impact future generations.
Bridging Hearts is a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening marriages and families. They equip and mentor couples across Singapore, helping marriages thrive through relationship-centred support.
Bridging Hearts’ annual gathering in 2025
How did your organisation’s journey begin?
Before we were formally registered as a non-profit organisation in 2020, we had already spent decades working with children and families.
As we journeyed with children affected by family difficulties, we began engaging parents more intentionally and discovered that many marriages were struggling. Over time, we came to understand that supporting marriages was one of the most effective ways of strengthening families and supporting the next generation.
This conviction led us to pursue training in marriage mentoring and eventually equip others to do the same.
How does your organisation intentionally foster a family-friendly culture?
One of the key ways we do this is by investing in people who have a genuine heart for marriages and families.
Every marriage mentor we train is first mentored themselves before undergoing formal training. This ensures they experience firsthand the value of being supported and journeyed with before they begin serving others. We also encourage our mentors to prioritise their own wellbeing. By caring for our mentors first, we enable them to care more effectively for the families they support.
We also place a strong emphasis on relationships. Rather than focusing solely on solving problems, we seek to genuinely care for and journey alongside the couples we mentor. We often remind our mentors that while problems may eventually pass, relationships remain.
Marriage Mentor training in May 2026
What impact have you seen?
We believe couples get married because there is love and affection. Yet somewhere along the way, many couples find themselves struggling with communication and trust.
Through marriage mentoring, we create a safe space for couples to address both the seen and unseen issues in their relationships. These conversations often lead to greater understanding, renewed connection and, in many cases, a rekindling of love. Our marriage mentors serve as a compass, helping couples benefit from the wisdom of those who have gone through similar experiences.
Over the years, marriage mentors trained through Bridging Hearts have mentored more than 2,500 relationships. We have also trained more than 500 marriage mentors and conducted Marriage Preparation Courses for more than 100 pre-marital couples.
Perhaps the most meaningful part of this work is the stories we hear from couples. One married couple shared that “mentoring helped them work through long-standing communication, trust and parenting challenges, leading to significant improvements in their relationship.” Another engaged couple described how the “openness and hospitality of their mentors gave them a realistic and encouraging picture of married life, helping them prepare for the journey ahead with greater confidence.”
Role play during Marriage Mentor Training in 2022
How have you partnered with Focus on the Family Singapore?
One strength of Bridging Hearts is our network of trained marriage mentors.
Over the years, we have supported Focus by helping identify suitable couples for programmes, events and training opportunities. We have also supported the publicity of their initiatives through our network and helped connect faith communities with marriage mentoring resources.
What impact do you hope to make?
We believe that when marriages become stronger, families become stronger. Strong families, in turn, contribute to stronger communities and a more resilient nation.
Looking ahead, we hope to continue strengthening marriages and equipping more couples to journey alongside others. We also believe that no single organisation can meet every need. We therefore hope to see greater collaboration and support among community organisations.
Together, we can build stronger marriages, families, and a stronger Singapore.
Qijia Familyworks Asia (QJ) is a non-profit organisation that supports families through culturally attuned parenting programmes, counselling services and community-based initiatives.
By creating safe spaces for parents and children to reconnect, QJ helps families strengthen relationships and navigate challenges before they reach crisis point.
Parent support group and community
How did your organisation’s journey begin?
Our journey into this work was born less out of a grand strategic vision and more out of sitting in heavy spaces with parents who loved their children fiercely yet felt untethered and alone.
We encountered parents navigating family life while carrying the added weight of migration, language barriers and intergenerational cultural divides. It became clear that these were not simply individual struggles, but signs of a larger gap in accessible, culturally attuned support that spoke to the realities of these families.
As we witnessed growing concerns around children’s mental health and increasing disconnection between parents and teens, we knew we needed to focus on prevention rather than crisis intervention.
How does your organisation intentionally foster a family-friendly culture?
Our programmes are built around three key pillars: relational priority, radical accessibility and cultural relevance. We create safe, non-judgmental spaces where parents and families can reflect, learn and support one another.
Alongside workshops and community programmes, we provide professional counselling services that help families navigate challenges with cultural sensitivity and care. Through hybrid delivery models and multiple language options, we strive to keep support accessible to families from diverse backgrounds.
We view parents through a lens of strength, not as ‘problems’ requiring a quick fix. We practise what we preach by embedding flexibility into our own organisational rhythms, accommodating family schedules, and ensuring our support does not abruptly vanish when a formal programme concludes. It’s about weaving a net of genuine belonging.
Parent support group and community
What impact have you seen?
One family’s journey often comes to mind. The family had become deeply fractured by unspoken expectations and a widening generational divide. The parents, who had worked tirelessly to provide for their family, felt disconnected from their teenage child. Their child felt misunderstood and overwhelmed by expectations. Although they lived under the same roof, they existed in entirely different emotional worlds.
Through our culturally attuned support and structured programmes, we helped create space for honest conversations and deeper understanding. Family members began to understand the fears, hopes, and love that sat beneath their conflicts.
One particularly moving breakthrough came when the parents learned to listen to their child’s inner world rather than simply correcting behaviour. There was a softening of defences, tearful moments of mutual recognition, and the eventual restoration of warmth in their home.
Stories like these are powerful reminders of the resilience families possess when they are given a culturally safe space to heal.
Parent support through family activities
Sexuality education for youths
How have you partnered with Focus on the Family Singapore?
We are honoured to serve as Focus Singapore’s dedicated Chinese-language partner.
Through this collaboration, we provide culturally attuned parenting programmes, support groups and counselling services for Chinese-speaking families who may feel more comfortable receiving support in their native language. We also adapt Focus’s evidence-based resources to better resonate with the cultural realities of Chinese-speaking households.
Focus has also helped connect families to our services. Together, we have seen how combining broad reach with culturally relevant care strengthens the family support ecosystem in Singapore.
What impact do you hope to make?
Looking ahead, our vision is to weave culturally attuned and accessible parenting support into the fabric of Singaporean society.
By partnering with schools, social service agencies and grassroots organisations, we hope to reach families earlier and equip them with the tools they need to thrive. We believe support should not only begin in times of crisis but serve as a preventive foundation that builds resilience over time.
We are also committed to expanding our reach through hybrid delivery models and training community facilitators, making support more accessible and responsive to diverse needs.
Building Strong Families, One Organisation at a Time
While their journeys are different, Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church, Bridging Hearts and Qijia Familyworks Asia share a common commitment: Investing in the well-being of families and creating communities where people can flourish.
As nominees for this year’s Family Champion Award (Community) category, their stories demonstrate the many ways organisations can strengthen families, whether through building supportive communities, equipping marriages, restoring family relationships or providing culturally relevant care.
Their efforts have strengthened homes, empowered parents, nurtured children, and inspired others to invest in the well-being of future generations.
Ultimately, strong families are not built by individuals alone. They are strengthened by communities that choose to walk alongside them, one relationship at a time.
Nelson and Gina
Workshop: May 2026
Nelson and Gina Lee have been accredited facilitators with Focus on the Family Singapore for over a decade, beginning their involvement conducting relationship talks for tertiary students since 2011.
Driven by a passion for nurturing strong relationships, they have extensive experience in facilitating dating workshops for courting couples and pre-marital programmes for those considering marriage. They have also have led marriage retreats designed to deepen connection and commitment among married couples.
