Sermons, too

Kassim Mosque had a series of sermons in December geared towards handling the economic crisis.

'It had a religious component but at the same time we encourage our congregation to pick up life skills like upgrading themselves with courses and be more prudent financially. These are things that need to be addressed urgently,' said Ustaz Saiful.

Many churches, mosques and temples have also gone one step further by organising workshops and talks that dispense practical tips.

The Buddhist Fellowship has two upcoming workshops: one to be held tomorrow to coach job seekers to write resumes and prepare for interviews, and the other on Feb 17 to equip people to help their friends in distress.

When bad news from the United States started coming in fast and furious last September - like Lehman Brothers' collapse - Mr Ronald Seet, who is in charge of Grace Assembly of God's marketplace ministry, decided to run a series of workshops addressing the church members' increasing fears.

He also began a counselling service for those with specific financial concerns, tapping volunteers within the church with the appropriate professional experience to give advice.

'These are hard times and we have to do what we can to help members understand that someone is there to listen to them and to hold their hand in times of crisis,' said Mr Seet, chief executive officer of KeyPost International, a provider of personal safety solutions.

Not only are people thronging temples and churches for hope, but kitchens at some temples are also busy dishing out free meals.

Singapore Buddhist Lodge is feeding at least 300 people more than the daily usual of 1,000, and it has had to increase its food supply, said chairman Lee Bock Guan.

The Kim Yam Road temple now spends $210,000 a month on its daily buffet and will have to dip into its $10 million reserves to feed more, he said.

It has also increased its education bursary budget this year from $1 million to $1.2 million, even though the organisation expects donations this year to dip by about 20 per cent.

Observers say it is hard to tell if the spike in attendance numbers in churches, mosques and temples will be only temporary or amount to something more long-term.

New Creation Church's Deacon Matthew Kang said the church saw a surge in numbers immediately after the Sept 11 terror attacks in 2001.

'It tapered off after a few Sundays. We understand that this was a phenomenon observed at that time by many churches around the world,' he said.

The same happened after the Sars outbreak five years ago, said the groups.

But religious leaders say they hope those turning to religion now will not be fair-weather worshippers.

'Of course, some people will forget about religion in good times,' said Venerable Kwang Sheng, abbot of Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery and president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation.

'But religion is always there for people.'

With additional reporting by Estelle Low, Teo Wan Gek and Huang Huifen

This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 08, 2009.