34 persons attended the first ever Missions Consultation for the Methodist Church in Malaysia organised by the Council of Missions in Wei Kok Hall, Sibu...

General Conference
Missions Consultation
7-9 April, Sibu, Sarawak

34 persons attended the first ever Missions Consultation for the Methodist Church in Malaysia organised by the Council of Missions in Wei Kok Hall, Sibu from 7-9 April 2006. Among those present were Bishop Hwa Yung and all Presidents of the Annual Conferences and the Sabah Provisional Annual Conference. There were also three guests from Methodist Missions Society of Singapore (MMS Singapore), namely President Khoo Cheng Hoot of Chinese Annual Conference (CAC), Mr. Andrew Tay, its Chairman and Rev. Norman Wong, its Executive Director.

During the opening ceremony, Bishop Hwa welcomed all the leaders for missions work from all the Annual Conferences to this gathering. He stated that the purpose of their meeting together was to share with each other their respective work, to think, discuss and pray over the question of coordination, and to see where God will lead them in the future. Rev. Tie King Tai, the Chairman of the Council of Missions also spoke on the importance of prayer as the primary force behind all missions work.

Different Conferences, Different Ways

The consultation began with a briefing on the various missions work undertaken by all the conferences. It was such an encouragement to hear about the ministries being carried out, be it on our door-steps or in far away lands. One could also see that different conferences are adopting different emphases and approaches in their work, from sending missionaries to doing outreach projects, from caring ministries to setting up schools, and from local church initiatives to Annual Conference involvements. MMS Singapore also shared with the participants how the organization was formed and how it functions today.

The consultation then spent time in pondering over the pros and cons of setting up an equivalent "Methodist Missions Society" for Malaysia. In view of the situation, it was felt that it may not be the right time to do so just yet. However it was agreed that the Council of Missions should extend its role by coordinating more effectively with all Boards of Missions, meeting more frequently, and looking into the questions of missionary training process and curriculum. The Council would also take responsibility for future Missions Consultations. Further, it would also look into whether there is any need for a Missions Convention in the future with the aim of challenging and motivating the whole church to seek the Lord's leading together, pray for workers and expose members to missions trends. It was also felt that there is a need for a clearer demarcation between the words "evangelism" and "missions" as used in the church, with respect to geographical and linguistic boundaries.

A Model to Ponder

One unique aspect of this consultation was the opportunity to experience one successful model of missions work. The Wesley Methodist Church (in Sibu) of Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference has been reaching out to Rumah Siba, an Iban long house some 115 km away, for the past 3 years. 80 persons have been baptized and regular worship is now conducted there. Our Iban brothers and sisters in Rumah Siba in turn reached out to Rumah Tuan, another long house some 25 minutes away by car. With the help of the Wesley members, a further 50 persons accepted Christ there. These were baptized by Bishop and President James Puang on 8 April during our visit. President Tevaraji also gave a challenging message to the residents that night.

While the service and baptism were going on at Rumah Tuan, another group of us went to a third longhouse, Rumah Selatan, for an evangelistic meeting. This was arranged at the request of Rumah Tuan residents. Rev. Woo Kit Sang of Trinity Annual Conference shared the good news with the residents and another 40 persons accepted Christ that night.

We must congratulate the members of Wesley Methodist Church for a job well done, and commend them for their hard work for the past 3 years on this project. They visited the long houses once every 2 weeks. Together with the Iban brothers and sisters, they have now reached out to some 170 persons in a space of 3 years.

We thank God for the opportunity to meet for such a Consultation. Even though this may be only one small step forward for missions work, we all know that our Heavenly Father is pleased with what we are doing.

by John Ling