Source/Author: By Bishop Dr. Ong Hwai Teik

A Pastoral Letter from the Episcopal Office

The Methodist Family in Malaysia extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who had perished on flight MH 17 on the 17 July 2014. Our thoughts and prayers are very much with them.

We share in their anguish as well as their anger over this heartless act perpetrated by violent and depraved people who would kill the innocent, including some 80 children, in the name of their cause.

Let us pray

•  for the comfort of God to be upon all those affected by those who had perished;

• for the relevant local authorities, parties and forces to permit, cooperate and facilitate the necessary arrangements and actions of recovering and repatriating the remains of the deceased so that proper and dignified closures can soon follow for the dead and their loved ones;

• for the international community in relation to the investigation of this crime so that the truth of culpability can be established and the necessary just course of action can be followed through;

•  for the workers and management of MAS as it experiences a double colossal tragedy to date, with MH 370 still in our memory and prayer even though it is more than 4 months old and remain unsolved;

• for what God Almighty may be saying to Malaysia, as aptly expressed in the words of Ismail Merican [The STAR, 19 July 2014] which many soul-searching Malaysians can identify with when he wrote in his open letter:

"After recalling the series of tragedies, security breaches, diplomatic blunders coupled with our very own unsettling incidents and humbling experiences involving politicians, religious leaders and ordinary Malaysians, one cannot help wonder whether this is some form of reprisal and reminder from the Almighty.

This is a wake-up call to our leaders and fellow Malaysians. There is just too much vitriol, insensitivities, arrogance, clowning, frivolities, apathy and grandstanding in our country right now. We must take stock of the situation and steer the country back to the right path.”

We as the people of God in His Church in Malaysia must all the more be principally watchful and persistently prayerful for this beloved nation of ours.

^NLT Psalm 80:14 Come back, we beg you,
O God of Heaven’s Armies.
Look down from heaven and see our plight.
Take care of this grapevine
¹⁵ that you yourself have planted, ……………
Revive us so we can call on your name once more.
¹⁹ Turn us again to yourself,
O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.
Make your face shine down upon us.
Only then will we be saved.


Sincerely in Christ our Lord
Bishop Ong Hwai Teik