Source/Author: By Bishop Dr. Ong Hwai Teik

The 3rd Methodist Prayer Convention (MPC3) will be held on 29th and 30th August 2014 at Sunway Convention Centre, Selangor. This quadrennial event occurring this year carries the theme "A Church after God's Own Heart."

The highlight of the event will be a combined Holy Communion Sunday Prayer and Worship Celebration Service at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil starting at 9.45 am, on 31st August 2014, which is essentially also the day Malaysia celebrates her 57th Merdeka.

The Methodist Prayer Convention is an event that brings together the whole Methodist Family in Malaysia which is made up of different ethnic groups. A total of about 2,700 participants from the 6 Annual Conferences and 1 Mission Conference – namely the Chinese Annual Conference, Tamil Annual Conference, Trinity Annual Conference, Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference, Sarawak Iban Annual Conference, Sabah Provisional Annual Conference and the Persidangan Missi Sengoi Methodist – will gather together, humbling themselves in penitent seeking of God.

This Methodist Family time of earnest praying is in humble response to God’s injunction in 2 Chronicles 7:14 - “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

We especially chose to do this on the Merdeka weekend to seek God’s forgiveness and renewed favour on His Church and on our beloved country. Our participants will “stand in the gap” and ask forgiveness for the things that are wrong in God’s sight – in the Church and in this nation.

This is made more imperative and urgent at a time when our blessed and beautiful nation – Malaysia – is experiencing increasing and unprecedented turmoil such as religious and racial tensions, political uncertainties, natural catastrophes such as the haze and drought, unparalleled shocks such as the loss of MH370 and MH17, security and health issues, increasing crime and violence etc at our doorstep – so that it is ever more important that we seek God’s intervening mercy, counsel and direction as we strive to move forward in Malaysia.

This MPC3 prayer gathering will culminate in a thanksgiving Prayer and Worship Celebration unto Almighty God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit by an expected combined congregation of approximately 15,000 members of the Malaysian Methodist Family in Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. It will be a time of great joy where the community of faith will sing, worship, pray and proclaim the name of the Lord as the sovereign God of His people called Methodists and of this land.

Thereafter, the Methodist Church in Malaysia prays to continue with even greater fervor as “A Church after God’s Own Heart.” that is - “Growing deep and strong inside, Standing with Christ’s Body nationwide, Giving God glory from every side”.

Rev Dr Ong Hwai Teik
The Bishop
Methodist Church in Malaysia

19 August 2014