KDN : PP114764/1/2007
Srictly for Private Circulation
May - August 2007
MY FIRST
100 DAYS
W
hat’S
INSIDE
Farewell to Bishop Lim
• Page 8 •
Interview With The Bishop
• Page 9-11 •
Diocesan Women’s Conference
• Page 14 •
F
irst of all, I wish to thank all of
you for your prayers and love
that you have showered upon
me. I am really humbled to
be chosen as your Bishop. There is a
gigantic task ahead for me to tackle.
Without your continuous prayers and
support, I would not be able to get
anything done well.
My
Consecration
Service
and
Thanksgiving Dinner went superbly
under the chairmanship of Mr. Marcus
Sundram and the Chief Marshall, Dean
Jason Selvaraj. I praise God for the
friends of the Diocese both local and
foreign. They have added colour and
variety to the Consecration Service.
Someone remarked to me that even
my wedding day was not so grand.
I praise God for entrusting to me such
a big task. I do wish to speak frankly
and honestly about my impression
of my first 100 days in office. In one
phrase, I can say that I am “like a fish
out of water”. I am so used to running
around in the field and am now
confined from 9 to 5 in the office. This
is awful. Administration is not my ‘cup
of tea’. I am planning to revamp the
whole system so that I can have time to
be in the field. We, as a Diocese, have
great potential and assets to launch
into the deep. Much work needs
attention and focus before we can
see greater results in the Diocese. The
greatest assets we have are the clergy,
laity and the properties we have been
left with.
Meanwhile, all my days in the office
have been employed in studies for
goal-setting, vision-casting, strategic
planning and deployment of resources.
I will need everyone in the Diocese,
junior or senior, young or old, men
or ladies, children or adults, to work,
share and serve together.
I wish to record a vote of thanks to
my predecessors Bishop Roland Koh,
Bishop John Savarimuthu, Bishop Lim
Cheng Ean, Bishop M. E. Ponniah
and many clergy and lay leaders who
have toiled, sacrificed and loved the
church over these last 37 years of our
formation.
Motto: THY KINGDOM COME --- to my life, family, career, contacts,
church, community and nation.
Bishop Ng Moon Hing
Editorial
“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command
your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you
- they are your life-”
Editorial
Deut 32:46-47
The world in which we raise children today is dramatically different to what it was just one or two decades ago. One
of the most important contributions we can make as parents is to convince our children that they really matter to God,
to us, and to other people. They need to know that they are unique and important; that they are valuable, irreplaceable and worthy of respect. They must be told that their thoughts and feelings, doubts and fears are worthy of careful discussion and that we as parents are interested and want to participate and be part of their plans and
dreams­.
Effective parenting also demands that very early in the childrearing process, we begin to expose our children to a wide
range of opportunities. Then we need to observe their reactions, likes, dislikes, successes and failures and as we do so,
we begin to identify what really their uniqueness is, and then perhaps to talk about it. As their God-given talents and
abilities surface, we need to encourage and affirm them.
As parents we also need to do everything in our power to teach our children that the essence of Christianity is a living
and dynamic relationship with a living God; that we can talk to God in prayer and expect Him to speak through His
Holy Spirit - that they need to feel a sense of divine companionship all throughout the day because they are in a living
relationship with God; that Christianity is not just a set of rules but a living dynamic relationship with God.
The family can provide a kind of spiritual training that no other institution can and parents have the potential to make
deep and long lasting spiritual impressions on children more than any other organization can. When parents are
devoted followers of Christ, this turns out to be a blessing that no money can buy and no academic qualification can
replace­.
What are the impressions you are making on your children and what basic truths are you impressing on their lives?
Obeying the Lord leads to blessings for our family and for ourselves.
The Editorial Board would like to thank all our writers for this issue and especially our Bishop who has given us the opportunity to interview him so that you can get to know him better. We are delighted that he has also taken the trouble
to share his thoughts on the theme.
The theme for the next issue will be “Transformation
Please send in your thoughts and reflections early.
of Families: The extended family and single persons”.
Shalom!
Editorial Board
DVD of Bishop’s
Consecration on Sale
DVDs of the Consecration and Enthronement Service
of Bishop Ng Moon Hing at St. Mary’s Cathedral and
the Thanksgiving Fellowship Dinner at Kuala Lumpur
Convention Centre on 5 May 2007 are available for
sale at the Diocesan office.
One set of both events is priced at RM30.00 while a
DVD of a single event costs RM20.00.
Orders can be made through the Diocesan Office.
Please contact Diana (03-2031 3213) for details.
Editorial Board
Adviser : The Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Members : Gloriosa Rajendran (Editor), Rev Dr Andrew Cheah, James Chee, Prakash Mukherjee
The theme for the next issue (September - December 2007) is
“Transformation of Families: The extended family and single
persons”. The Editorial Board welcomes articles and photographs
that focus on this theme for the coming issue. Please submit your
articles to the Editor, Anglican Messenger, Diocesan Office or e-mail
to [email protected] by 15 October 2007.
The Synod of the Diocese of West Malaysia (Anglican Church)
No. 16 Jalan Pudu Lama, 50200 Kuala Lumpur,
Tel : 03-2031 2728, 2031 3213
The Importance
Of Parenting
T
wenty-one years as a parent is a long time especially in the
process of feeding and nurturing. This is the most arduous
part of parenting. At least, finally I can say, I have made it
through. Of course, the road is still very long for a parent to go
on because ‘once a parent always a parent’. I subscribe to the
idea that every parent has three stages of parenting: stage one
- nurture, stage two - support, and stage three - supervise.
NURTURE
At the first stage of parenting, the degree and intensity of attention
and care decreases with the age of the children. The younger the
children, the feeding and watchfulness will be greatest. A baby
needs more direct attention and care than a teenager. This is the
most critical stage of a person’s life.
There is a common belief that I have come across and do accept it
on face value i.e. 75% of a person’s character is determined by his
first sixteen years of moulding, education and upbringing. If this is
so, then we, all the more, have to put greater emphasis on early
childhood education and character building.
Unfortunately, we are seeing the reverse in today’s society,
Christians are not exempted. As society gets more affluent, the
role of early childhood education and character building is being
seconded to untrained maids, the so-called nurseries and play
schools, and Sunday Schools. The role of parents in these homes
has been revised to the next two stages where they now play the
supportive or supervisory roles. Scripture is clear on the teaching
of sowing i.e. `A man reaps what he sows’ (Gal. 6:7). Therefore,
if we sow with care and nurture, we will in turn reap care and
nurture from our children. If we sow support then we will reap
support. If we sow supervision then we will reap supervision.
At the early years of formation of a child, nothing lesser than a
parent’s total care and nurture can be accepted by God. When
God created human kind, He made sure we are not created alone
and without care and nurture. He was there with Adam right at
the beginning of time. When He created us, he made sure we are
born into a family with parents and in most cases siblings too.
I find it hard to understand the rationale of both parents working
full time and leaving their children to secondary `parents’. Given
our present situation, except in the case of some extreme cases,
the earning of one parent is often sufficient to feed a whole family.
Of course, when we include the luxuries and extras, the earning
of even five in the family will not be enough to maintain our
extravagant living. I strongly feel that one parent, in our case it
is usually the mother, should not assume a full time career away
from home, which demands long hours until at least the children
have finished their high school.
Full attention to nurture and care is crucial for a proper
upbringing of a child. This, too, includes spiritual upbringing. Let
us give our best to our children especially in terms of time, care,
nurture, support and supervision. Children are vulnerable, easily
influenced, naive, ignorant and active. They need full-time parents
to walk, talk, play, cry, laugh, shout and fool around with them as
they grow up. The woman referred to in the saying: ‘Behind every
successful man is a woman’, in most cases, is the mother.
Parenting is a calling. It is a divine appointment. Remedial
work would not be necessary if we have put the prevention work in
place at an early stage. Every child has the right to demand from
his parent’s full attention, nurture and care. They are not tools for
our future stability and security. They are also not idols and toys for
our entertainment or comfort. They are children of God who must
accomplish God’s will for each of their lives.
Parents are earmarked by God to usher their children
along this pathway of holiness and to fulfill this high
calling of God. Spiritual nurturing must be in place as soon as
they are conceived in the womb.
The second stage of the role of a parent is a supportive one. This
happens when a child has come of age and can fend for himself.
He is a young adult and needs to earn his own living. But his raw
and fresh experience in society can do better with proper parental
guidance and support. Parents will need to stand afar, to look and
observe rather than have a direct hand-out approach. They should
be like the shade rather than the pillar. Young adults should be
given all avenues to make their own decisions and choices.
Parental guidance and support will only come in when there is a
need for it. The dependence strings must be cut at this point.
Having said this, I wish to qualify by emphasizing the cutting of the
ties of total dependency and not the relationship ties of bonding.
It is so true and important, at this stage, for the young person to
heed parental advice, as emphasized by a Chinese saying: ‘Failure
to heed to the advice of the senior will result in disadvantages and
despair.’
SUPERVISE
The third stage is a supervisory one. When the grandchildren are
around, the grannies can play an important role in supervision.
However, our present family set-up has confused the roles. The
grannies are given the role of nurture instead of supervision. The
feeling of the grannies is always that the grandchildren are not their
own children. Thus, the possibility of spoiling the grandchildren is
often greater.
Grannies can and are often bold to spank their own children but
not their grandchildren. This is because it is actually not their role.
God has created in them a supervisory role and it is naturally so in
their make-up. They should still be playing the supportive role for
their own children and a supervisory role for their grandchildren.
When the grandchildren are caught in between two sets of people
playing the nurturing role, they initially will be confused and after
sometime they will learn how to ‘manipulate’ the two different
sets of rules and expectations. It is not their intention to do so
cont’d on page 6
Consecration and Enthronement of the
4th Bishop of Diocese of West Malaysia
The Service
I
t is not very often that Anglican Christians get an opportunity
to witness and participate in an auspicious occasion such as
the Consecration and Enthronement of a Bishop; inclusive of
Thanksgiving Celebrations.
the Wardens and the Dean Very Rev Jason Selvaraj who was
the Chief Marshall gave their fullest support. The partnership
of clergy and laity in God’s ministry was depicted in the seating
arrangements in the cathedral – clergy in rows on the left and
laity on the right. The beauty of the colours and designs of the
robes and mitres portrayed a picture of ecclesiastical dignity and
sanctity, creating an awesome atmosphere of worship.
The Message
In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury focused on the role
of a Bishop and the Church in the commissioning of a person to
an apostolic ministry. His passage of reference was John 21.
The 5th of May 2007 was one such occasion where Anglicans
from various parts of Malaysia and the surrounding regions
congregated at St Mary’s Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur to honour
and praise God and to welcome the 4th Bishop of the Diocese
– The Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing.
Even though this special service was scheduled to commence at
3.30 pm, the Jubilee Hall of the Cathedral was fully packed by
1.30pm! The new multi-purpose Hall, the Lady Chapel and the
Courtyard were packed to capacity by 3.00pm, leaving many to
stand around in order to get a glimpse of the whole service. One
could not help but notice that worshippers and guests had come
attired in their best, to honour, praise and worship in the house
of the King of Kings.
We were fortunate to have in our midst the Archbishop of
Canterbury – His Grace the Most Rev Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams
who participated and preached the sermon at the Service of
Consecration and Enthronement. The Service had in attendance
His Grace The Most Rev Dr John Chew – the Archbishop of the
Province of South East Asia, as President and Chief Consecrator;
the Anglican Archbishop of Hong Kong, representatives of the
Archbishops of Gloucester (England), Perth (Australia) and the
Philippines. There were also about 18 Bishops from Taiwan,
Australia, England, the Philippines, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak
and West Malaysia present. The Archbishop of the Roman
Catholic Church, The Most Rev Dr Murphy Packiam, Bishop Julius
Paul (ELCM), Bishop Paul Tan (RC), Bishop Philip Lok (LCM), Cor
Episcopa Philip Thomas (Syrian), Rev Dr Thomas Philip (Mar
Thoma), Rev Ong Hwai Teck (on behalf of the Methodists) and
representatives of other Christian denominations in Malaysia
were also present. We also had the honour of two former clergy
of the Diocese of Singapore and Malaysia, retired Bishop Rt Rev
Anthony Dumper and Rt Rev Peter Tusker.
About 1,500 people took part in the 2½-hour service steeped
in Anglican tradition. The leaders of the Cathedral including
Jesus Calls
As much as Jesus
called His disciples
to be with Him in
this passage, we
are to acknowledge
His calling in prayer
and
study
and
challenge others to
hear the good news
of the Risen Christ.
They are to be shown that they are not alone, but loved, valued
and summoned to be in His company and fellowship.
Jesus Forgives
We are to be aware that we are all sinners and need forgiveness.
We are to proclaim that there is forgiveness of sins in Jesus
Christ and we need not be prisoners of guilt. He reminded us
that we have a Saviour who died and rose again to give us an
understanding that there is grace and hope.
Jesus Sends
In the apostolic ministry, the people of God are called to witness
to the ends of the earth, to proclaim what Jesus has done for us.
We are encouraged to possess a clear vision of evangelism and
ministry of the love of Christ and to feed the hungry world.
Addressing the new Bishop, the Archbishop reminded him of his
calling:
i)
To build a church where people know that they are called by
Jesus Christ, forgiven and sent out.
ii) To enable the church to be renewed in mission, refreshed
and restored by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
iii) It is not an easy or popular task but provides the privilege of
an exciting commission to call, forgive and send.
iv) It is not a role to conquer, subdue or silence but to draw
people to the company of Jesus in fellowship, sharing in a
mission of joy, transformation and renewal.
v) The apostolic ministry can be lonely, requiring time in
silence, waiting and praying that the light will shine in the
darkness though the scriptures and in the presence of the
Holy Spirit.
Thanksgiving Banquet
A thanksgiving banquet was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention
Centre at 7.30 pm on the same day, attended by over 800 people,
including Archbishops, Bishops, clergy, deaconesses, other
Christian leaders and laity. Also present were Tan Sri Amar Leo
Moggie and Puan Sri, YB Dato’ Tan Kee Kwong & Datin, and the
Director General of Religious Affairs, Cambodia.
The dinner began with a procession of VIPs, proceeded by 11 flag
bearers each carrying a State flag to a rousing welcome song,
followed by the national anthem. Local tradition was depicted in
the carrying of “bunga manggar” .
There were three Malaysian cultural items - a Chinese musical and
an Asli dance presented by St Peter’s Church Ipoh, as well as a
lively Bollywood number from the youth of St Mary’s Cathedral.
Bishop Lim said the opening prayer while Archbishop John Chew
spoke on behalf of the Province. He highlighted the need to share
resources and experiences of each Diocese in the Province as one
family in the Lord.
Bishop Moon Hing spoke about his background and his acceptance
of Jesus Christ as his Saviour at Monash University, Australia. He
Members of the Organising Committee:
expressed appreciation for the support given to him by his wife
Siew Lan and his three children during his ministry in the last 20
years.
He touched on how he shuns away from the limelight and but
values the love, encouragement and prayer support of his
parishioners, laity and fellow clergy. He recorded a special word
of thanks to a good friend and mentor, Mr Jim Dacy.
The chairman of the organising committee, Marcus Sundram,
thanked all who contributed in one way or another to the success
of the consecration service and banquet. He also expressed how
he valued the cooperation and support of the members of the
Organising Committee, the guidance of Bishop Lim and Bishop
Moon Hing.
Ir Marcus Sundram
Chairman
Organising Committee
Bishop Ng Moon Hing, Bishop Lim Cheng Ean, Very Rev Jason
Selvaraj, Rev Dr Andrew Cheah, Mrs Inbam Solomon, Mrs Yong
Lee Wah, Mr James Chee, Mr Lee Wai Kong, Mr Andrew Lai, Mr
David Joseph
History of The Diocese of West Malaysia
The New Bishop
The Diocese of West Malaysia was formed on 8 April 1970. The
first Bishop was a Sabahan – The Rt Rev Tan Sri Roland Koh.
He was a theologian who sacrificed much to create a Malaysian
identity for the Diocese by having an excellent rapport with the
government of the day. Bishop Koh went to be with the Lord on 9
September 1972 in the USA, while still in service for the Lord.
The Ven Canon Ng Moon Hing
B.E. (Hons) (Monash, 1978); B.D. (SEAGST, 1985); M.Div (SEAGST,
1989)
Date of birth: 12 November 1955
Ordained Deacon: 23 June 1985
Collated as Canon: 12 June 1996
Appointed Archdeacon of Lower North: 1 February 2001
Consecrated & Enthroned Bishop: 5 May 2007
The second Bishop was The Rt Rev Tan Sri John G Savarimuthu.
He took office on 7 March 1973 and served for 21 years.
Records indicate that he was one for ‘Expansion, Evangelism and
Ecumenism’. He was a vibrant and anointed leader who went to
be with the Lord on 30 November 1994, also while in service
for Him.
The third bishop was The Rt Rev Tan Sri Dr Lim
Cheng Ean. He took office on 12 June 1995
and built on the vision and programmes of his
predecessors. During his tenure, he participated
in the formation of the Province of South East
Asia. His focus was to grow the Diocese from
financial weakness to consolidation, which
included the development of the Diocesan land
and properties. He was determined to develop
the enlarged Diocese from the ‘Maintenance to
Mission’ mode. He introduced two 5-year plans:
2001-2005 and the current Transformation plan
from 2006-2010. He retired on 10 March 2007.
Bishop Moon Hing is a qualified engineer by profession. He
relinquished his secular career and offered himself for full-time
ministry in 1982. Though his early training was at St Paul’s
Church, PJ, he served at St Peter’s Church Ipoh,
for more than two decades. He also served at
various committees at the Diocese and Provincial
levels. Having pioneered the “New Village
Ministry” in the Diocese, he is determined to
see many more churches planted. His vision is
a ‘Dynamic Church in Mission, Evangelism and
Training’.
He is married to Siew Lan and is blessed with
a son, Joshua Tarnj Jiun, and two daughters,
Sarah Jiayi and Charlotte Jia Lerd. Bishop Moon
Hing is the first graduate from Seminari Theologi
Malaysia to become a Bishop.
cont’d from page 3
but the environment has created a situation where they have to
adapt. So, when they grow up, there will be an imbalance in their
understanding and behavioural character. The task of correction is
almost an impossible one, after having become set in their mind
and character.
do the same for my grandchildren?” The answer is an emphatic
“NO”. I am not underestimating the power of the grannies at all
but the chemistry just does not click in this case.
The grannies should allow their own children to set the ‘rules
of the game’ and flow with it. It is a very difficult and humbling
experience for a granny to follow someone else’s rule if she has
been at the helm all the while. I have heard many a time such
frightening remarks as: “I have brought up my children to such
good lives and honoured positions. Do you not think that I can
TRANSFORMATION OF FAMILIES IN CHRIST is specially
designed to re-direct us to the intended role that God
has set for us, parents and grandparents.
Let us be the parents that God wants us to be, and the
grandparents that He wants us to assume. Our Diocesan theme
Bishop Ng Moon Hing
Press Release from National Christian Consultation on HIV/AIDS
1st National Christian Consultation on HIV/AIDS, 5th – 7th March 2007
Full Gospel Assembly, Kuala Lumpur
The reality of AIDS in Malaysia is reflected by the statistics
that as of June 2006, there is an accumulated total of 73,427
known cases of people who are infected with HIV. It has been a
consistently increasing total since the early 1990s.
While the majority of known HIV/AIDS cases are drug
dependents, transmission through sex is on the rise. Gender
wise, the HIV+ women population have increased from 1% in
1991 to about 12% in 2005, of course this means that there are
more children who are born with the virus.
AIDS is in the Church – which is borne by the clients we are
serving and helping; some who have experienced negative
and unpleasant reaction from the Churches.
The Body of
Christ is called upon to be love and care, to represent the Just,
Compassionate and Healing Christ.
Various plenaries and sharings by experts and practitioners
from overseas and local were carried out. Nine (9) workshops
were held by which the following Resolutions were submitted
by the different participants for the attention of all Churches
and Christians.
RESOLUTIONS
1
2
It is mandatory that the Church becomes involved with the contemporary issues of HIV/AIDS.
Pastors and Church Leaders must provide vision and leadership in pastoral care to people who are infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS.
3
Church Leaders are to be knowledgeable and show initiative in a positive commitment to the HIIV/AIDS agenda.
4
AIDS Information and Awareness is to be promoted and made available; accompanied by Prayer.
5
The Church is to be equipped to teach, engage and respond to sexuality issues especially amongst the youth.
6
We are to involve the children, youth and families in advocacy; as well as in the decision making processes.
7
Prayer Initiatives could coincide with the AIDS Memorial Day or International AIDS Day.
8
Every Church should have a HIV/AIDS policy which reflects a Biblical mandate.
9
Emphasis in prayers, support and finance should be given to caregivers who are an integral part of AIDS care.
10
11
12
13
The Church must be involved in sharing and contribute resources towards the fight against AIDS; and for the support
and care of People Living with HIV/AIDS; which can be done via strategies partnerships with other Churches and
organisations involved in the ministry.
The Church must accept the reality of People Living with HIV/AIDS in the Church – and should have a non-judgmental
attitude towards all.
The Church must encourage positive actions to facilitate consultation and dialogue amongst leaders and people
concerned; promote networking. HIV/AIDS is to be on the Church Agenda.
Prevention and Risk Minimisation at its various levels of efficacy will depend on the Churches’ responsibility towards
its ‘at risk’ communities. Therefore, the Church needs to seek and find the ‘at risk’ communities – to visit, reach out,
bring the good news, do prevention and do awareness programmes.
GGGGG
Purpose Driven Parenting &
Transformation of Families
Purpose Driven Parenting
“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character;
sow a character, reap a destiny.”
We may have heard about the “Purpose Driven Life” and the “Purpose Driven Church.” It emphasizes the need for
a goal, and intentionality behind our actions so that we achieve the best. Bad parenting brings negative effects
on families. Good parenting can change families to be positive agents of transformation in our society. Parents
who intentionally and purposefully, give children what is useful after thoroughly thinking through what would be
most beneficial to them, practice a purpose driven parenting model. This promotes a transformational lifestyle
that transforms families. It is purpose driven!
Parenting: Beginnings and Formation of Parents
Many people believe that parenting begins with birth. This is not accurate. From the fifth month on, the unborn baby is able to hear, be
aware of motion, and exhibit short-term memory. An unborn baby becomes familiar with the parents’ voices. Scientifically, we can say
that parenting actually begins well before birth. The child itself bears the genes of the parents. This child already receives the blueprint
of parenting of his parents, which will tremendously affect this child.
Scripturally, both Parent and Child are children of our Heavenly Father/Parent. Thus a Parent is also a Child. The Child in turn is a
Parent in process. The Parenting role is inclusive. It does not exclude the community of believers. At baptism, parents, godparents and
members of the local church community make a covenant. They promise to support the family as they help their child to grow in God’s
love. This is not just a case of religious education.
The holistic development and parenting of any child begins long before he or she is enrolled into a Sunday School or a school. It is
not classroom centred. It is not teacher centred. It is not syllabus centred. It is not exam centred. It is God centred and child centred.
The child learns by observing the parents and the local community, even before the child can speak or write a single word. The spiritual
heritage of the community of Faith shapes the Child.
The child learns best in a stable, safe and loving environment. Therefore the primary duty of the parents is to make sure their home
has a safe, stable and loving environment. The elders in the house must love, respect and be at peace with each other. Then the child
feels safe and loved. If mum and dad are constantly fighting and angry with each other, the child picks up these feelings and it affects
the learning capacity of the child.
Parenting: A Calling to be Authentic
“The guys who fear becoming fathers don’t understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that
perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent.” ~Frank Pittman, ‘Man Enough’
Parenting is a holistic ministry. It combines knowledge of who we are (psychological), with a knowledge of what we believe (theology), and the
knowledge of how we learn (process of education). We are parents not because we have learnt to become the perfect parent-educator, but
because in participating with our child’s education we are becoming a parent-educator.
Honesty is an important quality for a parent to educate the child. Parents’ willingness to take risks in displaying their own ignorance when they
do not know something and working patiently to solve problems they face are an important part of teaching children. Positive experiences of the
child with the parent in the early stages of life will prepare the child to be more receptive to education.
Playing with children and talking to them, even for a short period of time, is an important part of their learning. Trying new things is part
of learning to learn. What a person knows is less important than what they do to find out new things. When parents and children explore
learning together, the experience of cooperation, family support, and excitement outweigh the problems of being tired, not having enough time,
embarrassment.
Being authentic is more than being honest. It calls us to put our faith in practice. Some practical ways we can do this is by:
• Passing on our faith by educating them properly so that when the time comes to make choices they will have some understanding of what
they are doing.
• Praying for our children, as we let them hear us pray. Let them hear us say positive things about them.
• Dads should set the spiritual tone in the home.
It may call for an encounter and closure of our own Parenting experiences with our Parents. Some of those experiences may be painful and even
forgettable. If we do not bring these experiences to our Father in Heaven for healing and closure, we will project and “act out” our own unhappy
experiences of Parenting onto our Children.
It is precisely because children learn by observing parents and the local community, even before the child can speak or write a single word,
that there is a great need for Parents to be authentic and full of integrity. This needs to be kept in focus and therefore the need for Intentional
Parenting!
“The Intentional Parent uses Parenting Leadership to lovingly hold the space so the children experience a joyful learning partnership with their
parents to unleash their highest potential by mutual reflection and support in a safe environment.”
Rev Canon D Steven Abbarow
Service of Thanksgiving & Farewell Dinner for Bishop Lim
T
he Cathedral Council of St.
Mary’s Cathedral and the
Parochial Church Council of St.
Peter’s Parish in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
jointly organized a special Service
of Thanksgiving for the Episcopal
Leadership of Rt. Rev. Tan Sri Dr. Lim
Cheng Ean recently. This was held at St.
Peter’s Church in Bangsar at 6.00 p.m
on Saturday, 10 March 2007. The day
was made doubly special for it was also
the 65th birthday of Bishop Lim and the
official date of his retirement.
A
bout 400 people attended
the service followed by a
sit-down fusion dinner at
the Gnanabai Saroja Memorial Hall.
The Bishop preached on 1 Corinthians
12:12 - 26 and spoke on the need
for unity in the Diocese and rendering
support for the new leadership.
M
r. A Devan, the People’s
Warden of St. Peter’s
presented a gift to the Bishop
on behalf of the two churches. Tan Sri
Dato’ Dr. James Alfred, the Dean’s
Warden of the Cathedral garlanded the
Bishop whilst a pretty little girl from St.
Peter’s presented a bouquet to Puan Sri
Dss. Amy Lim.
A
mong the invited guests
were Most. Rev. Murphy
Pakiam, the Roman Catholic
Archbishop; Bishop Julius Paul of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church; Bishop
Philip Lok of the Lutheran Church in
Malaysia; Bishop Dr. Dennis C Dutton
(retired) and Rev. Dr. Herman Shastri of
the Council of Churches in Malaysia.
Members of churches in the Central
Archdeaconry were also present to
grace the occasion.
Service of Thanksgiving & Farewell Dinner for Bishop Lim
Interview with the Bishop of the Diocese of West Malaysia
Thy Kingdom Come – A 30 year vision for the Anglican Diocese
The Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing took office as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of West
Malaysia on 5 May 2007. In an interview with the Anglican Messenger at his
office in Kuala Lumpur, he spoke on a wide range of issues including his vision
for the Diocese, the challenges facing the church, the need to make the church
relevant to the people especially the young, and his passion to go down to the
ground to help bring Christ’s Kingdom into our midst.
T
he Bishop of West Malaysia Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing has
called on all Anglicans in Peninsular Malaysia to share
in a 30-year Transformation vision for the Diocese. This
vision will be based on the affirmation “Thy Kingdom Come”,
which aims to usher the coming of God’s Kingdom into our
midst.
“We must hasten this process of Kingdomisation given the
signs of the times that point to the coming soon of Christ,
such as the demolition of the Berlin Wall, September 11, the
rise of terrorism and the growth of the internet,” he says.
Citing the scripture from Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is
no vision, the people perish,” Bishop Moon Hing says he
believes that God has placed him in this role to lead the
diocese to take a quantum leap from maintenance mode
to mission mode, from walking pace to running pace, from
traditional and uninteresting church to exciting and vibrant
church; from one diocese to many dioceses; from clergy led
church to clergy-laity jointly led church; from one worship
style church to one stop multi-ministry church.
“I don’t believe that I will be implementing drastic changes.
Rather, I am adding in things which are not there and reshaping things which are currently not effective into more
focused ways, to truly transform ourselves in the next 30
years,” he said.
What he intends to do also is to map out the deliverables
within shorter periods of 20 years, 10 years, 5 years and
annually.
“In this way, Anglicans of all generations will know the
direction we are heading and can see for themselves the
progress and evaluate their achievements,” he added.
He hopes that by the 50th or 60th anniversary of the Diocese
(now 37 years in existence), we will be able to record major
achievements for the glory of God.
Underscoring this vision is the overriding need to go back
to basics and bring the gospel to people of the world. “We
must remain focused on God and share the message of His
salvation to the community.”
Outlining the core areas of this vision, Bishop Moon Hing
revealed that it will include the following:
• Creating a few Anglican dioceses within West Malaysia
• Making the Anglican church a household name in
Malaysia
• Building a diocese that is strong in mission, biblical
teaching, dynamic youth, lively children, creative ladies,
jovial men and untiring golden circle.
• Instituting joint clergy-laity church
• Creating leaders who are true servants of Jesus Christ
• Producing professional and specialist clergy and lay
pastors
• Creating Christian university and schools.
This will involve a multi-pronged approach with the ultimate
aim of bringing God’s Kingdom to the people of West
Malaysia.
Among the steps that will be taken will be to tap the
opportunities in new growth areas such as the Iskandar
Development Region, Northern Corridor Economic Region
and Eastern Corridor Economic Region.
“To this end, I intend to seek the Archbishop’s permission
for two assistant or suffragan bishops, who are themselves
parish priests but given greater responsibilities to play in the
arena of mission,” he explained. “It is also my intention to
carve out Melaka and Negeri Sembilan to form their own
Lower-Central Archdeaconry.”
Bishop Ng also noted that for too long, the Anglican Church
in West Malaysia was apparently not highly regarded or
considered by other Christians and non-Christians in the
country or outside, both in terms of church growth and
leadership.
“We must reverse this trend by the pursuit of specialisation.
Hopefully, one day in the near future, Anglicans will be greatly
sought after for our leadership, learning, professionalism,
humility, boldness, clarity in expounding scripture, mission
work, conference speakers and so on,” he said.
He also spoke on the need to upgrade the level of clergy
training to ensure that the Anglican church continues to
excel and remain in the cutting edge of this world. At the
same time, he noted that it was important to place the right
clergy in the right church to spearhead the changes on the
ground.
“The Anglican church has always been strong in liturgy,
but we have not emphasised on the teaching ministry from
the pulpit,” he acknowledges. “This will be another area
hinder us.”
of emphasis and as part of the overall efforts, the Diocese
intends to send one clergy a year to do a doctorate degree.”
He points out that professionalism should not only be
confined to the clergy but the laity who can use their talents
and become specialists within the church structure. Also on
the cards is the creation of a House of Deacons (see side
story).
“We have a lot of strengths within our Diocese such as our
stability over the years, thanks to past Bishops, priests and
laity who have always worked together to ensure that we
remain united over the years,” he noted. “We also have a
significant membership of over 20,000 and that makes the
church strong.”
He added that the Diocese also has a good number of assets
and did not have to pay rental for most churches except for
new ones that had to be purchased.
“The important thing now is to work faster and as a team,
says Bishop Moon Hing. “We may have differences and
different theological persuasions, but please don’t let that
He envisages that the Anglican Church of the future will be
well known also for its community work. To this end, Anglican
Care will be the main body to connect all caring ministries
for cooperation and solidarity under one umbrella in the
Diocese.
“There is a need to create our own mission Agency and I
am proposing to introduce a new ministry called Relief
Emergency And Crisis Help (REACH) to respond when there
is an emergency or crisis,” he reveals.
He expressed the hope that the mission schools will continue
to play an key role within the education system and that there
will soon be a Christian university set up in the country as a
witness to the church of Christ.
Bishop Moon Hing is quick, however, to point out that all
plans and vision will be in vain if we missed the important
point of servanthood. “Our diocese can only progress as far
as our understanding of servanthood and our commitment to
being a servant of Christ,” he warns.
“In this regard, we should be known as people of prayer
before we can achieve that greatest challenge of putting the
name ‘Anglican church’ in everyone’s lips and making ‘Thy
Kingdom Come’ a reality in our midst,” he says.
Church must remain relevant to all in 21 st century
The Anglican Church must be relevant to all segments of the
people in the 21st century in order to bring Christ’s kingdom
to them.
“We must be able to move with the times and interpret the
signs to different age groups without changing the message
of the Gospel,” says Bishop Ng Moon Hing. “We may need to
repackage everything for people of today’s world so that they
can see the relevance of Christ’s kingdom in their lives.”
KidsGame and TeensGame programmes into the Diocese for
the children and youths.
He explained that KidsGame started in 1958 in Spain, and
extended to the US and many other countries worldwide
in the 70s. It is an evangelistic, bible-based programme
that is relevant to children and includes character-building
modules.
Bishop Moon Hing feels that there are ample opportunities
to reach out in different ways, especially to the children and
youth who are today very much influenced by the pervasive
nature of information and communication technology.
The programme contents are available from the Internet at
no cost. “We used this programme in Ipoh early this year
and it was well received,” he said. About 180 children from
both the English and Chinese speaking segments attended
the event.
“For example, we need to attract our young people with
multimedia, instead of using old fashioned methodologies in
Sunday School teaching and nurturing of the young people
of today,” he says.
“What is also unique is that you must have one leader to every
five participants and this leader must also learn everything
that the children do, whether it’s the memory verses or other
activities,” he said.
He also feels that the church may have sometimes been too
harsh with the youth, particularly in relation to their songs,
music and activities. “I always ask myself, ‘If I am a youth,
would I want to come to church?’”
There are plans to hold another such event in the Central
Region in November this year and later in other regions as
well, he says. Sheerah Lee of Ipoh has been appointed the
coordinator for this programme throughout the Diocese.
Bishop Moon Hing feels that there are many ways in which
the Church can reach out to this group. “For instance, they
are into reality programmes like Explorace and so on, so why
can’t our camps or youth activities include such programmes
that also incorporate Christian teachings and principles?” he
asks.
Bishop Moon Hing adds that the KidsGame will be extended
to TeensGame and FamilyGame in the Diocese, which are
all part of the Christian sports ministry movement worldwide.
Some of these games are held in conjunction with major
sporting events such as the SEA Games and Asian Games
and are designed to help ensure that the message of the
gospel is communicated in a relevant way in this fast changing
globalised world.
To this end, Bishop Moon Hing is planning to introduce the
Anglican Diocese to set up House of Deacons
The Diocese of West Malaysia will soon set up a House of
Deacons, says Bishop Ng Moon Hing.
“Traditionally, the Anglican Church has had three orders
of Ministry – Bishop, Priest and Deacon,” he explains. “But
over the last 100 years of our history, the role of deacon has
diminished as all of them went on to become priests.”
“We had women deacons who were at one time not made
priests, but this too has changed after they were allowed to
become priests,” he continued.
Bishop Moon Hing says he is trying to recover and re-
establish a permanent diaconate by creating lay deacons
who will actually be lay pastors. “This will be done by using
the existing, almost defunct portfolio of the Parish Assistant,
and is in line with the Provincial practice currently applied in
Singapore and Sabah.”
He expressed optimism that this diaconate will release more
resources among laity into church ministry.
“My plan is to have three lay pastors to one ordained
pastor,” he says. “The lay pastors can function just as an
ordained deacon except in the ABC: Absolution, Blessing &
Consecration.”
Raring to go back to the ground
You may take this bishop (physically) out of the mission
field but you cannot take the mission field out of him.
A thirst to continue being “on the ground” is what Bishop
Ng Moon Hing continues to have despite having assumed
the position of the Bishop of the Diocese of West Malaysia
since May 2007.
“I feel like a fish out of water,” he said of his first few
months in office. “I was always in the water but now have
come out of it and have to undertake my duties as Bishop,
many of which are very administrative in nature.”
Things are set to change though, he says, in the near
future. “I have been so involved in toiling with my coworkers in the field and I miss it very much, but I have
plans to return to the ground in about a year’s time.”
This will be after he has reorganised and streamlined the
work in the Diocese and appointed an administrator to
handle the routine matters.
“There are too many meetings and everyone wants my
attention and decision,” he explained. “While there will
be some areas in which this will continue, I do believe
that there are many other aspects of the diocesan work
that can be delegated to able co-workers, which will
leave me time to go down to the grassroots.”
“In my 20 years in ministry, I have been so involved in
prayer meetings, bible studies, visitations, evangelism
and village ministry,” he said. “I want to continue doing
this although for the moment, I am finding that there is
limited time to undertake these activities due to my hectic
schedule.”
He feels that it is also important to be with his people
and communicate his vision as well as work together with
them for the Kingdom of Christ. Fondly remembering the
Anglican Village Ministry, which is close to his heart, he
says that over the past 20 years, it has to grown to 46
congregations comprising 11 in Ipoh City, 10 in Chinese
villages and 25 in Orang Asli villages, thanks to the joint
effort of all the co-workers.
Bishop Moon Hing says he is also blessed to have the
support of his wife Siew Lan who is very involved in
ministry as a lay reader of the church as well as advisor
to the ladies group, superintendent of the Sunday School
and non-paid kindergarten head.
They have three children – son Joshua is studying
Engineering Science at the National University of
Singapore while daughters Sarah is in Upper Sixth Form
and Charlotte in Form Five, both in Ipoh. His wife and
daughters will join him in Kuala Lumpur at the end of
this year.
This bishop should then be ready to go back to the
ground again.
Members of Committees in Diocese Of West Malaysia
Provincial Synod
Delegates
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Diocesan Salaries
Commission
Pynet Delegates Diocese Of West Malaysia
1. Ms Shireen Visvanathan
2. Ms Chin Kho Nee
Proseams Delegates Diocese Of West Malaysia
1. Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Archbishop’s
Advisory Board
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Mr Andrew Khoo
Ven Canon Andrew Phang
Rev Dato Dr Yeoh Beng San
Rev Canon Steven Abbarow
Rev Canon Edward John
Tan Sri Dato Dr James Alfred
Dato Stanley Isaacs
Mr Andrew Lai
Mr James Chee Boon Soo
Diocesan Properties
Committee
1. Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
2. Tan Sri (Dr) J G Daniel
3. Tan Sri Dato Dr James Alfred
4. Dato Stanley Isaacs
5. Mr D Rajasingam
6. Mr Lee Wai Kong
7. Dr Deva Dasson Solomon
8. Mr James Chee Boon Soo
9. Mr Cleopas Lim
10.Mr David Joseph
11.Mr Kingsley Yuen
12.Mr Alex Foong Seong Chee
13.Mr Marcus Sundram
Prince Of Peace
Church Building Board
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Tan Sri Dato Dr James Alfred
Mr Edward Cheah Ban Siew
Mr David Joseph
Mr Kingsley Yuen
Mr Cleopas Lim
Very Rev Jason Selvaraj
Dato Stanley Isaacs
Dr Daniel Baskaran
Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Ven Canon Dr S Batumalai
Dato Stanley Isaacs
Mr Andrew Khoo
Dr Deva Dasson Solomon
Mr David Joseph
1. Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
2. Mr Marcus Sundram
3. Mdm Jasmine Khoo
4. Mr Andrew Lai
5. Mr William Tan
6. Mr John Thomas
7. Ven Canon Samuel John
8. Very Rev Jason Selvaraj
9. Rev Christopher Tan
10.Rev Jacob Bau
11.Rev David Devapitchai
12.Mr David Joseph
13.Mr Kingsley Yuen
Diocesan Education
Committee
(Mission Schools)
1. Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
2. Ven Canon Dr S Batumalai
3. Ven Canon Andrew Phang
4. Mr David Joseph
5. Mrs Susila Packianathan
6. Mr Daniel Jackson
7. Mr Tan Koh Lim
8. Mr Larry Wong
9. Ms Goh Hai Bee
10.Mdm Chang Mei Jin
11.Ms Elizabeth Periathamby
Diocesan Synod Co-opted
Members (2006 –2009)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Dato Stanley Isaacs
Mrs Glo Rajendran
Mr Andrew Lai
Mr Nanda Goban
Mrs Yong Lee Wah
Diocesan Synod Bishop’s
Nominees (2006- 2009)
1. Dr Teoh Seng Kee
2. Mr James Chee
3. Mr Marcus Sundram
Diocesan Courts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mr Andrew Khoo
Mr David Joseph
Dato Stanley Isaacs
Mr Philip Nainan
Mr Andrew Lai
6. Mr Francis Kovilpillai
7. Very Rev Jason Selvaraj
8. Ven Canon Andrew Phang
9. Rev Canon Steven Abbarow
10.Rev Canon Peter Chiang
11.Rev Tan Jin Huat
Diocesan Standing
Committee
(2006 -2008)
1. Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
2. Ven Canon Dr S Batumalai
3. Ven Canon Andrew Phang
4. Ven Canon Charles K Samuel
5. Very Rev Jason Selvaraj
6. Rev Dato Dr Yeoh Beng San
7. Rev Canon Steven Abbarow
8. Rev Canon Edward M John
9. Rev Dr Andrew Cheah
10.Mr David Joseph
11.Mr Andrew Khoo
12.Mr D Raja Singam
13.Mr Kingsley Yuen
14.Tan Sri Dato Dr James Alfred
15.Dato Stanley Isaacs
16.Mrs Gloriosa Rajendran
17.Mr Lee Wai Kong
18.Mr Marcus Sundram
19.Mr Andrew Lai
Prince Of Peace Church
Building Fund Committee
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Tan Sri Dato Dr James Alfred
Mr Edward Cheah Bian Siew
Mr David Joseph
Mr Kingsley Yuen
Mr Lee Wai Kong
Mr Cleopas Lim
Dr Deva Dasson Solomon
Mr Tan Joon Chee
Jalan Tengah Development
Committee
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Mr Kingsley Yuen
Tan Sri Dr J G Daniel
Mr Lee Wai Kong
Mr D Raja Singam
Mr David Joseph
Mr Andrew Khoo
Mr Marcus Sundram
Mr Low Khian Seng
Climate change:
It is time we face the truth about
global warming
emissions, average temperatures could rise by 3 to 9 degrees by
the end of the century.
…be part of the solution
a global
warning
“Kenya is my home. Mt. Kenya means ‘mountain of whiteness’.
We depend on the snow and glaciers of Mt. Kenya and Mt.
Kilimanjaro as critical sources of water for growing our food and
quenching our thirst. But the snow and glaciers that covered the
mountain for generations have almost disappeared.”- Dr Jesse
Mugambi, University of Nairobi and member of the World
Council of Churches’ Working Group on Climate Change
M
t Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the tallest free-standing
mountain rise in the world. Over the past century, the
glaciers that covered the top of the mountain have
been rapidly disappearing. At the current rate of melt, the ice
on top of Africa’s tallest peak would be gone between 2015 and
2020.
In Feb 2007, the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change released a report stating that human activity
was the ‘most likely’ cause of earth’s warming in the last 50
years. The threat of global warming is closer to home than we
think, as starkly demonstrated by the unprecedented floods
in Malaysia and Indonesia recently. More than an issue of
environmental preservation, climate change is a profoundly
moral, ethical and spiritual issue of justice, equity, solidarity,
sufficiency and sustainability. It is time we face the truth about
global warming and take a long hard look at our role in this
environmental crisis.
Responsible Parenting must mean that families:
…be informed
Global warming is caused by the release of carbon dioxide (CO2)
and other heat trapping gases into earth’s atmosphere. The gases
trap the sun’s heat and cause the planet to warm up. A warmer
atmosphere leads to major climate changes. This is problematic
to human civilization because it will cause increasingly severe
storms and droughts, glaciers to melt, rising seas, changes in
weather patterns, and the spread of disease. The biggest sources
of emissions are clearing of forests and burning of fossil fuels in
automobiles and coal-burning power plants.
Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has
increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. The 10 warmest
years on record have all been since 1990. Energy efficiency,
conservation, renewable sources of energy and new policies
will all be part of the solution. Unless we curb global warming
Want to do something to help stop global warming? Here
are some simple things you can do to reduce your personal
greenhouse gas emissions.
1. Change a light - replacing six regular light bulbs with
compact fluorescent light bulbs will save 400kg of CO2
a year.
2. Drive less - Walk, bike, carpool or take public
transport. You’ll save 1.5kg of CO2 for every 5 km you
don’t drive!
3. Recycle more - You can save 1,000 kg of CO2 per year
by recycling just half of your household waste.
4. Check your tyres - Keeping your tyres inflated
properly can improve your car’s fuel efficiency. Every
litre of petrol saved keeps 2.5 kg of CO2 out of the
atmosphere!
5. Use less hot water - It takes a lot of energy to heat
water. Use less hot water by installing an energy
efficient showerhead (3 tonnes of CO2 saved pr year)
and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (225
kg saved per year).
6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging – You can save
545 kg of CO2 if you cut down your garbage by 10%.
7. Plant a tree – A single tree will absorb one tonne of
CO2 over its lifetime.
8. Turn off electric devices – Simply turning off your
television. DVD player, stereo and computer when
you’re not using them will save you thousands of
kilograms of CO2 a year.
… get connected
•
World Council of Churches’ statements
http://www.oikumene.org/en/resources/documents/wccprogrammes/justice-diakonia-and-responsibility-forcreation/climate-change-water.html
•
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
http://www.ipcc.ch/
•
YTL Climate Change Week
http://www.ytlcommunity.com/climatechange/
• An Inconvenient Truth
http://www.climatecrisis.nt
Source: BERITA CCM (Jan - Mar 2007)
a globaL warning
Eastern Archdeaconry Family Camp
In Kuala Terengganu.
T
he
Eastern
Archdeaconry
organized a family camp in
Kuala Terengganu from 9-11
March 2007. This camp strengthened
the bonds of unity among the Anglican
members in the Eastern Archdeaconry.
The theme chosen for this event
was ‘Transformation of Families in
Christ’. Sixty-six people participated
in this camp, which included children.
Separate workshops were conducted
for the men, women and children.
Many of us are aware that the number
of Christians in the East Coast are fewer
compared to those in others areas.
With the guidance of Archdeacon
Charles Samuel, we were motivated to
build and to bring many people to the
Lord through the local churches. The
churches in the East Coast need to be
active and grow.
It was like a big family when we
gathered and stayed at Motel Desa
Kuala Terengganu for two nights and
three days. We also had guests from
other states in Malaysia. The family
camp was open to non-Christians as
well.
On Friday, 9 March 2007, during
the first day of the camp, we had the
opening Holy Communion service
after the dinner. Archdeacon Charles
Samuel gave an interesting and biblical
sermon on the Family. He spoke about
Transformation of Families in Christ,
which was also our Diocesan theme for
this year. He encouraged the Christians
in the East Coast to be actively involved
in serving the Lord and to be transformed
into Christ likeness. According to church
records, the Eastern Archdeaconry was
having a Family camp after 50 years. In
his sermon he mentioned that Christian
families need to be following the Biblical
teachings and to set a good example
for others. Every family member plays
an important role in loving one another,
praying together and becoming role
models for other families. This will
bring growth in membership, peace,
unity and blessings to all people.
We also had interesting workshops
and the speakers did a wonderful job.
For the men’s session, Mr. Stephen
Gendang spoke on “Being Responsible
as Head of a Family”. The second
speaker Rev. Christopher Dalie spoke
about “Making a Success of Family
Life.” Rev. Reuben Daniel had a Bible
quiz and Pastor Karma spoke about our
prayer life.
For the women’s session, Ms. Patricia
Wee spoke about women in “Home,
Community and the Church.” Mrs.
Christina Lee, Mrs. Lim Chin Poh
and Mrs. Mathilde Dalie, the three
nurses, gave talks about health related
issues. Mrs. Susila Packianathan who
is the chairperson for our Diocesan
Women’s Committee gave some words
of encouragement and informed the
women about the forthcoming activities
of the DWC. The women also did some
handicrafts.
In the evenings, we gathered at the
main hall and learned “Line Dancing”
from Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Chiang.
Some of the participants were able to
dance very well.
The children were taken care of by
Pastor Lily. She had Bible games for
them, taught them new songs, Bible
stories and how to pray. On the final
day of the Family camp the children did
some presentations. This family camp
brought unity and greater friendship
among us. In John 13: 34-35, it says
“A new commandment I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this all men
will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another.”
I am thankful to God, Archdeacon
Charles, the organizing committeePatricia Wee, Alice Samuel and others.
Through their love and support this
Family Camp went on smoothly and all
of us had a wonderful time. At the end
of the camp, we decided to have this
as a yearly event. For the year 2008,
St. Joseph’s Church in Kemaman will
host the Family camp. All are welcome
to join.
Rev. Reuben Daniel.
St. Martin’s Church, Kota Bharu,
Kelantan.
37th Diocesan
Women’s Conference
4–6 June 2007
Copthorne Orchid Hotel Penang
Theme : Transformed into His Likeness …..
2 Corinthians 3 : 18
W
e arrived on the first day totally surprised by the
wonderful atmosphere of the hotel. The registration
went on smoothly with batches and batches of
church women arriving to get their respective rooms. We
had a wonderful Opening Service led by our Bishop, Rt.
Rev. Ng Moon Hing. It was a grand service and was held in a
beautiful ballroom.
In his message, the Bishop stressed on the theme of our
conference. He pointed out that ‘Transformed’ should be
changed into ‘Transforming’ as we are constantly transforming
each day into the likeness of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He
said that it is an on-going process. He mentioned that we
have knowledge of the scripture but still find it difficult to
transform our hearts. As an illustration, he used examples
of people in the Bible, like Moses and Paul, and how their
lives were transformed. The Bishop reminded us that the key
ingredient for transformation is an encounter with the Holy
Spirit. In concluding, he reminded us that we need to :a) pledge – Speak positive and think positive. In difficulties to
see beyond the problem.
b) Be disciplined – Encouraged us to pray and fast for our
friends and fellow Christians.
c) carry burdens – By caring without complaining or
comparing.
We had a group photograph and a sumptuous dinner with a
variety of food.
After dinner, different language groups had their sessions
in different function rooms. The sessions began with an ice
breaker, followed by Praise and Worship. The meetings went
on for three days. Each group had four theme talks. In the
English session, 2 Corinthians 3 : 18 was highlighted. The
sessions clearly showed us that transformation only takes place
when we have a relationship with God. The sessions were
indeed very informative, enlightening and inspiring, giving
us a brief idea of the difference between the Old Covenant
and the New Covenant, the process of transformation from
glory to glory and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We continued our sessions with Bible Study , followed by the
Business Meeting. In the Bishop’s address, he reminded the
delegates of the need to think ahead and get involved in
Ministries. He encouraged the DWC to have its own identity,
such as a dress code. He shared his goals and visions for the
ladies in the diocese. It was truly enlightening , listening to
his humorous yet informative and interesting speech.
We were also given time to go sightseeing and many ladies
took the opportunity to see the island. Tour buses were
provided and many ladies bought many souvenirs.
On the last day, we had a wonderful time sharing testimonies.
This conference was indeed a memorable experience. We
fellowshipped and we also learnt more about our roles as
Christians. It is the prayer of the DWC that the participants
share what they have learnt during this wonderful time
with their own respective churches. May this conference be
a paradigm shift for the churches as well as the Diocesan
Women’s Conference to improve and work fervently for the
extension of God’s Kingdom.
Mrs. Juliana Dawson
St. Mark’s Church
Butterworth
The Singapore-West Malaysia Anglican Chinese Clergy Retreat
T
he Chinese Boards of the
Diocese of West Malaysia and
the Diocese of Singapore have
been organizing the annual combined
clergy retreat on the week after
Easter for the past fifty years. This is a
traditional annual event that links the
Chinese Clergy of the two Dioceses.
Both Dioceses take turns to organize
the event. This is a very meaningful
annual event where the Chinese
Clergy from the two Dioceses can get
together not only for fellowship but
also to discuss possible cooperation
in mission work.
T
his year, the Chinese Board of the Diocese of Singapore organized the
retreat. Forty-two clergy, twenty-seven from Singapore and fifteen
from Malaysia, gathered together at the Singapore Garden Hotel
from 10-13 April to participate in this retreat. At the opening ceremony,
the Archbishop Dr. John Chew shared with us the many opportunities
that lay before us in various countries, where God has opened doors. He
encouraged us to reflect on the kind of church that we wanted to build.
He also encouraged the clergy from both dioceses to work together by
sharing their resources for advancement of the kingdom of God in the
Province.
T
here were six teaching sessions in this
retreat. The speaker, Rev Shia Chung
Chien, who is the director of Chinese
Christian Evangelistic Association of Taiwan, gave
us a booster from his book entitled “Together
We Build.” It was indeed a blessing for us to
have him in our midst to share his thoughts and
experiences with us. We were very impressed by
his teaching and we decided to invite him as our
speaker for a training next year.
B
esides the teaching sessions, we also had the opportunity
to visit the Anglican social work in Singapore. The
Diocese of Singapore encourages parallel development
in education, medicine and evangelism. We also visited St.
Andrew’s Village, where they have schools that provide
education from nursery to pre-university. In addition, we visited
St. Andrew’s Mission Hospital, where they work together with
General Hospital to provide medical care for the community.
I
t was a fruitful Retreat for all of
us. It has touched our heart and
motivated us to serve further.
Jacob Bau Chian Hui
The Loss Of A Good Priest A Sad Day For Anglicans
T
he Diocese of West Malaysia has lost a good priest. Rev. Pathynathan Andraiah of Emmanuel Church, Tapah, Perak
and his son were called home to the Lord on the evening of Sunday, 8 July 2007. Rev. Pathynathan (47 years) and his
son, Jedidiah (7 years) met with a fatal road accident while traveling from Christ Church, Sungkai to St. Paul’s Church,
Slim River, for the evening worship service. It was a head-on collision with a car traveling from the opposite direction, and
there were fatalities in that car too.
The funeral service was held at St. Peter’s Church, Bagan Serai, Perak on Monday, 9 July 2007. It was a moving service, full of
compassion, love and understanding, led by the Bishop of West Malaysia, Rt. Rev. Ng Moon Hing, and assisted by Rev. Canon
Charles Fraser and Rev. Canon Steven Abbarow.
The late Rev. Pathynathan was a quiet and dedicated priest and was very conscientious with his ministry. He leaves behind his
wife, Suzana, who is expecting their fourth child, a daughter, Shekinah aged 9 and a son, Jeshurum, aged 5. All were shocked
on hearing this news.
The Diocese of West Malaysia expresses its deepest sympathy and condolences to the family in this hour of grief and
bereavement. We do not understand God’s way but are certain that His Will is higher than ours. Please do pray for the late
Rev. Pathynathan’s family, especially in this time of grief.
May the Perpetual Light shine upon the late Rev. Pathynathan and his son, Jedidiah.
Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Bishop of West Malaysia
Special Fund to assist the late Rev. Pathynathan’s family
The Diocese is creating a special fund to assist the family of the late Rev. Pathynathan meet their future expenses.
Those who are interested in contributing towards this fund are kindly requested,
to send their cheques in favour of
“The Diocese of West Malaysia”. Please write at the back of the cheque “Late Rev. Pathynathan’s Family”.
The cheque should be sent to The Diocesan Treasurer, Diocese of West Malaysia, 16 Jalan Pudu Lama,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.
You may contact the Diocesan office at 03-2031 2728, 03-2031 3213 for any further details.
Newly Elected Office Bearers Of CCM For 2007-2009
At the recently held 12th Triennial General Assembly of CCM, the following were elected:
President :
Deputy President : Vice Presidents
:
General Secretary :
Hon. Treasurer
:
Rev. Dr. Thomas Philips
Bishop Datuk Voo Thien Fui
Bishop Bolly Lapok
Rev. Ong Hwai Teik
Rev. Wong Fong Yang
Rev. Dr. Hermen Shastri
Bishop Philip Lok
Kindly keep the new leadership of CCM in your prayers. Please continue to pray for the CCM Building
project as it is in the final stages of approval.
Source: CCM Newslink (May 2007)
Redevelopment Of Jalan Tengah Land Kuala Lumpur
Report From Mergexcel Property Development Sdn Bhd To The Synod
Of The Diocese Of West Malaysia
1. At the last meeting of the Synod in 2006, it was reported that
the Synod had executed a Supplemental Sale and Purchase cum
Transfer Agreement (SSPA) on 16th May 2006 with Mergexcel
Property Development Sdn Bhd (the 50%:50% Joint-Venture
Company between the Lion Group and the E&O Group) (JVCo),
to develop the Jalan Tengah land.
2. The JVCo has updated the Standing Committee of the Synod from
time to time on the progress of the project and on 15 June 2007,
the JVCo made a presentation to the Standing Committee on the
development details, latest status and actions they have fulfilled
under the terms of the SSPA as follows:
a. The JVCo had procured the approval of the Foreign Investment
Committee (FIC) on 28 August 2006.
b. A Development Order (DO) together with approval for the
change of land use (from institutional to serviced apartments)
was procured from Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)
on 5 October 2006 for the development on the Old St
Mary’s Schools Land with a Plot Ratio of 1:6.6. The JVCo then
resubmitted for a higher Plot Ratio and procured an amended
DO approval on 18 May 2007, for a Plot Ratio of 1:7.07.
c. Pursuant to the terms of the SSPA, the JVCo has remitted a further
sum of RM 1,5000,000/- on 6 February 2007 being the further
advance payable within 9 months from the date of the SSPA.
This amount, which is on top of the RM7.0 million paid earlier
Province of South East Asia Mission Services (PROSEAMS)
To promote, assist and propel countries in
the Province of the Church in South East Asia
through mission emphases in view of the
formation of Dioceses.
OBJECTIVES
1. To establish local churches and assist
them in mission work.
2. To provide mission workers to build, train
and equip locals to lead their own local
churches.
3. To assist and implement church structures
and organisations to run as dioceses.
4. To assist in the creation of self-financing,
self-propagating, self-governing and selfreproducing churches and dioceses.
METHODOLOGY
1. Sharing of resources and personnel
among the existing Dioceses.
2. Targeting cities and financial centres as
bases of operation.
3. Reaching towns and villages whenever
opportunities and convenience strike.
4. Generating micro-economic projects of
rural and needy people.
5. Using educational, social and medical
means as bridges to the masses.
6. Building and creating Training centres.
7. Releasing and using local leadership for
ministry and mission.
8. Creating ownership by exposure to the
bigger picture such as the Province.
9. Encouraging Mission-Partnerships among
parishes in the existing Dioceses and the
mission field in the countries concerned.
10. Joint Mission Conferences for awareness
and commitments.
TARGETS
Steps to create a new Diocese:
1. Reach out to locals through mission
workers sent from the existing Dioceses.
2. Establish churches and outreach points in
villages and towns.
3. Train local leaders and put them incharge.
4. Establish church councils, committees
and training centres.
5. Form parishes in various cities and
villages.
6. Establish national council with national
leaders.
7. Develop self-financing and self-auditing
status.
8. Handing over to local leadership for
mission and ministry.
9. Formation of Diocese.
10. Sharing resources and personnel with
existing Dioceses.
Representatives from Diocese of West Malaysia
to Proseams are:
1. Rt. Rev. Ng Moon Hing – Chairman of
Diocesan Mission & Evangelism Unit
2. Dr. Teoh Soong Kee – Bishop’s
Appointment
Scope of Mission Work of Proseams:
1. Nepal – About 10 churches, mostly in
the rural places. Presently training leaders
and hopefully making some clergy.
2. Thailand – The Anglican Church in
Thailand (ACT) is a registered body with
the Thai government. 3 churches in the
cities and others in the rural places. Hope
to start more churches in other cities
especially the South and East.
3. Laos – No church work except English
Language schools which are well accepted
and known in Vientiane and other towns.
4. Cambodia – The Episcopal Church of
Cambodia (ECT) was established in
1992. Presently there are 2 Churches in
Phnom Penh and a few in the kampongs.
There is also a micro-economic project of
sugar manufacturing.
5. Vietnam – Application has gone to
the government to establish churches.
Awaiting answer from the government.
Presently only English tuition classes are
conducted.
6. Indonesia – The Gereja Anglikan
Indonesia (GAI) is a registered body in
Indonesia. There are presently more than
30 churches spread over the whole of
Indonesia. The Institut Anglikan Indonesia
(IAI) was established 3 years ago to train
Anglican pastors and lay leaders. Plans
are under way for the establishment of an
Anglican school in Batam.
7. Malaysia and Singapore – Mission and
Ministry to the foreign migrants.
Partnerships
1. Dioceses in the Province are encouraged
to share resources and personnel in the
mission to the 450 million people in our
region.
2. Parishes are encouraged to send mission
workers and mission teams to help these
churches.
3. Mission funding should be coming from
the parishes and Dioceses to the Province
or to the mission work in each country.
4. The Diocese of Sabah is assigned East
Kalimantan. Presently working in Tarakan,
Nunukan, Balik Papan etc.
5. The Diocese of Kuching is assigned
West Kalimantan. Presently working in
Pontianak.
6. The Diocese of West Malaysia is assigned
Medan and South Thailand. Presently
only mission trips to Medan for the past 5
years.
7. Inter-Diocesan
partnership
through
parish to parish links, ministry to the
East Malaysian, mission teams to the
Asli kampongs, Chinese New Villages,
Sarawak long houses, Sabah Interior
churches, theological students, tertiary
students and West Malaysian workers in
Singapore.
8. Joint Mission Conferences.
9. Sharing in Training Mission Workers.
10. Common Mission Policy.
by the JVCo on the signing of the SSPA, are held in the joint
stakeholders’ account maintained jointly by the Synod’s lawyers
and the JVCo’s lawyers. Synod is now earning the interests
accruing on the RM 8.5 million. The final advance of RM 1.5
million from the JVCo is due payable by 16 November 2007.
d. With regards to the Titles to the New School Land in Selayang,
Lion Courts Sdn Bhd (LCSB) has procured the issuance of the
relevant titles from the Land Office on 31 January 2007. LCSB
is in the process of obtaining state consent to transfer the said
titles to the Synod.
6. The JVCo envisage that by end of September 2007, the transfer
of the Jalan Tengah land titles to the JVCo can be arranged
whereupon:
a.LCSB would procure the transfer of the New School Land titles
to the Synod, and
b.JVCo procures the issuance of the RM 80.0 million BG to the
Synod.
c.JVCo remits the final advance of RM 1.5 million.
3. Under the approved DO, the development will comprise of 3 blocks
of serviced apartments. The approved plans include a dedicated
block with a Net Floor Area of no less than 250,000 square feet,
which is to be returned to the Synod upon completion.
Upon the happening of the above events, the total advance of
RM10.0 million shall be released by the joint stakeholders to the
Synod with the said advance to be refunded by the Synod free of
interests after Synod has taken delivery of its entitlement block.
4. The JVCo has submitted Building Plans and Earthworks/substructure
drawings to DBKL and envisage permission to be procured for
works to be commenced in October 2007.
7. In view of the above status, the JVCo is in a position to commence
work in October 2007 and to complete and deliver the Synod’s
block by December 2010 in accordance with the terms of the
SSPA.
5. The JVCo has informed that they have procured a Bank Guarantee
(BG) facility from a local bank for the sum of RIM 80.0 million,
which has to be issued to the Synod under the terms of the SSPA.
Jalan Tengah Development Committee
The Synod of the Diocese of West Malaysia
June 2007
BOOK REVIEW
“What the Bible Says About Parenting” -John Mac Arthur.
There are many books on child psychology and modern parenting
methods but this one is different.
John Macarthur is a leading expert on the Bible and an experienced
pastor, teacher, father and grandfather, who probes the Bible for
guides on vital subjects such as communication, discipline and habitforming in children. He writes with the conviction that if Christian
parents understand and apply the simple principles set forth in
Scripture, they would be able to cope better with the trends in the
modern world and nurture their children in a way that honours
Christ and is relevant to any culture and society.
Mac Arthur helps parents to understand God’s design for children
and deals with parenthood as God’s gift to us, which is meant to be
enjoyed. He begins by discussing the topic of parenting and goes on
to emphasize the importance of recognizing the child’s true potential
and God’s purpose and plan in the life of the child. He also stresses
the value of teaching the Word of God diligently, so that the child
will grow up wise and able to live a meaningful life.
“The real key to the challenging work of bringing up our children
correctly is to create an environment of nurture and loving instruction
in which their hearts become fertile grounds for God’s truth. It is the
child’s heart that the parent is to nurture.”
The book ends with a chapter each on the role of the father and the
mother and his words are: “Aside from the parents’ fundamental
commitment to Christ, the single most important foundation for
successful parenting is a healthy Christ-centered marriage.
It is an excellent guide to godly parenting and would help every
parent in this difficult role.
Cost: RM35.00
Available at : Aenon (M) Sdn Bhd
3-3A-A, Jalan Desa 2/2, Desa Aman Puri,
52100 Kepong.
Tel 03-62732218.
A Prayer for Parents
Father, we come to you with hearts full of
thankfulness for our parents, who have given us
their unconditional love, nurtured us, watched
over us in our times of sickness and health,
shared with us our grief and pain, wiped our
tears even in our adulthood and were always
there when we needed them. We thank you that
they were praying parents, people of sincere
faith who interceded for us so that your gifts
of wisdom, knowledge and understanding have
been poured out on us to enable us to lead
quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and
honesty.
Father, we ask that you continue to watch over
all parents and give them the strength and
patience to love the way you love and to be
loved in return. Give them the faithful support
of each other, family and friends as they
care for the spiritual, emotional and physical
development of their children. Give them the
joy and delight in their children to sustain them
in their trials of motherhood. But most of all,
Lord, give them the wisdom and confidence to
turn to you for help when they need it most, for
only you, Lord, can give them the courage in
times of fear or pain, understanding in times of
uncertainty, and hope in times of trouble and
despair.
Father we ask that you be also with parents
who grieve for children who have died, who are
ill, who are estranged from their families, or who
are in trouble or danger of any kind. Be also
with fathers and mothers who are destitute
and who have been abused and rejected by
their children. Be with single parents who are
burdened by financial and emotional needs.
Lord, be their strength and shield, restore and
redeem them.
Bless all parents today that whatever things
they ask in prayer, believing, they will receive.
Increase their faith to believe all things you have
put in their hearts to pray for, concerning their
children, that the transformation of families may
become a reality.
Esther Richards
What good parents have in common
Good parents:
1. Encourage their children and build their selfesteem
7. Create community…. extended family,
neighbourhood and church.
2. Communicate their love
8. Give children the feeling that they are safe and
emotionally secure
3. Create a positive home atmosphere (which
includes laughter)
9. Model a good marriage
4. Nurture spiritual values
10. Take time to spend with their children
5. Practice consistent, balanced discipline.
11. Teach financial values and skills
6. Make their children proud of them.
12. Give children responsibility
13. Are passionate about teaching values and integrity
(Janice Long Harris ‘What Good Parents have in Common’)