By Aub Warren
What do visits to tea plantations, a photocopied newsletter, a bag of rice, an English language school and a minister at a seminary in the Philippines have in common?
All represent creative and unexpected ways in which the WCG ministry is reaching out across Asia to positively touch lives with the hope of the gospel.
Regional director Rod Matthews opened an Asian ministerial conference in Sri Lanka Feb. 23 with a review of the past year.
"We're trying to find a sense of walking together, while at the same time exploring our diversity, giftedness and new opportunities," Mr. Matthews said.
"There's an impression in the church that `we're not doing anything' anymore," said Mr. Matthews. "We are in a transition, no doubt, but we should also look at what we are doing."
Mr. Matthews reminded the conference of the church's ongoing pastoral commitment to scattered and often disadvantaged brethren in areas such as Papua New Guinea, Burma and throughout the Pacific Island nations.
Visiting speakers from Pasadena were Mike Feazell, Randal Dick and Charles Albrecht.
Mr. Matthews invited the Asian pastors to present a review of what is being done in their church areas.
Sri Lankan pastor Mohan Jayasekera said that "things are constantly changing in Sri Lanka--it's become a way of life for us here."
About 110 people are members of the church in Sri Lanka. Usually 50 to 60 people gather for services in Colombo, while another group meets several hours away in the hilltop city of Nuwara Eliya with Worldwide Educational Institute (WEI) principal Robert Reeves.
"We've looked for ways we can meet the pastoral and worship needs of the members, as well as doing more outreach," he said.
Mr. Jayasekera noted the increased pastoral work being done by local church elders Donald Peiris and Sushena De Simon.
Many doors have opened through increased contact with other Christian fellowships. The Baptist church in Colombo offered the church the use of their facility in Colombo.
Among the joys of his ministry, Mr. Jayasekera noted several weekends he spent talking with plantation workers about the gospel, and the opportunity to preach to other fellowships. He has also received an invitation to teach at an interdenominational ministry training school.
He also gave an update on the Worldwide Educational Institute, including plans to move the school to the church-owned facility in Wattala.
Joe D'Costa and his wife, Joanna, live in Bangalore, from where they serve members in southern India.
Services are conducted weekly in Bangalore and twice monthly in Madras, where brethren meet in members' homes.
Mr. D'Costa spoke about the Hello Club newsletter, which keeps brethren informed of what is happening in the church and in members' lives. The newsletter was born out of the reduced capacity of the church to provide face-to-face meetings.
Another project in southern India is the WCG Digest, a collection of pastoral articles, sermon notes and member articles. This too is because of a shortage of finances for tapes of sermons for members outside Bangalore.
WCG Digest provides ideas for outreach and evangelism, youth and women's ministry, prayer requests, sermon notes and exhortational articles.
Danny Zachariah and his wife, Mary, live in Hyderabad, from where they pastor about 120 members throughout northern India.
About 30 brethren are in Hyderabad--where the church office is located--another 30 are in Bombay. The rest are scattered across a vast area where travel is difficult.
Legal difficulties have provided added challenges in India. A long-running court case surrounding a church-owned property in Bombay has been settled and the church will regain the property in March 1999.
Another court case over a block of church-owned land in Secunderabad is proceeding slowly.
Noting the need for growth in India, Mr. Zachariah said the congregations are studying and praying about needs-based evangelism, including a focus on giftedness and the setting of congregational and personal goals for furthering the gospel.
Mr. Zachariah has identified regional leaders as part of a process of equipping more local leaders.
A problem both Indian pastors face is being unable to regularly meet with brethren in remote areas because of a lack of financial resources to travel there.
Yong Chin Gee and Wong Mein Kong pastor more than 200 people in East and West Malaysia, about 60 in Singapore, 15 in Hong Kong, 17 in Thailand, 25 in Myanmar and 14 baptized members in Indonesia.
"Mein Kong and I call ourselves `flying pastors,' " Mr. Yong joked as he displayed a map showing the area they serve.
"We are in the process of registering the church in Indonesia," Mr. Yong said, for it to be legal to function and preach the gospel there.
Although Indonesia is a Muslim country, it is permissible for other faiths to preach their messages. The leader of more than 100 congregations averaging more than 40 people in each indicated a desire to join the WCG.
Low Mong Chai, a local church elder, coordinates what he calls a rice ministry. This is in an area of Indonesia where village leaders accept donations of rice to help their villagers and in return allow Christian ministers to preach the gospel there.
Mr. Yong also reported on work done in Chiang Mai, Thailand, by Chogait Garmologomut, who runs an English-language school.
Through the school, Mr. Garmologomut teaches Christianity through principles of right living, which appeals to a Buddhist culture.
In Malaysia, preaching the Christian gospel as a proselytizing message to Muslims is illegal. Over the years, relational evangelism has been the key to church growth, and this is being re-emphasized.
Wong Mein Kong gave an update on Myanmar (Burma). The church started there in 1975 when 18 people were baptized in Yangon and then others in the Chin Hills (in the northwestern region). Most were related to each other.
About two years ago most of the members there left with the local minister to join a fellowship that broke away from the WCG. Only two small groups were left.
Mr. Wong visited Yangon in February. About 25 people meet in their village on the Irrawaddy River delta south of Yangon for services each week.
He then visited Mandalay to meet a member from the Chin Hills.
Mr. Wong also met with a former PT reader who leads a small group. They are attracted to our fellowship by our clear teaching of salvation by grace.
"God is apparently using him to lead a number of people into a greater understanding of grace," said Mr. Wong.
Pastors Wong and Yong are checking into registering our church in Myanmar. "This legal protection is important as it would free us up to do more work and alleviate the fears of prosecution for what we are doing," Mr. Wong said.
Randal Dick, superintendent of missions, told of two Burmese pastors studying at a seminary in the Philippines. They had saved to buy one-way tickets to the Philippines to study at a seminary so they could return to Myanmar to serve in ministry.
Bill Sidney, Philippine regional director, heard of their need and has taken up that responsibility while they study. One now attends with our church and wants to serve as a minister of our fellowship when he returns.
Concluding the update session, Mr. Matthews noted that "despite the pruning over the past few years, many new shoots of growth are emerging." These promise great opportunities for the future, he said.
"Often the fruits borne now are the result of seeds sown many years ago," Mr. Matthews said. "There are so few of us to do anything that we must look to God for him to lead us and do what he will."
Mike Feazell, senior adviser to Mr. Tkach, expressed his appreciation for the creativity and energy shown by the Asian pastors, often with almost no resources.
He noted the common desire that the pastors had expressed for mission--doing something meaningful and valuable for the kingdom of God.
May WN pages 14 and 15
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