From Rod and Ruth Matthews
South and Southeast Asia
By Aub Warren
BURLEIGH HEADS, Australia--More than half the world's population lives in Asia and the South Pacific, a region where WCG activities are largely administered from the Australian Office.
Scattered across this vast area are about two dozen congregations. They are pastored by six full-time pastors, as well as being served by lay and ordained local leaders--often in difficult circumstances, according to regional director Rod Matthews.
"Christianity is a persecuted faith in a number of Asian nations and a minority one in nearly all," Mr. Matthews said.
"And yet there is a growing interest in Christianity. We feel a great responsibility to find ways to share Christian teaching with the peoples of Asia. We have been blessed to have built up a number of congregations made up of deeply committed men and women God has called to live and share the gospel in this part of the world."
Mr. Matthews said that the regional office has agreed to focus more resources in Asia. "We want to to enable our churches in Asia to reach out into their communities with the hope of the gospel," he explained.
About 150 church and family members in Papua New Guinea meet in small scattered groups around the country.
Contact among the groups is difficult because of transportation and communication difficulties.
The PNG brethren are pastored jointly by Hans Pedersen, an elder in the Morwell, Victoria, congregation, and Ken Slade, an elder in Bendigo, Victoria.
Pastoring is accomplished through annual visiting trips and regular correspondence. To develop indigenous leadership, six local leaders will begin training by correspondence, which we pray will lead several to attend a Bible college in Papua New Guinea.
Sri Lanka is home to more than 100 church members and their families.
The churches meet in their own hall in Wattala, a suburb of Colombo, and in Nuwara Eliya in the hill country.
They are pastored by Mohan Jayasekera and his wife, Nihara. Mr. Jayasekera has established a mutually supportive relationship with another fellowship in the country.
Their church felt a need for stronger Bible teaching from the WCG and in return has modeled more expressive worship services for our church.
The church's vocational college, the Worldwide Educational Institute, is this year providing post-secondary English language, business, computing, accounting, leadership and communication classes to about 140 Sri Lankan youths, making a contribution to Sri Lankan society.
The end of the millennium has been tragic for Christians in India. This largely Hindu nation has itself been shocked by the persecution of Christians by a rogue minority.
Our two pastors in India, Daniel Zachariah and his wife, Mary, in the north, and Joseph D'Costa and his wife, Joanna, in the south, serve more than 170 members and their families scattered over a wide and populous area.
The church in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, where the national office is located, is in the first stage of building offices and a hall on church-owned land.
The church in the Muslim nation of Malaysia has served as a financial and pastoral support base for other Asian nations.
Serving the 230 members and families, the two Malaysian pastors--Yong Chin Gee, and his wife, Yuet Siam, and Wong Mein Kong, and his wife, Mak Chew Yeng--also serve members in Singapore, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia and Thailand.
Malaysian members have provided financial support for church activities in many other nations. Members in East Malaysia last year celebrated the Festival together for the first time in their area, and plans are in place for the site to again play host to the small group.
Christianity is booming in Singapore, particularly among young Singaporeans. The WCG is a member of the Singapore Council of Churches and is working to identify its niche in working alongside Christian brethren in the work of the gospel.
Living Today magazine (published by the Australian Office) and public seminars are two tools for making a contribution in the nation. Ninety members live there.
Although about half of the church's membership left our fellowship a couple of years ago with the former pastor, membership today is higher than it was at that time, with about 90 church members and their families fellowshipping in two groups in the country.
Travel within the nation--which is run by a military government--is difficult and restricted, but Malaysian pastor Wong Mein Kong meets with the group leaders as often as he can and is developing local leadership. Several groups of Christians have joined our church, and others have expressed the desire to do so.
Pastor Yong Chin Gee from Malaysia has been forced to temporarily suspend his visits to Indonesia because of violence that has been increasing throughout this year.
Our 25 members in the Muslim nation of 170 million people are in need of our prayers for their protection. While we have no churches in Indonesia, several large groups (in the hundreds) of Christians have shown interest in joining our fellowship. We are enjoying the "getting to know you" period in our relationship with them.
The 140 members of our church family in the Pacific Island nation of Fiji are known around the world for their warm hospitality to visitors and for their beautiful singing.
Pastor Ratu (Chief) Epeli Kanaimawi is regularly called upon by his government to serve in civic roles and as an international representative.
His role as chairman of the Grants Commission for the University of the South Pacific based in Fiji has required him to visit other Pacific Island nations, thereby also enabling him to visit church members scattered around the Pacific. It's been a blessing to them and our church.
The 50 members of the church family in the bilingual (French and English) Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu have enjoyed several significant happenings in the past year.
William Davies was ordained an elder at the Festival in Port Vila last year, and in March this year he attended the regional ministerial conference in Australia.
Shortly before this, the members on the island of Malakula opened their own church meeting hall on land donated to the church. This group of mainly French-speaking brethren is growing well.
In the Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands, about 90 brethren are scattered over five islands, with the largest group living on the remote western island of Ranongga.
About 10 member families live in or near the capital of Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal, including Moses Pitikaka, our deacon, who is serving as governor-general of the nation (the resident personal representative of Queen Elizabeth, who is head of state).
Seventy-five members live in the Buddhist nation of Thailand. What they lack in numbers they make up for in impact. Through an English-language school run by Chogait Garmolgomot and his wife, Fong, the gospel is being shared many times a week with Buddhist youths interested in learning about Christianity.
Chogait uses their interest in learning English as a vehicle for introducing Christian faith, and Living Today magazine as a tool in teaching students who voluntarily participate in study and discussion sessions.
A Thai and former Buddhist himself, Chogait is dedicated to the principle of presenting the gospel in ways that relate to Thai society and Buddhist culture.
Last year our church baptized its first member in the world's most populous nation. Two members are working in China who are nationals of other countries.
In Hong Kong, which was returned to China by Britain last year, we have another 25 members and relatives. Visits to the brethren are conducted by Yong Chin Gee from Malaysia.
While Christianity has enjoyed a high profile and some acceptance in Hong Kong, mainland China has many underground churches in addition to state-recognized fellowships. Openly espousing Christianity still brings certain risks and potential problems.
Members within our region also live in Brunei, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nepal, Tonga, Tuvalu and Western Samoa.
 Mohan & Nihara Jayasekera |
 Joseph & Joanna D'Costa |
 Yong Chin Gee & Yuet Siam |
 Wong Mein Kong & Mak Chew Yeng |
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1999