GAPPI GETSEMANI, BATAM

Praise God for a blessed trip to Batam to minister to GAPPI Getsemani on the occasion of its 16th Anniversary Thanksgiving, August 25, 2024. Eileen and Charity, Teong Kean and May Yoke joined me. We took the 8.45 am ferry from Harbour Front to Sekupang arriving exactly an hour later (still 8.45 am Indonesian time). Dn Tobing kindly came to pick us up.

The worship service started at 10 am. About 50 members and guests gathered for the service. Pr Shobastian chaired the service. The church’s adults’ and children’s choirs presented praise items. Their highly spirited singing was with much thanksgiving to God for His Kasih Besar (Great Love).

I spoke on Rev Tow’s famous saying, “Self Help with God’s Help Is the Best Help” (1 Cor 3:5–8) and conducted the Lord’s Supper. After the service, we had fellowship over lunch lovingly prepared by the ladies of the church.

By the mercies of God, the church is quite settled in the land it is occupying. The difficult situation reported earlier has eased quite a bit. This is something good and pleasing to God. There is a whole lot to gain by pursuing charity and preserving peace for the sake of the Lord and His gospel work.

There is much spiritual and physical work to be done. The church building is rather worn and in need of repairs. There is also a wall that was recently built by the church’s neighbour which resulted in the drains being blocked and the premises flooded after heavy downpours. Work will commence soon to dig new drains to solve this problem. There is much work to be done in Batam and all Indonesia. May the Lord grant much grace and wisdom to Pr Shobastian, and the Church Session and members on how best to further His work. Again, “Self help with God’s help is the best help.”

God willing, I will be heading to Batam again on October 20, this time for the 35th Anniversary Thanksgiving of Calvary Batam Bible-Presbyterian Church (GAPPI Batam) whose pastor—the Rev Kiantoro Lie—has invited me to be their anniversary speaker. I consider it a privilege from the Lord to be able to do so. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell [and serve] together in unity!” (Ps 133:1).

KOTA KINABALU BPC, SABAH

I thank the Lord for the opportunity to visit Kota Kinabalu Bible-Presbyterian Church (KKBPC) on September 1, 2024. The Church was started by Pr Kong Sing Soon and his wife Su Shiang, both graduates of FEBC. They got married in 2016 with the Rev Koa Keng Woo as their officiating minister.

KKBPC holds its Lord’s Day services at the Bundusan Commercial Centre, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I had the privilege of preaching to them that day and conducting the Lord’s Supper. I spoke on the topic, “To Be in Christ” (2 Cor 5:17–21). When you visit Kota Kinabalu, do worship with them. Service starts at 9.30 am.

Here is their report on the church’s ministry last year:

2023 Year-End Review of KKBPC

Thank God for guiding us through the year 2023. Once again, we thank God for the brothers and sisters in Christ who supported this ministry. On the last Sunday of 2023, we reflected on the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7–13. This church had a small congregation and was poor, but it was commended because they kept the words of Jesus and did not deny Him. The Lord was pleased with the church because of their spiritual condition, and not their physical state. Our prayer is that our church will also keep the words of God and be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. This review of the ministry is divided into two sections: the ministry within and the ministry of reaching out.

The Lord’s Supper & Sunday Worship Service

In the second half of 2023, we had the privilege of having the Lord’s Supper for the second time. The first time was conducted by Rev Koa in 2016. This time, the Lord provided us with a Korean missionary from the Reformed Church in Korea, Rev Kim, who conducted the Lord’s Supper for us. His position on the Lord’s Supper and our belief in the Lord’s Supper is the same. The Lord’s Supper is not just a symbol but a means of grace for believers to renew their devotion to Christ, who died for them. Rev Kim conducts the Lord’s Supper for us on the third Sunday of the month, with the first one being held on 15 October 2023. Subsequently, we have since been having the Lord’s Supper monthly. The two sisters we met during evangelism are still regularly attending Sunday Worship Service.

This year, we had some visitors from China to the church. They got to know the church through social media. In July, a couple from China visited our Sunday worship during their holidays in KK. In December, a brother from China contacted us regarding the ministry. He then came for the worship three times. On two separate occasions, he brought a friend with him, and each time was a different person. He and one of his friends joined us for Bible study on two Wednesdays. The brother from Hong Kong attended the Worship Service on 17 December during his short visit to KK. During the Christmas service, a Filipino woman with her two children whom we met during evangelism came to the church for the first time. We thank God for sending people to commemorate the birth of Christ with us.

Sunday School & Children’s Programme

The Sunday School is attended regularly by the two sisters and two brothers, although the brothers are less consistent. Occasionally, children from the widow’s family join the Sunday School. In September, we have two days of children’s programme. The activities include Bible lessons, art and craft, watching animated Christian videos, and games.

Online

In November, a woman in China contacted us through WhatsApp. She is a Christian and desires to have Bible study and fellowship with us. As a result, we started a weekly Bible study with her via Zoom on Wednesday. We also have online weekly devotions with an elderly woman and fortnightly devotions to help a young man with disability. Su Shiang conducts a weekly Ladies Bible Study and monthly Wives’ Bible study on skype. I also have my weekly online Bible study with my mother and brother. We thank God for the open door to serve Him and minister to His people. We pray that we may serve Him faithfully.

Ministry of Reaching Out

On Tuesday, we do our usual visitation and evangelism. Rev Kim and his wife have joined us for evangelism and visitation since August 2023. We thank God for sending them to co-labour with us. The visitation is on alternate weeks. We visit three families on rotation. The purpose is to encourage them spiritually. We do a short Bible study with the family we visit. During the week when we are not doing visitations, we will do evangelism. This involves distributing Gospel tracts around the nearby college and going door-to-door to evangelise the nearby neighbourhood. Additionally, we frequently upload videos on the church’s YouTube channel and post on its Facebook page as part of our outreach efforts. We thank God for the contacts we have made through social media.

The church has chosen Philippians 1:21 as our theme verse for the year 2024, which says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” May God help us to live and die for Him. We would like to thank all the brothers and sisters in Christ who have supported this ministry financially. May God bless you and your family. Please continue to pray for this ministry. Thank you and God bless. Pr Kong Sing Soon

Blessed Fellowship

Before heading to KK, Eileen, Charity and I attended the 40th Anniversary Thanksgiving Lunch of Calvary Jaya BPC in KL on August 31. We thank the Lord for the blessed time and fellowship we had with fellow BPers in KL and KK. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Rom 12:15). Thank God for the communion of saints (Heb 12:1). JK