In John 17, Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church. Just as He, the Father, and the Holy Spirit exist in complete and total union since the beginning of time, so will the Church of Christ be. This heartfelt prayer has been an encouragement for Christians throughout the ages. On the night of 15th September 2023, a combined prayer gathering was held in Wisma Eagles in conjunction with the 60th Malaysia Day.
Malaysia Day is significant for all Malaysians because it commemorates the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia and the union between Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak. Some of us are physically separated by about 640km of sea water, but all consider each other as sahabat and ourselves as proud citizens of the same nation. Though Malaysia celebrates its Independence Day on 31st August, Malaysia Day has a profound connotation of this relationship between all Malaysians as members of the same Bangsa Malaysia.
For the Malaysian Christians, this day has a twofold significance because it also reminds us of our spiritual unity in the one family of Christ. The combined prayer gathering brought together The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) and the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur for the first time in a memorable ecumenical gathering of fellowship and unity across the various local Christian denominations representing some 95% of the Christians in Malaysia. Though there are many traditions in the Christian Church, the prayer gathering is a testament that our local churches can transcend any differences in those traditions.
Many who attended came early in anticipation of the celebration. At 8:30pm, the event kicked off with a patriotic Flag Parade with representations of the various states of Malaysia and a standing at attention to the national anthem NegaraKu. After a welcome by Rev Andi Chi, NECF Church Relations and Welfare, the FGT Worship Team led the congregation in a worship session that highlighted the theme of unity in the Body of Christ.
At 9pm, Bishop Ong Sek Leang, the Bishop and General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Malaysia and representing the NECF, gave the word of exhortation. Bishop Ong based his message on John 17, the beloved passage in which Jesus interceded and directed prayers to Heaven on behalf of His people. It brought to the forefront our collective relationship with Christ, the deepness of His love, and our roles to glorify God while we are on Earth. Elder Khoo Kay Hup led the congregation in a prayer response to the word of exhortation & offertory.
The prayers encompassed the whole spectrum of our identities as Christians. Bishop Dr T Jeyakumar of the Methodist Church Malaysia, representing the Council of Churches Malaysia, led the entire congregation in a prayer for the Malaysian Church. Archbishop Julian Leow, the prelate of the Roman Catholic Church serving as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur since 2014, led the congregation in praying for the nation of Malaysia.
Another prayer regarding the urgency of the times was led by Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng, Chairman of the NECF, in recognition that the challenges faced by the Church is going to increase as we near the last days of our current history and also the importance of the Church in staying united in the face of these challenges.
The prayer gathering closed with a word of declaration led by Rev Elisha Satvinder, Honorary Secretary of NECF, and a benediction by Pr Samuel Ang, Secretary General of NECF. Though the entire combined prayer gathering took only slightly more than 2 hours, it left a lasting encouraging impression on all who attended. There is something special about Christians from such a broad-ranging spectrum of traditions coming together in one common bond of love and purpose in Christ.
Note: Christianity Malaysia would like to thank Mr Steven Fung and the organisers of the 60th Malaysia Day Combined Prayer Gathering for their hospitality and kind help throughout the production of this article. All photos were kindly contributed by Mr Steven Fung and the organisers.
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