The Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) has existed for three quarters of a century now. In that period, they have seen much history of the Christians in our nation and played a prominent role in guiding the community. Among the most prominent of the work done by the CCM is in the ecumenical field. Recently, they commemorated 75 years of their ecumenical journey in a thanksgiving service held at the CCM Ecumenical Center.
The Malayan Christian Council (MCC) was mooted and formed in 1947, finding its official inauguration on 9th January 1948. It was an unprecedented act of faith by the churches of the time, invested with the intent to stay on Malaysian soil and grow together through ecumenical cooperation. In 1997, the CCM celebrated fifty years of united witness and services.
Today, the body stands as a salute to the pioneers of the ecumenical movement in our country. It is grateful to all the leaders, past and present, who have contributed to the effort. It expresses its appreciation to the whole people of God of all the member churches who have sustained and developed the vision of greater unity of the churches in witness and service.
Just as it is with Malaysia, especially as it found its footing and grew as an independent nation after 1957, the churches have also undergone profound transformations. From communities depending on foreign missions, they have become autonomous bodies, fully responsible for their life and witness in society. As a minority, the churches have learned to hold together faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ and peaceful relations with fellow Malaysians of other faiths. During all those years, the Council of Churches of Malaysia has been the focal point of ecumenical cooperation and commitment and the instrument of common witness of its member churches.
The recent ecumenical celebration brought together leaders from various denominations, including the Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Orthodox Syrian, and Mar Thoma Syrian. Worship was led by the Cantus Musicus and the Girls’ Brigade of Malaysia. Bishop Steven Lawrence led the congregation in the Confession of Sins, and Bishop Thomas Low led in the Words of Assurance as proclaimed through the Good News and in a hymn reaffirming Christ Jesus as the Church’s One Foundation.
As with all of CCM’s celebrations, the service was also a time of gathering and unity for the various denominations and churches. A hymn, “We Are One in the Spirit”, led by Bishop James Wong, celebrated this spirit of unity.
Bishop Emeritus Dr. Hwa Yung delivered a sermon, “So That The World May Know You Sent Me”, that took stock of CCM’s history, and the way forward in the near future and years to come. Among the highlights of his message were the formation and contributions of the Malaysian Christian Council and CCM. At its peak, the MCC together with other local churches helped in coordinating the work of 220 missionaries working in 333 New Villages that were among the 600 New Villages that had been set up under the Briggs Plan, which was a military plan devised in 1950 to counter the Malayan National Liberation Army.
With new times come new forms of challenges. Much of the Church today has retreated into an isolationist mode, challenged not just by outside forces, but also by aberrant teachings from postmodern theology from within churches. Furthermore, a large number of churches have lost touch with their missional identity.
Bishop Hwa Yung communicated that the missional identity is intertwined with the Church. A church cannot play its role or grow without a missional mindset. ‘We need to recover mission with the clear goal of building strong churches composed of true believers, faithful disciples, holy people, Spirit-empowered and fearless preachers and missionaries,’ he conveyed. ‘We need also to ask God to help us produce change-agents to bring godly and righteous transformation in our world and communities today, which has been so terribly perverted by racism, religious extremism, corruption, and exploitation of the poorest and weakest among us.’
As the Malaysian Church, we also have a calling to strengthen the indigenous churches in our country and to maintain our unique identity and strengths. The Malaysian church is called to be a blessing to the nation, to be the salt and light. The New Testament church grew despite persecution. Despite the challenges, they did not shrink back and hid their heads in the shell like a tortoise. Instead, it continued to focus on the proclamation of the gospel despite persecution and martyrdom, and thereby became stronger and continued to grow.
The celebration ended with an offertory prayer for the ministry of CCM led by Mr. Thomas Matthew, a presentation of the hymn “O Love” by the Cantus Musicus, The Lord’s Prayer in one’s own language by Ms. Christabel Isaiah, and the Sending and Blessings by Bishop Dr. D. Steven Abarrow.
“The New Testament church grew despite persecution. Despite the challenges, they did not shrink back and hid their heads in the shell like a tortoise. Instead, it continued to focus on the proclamation of the gospel despite persecution and martyrdom, and thereby became stronger and continued to grow” – Bishop Hwa Yung in his speech, given in commemoration of CCM’s 75th Anniversary
Christianity Malaysia would like to thank Mr. Steven Fung and the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) for their hospitality and help throughout the production of this article. All photos kindly contributed by Mr. Steven and CCM.
|Share The Good News|
Leave a Reply