1 Oct 2013 by Jason Law CM –
On Saturday, the 28th of September, the Church of Shekinah Glory (CSG) had a fund-raising dinner for a new building, held at Hai Thian Lou restaurant in Klang. Christianity Malaysia was invited to the dinner, and we arrived early at the venue. Eventhough the dinner was scheduled to be held at 7.30pm, many of the church members had turned up as early as 6.30pm, very excited about the church’s growth and very eager to help out as ushers and with the setting-up of the event. This was a church that was clearly loved greatly by its members. Also clearly loved by the church was our Lord and Saviour, as well as for people, seen through the banner stands that were set up at the entrance to the dinner hall, proclaiming the Good News in John 3:16 and 1 John 3:11.
John 3.16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
1 John 3:11: For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
History of CSG
The Church of Shekinah Glory was started in 1990 as a mission outreach in Port Klang, by a group of Christians who had experienced the power of God in some local and foreign ministries. It was a very simple start done through the form of street evangelism and door-to-door witness. Even back then, the church had a heart for mission and the aim of blessing the community and ministering to the people in the locality. The church grew steadily and by 1991, 1992 and 1993, they had respectively found a regular meeting place, established a Sunday Service, and were registered officially as a church affiliated with the Assembly of God of Malaysia. In 2000, CSG moved into their present location in Taman Klang Jaya, and in 2012, they started a Tamil outreach in Taman Sentosa.. Today, CSG has services in English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay, and is still growing. CSG takes Matthew 5:14 as its main theme.
You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14)
Fund-raising Dinner Event
The event started at 7.30pm with a thanksgiving message by the senior pastor of the church, Rev Rajan Ratnam for the faithfulness of God and the support and prayer the church has received from various well-wishers, before the opening prayer was said by Pastor Gary Yeoh. A CSG Memory Lane Video Presentation was shown next, highlighting the important milestones of the church, and dinner was served at 7.45pm.
After the Memory Lane Video Presentation, a guest performance was done by The Precious Scent. The two English songs in their first performance were ‘Heart of Worship’ and ‘Jesus, Lover of My Soul’.
One of the real highlights of the evening was the Cardboard Testimony. Scores of church people came on stage to share how their life has been shaped or given hope by God. They held cardboards of their struggles and pain, but this was only half the story, for they were soon flipped over, and on the other side, one after another of the cardboards unfolded the story of how God turned those events around and brought hope and joy into their lives.
They were people who were from broken families or with broken hopes. God brought them out from the problem and became a faithful Father or Husband to some and restored hope to others. Some struggled with emotional hurts; God brought them out and gave them a new life. One sister lost her father at the age of 14, and she had to struggle to raise four younger siblings and give them an education. God gave her hope and opened the way for the education of her younger siblings. It was truly a wonderful presentation of hope and inspiration, and even Pastor Rajan took part.
Proverbs 1:33: But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear or harm
John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Romans 8.28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose.
The exhortation was then given by Rev Christopher Pak, the District Superintendent of the Central District Council, Assemblies of God of Malaysia. Rev Pak took his message from the text of Joshua Chapter 3-4 which relates the crossing of the River Jordan. In this passage of the Bible, the priests under the direction of God and the leadership of Joshua were to carry the Ark of the Covenant and stand in the middle of an overflowing river, and the Israelites were to follow and cross over into Canaan. Twelve Israelites who had crossed over were then to take stones, and lay it on the river floor where the priests carrying the Ark had stood, as a memorial. This act of crossing the River Jordan had a symbolic meaning, which was the claiming of the ownership of the land of Canaan, for the river was a boundary that separated Canaan from the lands around it.
Rev Pak relates what must have gone through the minds of the Israelites at that time. Imagine being told to go and stand in the middle of a raging river not once but twice. Doubts must have been running in the minds of the Israelites over the wisdom of this. The moment the priests stepped into the river the Bible relates that the waters parted and the Israelites crossed over on dry ground.
In the same way, when GSC found that their numbers were growing and that they needed a bigger space, this is a time of promise. However, confronted by the huge sum of RM1.5 million, the same doubts could have passed in their minds towards ever raising this amount of money. Rev Pak encouraged the church that in the same way the Israelites trusted God and followed His direction, God will make the path smooth if God’s people trust in Him. On another level, just as the Israelites trusted God, the need to trust the leadership of the pastor and be behind him in his ministry is central to the growth of a church. And this applies to all Christians, not just to GSC.
The dinner closed with the second performance by Precious Scents with two Indonesian Malay Christian Songs.
What I see in CSG is a church of simple-hearted people, with a genuinely tangible affection for and devotion to God, a sense of hope and joy, and the love for people in sharing this sense of hope and joy to the world.
For anyone who wish to bless them, contributions can be send to Church of Shekinah Glory (RHB Bank A/C No: 2-12433-3603782-1); Email: csglory@streamyx.com; Contact Persons: Lesley Ng (012-3710657) and CSG Office (03-33240957)
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