10th Oct 2012. By Natasha Kim, CM –
Those who think that we are done with participating in RunNat, we aren’t done quite yet! ChristianityMalaysia .com (CM) also covered the Finish Line Jubilee Celebration that happened right after the run. All the runners that gathered at Luther Centre, Petaling Jaya when they entered the hall were in for a real treat as there were performances by the 1AM ministry as well as performances by Drummers for Christ (D4C). Those who thought they were exhausted from the run were refreshed once more from the opening performances and found the strength to move to worship and sing their hearts out. I could see that many were feeling inspired and could not wait to see more of what they had in store for them.
Right after that, Pastor Timothy Cheah, Chairman of S.E.M.O.A who supports the Orang Asli work came to give a speech about his cause and to gather everyone in corporate prayer. As everyone bowed their heads, together with Pastor Timothy leading, together they prayed and gave thanks for the great things God has done, for the many blessings, for hearing every prayer, for the nation and for the praise, glory, and salvation that God has given to our nation. Then moving on with the celebration, there was also a video that was shown showing RunNat’s journey from 2007 – 2012 in Malaysia. The video displayed a journey around the world in other countries where RunNat takes place.
During the celebration Pastor Alexa Ho from Community Baptist Church was also invited to speak. She joined the run as well, shared her experience and says, “I will definitely join the run again next year!” She was proud of herself that she managed to run and finish in 40 minutes but at the same time she says this run is for a cause and not for the glory of man but for the glory of Christ. She also came to send a significant message and that is to “Do what is Right”. She says, “Many people think that doing what is right is by not doing what is wrong. The Church cannot stay passive because we need to be transformers. We are not too small to make a difference.” With that she started telling a story about Julia Lorraine Hill and how she was so passionate about the environment and fought to protect an old huge redwood tree. She was only 23 years old, and she stayed on the tree for 738 days because of what she believed in and succeeded. Julia was different because she was committed. Pastor Alexa says, “We need to be committed to do what is right.”
After her inspiring speech, Founder and Chairman Victor Chua gave a short message. He says, “It’s so uplifting to see people from different Churches coming together to do this one thing. I am a fairly complex person but I love the idea of RunNat because it’s so simple that we can just run and pray. As simple as that is though, there is so much that goes into it. God gave birth to this and brought us to where it is today.” Currently RunNat is actively running in 10 countries and 28 cities. He also prayed and gave thanks for our Heavenly Father and anointing and he also thanked everyone for being a part of RunNat. Excitedly he also made an announcement saying that the next RunNat will be held next year on the 5th of October 2013. Lastly, he also shared a little about the Sponsor Our Run Campaign saying that they need to raise RM160, 000 to help 36 families and communities involving 600 people. He urges everyone to look at the needy families and help them and that the campaign to raise fund will end on the 31st of December 2012.
Then, a member of Christian Advocacy Network on Poverty Issues (Canopi) stood up on the stage to talk about the matters of the poor and corruption. Canopi is a part of a global campaign which calls for ethical living and it is a campaign will start this October 2012 and will be a yearlong campaign. Corruption makes people economically poorer, it effects you and I but it effects the poor the most simply because they have too little to be short changed. God has a passion and heartbeat for the poor. We need to shine a light on corruption and help the poor.
The celebration finally ended with a closing prayer by Pastor Philip Devadas from the Sanctuary of God, Seremban and a closing performance by D4C and 1AM ministry once more. Pastor Devadas prayed for revival, and for the name of Jesus to be revealed everywhere, that His Name will be glorified above all else. With that everyone started the final worship and praise together singing the Hillsong “Running” fully energised and blessed by all that they were enriched with during this celebration. Many went home feeling satisfied, empowered and glad to have been a part of RunNat.
