15th Sept 2012 , Mindy Oon , CM writer –
Interview with Pastor Matthew Dass of Full Gospel Assembly Ipoh on ONE
- Not many people have heard about ONE. What exactly is ONE about?
Pas. Matt: The purpose of ONE is to cultivate unity among youth ministries, Christian Fellowships and Christian organizations in the city of Ipoh, and on the larger scale, in Perak. ONE is to be a platform for churches to network and work together to bring unity and strengthen local youth ministries.
- How did ONE start?
Pas Matt: Back in 2008 the Lord gave me a vision and desire to see the youth ministries coming together, working together and encouraging one another. Many of the people I spoke to said that it was an almost impossible difficult task as there are too many differences among the churches. However, with encouragement from the Ipoh Pastors’ Fellowship, I just went ahead with the vision and gathered several churches. We had our very first combined prayer meeting on Merdeka 2008 with churches coming together.
- Why is there a need for ONE?
Pas. Matt: When I first spoke to people about ONE, many told me that what I wanted to do would be very hard because of the differences in churches. And it is true. There are many differences from different working styles to different doctrines. And for me, that alone speaks of the need for a platform for churches to come together in unity, despite the differences. I hope that through ONE there will be a sense of unity and understanding among the different groups and churches in Ipoh. We need to connect and extend the kingdom of God together. We need to encourage youth leaders, support and strengthen then in what they are doing for the kingdom of God. We need to have unity in diversity.
- What has ONE done so far?
Pas Matt: So far we have organized two youth conferences, one in 2010 and 2011. Called ‘Overcomers’, we have managed to bring Mike Pilavachi and his team from Soul Survivor to speak at our conferences. ONE has also worked with Revo (Acts Church) and Change Your World (1am Ministry). More importantly, by working together we have managed to build friendships and serve together despite being from different denominations.
- What do you plan for ONE in the future?
Pas Matt: In the future we hope to have combined youth events, as well as leadership workshops for upcoming youth leaders. We hope that ONE will continue to make an impact in the city and through this platform many more churches will be united and will be able to work together for the kingdom of God.
