2,000 share joy of joint Christmas service
KUCHING: More than 2,000 Christians shared the joy of Christmas as they gathered for the joint Christmas Service 2016 at the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre on Tuesday night.
Themed ‘ For God So loved the World’, the joyous worship session was hosted by Methodist Church Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference ( SCAC) and organised by the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS).
At the dot of 7.35pm, heads of churches and readers filed into the hall singing a carol ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’.
Prior to the opening prayer, the superintendent of Methodist Church SCAC of Kuching West District Rev Lau Hui Ming delivered a welcoming address.
He said the ecumenical Christmas service was a symbol of Christian unity and solidarity in Christ.
“May it be our prayer and hope that one day Christians of all denominations, traditions and backgrounds will stand together holding hands in worshipping God.
“It is my prayer that one day, ACS will truly be the Association of Churches in Sarawak - embracing all Christian churches and bodies serving the same Lord.
This was followed by handbell musical presentations of ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ and ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’ with worship in dance by Ching Kwong Methodist Church.
There were four Bible readings- the Anglican Church did the first reading in Bahasa Malaysia, followed by Sarawak Baptist Church in English, Methodist Sarawak Iban Annual Conference ( SIAC) in Iban, and Borneo Evangelical Mission (SIB) Church in Biatah. The service was conducted in various languages.
Other congregational carols for
May it be our prayer and hope that one day Christians of all denominations, traditions and backgrounds will stand together holding hands in worshipping our God.
the evening included ‘Joy To The World’, ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’, ‘Holy Night’, ‘God is Love’, ‘What Child is This’, ‘ To God Be The Glory’. The combined choir presented a Christmas medley, while the Kuching Youth Chorale sang ‘We are the Reason’.
The sermon was delivered by Methodist Church SCAC president Rev Dato Su Chii Ann; encouraging the Christians community, regardless of denominations and backgrounds, to be kind to one another.
“As we are living in two worlds ( positive and negative); how can we portray the positive and affirmative massage to those who dwell in a negative sense of living, that ‘For God So Loved the World’.
“God is at work, God is alive, and His presence is felt and manifested here today.”
ACS chairman Rev Dato Dr Justin Wan, deputy chairman Bishop Rev Datuk Bolly Lapok, committee member Rev Dato John Ha, Methodist Church SCAC Rev Pau Kiew Chung, Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang, Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian and Kota Sentosa Assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen were among those present.
The member churches of the ACS are the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church SCAC, Methodist SIAC, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, BEM ( SIB) Church, The Salvation Army, and Sarawak Baptist Church.
Rev. Lau Hui Ming, Superintendent of Methodist Church SCAC of Kuching West District