A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO THE PASTORS OF CBC….

I would like to dedicate the next song to the Pastors of CBC. I would also like you to read this email "on air" although it will be a bit long. As you read on, you will understand why. Thank you.

My story began when my husband and I wanted to get married. Pastor Richard married us in a very small ceremony back in 1992 despite our not being members of the church. I think my sister and brother-in-law had something to do with this. Well, we thought it was kinda nice but we left it at that. You see my husband and I were nominal believers then, and went to church only when my sister bugged us to do so.

When we finally did come to church, we naturally got "hooked" and decided to be regulars. Of course by then, we already had our first son. We still thought that Pastors were just a bunch of nice people. Then, when Pastor Richard and Pat came one day to visit us in our rather new home then, we mentioned in passing that my son had constant nightmares, Pastor Richard and Pat prayed over the room and amazingly, the nightmares have ceased ever since. I began to think that Pastors were just a bit more than just nice people.

In the course of our journey as believers, we transferred ourselves from one CBC center to another, simply because it was closer to our home. But before that, we encountered another Pastor. You see, my parents-in-law had accepted Christ during one of the Parents' Day Combined Celebrations and although elderly, were keen to go to church weekly. It was such a blessing to them when Jenny Cheah, Serene Teh and another lady from SEA Park Chinese Congregation came to visit and brought yummy-licious orange cake which just bowled them over! Naturally, they were touched by the love and care of the Chinese Congregation members especially Philip and Eva Goh who took such good care of them. It was Pastor Michael who especially ministered to my father-in-law in 2004 just before he went in for surgery. It was a chorus that Pastor Michael sang to him while visiting him in hospital that my father-in-law was singing when he was wheeled out of the procedure room that afternoon, giving thanks to God! He totally shocked the nurses who for the first time ever, witnessed an 84-year-old man praising God with his hands up in the air and singing to God as he lay on a hospital bed! What a testimony! Thank you, Pastor Michael!

By then, I had already figured out that Pastors were not "mere mortals". Pastors have a way of speaking into our lives, being an encouragement to us, they care for us and are given a special authority from God to minister to us. Yes.

Next, there is Pastor Swee Tshung, who was not a pastor by name in the beginning. He impacted my life simply by his own. I had visited his home when he and Tau Fan first moved to Puchong. He shared the way he started having cell group meetings at his home and how the people in that Taman responded to the love he and Tau Fan showed and gave God credit for it all I already thought by then that this guy has got "Pastor" written all over him! Despite his work obligations, he shared his home, his life and his love for Christ freely with those who would come to his house and listen. Their way of life just inspired me! Today, he is officially named Pastor (Duh!) and is someone held in high esteem in the Puchong church as well as the Puchong community.

Another great Pastor is Pastor Reynold. My first thoughts of him was that he was unassuming, someone who does not like the limelight and prefers to just do stuff in the background. However, as I stayed on longer in church, many talked about his passion for God and held him in highest regard. So, I began to take notice of this Godly man. I saw him arranging chairs before service, I saw him running around behind the scenes and often wondered what he was up to. I still wondered why others spoke so well of him. I later discovered that all that was said of him was true! This Pastor was a picture of the humble, loving and caring teacher, encourager, speaker of life like Christ himself was! High accolades leh! But so true lor! He would continuously encourage us to "Press On" for Christ and was the one who supplied me with books, Bibles, all sorts of articles to help me to grow in the Lord. He would enquire from time to time how we were doing and I guess, he had little time for himself. I suppose we weren't the only ones he was caring for.

I am only about half way done here so, dear DJ, if you want to play the song now, please go ahead. After the song, please continue reading this letter as it is quite important. We actually have 7 Pastors in CBC and I have stories about each of them. I would not want you to miss out any of them. Please, please, please!

Pastor Malcolm came to our church in 2004. (I think!) We in Subang-Sunway center had been praying for a pastor for some time now, so you could say that Pastor Malcolm was an answered prayer, a godsend literally. He injected life into our church with his presence and the presence of his vivacious wife, Uma. We could immediately see that he loved the Lord greatly and welcomed him with open arms! Pastor Mal as we fondly call him, is an example of a patient, loving, kind, supportive Pastor to me! He's always available to his sheep any time of the day. (I think that this is an occupational hazard for all Pastors.) He is ever encouraging us to do and be more for God. He talks to us unceasingly about God's love and inspires us to love God and love people. It gets tough sometimes cos we find it hard to love EVERYBODY, don't you think so? But Pastor Mal is quite insistent on this. I think he prayed to God about this too and after a couple of years, the church got the message and we are now just like a big, happy family! (Of course, we still need lots of work but since he's been around, things have only gotten better! Told you about Pastors and their prayers..)

Our one and only woman Pastor, Pastor Alexa or Loo Yan as I first knew her is a powerhouse of passion, preaching, and a doer of God's Word. She inspires me through the life she leads. A woman who walks her talk, she is succinct (to the point!) with her words and is well loved by those under her care. There is good reason for this. She loves and gives much so she receives much and is loved much in return. I think she is a great role model for today's woman, young or old!

Pastor Paul Huang is kinda new in the congregation so I don't know him personally. The thing with Pastors is that they impact our lives even when we don't know them personally. It must be God's message to us telling us they are a special breed of believers, I guess. I first saw Pastor Paul, Cindy and family at Chee Onn's wedding. They sang and performed at the wedding. There is something about this family that just spells "SPECIAL"! I can't remember what they sang and although I don't speak Mandarin, I do remember that it was beautiful! I think Pastor Paul now cares for the Chinese Congregation in Kota Damansara and believe that this group will be greatly blessed under this Pastor's leadership.

Dear DJ, maybe you think I am buttering up these Pastors whom I speak of. That is totally untrue. All my accounts are real and after these encounters with Pastors, I have come to the conclusion that they are very extraordinary people indeed! They love unconditionally, they give of themselves sacrificially, they guide us so unselfishly, they cover us with their love, their prayers and fight battles in the spiritual realm for us! We don't realize this cos we seldom look for Pastors unless we are in some kind of trouble. So, this dedication goes out to all Pastors, especially those in CBC for the untold things and some told things that they do and are in each of our lives. I truly thank God for them!

Ok, you can stop reading this email now. Sorry if it is lengthy but there seems to be much more to say about these people. I guess it will have to wait for another time.

From an adoring fan of Pastors in CBC, JO

By Jolene Ong.
Together with husband, C.K. Phua,
they shepherd ‘Harvest Joy’ SG in Subang.