The 1st
CBC Congress
on March 8, 2008 in Seremban will make a lasting impression in my heart
forever. There were two major events of special significance. Firstly,
there was the 12th General Election for the nation which I recalled
staying up late till the wee hours of the morning in the hotel room
watching the live telecast of the election results. Secondly, both my
daughters (Victoria and Alexandra) were baptised on the Sunday in the
hotel swimming pool. The baptism was a well planned event and I praise
the Lord for His wonderful timing! As a father, I know that both my
daughters had attained the spiritual maturity to understand what they
were actually going through. I thank Pastor Mal for conducting the
baptism class way before the event. Through the prayers from the youth
cell group, it helped prepare them mentally and spiritually for the
water baptism.
S.P. Lin,
Member of CBC Subang-Sunway Center.
Ron
Choong (Facilitator of the
Apologetics workshop) – “I was so pleased to be able to participate in
the CBC Congress, not only as an old “son of the church,” but also as
an occasion to meet the founding pastor, Hugh Smith, who baptised me at
Port Dickson 33 years ago. We shared about the pathways that God led us
as we both visited many countries around the world, sharing the gospel.
I was much encouraged by his devotion to his call even at 79, and he
was fascinated by my ministry focus on apologetics - with
leadership-building by setting a strong biblical foundation. To see a
few hundred people come together was a sight to behold, a tribute to
the dedication of the current leadership, led by Senior Pastor Richard
and Pat, pastors, elders and deacons, as well as many unnamed saints
who made CBC what it is today. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank members of all five centers, many of whom I have yet to meet, for
their generous support of my work with the Academy for Christian
Thought. My favourite moments at camp were the casual conversations at
meal times. I learned a great deal about being a Christian in Malaysia
with all the joys and challenges of, as the Psalmist wrote,
"worshipping God in a strange land." I look forward to meeting more of
you each time I visit to teach at Project Timothy. Please do come
forward and introduce yourself to me - I always feel 'back home' at
CBC.” Also, it was a memorable weekend for me in that I made some new
friends at the camp. At the same time it was wonderful to catch up with
some old friends from other centres whom I have not seen for years! On
the whole, this Congress was spiritually refreshing for me and one that
will have a lasting impression for me.
Pastor Hugh Smith (together with his wife, Martha,
were our Camp Parents) – “Martha and I certainly enjoyed your Church
Camp. We were able to meet and become aquainted with several of your
members and enjoyed seeing a few we knew. The program was just
excellent!”
Michael Cheah (Pastor of Chang Kong Center) – “The speaker (Rev.
David Wang) was excellent – he could capture the attention of all
present. The rooms were comfortable and the food was most suitable.
Most of all, the Committee did very well in making everything run
orderly.”
Jenny Cheah (Committee member – Chinese congregations) – “The
congress was very enjoyable, especially the speaker, who inspired all
of us. There was plenty of food!”
Tan Beng Teong (Elder of CBC) – “The essence of the Lord’s
heart – making sons and daughters of God, wanting our response as
servants, and to GO!”
Kam Kiew (Committee member – Subang-Sunway Conter) – “Lots
of activities. Speaker was great – he managed to reach both young and
old.”
Ong Weilymn (Committee member – SS2) – “I was blessed by the
graciousness of the participants who forgave our short comings
(thankfully – not that many.) Our congregation was great!”
Sally Wong (Committee member – Kota Damansara Center) - “The
speaker was good!”
Mok Pak Hoong (Subang-Sunway member) – “The Lord impressed me
with the role of the “Father of the Prodigal son.” The love of the
Father is just too great for me to comprehend. This really impressed me
deeply.”
Allison Mok (Committee member – Subang-Sunway Center) – “Good
choice of a speaker. He imparted messages that has made me think and
consider what I have been doing, and what I will decide to do for the
remaining of my life on earth.”
Evelyn Ong (Committee member – Kota Damansara Chinese Center)
– “I should continue to evangelise as there is such an urgency to share
God’s love with others. God is truly wonderful.”
The CBC Brigadiers
Serene Teh (Committee member – SS2 Chinese congregation) – “We are
so blessed with a bilingual speaker who did great! I enjoyed it!
Although not much ministering time, we had a good family mix of the
centers during the meal times.”
C. K. Swa (Liaison person for church with hotel –
Subang-Sunway Center) – “I thank God for allowing me and my wife to
serve the church at this congress. It afforded a wonderful opportunity
to fellowship with members from the various centers.”
Viven Chee (Swa’s helpmate – Subang-Sunway Center) – “God
impressed me with His strength to overcome all obstacles during the
Congress, especially the room arrangements. All glory to Him!”
Sue Ng (Church office coordinator) – “It was a time when
everyone talked, fellowshipped and caught up with one another. It was a
grand “Family Reunion!” This certainly must happen again!”
Pat Shum (Committee member – Kota Damansara Chinese Center) –
“Wah! Wah! Wah! Must Go! Go! Go! “
Elaine Suit (Committee member – Kota Damansara Chinese
Center) - “It has created greater bonding amongst all the centers.”
Kevin Suit (Member from Kota Damansara Chinese Center) – “To
go out to the world and tell people of the Good News, as we have
received from the Lord. The basis of this is to be Fruitful and
Multiply.”
Selina Ooi (Committee member – Puchong Center) – “The message
by the speaker, Rev. David Wang, was good, funny, and straight to the
point. I was able to share his message with my cell group members who
were not able to be there.”
Mak Chee Meng (Deacon serving in Subang-Sunway Center)
“He works in ways I can never imagine is possible. Only with His grace,
God makes it possible….He’s our Sovereign and Loving God!”
Karen Mak (Committee member from Subang-Sunway Center) – “I
want to thank our Chairperson, Pat Toh, for her hard work with the CBC
ladies of her team in putting this Congress together to make it a
success. I am also thankful to God for providing such a good speaker
who shared God’s timely messages with us.”
Jack Ng Sze Hsiung – (Our Camp Telematch Facilitator.) –
“Imagine organising a series of games for your own cell group. This
time, it’s a series of games for many many different cell groups
playing at the same time. That is how organising a telematch for the
Congress was like. The tasks seem more like a logistical nightmare at
first; it later turned out to be also a mental challenge too. Reason?
How do you bring all these "cell groups" of different congregations,
age, and background together and have fun? Mind you, fun, in this case,
is a serious business! But thanks to the help given so willingly by
volunteers from the various centers. It was all possible to coordinate
the mess and create something which a lot of people enjoyed. It was a
pity that it only lasted a few hours, but the fact that everyone was
willing to sacrifice their afternoon nap time during the Congress and
working together was something few would really experience. It was a
blast!”
Richard Toh
(Senior Pastor of CBC) – “The messages were in line with CBC’s new
vision and mission. When implemented, we will have a different number
for the next congress!”
Pat Toh (Chairperson for CBC’s 1st Congress) – “This Congress
demonstrated the workings of the Body of Christ, and how synergy came
about when everyone focused on making it a success. I thank my team for
all their contributions and for exercising love when we encountered
differences. The unity of all the centers was emphasized in our Vision
Casting. It is no coincidence that our well-loved speaker spoke on the
Great Commission in order for the church to be “fruitful and multiply.”
Now that the Congress is over, it is time to take ACTION! We all need
to get out of our seats and obey what God had already spoken to us.
This is CBC’s Year of Abundance. It will truly be abundant when all
hands are willing and ready to push the plough. I believe the fruits
will come, after we have ploughed the fields and scattered the seeds!
And remember how we are linked to each other by the Holy Spirit. PTL!”
Words from our Guest Speaker – Rev. David Wang
“I thoroughly enjoyed the meetings and the fellowship. Spiritually I
can clearly sense that your church is on the verge of breaking into new
grounds.”
And from his secretary, Helen, who graciously answered some
questions we posed via email:
“….he is still wearing his wrist
band, and we know which fruit of the Spirit it represents. We can
remind him to take a look at it from time to time!” To our
burning
question on everyone’s lips, Did David marry the lanky girl he dated
who wore a mini skirt? The answer was, “Yes, she is Mrs. Alice Wang for
the past 37 years!”
The 1st
CBC Congress
on March 8, 2008 in Seremban will make a lasting impression in my heart
forever. There were two major events of special significance. Firstly,
there was the 12th General Election for the nation which I recalled
staying up late till the wee hours of the morning in the hotel room
watching the live telecast of the election results. Secondly, both my
daughters (Victoria and Alexandra) were baptised on the Sunday in the
hotel swimming pool. The baptism was a well planned event and I praise
the Lord for His wonderful timing! As a father, I know that both my
daughters had attained the spiritual maturity to understand what they
were actually going through. I thank Pastor Mal for conducting the
baptism class way before the event. Through the prayers from the youth
cell group, it helped prepare them mentally and spiritually for the
water baptism.
Ron
Choong (Facilitator of the
Apologetics workshop) – “I was so pleased to be able to participate in
the CBC Congress, not only as an old “son of the church,” but also as
an occasion to meet the founding pastor, Hugh Smith, who baptised me at
Port Dickson 33 years ago. We shared about the pathways that God led us
as we both visited many countries around the world, sharing the gospel.
I was much encouraged by his devotion to his call even at 79, and he
was fascinated by my ministry focus on apologetics - with
leadership-building by setting a strong biblical foundation. To see a
few hundred people come together was a sight to behold, a tribute to
the dedication of the current leadership, led by Senior Pastor Richard
and Pat, pastors, elders and deacons, as well as many unnamed saints
who made CBC what it is today. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank members of all five centers, many of whom I have yet to meet, for
their generous support of my work with the Academy for Christian
Thought. My favourite moments at camp were the casual conversations at
meal times. I learned a great deal about being a Christian in Malaysia
with all the joys and challenges of, as the Psalmist wrote,
"worshipping God in a strange land." I look forward to meeting more of
you each time I visit to teach at Project Timothy. Please do come
forward and introduce yourself to me - I always feel 'back home' at
CBC.” Also, it was a memorable weekend for me in that I made some new
friends at the camp. At the same time it was wonderful to catch up with
some old friends from other centres whom I have not seen for years! On
the whole, this Congress was spiritually refreshing for me and one that
will have a lasting impression for me.
Pastor Hugh Smith (together with his wife, Martha,
were our Camp Parents) – “Martha and I certainly enjoyed your Church
Camp. We were able to meet and become aquainted with several of your
members and enjoyed seeing a few we knew. The program was just
excellent!”
Richard Toh
(Senior Pastor of CBC) – “The messages were in line with CBC’s new
vision and mission. When implemented, we will have a different number
for the next congress!”