Several hundred partners, mission workers and supporters of international missions organisation OM gathered last weekend to give thanks to the Lord for 40 years in Malaysia.
OM in Malaysia was first established in 1984 and to date, 600 Malaysians have been sent out as full-time mission workers through the ministry.
Malaysian believers and churches have also been mobilised to bring God’s love to the least reached through OM ships and flagship programmes, including Out of the Comfort Zone (OCZ).
Hearts of gratitude and thanks
Pari Bala, who serves on the OM leadership team in East Asia and is a former national director of OM in Malaysia, welcomed the several hundred who gathered at PJEFC for the Thanksgiving Service.
“We are here to mark God’s faithfulness as we look back at the past, and ahead into the future,” she said.
OM international director, Lawrence Tong, honoured the Malaysian community of believers and revealed how pivotal Malaysian support had been in the launching of OM ship, Logos Hope.
Sharing how OM in Malaysia organised a fundraising dinner that recorded the largest amount raised in a single night in OM’s history, Tong spoke of the pivotal role the Malaysian Church played in sending Logos Hope out.
“Three things we must never forget… the people God raised up through OM in Malaysia: 600 full-time mission workers and thousands of partners; the supporters and churches who partner with us and the opportunities that God has given through the OM ministry,” he said.
The mission field seeks workers
At the service, long-serving OM workers including East Asia Area missions mentor Rodney Hui (50+ years in OM) and East Asia Area director, Ashley Tee, shared reflections of their own.
Tee highlighted the need to localise missions further through local leadership, ownership, initiative and finally, local sustainability.
Finally, OM in Malaysia national director, Joseph Ting, shared future aspirations for the work here in Malaysia.
“We hope to mobilise 40,000 people in the next four years for global missions and future leadership and to send 10 people out each year through the Send the Hope programme,” he revealed.
This includes a new focus on engaging with vernacular churches and raising up missionaries from Chinese, Tamil and Bahasa-speaking congregations.
Emmeline, a volunteer who spent a year aboard an OM ship with her husband, Herbert, and two children, encouraged Malaysian believers to look out.
“I hope that we will look further. When you see the bigger picture, you’ll see just how great the needs are beyond what we are familiar with,” she said.
Herbert added that a good question all believers can ask is, “Is there one person I can share God’s love with today?”
“We may not be able to be full-time missionaries or leave home, but the mission field is wherever our feet step,” he said, adding that other ways to partner include prayer and support.
80% of the global church will be non-West by 2030
OM in Malaysia board chairman, Albert Teh, was also present and in his brief sharing, encouraged all to take a pause and give thanks to God for all He has done through OM.
“When I think of the 600 young, inexperienced but willing Malaysians who have stepped out in missions over the past 40 years, it is beyond anything we could have imagined,” he said.
At the celebration, there was also a bazaar with seven interactive stations featuring OM’s work locally and globally.
With a call to bring God’s love to the farthest ends of the earth, OM’s mission is to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached.
As Tong shared, 80% of the global church will be non-West by 2030.
As the global Church observes this shift, the Asian continent will continue to enjoy significant opportunities for missions and ministry.
OM in Malaysia will be hosting 40th anniversary thanksgiving services in Kota Kinabalu (Aug 2024) and Penang (Sept 2024). To explore ways you can partner with OM in Malaysia, get on board a ship, join a short-term programme or invite the OM team to your church (English and Chinese-language sharings available), click here.
