While the rest of the country celebrated Malaysia Day on 16 September with flags, parades and patriotic anthems, a different kind of celebration took place at EX8 in Subang Jaya.
Sidney Mohede is best known as the Creative Pastor of Jakarta Praise Community Church (JPCC), where he writes and performs some of the most popular Indonesian-language worship songs. He has also been an ambassador for World Vision, one of the world’s largest humanitarian relief and development organisations, for the past decade. In that role, he and the JPCC worship team came to Malaysia for Gratitude, a two-night worship event of songs and stories of thanksgiving. Sidney shared his music along with the lessons he has learnt from working closely with World Vision.
The why of worship
“Why are you here?” asked Hernando Betita, CEO of World Vision Malaysia, as the crowd shuffled into their seats.
For many in the audience, the answer was obvious – to see and hear one of Southeast Asia’s loudest voices in worship. Hernando encouraged the crowd to look at that question more closely. “Why are you in this room? Why are you in Malaysia? Why are you in the job you’re in?” he asked. “Is it because you had a bit of free time and like to sing? Or do you hunger and thirst for the Holy One?”
He was referring to the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:6): “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” To seek righteousness is to seek God, and to worship and honour him. This is what World Vision set out to do with Gratitude.
Hernando’s own answer comes from 2 Corinthians 9:11-12: “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”
Charity is not only about giving materially or meeting a physical need, which is important. It also means giving to God spiritually, by being intentional in our worship and thanksgiving in all we say and do. Gratitude, in other words, is shown in action, song and spirit.
Not just a performance
Sidney Mohede and the JPCC worship team took the stage and went straight into song, needing little introduction. Hernando’s message about an attitude of gratitude carried into the audience, who jumped for joy and thanksgiving. The band played most of their newest album, For the Glory of Your Name, along with some well-known classics from deeper in Sidney’s discography.
Whether a song was new or a staple, the audience and Sidney sang with the same energy. They were focused on the words as much as the music from the guitars, and on what the music was meant to be: worship. As the voice of the crowd and Sidney’s blended into one, it was clear who they were singing to – the God who had brought everyone together that night.
“This isn’t a performance,” Sidney reminded the crowd after a few songs. He said he was there to worship, not to put on a good show or promote the new album. “I’m here to worship, to understand and realise our gratitude for our Lord.”
Much of that understanding has come through his time at World Vision, where he has championed the Child Sponsorship Programme. The programme lets individuals and corporations change the lives of children in need.
Light in the dark
For RM85 a month, child sponsorship funds go towards giving children and their communities access to water, sanitation, health, nutrition and education. At present, sponsors from Malaysia are helping children in 13 countries, from Bangladesh to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sponsorship is more than handing over a cheque. Sponsors get access to the My World Vision portal, where they can learn about their child and their community and exchange e-letters. World Vision also arranges trips for sponsors to meet the children whose lives they have changed. Sidney showed a short video from one of these recent visits to Papua.
“Every time I come to Papua, I’m always amazed at the work God has done,” he told the crowd.
The video showed that education is not simply about providing books or reading materials. Children also need to be able to reach school, even in difficult living conditions. Sidney showed part of the journey, which took nearly 20 hours from Jakarta by plane, truck and speedboat.
Micah 6:8 has inspired him throughout this work: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” The verse came back to him on that trip to Papua New Guinea, reminding him of God’s power and control, and of how pleasing justice and kindness are to him.
As night fell and the rain grew heavier, Sidney’s speedboat broke down, leaving them stranded in darkness. Then small lights appeared around the boat, flickering against the black river: fireflies. That small light in the dark reminded Sidney of his role with World Vision, and of his role as a Christian during our time on earth.
Capping the night with gratitude
As the evening came to a close, Sidney announced, “We’ll do one final song. It’s an old song, maybe older than some of you here. But the bassline goes a little something like this.”
The bassist launched into the familiar bassline of “Allah Bangkit,” a song first released by Sidney’s band Giving My Best. Sidney led the crowd in a spirited rendition, splitting the audience in two to see which side was louder. With each repetition of the chorus, “Allah Bangkit, Bersoraklah!”, the room grew louder. “Bersoraklah,” often translated as “Rejoice” or “Praise Him,” was a fitting end to Gratitude. Even as the crowd slowly filed out of the hall, the energy stayed high, and many stopped to talk with World Vision staff about the sponsorship programme.
Gratitude showed the many forms praise takes. Praise is the physical act of worship: a community of believers, from many places, lifting their voices in a united chorus of joy. It is also action. As Micah says, we are to do justice and to love kindness, lighting a path for others as God has lit ours.
Like the fireflies that lit Sidney’s way that night in Papua, a child sponsor can be a small light in a child’s life. With World Vision, you can sponsor a child from just RM85 a month. Your contribution is pooled with those of other sponsors and channelled towards the holistic development of your child’s community. To learn more, visit worldvision.com.my/en/sponsor-a-child or call (603) 7800 0899.
*All photos courtesy of World Vision Malaysia
