Ebenezer Issue 3, July 2011

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Ebenezer

For Private Circulation Only

Thus far the Lord has led us....Celebrating 36 years of God’s goodness and mercy ISISSUE # 3

JULY 2011

od is Good All the Time...

These words became a reality even as we celebrated our 36th Anniversary Gift Day for Missions on 22nd May 2011.

During our Saturday Pre-Gift Day celebration, our invited speaker, Dr Francis Tsui from Asian Outreach International, Hong Kong reflected on Godʼs goodness in his own life and how God had “connected the dots” leading up to his call into ministry. On Gift Day itself, he powerfully challenged all of us, using 2 Cor 2:14-17, to be a sweet aroma for our Lord in our marketplace and our individual “mission fields”.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-22

It was truly Godʼs word in season for SSMC as his sharing resonated with the previous Sundayʼs message on Missio Dei (the mission of God). (continue on page 5)

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing”.

2 COR 2 : 14-16

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Sungai Way - Subang Methodist Church (SSMC) Lot 1044 Jalan Cempaka, Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MALAYSIA Tel: +603-7726 9172 Fax: 7727 3036

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Milestones

The Future Gen

Ministries & Testimonies

4 Mission Of The Church

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Cyber Wellness

6 For Such A Time As This

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VBS 2010

9 Lord Over The Floods 18 Kursus Kewangan

7 Welcoming New

15 Children’s Camps

19 Discipleship Group

16&17 Children’s

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Church Art

Misi Ke Sabah

22 Youth Camp 2010

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12&13 Fix Your Eyes

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24 Signs Of The Times

On The Lamb

Youth Sunday Pictures

Website: www.ssmc.com.my Email : ssmethodist@gmail.com

-------------------Contents 1&5 Missio Dei

Anniversary Gift Day Celebration

3 Pastor Speaks

Family Members

8-10

Parents’

Appreciation Nite

Editor’s Note t seemed that we had just rolled out the 2nd issue of Ebenezer not that long ago. And now we heralding our mid year or July 2011 edition!

Where do we start? There is so much to give thanks for, even in the midst of a hectic period in the church calendar. In Psalm 46:10, God says “Be still and know that I am God”. Lest we slip into the busyness of Martha and neglect to sit at the feet of the Lord as Mary did, we like to offer this issue of Ebenezer to you as a “contemplative” platform to reflect back on His goodness and amazing grace.

Our centre spread transports us back to the Easter Celebration on 24th April, where the spotlight was literally on the “Fix Your Eyes On The Lamb” musical. It was truly a spectacle of God’s glory.

Living up to its billings as a production by cast of 90+, it involved members from a diverse and even multigenerational background. Many who came were moved by the poignant dramatisation of the passion of Christ.

Our cover story highlights the Anniversary Mission Gift Day on May 21st, where we were challenged corporately and individually to fulfill our calling in “Missio Dei”. God again demonstrated His goodness in giving “beyond what we can

Kaleidoscope -

Tribute To Bro Z,

Reflections

ask or imagine”. At a deeper level, we are challenged to give our hearts and to be the “aroma of Christ” to a decaying world.

There was hardly any breathing space as we plunged headlong into 29th May, when SSMC played host to a Nation Building Seminar. We were amused, amazed, alarmed and awaken by illustrious speakers representing the full spectrum of national interests and political divide as they shared their perspectives of the state of our nation. It was a timely wake up call for followers of the Nazarene to fulfill our mandate and calling as citizens of the land and ultimately of the heavenly kingdom.

Fast forwarding to 12th June, we had a Baptism Service and welcomed new members into the family of God at SSMC. On the same day, the Chinese Congregation hosted a “Parents Appreciation Night” with special evangelistic performance and a sumptuous 38-table dinner.

Read, Reflect and Rejoice over these chronicles and testimonies of God moving in our midst in the ensuing pages. Truly, it is an exciting time to be in the movement of God Spirit. Ruminate on “Pastor Speaks” (next page) even as we anticipate where He will be leading us.

In His Service

P.S We love to hear your story or His story unfolding in your life whether you are at a praise summit or going through a valley, Consider the Samaritan woman who told others of her encounter with Jesus at the well and “many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony” John 4:39

Editorial Team

Important Notice: The opinions expressed herein represent the views of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of SSMC or its leadership.

This publication is for private circulation only, and no part of this may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the editorial team.

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Pastor Speaks

s I look back at the key events during this period, I can only reflect on God’s goodness.

Indeed, He is Good All the Time, and All the Time, He is Good.

Our Easter Celebration was especially meaningful. God moved many friends and family members to pack the SSMC sanctuary and witness a well choreographed Easter production that simply and clearly conveyed a message of His love and hope. I’m also thankful that the Easter production was an amazing demonstration of the exercising of diverse gifts and talents in spirit of unity and love. Each one of the 90++ team members – be it performing cast, supporting crew, back stage hands, prop makers, ushers or intercessors, played his role as God called and placed him. “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Eph 4:16

Recognising the influence of the internet on all our lives and especially the youth, a Cyber Wellness Seminar was organized for both youths as well as their parents. The parallel sessions were an eye-opener even for the Ebenezer, July 2011

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supposedly internet savvy youths and also helped to bridge the digital divide between the generations. We trust that parents and youths will now be able to discuss these issues openly and exercise responsibility in using the internet for good and not for evil.

Once again God granted us a glimpse of his favor and blessings as we celebrated our 36th Anniversary the highlight which is our Gift Day for Missions collections. Our gift target was almost met on the first count. By the end of the day, it was achieved and overwhelmingly surpassed two weeks later.

What a great privilege it was for each of us to participate in what God is doing in and through our church. All glory and honor is to God and Him alone.

On the 29th May, we organized jointly with OHMSI, a “The Christian and Nation Building” Seminar which was also very well attended and received. It is part of our continued focus to inform and educate our members as well as the wider Christian Church on her role and responsibilities in being the light, salt and aroma of Christ within this nation.

Looking forward...

We have just passed the mid point of 2011. While we look forward to the second half of the year, this is a good check point to take stock of and evaluate our progress - both individually and as a church. Six months have passed since we launched the Vision, Mission and Faith Goals for the church. I started the year by challenging the church family in SSMC on our vision of transforming lives. As your Pastor, I want to ask you to stop and ask these questions concerning your all important relationship with your heavenly Father: “What have I done personally about expanding His Kingdom?” “Has there been any change or transformation in the way I relate to God?” “Is there any improvement in my reading of the Word? ...in my prayer-life? ...in bearing the Fruit of the Spirit in my everyday life?”

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Only you can answer these questions honestly before God. As has been rightly said, a Pastor’s role is not only to “comfort the afflicted” but also to “afflict the comfortable”. I would be remiss in my duty and love to you if I only speak uplifting words but neglect to challenge or “provoke” you to greater heights in your faith, without putting you on a guilt trip.

As a Church, we can avail to you all the necessary resources you need to grow your spiritual life and to deepen your relationship in the Lord. As an illustration - I can invite you to a lavish banquet and spread before you a selection of best gourmet food.

However, you will not be truly satisfied if you have no real hunger or the desire to feast on it. You may nibble here and there but you will not fully enjoy the meal or do justice to the one who provided the meal. Similarly, it is my earnest prayer and hope that each one of you will have the hunger and thirst for God. There must be the inner desire for a deeper understanding and experience with the Lord, resulting in renewed outward service to Him. While our flesh is weak, the indwelling Holy Spirit can cause the thirst that can only be quenched by the living waters that Jesus offers. Our church’s theme verse which is also that of our upcoming Family Camp – John 7:38 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

Today, will you read His Word, talk to Him and walk with Him? Transformation must always begin with us individually before it can lead to the transforming of families, communities and nations.

God Bless

Swee Ming Pastor, SSMC

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The mission of the church

is missions (The title of this piece is also a quotation from Oswald J. Smith)

Submitted by Alan Yong e want to praise and thank God that He has released from within our church over RM1m for missions. Our God is a generous God in all ways always. He is a prayer answering God. Why do we have to spend all the money on missions with most of it is given out to others?

Firstly, as a church we have decided to make this giving a once-a-year special event on our church anniversary. More than that –the Bible tells us to be generous and this, for example can be found in Paul‘s writings. In 2 Cor 8, Paul is reporting to the Corinthian Christians the example of the Macedonian Christians. The Macedonians, though they were in a great trial of affliction, and even though they were in deep poverty, still gave generously. And even beyond their ability! (vv. 1-3). The context is that Paul was raising money for the poor Jerusalem Christians.

Further in verses 12-15, he taught the principle that those who have plenty are to bring relief to those in need. So this is one of the premises of why we partner in missions with other churches and organizations in a practical way through financial support. Our prayer should be that we will stretch ourselves in giving in the years ahead as this shows a growing love for Jesus Christ.

Is the church all about missions and nothing else? During my studies I once proposed to write a treatise on the biblical basis for missions. It was too big a subject for me with hundreds of verses to quote! Matt 28:19-20, the Great Commission is just a tip of the iceberg. I might have ended up with a book, but I didn‘t think that my claim to fame would be as an author! I now think that the basis of the Bible is missions. "If you take missions out of the Bible, you won't have anything left but the covers" — Nina Gunter. In general one can say that the OT is about the mission of God, the Missio Dei and the NT, the mission of Christ, Missio Christi. Ironically, the word “mission” is not found in the Bible, unless you have the very latest of the modern English translations.

One of the reasons why we are organised into churches is so that we can be involved in missions. Churches that are serious about joining God on His mission will obey his commands to disciple the nations. The end product of missional endeavors should be a thriving Christian ready to produce more

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thriving Christians and more thriving Christians means more churches birthed.

"Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist." — Oswald J. Smith The use of the adjective “missional” to describe a church has been in vogue during the last ten years. Christians are good at coining new words! Like “discipling”! Why has this been necessary? A church is a church with all the qualities that the Bible demands. Is it a case of too many churches having forgotten their raison d‘etre?

Positively, its use may indicate that churches are rediscovering their missionary mandate.

Negatively, “missional” has come to mean different things to different people.

So what’s a missional church? To put it simply – a church that thrives in discipling its members into a strong fellowship of believers, where lives are transformed, and who acknowledging the centrality of the cross, are made ready to share the truth of the gospel, so that they are able to witness to the world in terms of evangelism and social action (the two should go together in our missionary endeavors) and make new disciples, thus expanding His Kingdom. The church‘s infrastructure is organised to ensure that the foregoing take place and members are encouraged and built up to participate in Christ‘s Great Commission with the Great Commandment (love thy neighbour). I believe at SSMC we understand what it is to be missional. "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed" — Hudson Taylor One thing that needs to be brought up is John Piper‘s concern, differentiating between evangelism and missions. He reminded us that if "Every Christian is a missionary" equals "missional," we have diluted the need for and specialness of missionaries to foreign lands. There is some truth to what he says - is there going to be a tendency for people to stay put where they are and not

move out of their comfort zones? Let us pray that our faith goals to raise up two missionaries will be realised.

There is much mission work to be done at home. Why is there a need for us to be involved in foreign missions? The churches that have the financial means should support foreign as well as local missions. This action helps us to realise that we are the church universal with Christ as the head –one Lord of all.

The verses in the Bible imply that mission can have a foreign aspect and therefore be cross-cultural and crossing ethnic lines as well. A commonly quoted verse is Rev 7:9, “...from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne”. This is the logic: if there were people described in heaven in the future, it is logical that they must be reached with the gospel at some point in history. So because we see a great multitude gathered around the throne from every tribe, people, and nation – we must begin to labour with this end in mind, bringing it into reality as God uses us to fulfill it. The descriptive future is prescriptive for today. Other equally well known verses are: “make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19) and “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.

(Acts 1:8).

So where is your Jerusalem, or Judea, or Samaria or the ends of the earth?

For now?

In two years’ time?

Five years?

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he presence of God was so... powerful that it moved almost everyone who was present to stand up and respond to be part of the “triumphal procession of Christ”. Sensing a deeper stirring of the Holy Spirit, Francis further challenged those whom God is calling to a personal mission be it within the church, the community or to the nations.

Praise be to God that many stepped out and responded in faith.

There was an air of expectation at the

end of the celebration and no one left the hall. The honor of announcing the gift amount was given to Uncle Oh, who at 97 years old and the oldest member of our church, is truly a living testimony of God’s goodness. He could barely finish his sentence as he announced “one million, three thousand ...” when the church erupted with rapturous Ebenezer, July 2011

shouts of joy and praise. As the congregation sung the perennial favorite “Ebenezer”,many were moved to tears of joy, gratitude and amazement. All Praise and Glory to God.

Pray for wisdom and guidance from the Lord as to where He directs His church to sow her finances locally and abroad, so that there will be a mighty harvest for Him.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Amen” (Eph 3:20-11). Indeed, when the Anniversary Gift Day Fund closed two weeks later, God’s blessings exceeded our “asking of the Lord” amount by about RM100,000!

God Bless Swee Ming, Pastor, SSMC

As a Church, we are humbled and can only stand in awe and marvel at His marvelous “signs and wonders” right in our midst. Yet, just as we are reminded by our guest speaker, God wants more than what we put into the envelops - He desires our entire lives to be consecrated for His mission or Missio Dei. I would encourage you to continue to uphold the Church Leadership in your prayers. We are acutely aware that “everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48).

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For Such A

For Such A Time as !"...

Time as This...

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Christians & Nation Building

For Such A Time as This...

by Chong Kon Chu,

9th Mile Cheras Lutheran Church

Christians Nation received an& email invite to Building join a seminar at SSMC on “Christian

by Chong Kon Chu, who worships& at

Nation My interest was the 9th Mile Building.”

Cheras Lutheran Church drawn to some of the topics listed Christians & Nation on the agenda such as “Separation of Building I received an email invite to join a Church and State”, “TheKon Christian Role

by Chong Chu,of who worships at seminar at SSMC on the topic and Calling inthe Nation Building”, 9th Mile Cheras Lutheran Church “Christian & Nation Building.”

My interest “Malaysian Christian Demographics – was drawn to some of the topics listed Being Salt and Light”, and “Guarding I received an email invite tothe join a on the agenda such as “Separation of sanctity of theseminar electoral process”. at SSMC on the topic of Church and State”, “The Christian role “Christian & Nation Building.” My interest and calling in nation drawnbuilding”, to Malaysians, some of the topics listed As with manywas concerned I “Malaysian Christian Demographics – on the agenda such as “Separation of was deeply affected by recent political Being salt and light”, “Guarding the role Church andand State”, “The Christian developments and especially what I andelectoral calling in nation building”, sanctity of the process”. perceived as “Malaysian bad decisions by leaders Christian Demographics – As with many concerned Malaysians, I and implementation of and many unfair salt light”, and “Guarding the was deeply Being affected by recent political policies, evensanctity in the aftermath of the the electoral process”. developments and of especially what I with many 2008 electionAs tsunami.

Myconcerned general Malaysians, I perceived as bad decisions by leaders deeplycommunity affected by recent perception of was a certain was political and implementation of many unfair what I developments and especially not very positive, to say the least. I must policies, even in the aftermath of theby leaders perceived as bad decisions admit that I was somewhat confused as andtsunami. implementation of many unfair 2008 election My general my views have been even largely influenced policies, in the aftermath of the perception of certain community was not by the online 2008 media, muchtsunami. of which election Mywere general very positive, to say the least. I must negative or perpetuated pessimistic ofacertain community was not admit that I perception was somewhat confused as very positive, to say the least. I must outlook. my views have been largely influenced admit that I was somewhat confused as by the online much of which mymedia, views have been largelywere influenced After attending the seminar, I gained a They mustsaid be sincere and fair in the right was a good forthat that, I still maintain There wereeducational other topicsopportunity shared over negative or by perpetuated a pessimistic the online media, much of which Having were greater clarity in many areas, a case in managing all our country’s resources many.

Having that, leaders I still maintain There wereby other topics speakers. shared overOverall, that to expect oursaid current to runtheanright afternoon different negative or perpetuated a pessimistic outlook. point was on the sensitive issue of and policies, over and above personal to and expect our current leaders to run an afternoon different speakers. Overall, outlook. efficient clean government today, they wereby good “eye-opener” and efficient clean government theyencouraging were good “eye-opener” meritocracy.

The young speaker shareda agenda or parochial interests. was to see soand many After attending the seminar, I gained They must beand sincere and fair in today, It educational sessions.

After attending thein seminar, I gained a They must be sincere and fair in educational sessions. about the many ramifications pursuing people attending the seminar.

I hope greater clarity in many areas - a case in managing all our countryʼs resources greaterbased clarity in many areas - a case in managing all things our countryʼs resources a policy completely on principles Sometimes we see from only one that everyone was enlightened but more point was onpoint thewas sensitive issue of and policies, over and above personal ItItwas encouraging to see so many on the sensitive issue of and policies, over and above personal was encouraging to see so many of meritocracy. meritocracy. The While the aim may seem vantage point, forgetting that oftentimes importantly spurred to play an active youngThe speaker shared shared agenda or parochial interests. people attendingthe theseminar. seminar.

I hope meritocracy. young speaker agenda or parochial interests. people attending I hope noble, results prove to in pursuing there areSometimes two sides ofthings the things coin.

Asonly such, in everyone affairs ofwas the nation andbut not just aboutthe theend many ramifications in pursuing Sometimes we see from one that wasenlightened enlightened but more about the may manyyet ramifications we see from only onerole that everyone more beadisastrous if it provokes an extreme it was refreshing that we had politicians complain.

I hope many other churches policy completely based onbased principles vantage point,point, forgetting thatthat oftentimes spurredtoto play a more active a policy completely on principles vantage forgetting oftentimes importantly importantly spurred play a more active reaction from of a certain is mayfrom both camps sharing their views and organise seminars sonot thatjust meritocracy. theItaim seem there aresides two sides of the coin. such,can role in affairs affairssimilar ofofthe andand not just of meritocracy.

While community. the While aim may seem there are two of the coin.

AsAs such, role in thenation nation noble, the end results may yet prove to it was refreshing that we had politicians gripe but do nothing constructive.

I hope like wining a battle but losing the war.

It also their personal struggles.

I can many more Christians can better noble, the end results may yet prove to it was refreshing that we had politicians gripe but do nothing constructive. I hope be disastrous if it provokes fromwith boththeir camps sharing their views andunderstand many otherand can organise is be certainly a complex conundrum for an extreme emphasize situations times be engaged in the disastrous if it provokes an extreme from both camps sharing theirorviews and many otherchurches churches can organise reaction from certain community.

It is like also their personal struggles.

I can similar seminars so that manyprocess more our countryʼs leaders to grapple with. when they have convictions which political and nation-building reaction from certain community. It is like also their personal struggles. I can similar seminars so that many moreas wining a battle but losing the war. It is emphasize with their situations or times Christians can better understand and Hewining postulated a more pragmatic solution with the position of their parties. and light” ofbetter our nation. a battle but losing the conundrum war.

It is forconflict emphasize with their convictions situations or times “salt Christians understand certainly a complex our when they have which proactively can engage in the political andand which involved an ongoing dialogue or There were many interesting questions certainly a complex conundrum for with. our when they have which engage in as the“salt political country leaders to grapple conflict withconvictions the position of their parties. proactively nation building process and and engagement as toa more direct from theThere floor with equally thoughtcountry leaders to grapple with.pragmatic solution conflict with were the position of their questions parties. nation process asnation. “salt and He opposed postulated many interesting light” ofbuilding our community and confrontation.

This process may yetsolution lead provoking responses from the panel of which involved an ongoing dialogue or from the floor interesting with equally thoughtHe postulated a more pragmatic There were many questions light” of our community and nation. engagement as opposed to direct provoking responses from the panel of to which gradual transformation of the nation speakers.

In hindsight, I should have involved an ongoing dialogue or from the floor with equally thoughtconfrontation. process may lead the speakers.

In hindsight, Ithe should have and progressively change This the mindset of yet posed question on how engagement as opposed to direct provoking responses fromthe panel of to gradual transformation of the nation posed the question on how the theconfrontation. next generation ofprocess leadersmay to adopt government should deal with all the “little This yet lead speakers.

In hindsight, I should have and progressively change the mindset of government should deal with all the more equitable policy.

Napoleons” behave like they to gradual transformation of the nation to adopt posed “little the who question onwho how the own the next generation of leaders Napoleons” behave like they the government agencies they in. work and progressively changepolicy. the mindset of government deal agencies with work all the more equitable own theshould government they Having said that, I still maintain the right the next generation of leaders to adopt “little Napoleons” who behave like they in. to more expect our current leaders to run an There other topicsagencies shared that equitable policy. own were the government they work efficient and clean government today. afternoon by various speakers and it in.

Nullam arcu leo, facilisis ut!

6 Nullam arcu leo, facilisis ut!

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“Brethren of the household of faith, I commend to your love and care these persons whom we this day recognize as members of the family of God” Sacrament of Bapt"m admin"tered by Rev Wong Onn Tau

On June 5th, we welcomed new members into God’s family at SSMC. It was a joyous occasion as the entire congregation celebrated the event of baptism and membership transfer.

“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth”

Baptism

John Chai: accepted Christ in Form 3 at a SSMC Youth Camp during which he tested God twice and God showed up.

At the Jeremiah School last year God Pastor Swee Ming had shared about the challenged him to a personal relationship with Him. meaning and significance of the sacrament of baptism the previous week. We were reminded of the 4D’s of baptism - as a Duty as it is commandment of the Lord, it signifies our Dying to sin and self, Dressing in Christ’s righteousness, and finally as a Declaration of our new status and in identifying with Christ.

These are the personal testimonies of our new “brethren”...

Vivian Tan: had a dream in which she saw an entrance with her name and birth date. She told Christ she was not ready to go in through that entrance.

That experience led her to Christ.

Lila Ling: had attended church occasionally since childhood. Her father’s sudden death last year gave her an urgent sense to seek God once again and her neighbor in KSKA linked her up with a friend who attended SSMC. Tay Lee Ching: God intervened and led her to encounter Him in the midst of frightening New Age entanglements. He led her to a stranger who had a brother attending SSMC and she received deliverance and salvation.

Ebenezer, July 2011

Membership Transfer

Tan Shu Yi: accepted Christ at 14 in MYF. God has given her purpose in life.

Wong Ah Ming : a cousin shared the gospel with the family and both he, his late wife and daughters accepted Christ.

After receiving Christ, he was able to stop smoking completely and has become more patient.

John Lau: grew up under Buddhist and Taoist influences but committed himself to God after being touched by the Holy Spirit in 1991. Over the years has learned to forgive others and be thankful and appreciate God’s gifting.

Janice Wong (Mrs John Lau): was a member of the Buddhist Society but came to know God in MGS Kampar through the Christian Fellowship. Found peace and security in Christ.

Alan Chai: transferred from MegaCMC Kota Damansara. Through God's graciousness and loving kindness, his first love for HIM has been rekindled.

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Parents’ Appreciation Nite 2011 12th June 2011. Reported by Henry Chong

“More than half of the audience are non believers?

This is really the very first time this has happened in our Parentsʼ Nite event over the years.”

“Wow! The Chinese Youths are full of energy. They really dance very well.”

“Henry Chongʼs singing is so good, I really enjoyed it.”

“I never thought that Chinese classical songs can be so nice.”

“Where did you get the caterer? The food is good and the price is so reasonable.”

“Your ushers are so kind. Before I stepped out of the car, they came to open the door and ushered me in.”

These are but some of the positive comments and encouraging feedback from our guests who came for the Parents’ Appreciation Nite. While these words gladden our hearts, they simply affirm God’s working in our midst and all glory is to our Lord Jesus Christ! We were merely His hands and feet as we submit ourselves in prayer and avail our energy and efforts.

Planning As we got closer to Parents’ Night towards the end of March 2011, the planning committee became very restless and anxious. Barely 3 weeks to go and we had only received confirmation for 10 tables. Even then, Sister Wai Jee advised that reservation for some tables was tentative and may be cancelled if guests could not attend.

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only entertained the guests but was a refreshing blessing to them. All these would not have been possible had it not been the faithfulness of our prayer warriors - a group of “aunties” who prayed unceasingly for the breaking down of barriers and breakthrough in lives. We thank God for raising up people who love and serve Him.

Staring at the prospects of having a half empty hall even with the best efforts of man, we approached the Throne of grace to intercede and pray fervently as we knew that this was a spiritual battle.

We trusted that the Lord would draw many non-believers to come and hear His words through Henry Chong’s singing and message. Praise be to God that He answered our prayers and filled the hall. Truly, we lifted our eyes and beheld that the harvest was plenteous.

His faithfulness and loving kindness endures forever!

While the laborers are few, they were faithful and had devoted their time and effort whilst fully relying not on their own strength but in the power the Holy Spirit.

God enabled a smooth working partnership with Henry Chong’s ministry team and also provided wisdom and creativity in the liaising with the caterer, in the design and printing of the brochures, and the selling of tickets. The Chinese Youth practiced hard for their song and dance presentation, which not

Event Night On the night itself, these were some of the exchanges overheard... “Do you speak Chinese? Mandarin?

Cantonese?” “No.” they responded with a shade of embarrassment on their face.

Who were they? They were the ushers “recruited” by the Chief Usher to assist our guests as the Chinese Church did not have enough ushers to manage such a big turnout. Despite their language inadequacy, they responded to the call of God to minister to a need. It would have otherwise been too taxing on our elderly Chinese Church ushers.

As I look back, I can see a beautiful picture of Ephesians 4:16, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. “ It touched my heart deeply and I believe also the heart of the Father. Glory to the Lord!

Ebenezer, July 2011

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Parents’ Nite 2011 was a miracle!

by Yun Wai Jee

irstly, we started planning for this event quite late - sometime in March giving us only a short 3 months window. Even then, we were debating if we should consider organizing an event after a lapse of 2 years. The next big question was what kind of event to do.

The Lord seemed to impress on us to invite Pastor Henry Chong, a popular singing evangelist from Singapore.

Considering his tight schedule, we had but a remote chance of securing him.

As we felt the prompting of the Spirit, we nevertheless sent out an invitation just the same. Our lack of faith was compounded when we received the response that he was already booked for the dates we wanted. Not wanting to suffer from late planning again, we decided to be “kiasu” and booked him for next year.

We had been praying that God would bring many to hear His gospel. Even as we prayed, we sensed that God would be bringing people from the east, west, north and south to this event. Joy and excitement filled our hearts once again!

God is truly the Master of the Banquet as He removed all obstacles, opening the way for guests to fill 38 tables, 70-80% were by non-believers. The audience came from our community ministries - Praise Dance (20), KSKA (10), MyKasih (10) and some even came from as far as Sitiawan and Mentakab. This was a clear confirmation of our prayers. Truly, the prayer of the righteous avails much!

How gracious and faithful our God is!

Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents and is saved. Praise God for the 3 persons who received salvation Although feeling disappointed, we that night. We trust God, who has proceeded to invite other speakers but started His good work, will continue to our attempts were futile. Could this be a work in the lives all who came. Will you sign from God that Pastor Henry Chong join us to pray for the 300 nonwas the right person, and He was believers, to be added into His merely testing our faith in Him? As God Kingdom? convicted me in my heart to trust in Him, He invited me to pray (which I did in secret) for a miracle.

God’s timing is perfect! A few days later, Pastor Henry Chong’s team called with good news. The church which had booked him earlier postponed their event and Henry was available if we were still interested! Hallelujah! Bless the Lord! I was just overjoyed with this miracle as it was an affirmation to me that God was going to bless this event for His glory!

Yet our feeble faith was tested again as only about 10 tables were taken up by the end of May, with a few weeks to go.

Ebenezer, July 2011

Lord over the Floods

by Wai Jee

It was a Tuesday evening and it was raining heavily. It was not uncommon for Jalan Cempaka to get flooded but the water level was rising faster than usual.

Hui Earn, who was back from China, and I had planned to go out for dinner but we were now stuck in SSMC. So, we decided to spend time catching up with each other in the kitchen.

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The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. Psalms 29:10 All of a sudden, we heard the loud crying of children. Rushing to the foyer, we saw Trish, who was having a Sabah Mission Meeting, opening the glass door. We could see a school van parked in our compound and a number of children alighted. We quickly ushered them into the foyer. They and even their lady driver, were all crying, obviously traumatized by the rain and flood. We counted 22 children in all and could recognised by their badges that they were from Yuk Chai Primary School.

We quickly comforted the children. Trish, as the “Big Sister” assured them and asked if we could pray for them and tell them stories.

They stopped crying as soon as we started praying. We prayed that: They would not be afraid, their parents would not be anxious and that the flood would subside quickly.

Within minutes, the flood subsided. We didnʼt even have the opportunity to tell them stories or to get to know them better as they all boarded the bus and left.

Through this incident, I sense the Lord is saying something to us as a church. There will be a lot more happenings in the world that will come suddenly, causing much fear.

But the Lord has established His church to be a sanctuary for the peoples. He will bring these fearful people to His Church, that is, His people. He is challenging us to be ready to comfort, shelter and pray for them and bring them to Him. Some of our church members are ministering to Yuk Chai Primary School (Standard 1) students through weekly story telling, an activity that seemingly has no direct spiritual impact. Interestingly, He has brought some of them to us in this special way. We trust that seeds were sown into these young lives will come to fruition as they grow up!

We pray that they will remember Jesus who was their comfort and strength even in that traumatic experience.

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孝

2011 年孝亲

宴随想

宴

亲

随

想

他的信实和慈爱从古至今都是如此真

2011 年孝亲

宴

(袁慧洁)

(张建发)

实长存!

2011 年 6 月 12 日 上 10 点半以

为这次孝亲

后。。。。。。。。

了。弟兄姐妹花很多精力在联络张汉

“哗!你们中文堂的青少年很 劲,他们

林事工, 厅 订位,传单设计印刷,宣传

宴,而想要邀请张汉林牧师这位知名

跳舞充满动感!“ “张汉林的歌声真好,

售卖票等等。再加上中文堂的青少年

度很高的 福音歌手的意念强烈。虽然

宴奔

努力的人太多

今年的孝亲

宴是神的作为!我们真的 耀!

经历了神的恩典与

中文堂在仓促的时间里决定举办孝亲

叫我听出耳油了。“ “真想不到听老歌 也不错的

也勤奋的排练和一班 忠心的婆婆天天 能成功邀请到的可能性很渺小,我们觉 !“ “超过一半的来宾是还未 在天父的宝座前叩求,摇动上帝的手来 得应该试一试。果然,他排期已满。在

信主的,这可是举办孝亲 遭。“ “你们请的

厅是

宴来的头一 成就他美好的旨意。还有其他的在音 里找的?他

响,摄影,录影,停车场指挥服事的,实在

失望之余,我们只好邀请他作明年的嘉 宾。我心里总觉得张汉林 牧师才是今

起这些爱 神 年的嘉宾。我就暗暗求神行神迹。 几天后, 张汉林牧师的同工给我们

们的菜肴真美味,价钱还很公道哦。“

无法一一诉尽。感谢主

“你们的迎宾员真的好亲切,我还没有

的子民为他效力!

下车,他们就赶来

去。“。。。。。。。。。 这么多的

****************************************** 来好消息。他预定的排期有所更改,有 孝亲 宴当天。。。。。。。 空来了! 哈利路亚! 赞美神! 我特

夸奖和掌声,把我们

“你们会讲中文吗?“ “我们不会。“他们

奋,因为这显明了这是神的意念,他一

腼腆地用英文回答。 他们是谁

直都在动工!

扶我进

车

得心花怒放,毕

竟几个月来的祷告和经营得到多方的

?是

肯定。诚然,最配得到这些褒奖夸耀的 英文堂迎宾团队的队长挑选出来的迎 宾员。 我大力地握住他们的手,由衷 话的是非主耶稣莫属了! 这次的孝亲 宴能 的

成功举办和圆满落幕是上帝

耀和教会弟兄姐妹的努力配合。

地说:“谢谢你们。“ 他们的奉献让我好 感动。 即便不通宵中文,只因为我们

虽然到 5 月底,我们才售出 10 在祷告中感受到

,我们

里在说:“我会从四

面八方 把人带来。果然,神把一切阻 拦的事都

去,当

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中就有

70-80%的来宾是非基 ****************************************** 的中文堂不 迎宾员,他们毅然站出 督徒,神让我们经历了圣徒祷告的能 2011 年 5 月底。。。。。 来,成为迎宾团队的一份子。还好有这 力。赞美那丰富恩典与信实的神!我们 我们还像热锅上的蚂蚁。离 孝亲 群健步如飞的年轻弟兄姐妹帮忙,中文 的来宾有 来自赞美操的(20 位), 宴只有短短的 3 个星期,可是反应 常 堂年纪较大的迎宾员才无 须带着蹒跚 KSKA 社区 (10 位), MyKasih 社区济 冷淡,只 有区区十多 告诉我们有些预订的

的预订,慧洁还 子可能会取消

的。我们没有办法, 惟有天天把这事

的脚步带领来宾到他们的

子。

贫计

(10), 有的甚至是 从外地实刁

我看到一幅美丽的画面,在 SSMC, 以

远和文德甲来的

弗所书 4:16“全身都靠他联络得合

天上为了一个罪人悔改得救而欢喜;当

项向天父祈求,愿更多的人可以借着张 式、百节各按 各职、照着各体的功

!

就有 3 位嘉宾表示要接受主耶稣。

汉林的歌声和信息得到救恩的 恩典。 用、彼此相助、便叫身体渐渐增长、

我们相信 神已在所有的来宾生命里

结果上帝没有让我们的盼望化为泡影, 在爱中建立自己。“得以成 就。

始善工,他必定继续工作。让我们一起

耀

归主! *************************************** 10

来为其他 300 位未 决志宾客的救恩 祷告吧!

Ebenezer, July 2011

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Cyber Wellness

Seminar 14th May 2011

yber Wellness is a holistic term which encompasses not just concerns around online safety and security, but also considers people's psychological and emotional well being, along with range of issues that may affect children and young people in their use of new mobile and internet technologies.

As the youth are spending increasingly more time online, the sessions in this seminar addressed many of the issues that both parents and the digital generation face such as gamingaddiction, cyber-bullying, the dangers of pornography, and personal privacy in everything from Blogs and emails to Facebook and other forms of social media. Another objective of this programme was to bridge the digital divide between parents and their children. It is hoped that parents will then be able to discuss these issues openly and address them accordingly.

The team from Generasi Gemilang who facilitated this seminar is from the digital generation and draws widely from their experiences.

These are the feedback from some of the participants‌ ------------------------------------------------I found the Cyber Wellness Seminar to be very helpful and encouraging, especially for youths our age.

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With the prominent dangers of the online world nowadays, I found the talk to be rather useful. The speaker clearly explained the risks of gaming addiction and social networking. It really opened my eyes to how dangerous something like Facebook can be. All in all, the seminar turned out to be very helpful.

- Wong Ming Yen (18) I enjoyed the talk. He (facilitator Keith) is so funny and interesting. :D Err. Now that I know I "might be watched" through webcams that people can turn on me, it makes me SO conscious about it and electronic devices seems so scary to me. I'll never look at it the same way again. Really, I've been changing in the toilet for the past few days. :P I learned that I have to be aware at all times.

Social networks, websites are "public" so I've always been very careful of the "Post", "Send", "Submit" buttons. I always think twice before clicking those buttons. Erm. I'm not addicted to video games and social networks! :D So yeah.

- Lee Kae Yi (18)

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We find the Cyberwellness Seminar rather enlightening and informative. It has given us a broader outlook concerning cyberworld influence on those who are engaged online.

It is without a doubt, that the cyber world has its pros and cons and now we see it in a different light. We now understand why our son is so addicted to the internet and how we can help him to overcome the addiction and mitigate some of its disadvantages that may befall him.We are sure our son has also learnt some tips from the seminar too.

Thanks to SSMC for taking the effort to organise the seminar which I am certain benefited all those who attended.

- Ivan Chan & Lock Lai Ming (Parents)

The Cyber Wellness Seminar has really been an eye opener for me. There were a few myths that I believed in that got 'busted' during the seminar. It was also good to hear testimonies from friends who were addicted to internet games and how they broke free from the addiction. Now that I am more aware of "There will always be a generational gap the interesting use and challenges of between parents and children because internet to the young people, I am more of advancements in information prepared to help or guide them if they technology. I've learnt from this seminar need help. Thank you SSMC for that it is important to take an interest arranging this seminar. and understand what my kids are doing - Chang Choy Quin (TRAC National Youth Coordinator) e.g. the type of computer games they play although I may not be particularly interested. Relationship with the kids is I found the seminar helpful and nice. I learned about the good and bad stuffs in important. When that trust is built, we can then discuss what is good and what Facebook, what to do and don't while using it. I found out some of the benefits is not. The challenge of being a parent of playing games, such as virtual chess. today is to keep up with the kids I also learned about some signs of because whether we like it or not, gaming addictions, and how to break technology will continue to advance." free from it. I think the seminar had been - Alison Wong (Parent) good for me.

- Daniel Song (13)

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Fix Your Eyes On The Lamb SSMC Easter Musical by Kenneth Lim

ix Your Eyes on the Lamb” was birthed a few months after Easter 2010.

This Easter production was special because so many people took part. It seemed that the whole church came together - as there was participation across all ages, and even spanning SSMC English & Chinese congregations. This is seen in the 12

composition of the cast, crew and codirectors of the Easter Production.

The unsung “heroes” may not be depicted in the pictures on these pages. Nonetheless, they are the faithful servants behind the scene– the Intercessors, Church Staff, parents, kitchen helpers, costume designers, prop makers plus host of many others.

It was such a blessing to see the entire church body working together in this event.

The production was based on Genesis 3:15. The story enfolds the sojourn of Jesus’ mission in God’s Master Plan of Salvation. The crux of the story is to reveal the salvation plan of our loving Abba Father and expose the deeds of the evil one.

Ebenezer, July 2011

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To God Be The Glory

Cloth banners were used to add a sense of grandeur and celebration to the finale of this year's Easter cIt was exhilarating to be part of the overall performance and we praise God for the opportunity to worship Him with these cloth banners. (Phua Su-Kim - Director)

There was an expectation to achieve greater heights than previous productions. The months of preparation were filled with hard work but were equally exciting and enjoyable. Through it, many hidden talents were uncovered and nurtured, and they carry our hope for future productions that will communicate the gospel in different and more creative ways. (Lim Fei Xiang - Director)

Although I played a small role and had never done flags before, I believe God used me to speak and touch the lives of the non-believers watching (Samuel Anthony) It was very eye opening experience to share God’s word (Jasmine Chee)

“Thank God for everything that He had done for me and for placing me in this production. I want to give glory to God by doing this more often and show the world that He is an AWESOME GOD! (Darren Ong - Cast)

Ebenezer, July 2011

“It was a blessed opportunity to work together as one body of Christ. It brought the youths closer together, uniting the younger and older ones. (Egbert Nah) It is good to see how God can use everybody. It’s not about the talent but

how much HEART you give. I saw a lot of HEART! (Christina Yap – Director) The Easter production was a good way for me to get to know many of the younger youths. Their passion and commitment really touched my heart.

(Tabitha Xavier - Cast)

Awesome! World Class Performance! All gave their best to the Lord!

I get to learn how to work with God in good times or bad times.

(Lim Mann Lin - Audience)

(Kevin Chai - AV Crew)

Thank God for having brought us closer to each other and strengthened our bond.

The best thing was seeing the church filled. We hope that we were able to touch many hearts. (Jia Min - Cast)

I felt so bless to be part of the team. I was so happy to see young and “not so young” working together for the glory of God. (Melissa Khoo - Director)

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Looking back at

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hoy There! This three day adventure set sail on the high seas of SSMC, carrying with it the crew members (kids aged 6-12), crew officers and crew leaders (the Children Church leaders) and the Captain (Pastor Kok Moi) onboard the four mighty ships The Mayflower, Victoria, Invincible and Warrior. As the four ships battled it out through a fun-filled and inspiring course, everyone had an awesome time exploring the mighty love of God. The songs and dances, games, dramas, stories, and crafts taught the children to always reflect on the goodness and love of God. The talented bunch at SSMC transformed the entire stage into a ship and the church foyer, into a kingdom of sea animals. It was an unforgettable VBS! See you at VBS 2011! (1st - 3rd Dec) 2011) EBENEZER, JULY 2011

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Children’s Church Ministry (Beyond KSKA...)

It has always been a privilege for our CC to be a blessing to to other churches.

Over 2 recent weekends, we sent out 3 teams to minister to 3 different churches’s Family Camps....

Subang Methodist Church, Family Camp (Children’s Session) Date: 3 – 5 June 2011 Venue: Grand Kampar Hotel, Kampar No. of children attended: 10 Facilitators: Cynde, Eunice & Vanessa Theme: Worship

And I am thankful to have the help of the 2 girls, in partnership to serve the Lord. They were of great support to me.

Taman Ujong Methodist Church – Family Camp (Children’s Session)

Topics: What Is Worship?

Who Should Worship?

Why Should We Worship?

How Should We Worship?

When Should We Worship?

Date: 28th & 29th May 2011 Venue: NUBE Training Centre, Port Dickson No. of children attended: 14 Facilitators: Yein Fei & Renée Choong Theme: One-of-a-kind ME!

We had a great time at the camp – 10 children, ranging from 6 to 11 years of age, enthusiastic to learn and actively participating in the program. We touched on the topic of worship, encouraging the children to adopt the right attitude and heart for worship. We also had time for games and craft. The children made door hangers and coconut leaves trumpets – which turned out to be the highlight for the younger kids in our midst.The kids were well grounded in the word – and most of them were able to memorize (sing out) the Books of the Bible.

And that really warmed my heart!

Topics: Knowing that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator a) Loving and appreciating their families b) Making true friends and being a true friend to others c) Knowing and accepting the love of Jesus for each of them d) Sharing the Good News to others

Ebenezer, July 2011

Christ Methodist Church, Ampang Family Camp (Children's Session) Date & Venue: June 3-6, 2011 in Morib No. of children: 20 Facilitators: Karen Chai, Su Yin and Hannah Boey The children were taught, through object and Bible lessons and dramatised teaching, God's calling for all to be "fishers of men".

The team shared practical tools on how to share God's salvation with the wordless bracelet and the John 3:16 diagram.

Fun games and craft offered opportunity for the children to dispense their energy, exercise their creativity and reinforce the lessons they had learned. As the youngest team member from SSMC's Youth, Hannah provided the much needed energy for carrying out the games.

Apart from running the program the team was privileged to exchange teaching ideas with the Sunday School teachers from Christ Methodist Church. The value of SSMC's efforts in training up the youth to serve in the children's church was impressed upon this church in the challenge to run their Sunday School effectively with limited number of teachers. Karen and Su Yin felt blessed to have had the opportunity to extend their service for God beyond the boundaries of SSMC's Children's ministry.

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Wise Man and Foolish Man

On a Sunday morning in Children’s Church, the children were told about the composer of the lyrics for the hymn, 'On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.' The man was Edward Mote, who had grown up in less than desirable surroundings but later gave his life to Jesus and preached the Word.

The inspiration for the lyrics was from Jesus' parable, The Wise and Foolish Builders.

The children were asked to draw their version of this parable. These are some of their interpretations.....

Ebenezer, July 2011

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Kur$u$ Kewangan

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Volunteers’ Feedback ‘I am very encouraged by their

willingness to learn even though some of them cannot read and write. I’m also learning from the course and from the participants.’ (Warren) ‘I have enjoyed visitations during the festive seasons and this is great opportunity to extend our friendship by getting to know the folks and offer some practical help.’ (Suyan) ‘There is a sense of genuine appreciation expressed by some of the folks. I also marvel at the spontaneity of teamwork among those who show up.’

From KSKA to Sabah (and beyond ?) urning into Jalan Cempaka on your way to church, you are careful to avoid the potholes and speed bumps or maybe your mind is still preoccupied with your own problems, concerns, pressing issues.

Maybe you are rushing as your are late or you don’t want to see too much of the view of the dilapidated surroundings and the motley inhabitants.

Or perhaps you thank God for placing SSMC in KSKA and you continually ask Him how you personally or we as a Church, can be a greater blessing to this community.

Indeed it is by God’s grace, that Pusat Penyayang KSKA (PPKSKA) has answered the call to be the light and salt of this community and surroundings - to touch the lives of many individuals and families through our numerous community activities.

Since the beginning of 2010, God has opened another door for service in KSKA. PPKSKA was invited to work with a nonprofit organisation that helps the lower income group by providing aid for cashless shopping of basic food products, counseling, financial literacy and incomegenerating skill training programmes.

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discourages indebtedness, bad social habits like drinking and drug abuse , etc.

It promotes a healthy family lifestyle through discussion about family finances, and even invites their family members e.g. their youths to participate in character building activities.

While Level 1 helps them to maximize the wise use of their current income, Level 2, which is another 10 lessons, focuses on Economic Progress. This explores ways they can enhance opportunities of generating a higher income.

As many of the participants are constrained by long/odd working hours, we conduct our KK on Sunday nights, and each batch only needs to attend once a month. We already have one batch on every 3rd Sunday of the month, with at least 2 other batches in queue. The 2nd batch will be starting Level 1 every 1st Sunday from July. It won’t be long before the KK will be on every Sunday night!

We praise God that He is using KK as a bridge in connecting with the residents of this community on a more personal basis.

Through KK, batches of 50 are coming once a month, to hear us share on a godly lifestyle and financial principles which will bless their daily lives.

We assisted in conducting surveys to identify deserving families, regardless of race or religion. Each batch comprises 50 families and the recipients of the cashless food purchase are required to attend a Financial Literacy Programme. (Kursus Kewangan or KK).

Beyond teaching, we have countless opportunities to demonstrate God’s love for them and their families through our lives and personal interactions. KK has also opened up communication channels and dialogues with the community leaders, and foster invaluable relationships with all levels of this community.

We thank God for our partner, Malaysian Care in providing the training modules.

Level 1 comprises 10 lessons, objective of which is to establish family Economic Stability by sharing with them the basic principles of financial planning. It emphasizes budgeting and savings while

KK has been made easy so that anyone can learn to conduct or facilitate it.

Templates and notes are available for any team to use in different locations and even in cross cultural situations with some adaptation to the economic activities of that particular region.

‘We need to address the issues and concerns of the community and whatever small contributions we make will bring about big changes in the lives of the community in time to come.’ ‘ I don’t think helpers need financial planning knowledge because we are doing what many of us already know.

Moreover, there are other areas which we can contribute like refreshments and housekeeping.

You can do it too!

With God’s help, you can be a blessing to our community, and put into action Psalms 72:12-13 ‘For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. ‘

“KK” in Sabah A short Kursus Kewangan (KK) session was conducted in Sabah by the last mission team there in May 2011.

It was quite a challenge to condense the fundamentals into 2 hours and to customise the contents to make it relevant to farmers and rubber tappers.

Notwithstanding, we praise God that the attendees found it very beneficial and requested for another follow up workshop. One of their church leaders even commented that they could use the understanding in the management of their church funds. This shows that KK can be easily adapted for different audiences and context, and that YOU can be involved!

We thank God that Yit Har, who has been a helper in our local KK, has consented to lead the session when she goes in the next mission trip to Sabah.

EBENEZER, JULY 2011

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Discipleship Group "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching".

(Hebrews 10:24-25) KOTA KEMUNING Discipleship Group

by Bayen & Roslyn Lok

ota Kemuning DG was started with only a few members initially. By the grace of God, it quickly multiplied to the present 8 families - They are Eric & Mayble Tan, Alan & Sarah Loo, Timothy and Jane, Tommy and Shuh Ling, Edmund and Aki, John and Janice, Roslyn and myself, and Daisy who recently joined us. Yoke Lin and Alfred together with David Mun had decided to move on recently, to other DG. In total we have 15 adults and 13 children.

With 8 families in the DG, we often apply our study to a family setting rather than church setting which is really very effective and relevant.

We meet in different homes around Kota Kemuning each week. Bayen normally leads the Word discussion and is assisted by Alan and John. The host of the house where we meet will normally lead worship, assisted by Krystal. The children worship together with the adults before breaking off upstairs for their own sessions led by Krystal, Ann Lee and Ann Ting.

Since Daisy and her children joined us, we have gone trilingual in our worship and sharing. It is exciting to worship in a “language rojak” of English, Mandarin and Bahasa songs. God has help us celebrate and appreciate our language differences as the sharing sessions turned out lively and and enlightening. We are learning so much from each other with views from the English, Chinese and Bahasa/Indonesian congregations. We praise God for the unity and love for each other in this DG. We enjoy each other’s company and do many things together. We even started the Ladies' Group where all the wives will meet outside or in their homes to have a meal and to fellowship. The men too will meet once a while for supper and fellowship. It is very good to see that we consciously make time for one another.

Ebenezer, July 2011

Dinner-Eric & Mayble’s home We get together very often, visiting and going out together to support one another.

Recently on 28.05.2011, 15 of us drove all the way to Sitiawan to celebrate Alan’s mother’s 80th birthday. Of course, our motivation was not just for the good Hokchiew food but also to bear testimony of our unity, joy and love as people of God. One of the memorable incidents was during dinner, when Krystal went on stage to sing an English song, taking everyone by surprise. We were a little anxious at first, but she performed so well that she received resounding applause and adulation.

Encouraged by this, Edmund and his reporter wife, Aki, sang two Chinese songs to the rapturous delight of the other guests.

The trip was pleasant and filled with much laughter. We were also given a tour of Sitiawan and we also got to savor the best food at a really cheap price.

As a DG with members from different language congregations, we are closely knitted like a huge family. We share with each other very transparently and invest our lives in one another.

We believe that God has placed this DG in Kota Kemuning for a reason, to touch lives and to change lives more so as to expand His kingdom and to transform lives. Praise the Lord!

Dinner in Sitiawa

n-good Hokchiew

food

If you are not part of any Discipleship Group, we invite you be part of one of the many DGs that meet throughout the week in different homes. It is at these Discipleship Groups, that members engage with each other at a more personal and intimate level, helping one another deepen their understanding of God's Word and seeking to "stir up one another" in living out their Christian discipleship. Indeed, the DGs represent the "basic building blocks" of the Church as much of the ministry and faith goals of the church are worked out and fulfilled at this level The DG traces its spiritual heritage to the early Methodist movement. John Wesley used a form of small group structure which he called Class Meetings even as he formed his Methodist societies into a national movement, first in England and spreading to the U.S. in the 18th Century.

Jesus adopted the small group model in His own ministry on earth. To reach the world, He concentrated on discipling a few ordinary men, not necessarily gifted but certainly willing and committed. Devoting Himself to them, He build into them a depth of maturity and conviction so that they would be able to carry on the task after He physically left the earth.

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'*<*,#)%05#/(#23**,)155"#6,**/#&*#/3*#&(&*'/#3*#.**.#&*4#A*#+(15-#%5+%".#3*58#&*#/(# 6.#0'/(#/3*#/%@04#93*'#$#*'/*,*-#30.#25*%'#%'-#'*%/#2%,7#3*#+(15-#8(50/*5"#%.:7#͞A%<*# "(1,#8%..8(,/C#?ƌĞ ǁĞ ƌĞĂĚLJ ƚŽ ŐŽ͍͟#A*#%5+%".#(8*'*-#/3*#-((,#)(,#&*#/(#.0/#%/#/3*# =1/#$#50:*#/(#.0/#%/#/3*#),('/#+0/3#=,(/3*,#>#!*2%1.*#$#50:*#/(#/%5:#/(#30&#%'-#/,"#/(#2%/23# *#.**.#&*4#A*#+(15-#%5+%".#3*58#&*#/(# .#8(50/*7#23**,)157#/3%':)15#%'-#8,%0.*#.80,0/4##$#*'D("*-#2('<*,.0'6#+0/3#=,(/3*,#>4#A*# '*%/#2%,7#3*#+(15-#8(50/*5"#%.:7#͞A%<*# oleh John Lee #/3%':)15#()#+3%/#3*#3%-#*<*'#/3(163#3*#'*<*,#3%-#&123#%'-#3*#%5+%".#/3%':*-#&*# .#(8*'*-#/3*#-((,#)(,#&*#/(#.0/#%/#/3*# 6#30.#.*,<02*.4## 29 April – 3 Mei 2011

by Earn Ten 1.*#$#50:*#/(#/%5:#/(#30&#%'-#/,"#/(#2%/23# Ahli Misi : JOHN LEE, MAJAIL BIN *-#/(#50./*'#/(#30.#*@8*,0*'2*#0'#-,0<0'6#/3*#/%@04#A*#8,(<0-*-#.*,<02*.#/(#&%'"#()#(1,# EBON, SEOW SWEE TIEN, LIM LAY *'D("*-#2('<*,.0'6#+0/3#=,(/3*,#>4#A*# I am a man of few words and I do not write &!*,.#%'-#(/3*,.7#)*,,"0'6#.(&*#/(#3(.80/%57#.(&*#)(,#(1/./%/0('#+(,:7#&%'"#/(#/3*# HWA (Trish), TAN LYE CHONG (David) ,#3%-#&123#%'-#3*#%5+%".#/3%':*-#&*# much. I had always struggled to contribute LISA MAJINAN, HELLEYANA MAJUBIN, 3*,#)(,#&0..0('#/,08.7#5*0.1,*#(,#+(,:7#%'-#%#)*+#(22%.0('.#/(#%#-1,0%'#(,23%,-#/(#802:# an article but for this brother of mine, I had NASDA BINTI PATIN, KELLYLIANAH *#/((:#8,0-*#0'#30.#+(,:4#E3(.*#+3(#3%-#1.*-#=,(/3*,#>͛Ɛ#.*,<02*.7#+055#%5+%".#1.*#30&# decided to submit this piece of writing. When BINTI MAJAUN, YENNEY SANGGUYUN, (#:'*+#&%'"#+3(#3%-#%//*&8/*-#/(#30,*#30&#%.#/3*0,#8*,.('%5#(,#)%&05"#-,0<*,# I heard about his passing away last night, it ROZILA SIGOH, Ps WONG TEK SENG 04#A*#8,(<0-*-#.*,<02*.#/(#&%'"#()#(1,# *"#+%'/*-#%#,*50%!5*7#2(&&0//*-#%'-#%#)%0/3)15#-,0<*,4# (AOG Sg Buloh). came as shocking and sudden news to me.

A Tribute to Brother

Misi ke

Due to sensitivity I shall called him Brother (&*#)(,#(1/./%/0('#+(,:7#&%'"#/(#/3*# %&*#),(&#%#-0))0215/#!%2:6,(1'-4#=1/#+3*'#F*.1.# Z. Many of who reading this article know #(22%.0('.#/(#%#-1,0%'#(,23%,-#/(#802:# who I am referring to. *#0'/(#30.#50)*7#3*#+%.#23%'6*-#%'-#/,%'.)(,&*-4# ,(/3*,#>͛Ɛ#.*,<02*.7#+055#%5+%".#1.*#30&# ./055#3%-#30.#./,1665*.7#=,(/3*,#>#3%.#/%163/#&*# Brother Z had been driving a taxi for a while. %.#/3*0,#8*,.('%5#(,#)%&05"#-,0<*,# /#50)*4#A*#.3(+*-#&*#+3%/#/*00%(0)1(#0.4#A*# I had been using his services for going to the #/(#!*2(&*#/3*#&(./#,*50%!5*#%'-#)%0/3)15#/%@0# #-,0<*,4# airport. He was the most reliable taxi driver I

./#3%-#2%55*-#30&#/(#!*4#A*#3%-#%5.(#&%-*#%#8(0'/# have ever hired. He was always earlier than #231,23#*<*,"#H1'-%"#/(#+(,.308#*<*'#/3(163#3*# the appointed time, waiting quietly and .1.# 3%/#)*+#3(1,.#/(#*%,'#.(&*#&('*"4#A*#3%.# -4# patiently outside my house. It could be early in the morning before dawn or any other *#+3%/#/*1()1(0)1(#0.4#A*#3%-#!**'#%5+%".# time of the day. When I had an appointment '-#2('/*'-*-#+0/3#+3%/#+%.#60<*'#/(#30&#!"#I(-4# with Brother Z, I knew he would be there # &('./,%/*-#/3*#2*3"*4"(,)"5*$67#%5+%".#6,**/0'6# waiting for me. .0'6#/3*#J(,-4#$#2(15-#%5+%".#)**5#/3*#6*'10'*7#%1/3*'/02#%'-#-(+'#/(#*%,/3#D(")15# Brother Z came from a difficult background. #!,(/3*,#>#+%.#+0/3#&*4# 0'/# He would never fail to cheerfully greet me

But when Jesus Christ came into his life, he the moment he saw me. He would always was changed and transformed. Though he "(17#=,(/3*,#>7#6((-#%'-#)%0/3)15#.*,<%'/#()#G3,0./4#K(1#3%-#!**'#)%0/3)15#)(,#/3*#50//5*# help me load my bags into the taxi. When I still had his struggles, Brother Z has taught #G3,0./#3%-#*'/,1./*-#/(#"(14#K(1#+055#!*#,*+%,-*-#&123#0'#A*%<*'4# entered his clean and neat car, he would me much about life. He showed me what politely ask, “Have you taken your passport? commitment is. He committed to become the (-4# Are we ready to go?” He always opened the most reliable and faithful taxi driver Christ door for me to sit at the back seat. But I liked 6# to sit in front with Brother Z because I liked had called him to be. He had also made a point to come to church every Sunday to talking with him and catching some of his %1/3*'/02#%'-#-(+'#/(#*%,/3#D(")15# worship even though he could use those few polite, cheerful, thankful and praise-giving hours to earn some money. He had taught spirit. I enjoyed conversing with Brother Z. me what contentment is. He had been He was always thankful of what he had even always thankful and contended with what ,0./4#K(1#3%-#!**'#)%0/3)15#)(,#/3*#50//5*# though he never had much and he always was given to him by God. He had thanked me for choosing his services.

-*-#&123#0'#A*%<*'4# demonstrated the joy of the Lord, always

3*#

I always liked to listen to his experience in driving the taxi. He provided services to many of our church members and others, ferrying some to hospital, some for outstation work, many to the airport either for mission trips, leisure or work, and a few occasions to a durian orchard to pick durians. He took pride in his work. Those who had used Brother Zʼs services, would always use him again. I also knew many who had attempted to hire him as their personal or family driver because they wanted a reliable, committed and a faithful driver.

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greeting me by praising the Lord. I could always feel the genuine, authentic and down to earth joyful spirit when brother Z was with me.

I will miss you, Brother Z, good and faithful servant of Christ. You had been faithful for the little things that Christ had entrusted to you. You will be rewarded much in Heaven

erikut adalah petikan perkongsian singkat ahli misi yang kebanyakkan dari mereka adalah kali pertamanya mereka menyertai rombongan misi: ”Ini adalah pengalaman misi yang pertama bagi saya. Dari sini, ia telah mengerakan hati saya untuk mahukan diri dipakai oleh Tuhan. Syukur kepada Tuhan kerana dapat lihat bagaimana untuk melayan doa untuk keluarga yang telah dilawati dan individu.” – Lisa Majinan ”Saya berasa amat bersyukur kerana dapat melibat diri sebagai seorang kristian melayani Tuhan. Saya rasa cinta akan Tuhan semasa bekerja di ladang Tuhan.” – Yenney Sangguyun ”Sebagai kali pertama ke misi, saya pada mulanya ada ragu- ragu samada bolehkah kami menyediakan suatu seminar kesihatan – namun seimbas kembali, saya rasa terlepas dari keraguan semasa kami ada di Sabah.” – Helleyana Perkongsian tentang keberatan yang ada di hati bagi mereka di Tandik dan Pitas:”Seperti juga apa yang telah dikongsikan tadi, cuma saya keberatan mengingati abang saya yang telah pergi ke Semenanjung – saya tidak tahu bagaimana selamatkan abang balik, sila doa agar Tuhan bagi petunjuk.” – Nasda ”Saya nampak adanya keperluan pertolongan di Pitas untuk meningkatkan lagi kualiti hidup dengan pengurusan kewangan yang lebih baik. Iman saya telah diperkuatkan semasa ada di Kg Kibubuk – terutama pada masa saya berinteraksi dengan perkerja di sana. Kita harus terus mendirikan jaringan dengan mereka (pekerja tempatan yang telah pergi atau sedang pergi ke Semenanjung untuk bekerja), mengenal siapakah mereka dan membawa mereka kembali keTuhan. Ini adalah kerana ada ramai diantara mereka ini yang telah berhenti pergi ke gereja.” – David Tan (besambung di mukasurat 21)

Ebenezer, July 2011

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Misi ke Sabah (bersamsung dari mukasurat 20)

”Sehubung dengan keberatan hati David, saya dengan amnya telah dapat tahu bahawa dari 100 yang meningalkan kampung halaman, hanya 10 yang masih beriman manakala 90 yang hidupnya telah jauh dari keimanan asal mereka. Namun, apakah cara yang paling berkesan untuk mengelak hakikat ini? Mereka perlu diperkukuhkan dari segi keimanan dalam Tuhan sejak mereka muda lagi.

Kemunkinan kepentingan harus di beri kepada golongan muda / murid sekolah.” – Trish Tan ”Lawatan ke rumah orang-orang yang sakit telah memberikan saya suatu rasa kerinduan untuk melayani bangsa sendiri di Tandik. Sering kali gereja di kampung pedalaman yang dilawati oleh rombongan dan pengetua, tetapi mereka ini telah terlepas dari melawat rumah orang- orang di persekitaran Talantang1. SSMC telah melawat ladang-ladang Tandik & Kibubuk yang sebelum ini belum ada kerja-kerja seperti ini. Saya percaya rombongan ini bukan yang terakhir dan kami harus terus menjangkau jiwa-jiwa di Tandik.”- Majail ”Saya lihat di Kg Kibubuk & Talantang terdesak memerlukan sumber bahan bacaan Bahasa Malaysia buat untuk pelayanan kanak-kanak. Pelananan ini haruslah dijalankan dengan sistematik untuk mewujudkan suatu sukatan pelajaran kanak-kanak yang tetratur bagi membina dasar iman sejak mereka muda lagi.”

– Swee Tian Perkongsian ini telah digubal dan dilaporkan oleh John Lee selaku ketua rombongan.

Ebenezer, July 2011

by Kathy Chang

Why Lord? ..............Why??

A man so much after your own heartbeat A spirit so tormented for lost souls I hear it in his voice As he sound the trumpet call Anguish racking his heart As he looked at the present world “So-called Christians” each immersed In their own world of “doctrines” But where is the agonizing?

The searing pain of not knowing That loved ones are lost...

In the mire of the rat race.

O Lord your time is near!

So much evidence staring in our face Yet the urgency is not there!

Truly, it will be like in the days of Noah Each doing his own thing Immersed in self Not willing to look up and face reality Forbid it Lord, that I should be so!

I need to feel your agonizing pain For those who are blinded, lost and deceived.

Else I’m like a piece of dead wood, Useful to none.

David’s death, horrible though it be Had lived a life of passion And died with a statement...

Fiery to the end with a loud impact!

How can I not listen...

To the voice of passion ???

Awaken my soul O Lord To answer your call...

“Love your neighbour as yourself”

Prayer: Grant me a glimpse of your agony In the garden of Gethsemane With bloody sweat on your brow As you agonize over a depraved world That your Kingdom be established On earth as it is in heaven A seed died, And life spring forth.

That’s our prayer Lord........

That David’s death Be not in vain.

Amen!

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David Ray Wilkerson was an American Christian evangelist, best known for his book “The Cross and the Switchblade”. He was the founder of the addiction recovery program called Teen Challenge, and founding pastor of the non-denominational Times Square Church in New York.

Wilkerson's widely distributed sermons, such as "A Call to Anguish," are known for being direct and frank. He emphasized such Christian beliefs as God's holiness and righteousness, God's love toward humans and especially Christian views of Jesus. Wilkerson tried to avoid categorizing Christians into distinct groups according to the denomination to which they belong.

Wilkerson was killed in a car crash in Texas on April 27, 2011 21

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Look out for the early bird registration in October 2011

@ MBS Kundang

READ FEEDBACK ABOUT 1ST HAND EXPERIENCES FOR SSMC 2010 YOUTH CAMP Youth camp this year was awesome!

Nice to see the youths (and even the uncles and aunties) jumping and praising God during worship. The food was just scrumptious, plus the bathrooms turned out to be quite nice to use. Kudos to the Petra DG and Youth leaders for running the camp smoothly.

- Ashton Liew, 16 I thank God for calling me to join this youth camp and not forgetting the busy committee that made their effort to plan it. They inspired me a lot as a Christian.

I've learnt a lot: made new commitments, gained new knowledge & experience and not forgetting all the amazing friends I've made in camp. The praise and worship was wonderful, food prepared was delicious and leaned from all of Uncle Jason's teaching. After joining camp, I felt different. I was invited to youth, and I felt awesome. I'm happy to say that I've never regretted joining camp and I will certainly come back next year. - Tan Jia Min, 15 "The things I was worried about when I saw the word 'camp' were the rooms, toilets, food and games. I was glad that everything turned out better than I expected. And I was also very happy when I got to meet a lot of new friends and got to know God better." - Mindy Tan, 16

"What happened during Youth Camp 2010 was the beginning of something new for our Youth. Something was born during the camp. A true willingness and hunger to know the Lord. At the same time, new friendships blossomed and old friendships strengthened :) Also, the baton that the previous generation carried was successfully passed down to the younger generation. It was and is the beginning of something new :D 2010 Youth Camp was a camp where the food was good, where worship was powerful, and where God was present."

- Josiah Liew, 16 I brought a friend to Youth Camp this year. I, as his only friend at that time before he met anyone in Camp, was worried whether he would fit in or would think Camp was boring. To my surprise, my friend, like all the other youths had a super fun time during Camp.

And guess what? He made many new friends and he had a wonderful time too! Camp to me was really great and the food was absolutely delicious (out of this world!). Thanks to the Petra DG and Youth leaders for organizing such an enjoyable and memorable camp. -Wei Sheng, 13+ 2010 youth camp was such an amazing experience!!! It was great to see so many youths plus adults praising God. The message shared by Uncle Jason was really inspiring and touching. The food served there WAS THE BEST

15-19 December

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EVER FOOD IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!! The chalet I was in turned out to be quite high up so we all got a lot of exercise after each meal!!! I hope that this year's youth camp will be at the same place!!!!

-Bryan Phoon, 14 For me, the first time Oon Yow announced the place, I was shocked and happy cause I actually went there for my DUCF(Damansara Utama Christian Fellowship) camp and I could feel the joy in me cause I can re-live an old memory and start a new one. My chalet (dorm 10) is....THE MOST AWESOMAZING DORM EVER!!!! ermm the food was sooooooooo out of this world, and the message from Uncle Jason actually touched my heart like going for surgery, making sure that Jesus pumps in agape love blood into my heart and on the last night I was crying so hard alongside my friend Joy until my eyes got bengkak and fyi, we are not best friends.. but it felt like God wanted to use our friendship. On that night I was really wondering what can our friendship do? Like what's the plan?

But when my awesomest ever DG, Levi (Form 2) had a sunday brunch sale, it was like a sign from God saying "this is only the beginning :) " So yeah youth camp was amplifying and impacting oh and jumping to worship God is super duper plooper fun. I really thank God for this experience of youth camp.

Jasmine Chee, 14

SSMC Youth Camp 2011: New, Different and Longer!

WHO? ! All youth, 12yrs to collegers WHEN?! 15-19 December 2011(5 days,4 nights) WHERE? !

MBS Kundang

Email us @ ssmcyouthcamp11@gmail.com

Ebenezer, July 2011

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Kaleidoscope A montage of pictures from Youth Sunday on 19th June 2011 - read the full report , testimonies and more pictures in the next issue of Ebenezer.

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SSMC Family Camp 2011 Theme: John 7:38 (NKJV) “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” @ www.ssmc.com.my

Camp Speaker : Dr Thomas Chung Children Session : Ps Jonathan Yeoh Chinese Session : Ps Liew Weng Kwan Ebenezer, July 2011

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Ebenezer, July 2011