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SEEKING OPEN DOORS to UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS

Heng Cho Hiong, Chairperson of TRAC Board of Missions and Chairperson of Paya Lebar Methodist Church Missions Committee. He likes hiking in overseas mountains but biking in Singapore’s PCN (Park Connector Network).

In 2005, my family joined our cell group’s first mission trip to a mountainous province. On the first day, we were brought on tour to an ethnic village in the city. We learnt that there were over 25 ethnic minority groups in this mountainous province – each with a distinct language, ethnic clothing, dancing style, and traditional practices. Although it was a tourist attraction, it was my first exposure to minority people groups in this province. A few days later, we visited a minority village living in the mountains, interacting with an ethnic group who still lived in mud houses. We were ushered into the sanctuary of their concrete church in the middle of the village. As the choir (who were mostly farmers) sang their first lines, our jaws dropped as we listened in astonishment to their rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus! They all carried vocals from their diaphragms and their voices could reach the other side of the mountain! We found out later that 80% of the villagers were already believers. Their ancestors were an Unreached People Group (UPG), but they were now 3rd generation Christians. They were the fruit of missionary efforts to this mountain village in the distant past.

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Five years ago, I was part of a mission exploratory trip to another mountain location in this nation’s western border. While the kids here spoke the main language of the nation, they certainly did not look nor live like those you would associate as a citizen of this nation. They were modern day UPGs, even though this nation as a whole is considered “reached” based on the Joshua Project (https://joshuaproject.net). As such, missional effort is still required to bring the gospel message to these UPGs in their language and present the message in a context that they can relate to.

As I took on my new role in the Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) Board of Missions (BOMS), I sensed that one area BOMS could help in its partnership and support of the missions ministries of TRAC churches, is by providing a People Group focus. A quick poll at a recent BOMS event for TRAC Missions Chairs revealed that most TRAC churches currently do not have a focus on people groups but on geographical locations. Learning and picking up the language and culture of UPGs for direct engagements take a long time and involves one immersing fully into their communities.

If a people group engagement approach is what the Lord wants us to focus on for this season, He will surely open doors for us.

It would be more feasible for full-time field workers to do direct engagements with the UPGs. As for shortterm mission trippers or church congregation, they could come together with one another and the field workers to research the religion, worldview, cultural and community practices of UPGs, then develop supporting resources and content that can aid field engagements with the UPGs. Leveraging technologies, the usage of these content and resources can be scaled to reach UPGs in different countries and locations. These were some of the thoughts that came to mind after a recent coffee chat with the national director of a missions agency. I believe that if a people group engagement approach is what the Lord wants us to focus on for this season, He will surely open doors for us.

TRAC BOMS UPG INTEREST SURVEY

If you have suggestions or interest in working on UPG initiatives with TRAC BOMS, please provide your feedback and contacts via the UPG Survey (https://forms.gle/PEkgSeZdTYjftmej9) or scan the QR code.

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