ASIAN PACIFIC ECUMENICAL NEWA (APEN)

25 April 2010
Church feels discriminated, but has a message
KUALA LUMPUR (APEN) – Worship in local churches by the participants during general assemblies was always an important part in the life of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).

The just concluded 13th general assembly of the CCA, which gathered here some 300 church representatives, observers and fraternal delegates from different parts of Asia and outside, was no different.

The local host, the Council of Churches in Malaysia, facilitated the assembly participants to worship at the local churches in and around the Malaysian capital city on Sunday 18 April.

When the majority of the participants attended different mainline churches for worship, a group of six attended the Good Samaritan Metropolitan Community Church (GSMCC), which does not belong to any mainline or “wider church.”

The sermon by the pastor on that Sunday afternoon service was on the familiar biblical theme, “Love thy neighbor.”

“We have our own individuality,” said a church member, and added that we have been moved by the “power of love and the love of Jesus.”

Music has been important part of the worship, which encourages people with musical talents to join the worship every Sunday.

Besides the Sunday worship, the church also has thrice-a-week group meetings to discuss and reflect on issues concerning them.

Personal counseling has also been an important function of the church, the pastor told the group from the CCA assembly, which concluded on 21 April.

When the opening hymn “Amazing grace” was being sung, the small worshipping place became full with more than 30 people in the congregation.

The GSMCC is small church, which was started in 2008, to provide spiritual and moral support to people with a different sexual orientation.

It was started for a diverse community of Christians, including the “gay community.”

According to the GSMCC, “We are a Christian church that affirmed the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed.”

The church is an extension of Metropolitan Community Church New York and seeks to
enlarge its membership through the internet.

Facebook and Twitter are used to promote the work of the church.

“The discrimination we face due to our sexual orientation makes us feel excluded and rejected,” the pastor said during a conversation.

He wants the mainline churches to “hear our story.”

The GSMCC leaders told the visiting members that a good amount of support came from heterosexuals.

The church membership is open to “absolutely everyone regardless of your gender, race, denomination, religion, sexual orientation, cultural background…”

“You have a message, which you have to share with the wider churches,” senior pastor from Australia told the congregation after the worship.

Reverend Yap Kim Hao, the well known Asian ecumenical leader has been a staunch supporter of this community.

He has been reminding them about the importance of their ministry.

Yap Kim Hao, the first Methodist bishop in Singapore and a former general secretary of the CCA, has been actively involved in the ministry of the gay community in Singapore for the last few years.

He serves as the pastoral advisor of the Free Community Church whose vision is to be “an inclusive community that celebrates diversity in living our God’s love and promises of abundant love for all.”

The circle of God’s love is wider and the wider church must share the love of God with communities like GSMCC, the Australian pastor told the congregation.

The CCA assembly participants who attended the worship were from Australia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Pakistan and India.

Email GSFMY2008@gmail.com for more information.