BWANEWS INBRIEF
BWANEWS INBRIEF
Malaysia Baptist Men’s Conference in Kuala Lumpur
The BWA Men’s Department, association with the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF), held its 6th
Men’s Conference on July 1-2, 2011, after some two decades. The last was held in Seoul, South Korea, in 1990. BWA President John Upton and host pastor, John Kok, brought greetings and encouragement on the fi rst day, which set the tone for an inspiring conference. Under the theme “Shining for Jesus,”
drawn from Philippians 2:15-16, the focus was on training and motivating men to be better disciples and fathers. President Owen Crooks told the gath-
ering that the BWA Men’s Department is charting a course that is inclusive and relevant in today’s world, providing lead- ership, support and encouragement. The aim is to enable men to demonstrate vision in carrying out the mission irrespective of country, custom or culture. Crooks stated that to truly advance
the mission of reaching others for Christ, there must be unity of purpose and tolerance of differences. He called for ongoing re-examination and redefi ning of purpose in structuring programs to shape the lives of men into the likeness of Christ. There is need, he explained, to question where the BWA men’s movement has fallen short in responding to changes, the implications of not responding, and how this impacts the faith, commitment and perception of men. Tan Beng Teong gave a presentation
on “Integrity in the Workplace.” He stated that integrity is a test of the heart, and “wrong is still wrong even if everyone is doing it and right is still right
even when no one does it.” Drawing from Psalm 15, he summed up with a quote from John Maxwell, “There is no such thing as business ethics, just ethics.” Main presenter, Wayne Shuffi eld,
director of Mission/Evangelism for Texas Baptists in the United States, conducted the evangelism workshop, “Operation Multiplication.” Through examples and Bible references, Shuffi eld demonstrated steps to grow and mentor new disciples to maturity through the principles of spiritual multiplication. The fi nal session on “Leadership
in the Home” was conducted by Keviyiekielie Linyii of the Angami Baptist Church Council in Nagaland, India, who gave an insightful and thought-provoking challenge, using his own experience in providing lead- ership in his home.
Malaysia Silo Project
By Kabi Gangmei I had the privilege of visiting Sabah,
the eastern-most state of Malaysia, and accompanying a two-member team of Texas Baptists to meet with participants in the Silo Project supported by Baptist World Aid (BWAid). The Silo Project was initiated to help
the Dusun farmers at Tagaroh to store their grain safely and avoid middlemen in re- purchase of rice and paddy seed. BWAid took up the project on the recommendation of Asia Pacifi c Baptist Aid (APBAid), and a total of US$18,900 was granted to Strait Baptist Church, Maleka, to partner with the local Dusun Word of Life Church, Kota Marudu. We observed that 85 percent of the
project plan was completed and the storage system awaited power connection by the local authority. Talking to the pastor of the Word of Life Church, Peter Sugara, we noticed all round cooperation and involvement of the community, and they waited enthusiastically for the harvest so they would start to use the storage system. They showed a new sense of unity through the project and would like to start a kindergarten school once the project is completed. A total of 29 households with 179
family members will benefi t from this project. Capacity of 35 metric tons from the three silos will provide safe dry storage of paddy products from 20 acres of land. It is anticipated that half of their products will be sold and the other half will be stored as reserve for consumption and seed. Kabi Gangmei is director of Asia Pacifi c
Baptist Aid.
Silos under construction
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