45th SCAC
The newly elected lay leader of the annual conference, Hii Ru Wei, mentioned in his speech at the closing ceremony of the 45th annual conference that this time the annual conference was very different. The delegates went on Zoom in hubs in each city, or in their own homes. Ru Wei quipped that he was still dressed neatly with a tie, and he was not wearing pyjama pants.
This was a historic cloud conference, held under the new normal and with new ways of doing things. But it did not affect President Tie King Tai in presiding over the annual conference for the last time and interacting with the delegates. During the voting by mobile phones, the delegates successfully elected the new leadership for the annual conference. The conference accepted reports from each board, conducted mobile phone elections, and participated in the retirement service, commissioning service, and so on. Everyone had a new experience – joining the conference on the Internet.
The pandemic has affected the world and gatherings were suspended for more than four months, resulting in a significant drop in the number of physical worshippers. The general activities of the church are inherently limited, and it takes time for the church to resume normal operations. However, just as the outgoing Bishop Ong Hwai Teik mentioned in the opening sermon, only God does not change in uncertain times. Rev Su Chii Ann, retiring but still working, also mentioned in his testimony: We need a “spirit of power, love, and self-discipline” given by God. (2 Tim 1:7)
Each retirement or memorial service reminds us that God accomplishes his work through different people. However, as Rev Su said: “The heart is Methodist and the world is in mind”, which shows that the work of the gospel and the love of God will never cease and will be passed on from generation to generation.
Words like this appear in the Bible many times: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) They show that through people who lived in the past (was), present (is), and the future (will be), faith is extended and passed on.
The Methodist Episcopal Church was introduced from Fuzhou in 1901 and has taken root for 120 years. Under the structure of the Malaysian Methodist Church, the Sarawak Annual Conference was established in 1959, became a self-governing church in 1969, and the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference was formally established in 1976. The annual conference is held every year, this year being the 45th session. The annual conference is a reflection on “meditating on the past, living in the present, and moving towards the future”.
Ken-Pa Chin once said: God participates in history, that is, the divine participation through the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus, despite his same position as God, broke into our time and space. He loves this land deeply, accepts this land, and participates in this land. God is especially a historical God. He leads the way of history, and his participation provides meaning in history.
Except for the Japanese invasion in World War II, the greatest challenge faced by the church is this global pandemic in 2020. However, as God led the people of Israel through the wilderness and into abundance of life, in the same way today, those who follow him also experience guidance. God adds to us His spiritual power, energy, physical strength, mental strength and willpower, so that on this road of life, we grow from grace to grace and strength to strength.