the early years

In 1925, Elder Titus Hwang from Fujian, China, went to Singapore, where he preached the gospel of salvation. He was joined by Elder Philip Foo a year later. Together, they traveled north into Malaya and arrived in Sitiawan, Perak. From there, they took the gospel to the towns of Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur (KL). In 1927, a missionary outpost was officially established in Singapore together with churches in KL and Ipoh.

By God’s grace, in the 1940s, more churches and worship centers were established. Joining Ipoh and KL were those in the northern states of Kedah and Penang (Sungei Petani, Sungei Kop, Penang), Perak state (Chenderong, Ayer Tawar), as well as Selangor ( Kajang) and Negeri Sembilan (Seremban). During the Second World War, Malaya was occupied by Japan and many members were persecuted. Thank God, despite such trying circumstances, they kept their faith.

Organizational Development

The Singapore and Malaya Advisory Board

Soon after the Second World War ended in 1945, the first Malaya and Singapore Church Delegates Conference was held on August 23, 1947 at the True Jesus Church in Ipoh. During this meeting, the Singapore and Malaya Advisory Board was established. With this development, there was greater coordination in the holy work, and joint convocations between Malaya and Singapore were organized.

National Spiritual and Evangelistic Meetings held in different regions were first organized during this period. After the second National Spiritual and Evangelistic Meeting, the Youth League was formed in 1955. This league sought to promote youth fellowship and holy work, paving the way for youths to become future leaders of the church.

In 1967, the Taiwan General Assembly (GA) began to send their workers to other countries to assist in the holy work. As a result, a Religious Education (RE) unit was established in Malaya. Training for ministers, RE teachers, and church leaders was conducted, and seminars were held to help strengthen and develop the spiritual qualities of the members and leaders.

The local holy work made another stride with the ordination of full-time preachers in Malaysia. A total of five preachers, including two lady preachers, were trained between the mid-1960s and the end of the 1970s. During this period, the gospel reached Padang Serai, Kulim, and Alor Setar in the north, Klang, Kampar, Sungei Siput, and Bidor in the central Selangor and Perak states, as well as Malacca, Bahau and Johor Baru in the south. With this, TJC churches had been established in almost every state along the West coast of Peninsular Malaysia.  

The West Malaysia and Singapore General Assembly

As the number of members and churches increased, the need for stronger coordination became more evident. Hence, the General Assembly of the True Jesus Church in West Malaysia and Singapore was officially established during an Extraordinary Delegates Conference held on May 30, 1976 in Kuala Lumpur, replacing the earlier Advisory Board. This GA was successfully registered as a legal body in 1987.

The establishment of the GA helped to give a boost to our holy work. Nation-wide programs customized for members of different age groups were developed. In the past, RE was left to individual churches. Under the GA, a formal and structured national RE system was implemented to provide systematic RE for children from four to eighteen years of age. For youths, the church began to conduct annual short-term theological training courses and seminars for tertiary students to firmly root these future leaders in the truth. For married and working adults, there were regular workshops on various practical topics . The more senior members were not neglected – fellowship sessions were organized both in local church and on a regional basis to encourage them to continue their valuable contributions to the holy work.

Another key focus area for the GA was continual training for church leaders and ministers. These were critical in enabling workers to maintain and improve their spirituality and in improving communication with one another for mutual support.

Branching Out and Formation of the Singapore Coordination Board

Although Singapore became an independent country in 1967, historically, the holy work in Malaysia and Singapore was coordinated under a single organization: the West Malaysia and Singapore GA. However, due to the widening economic and political differences between the two countries and the restrictions imposed on cross-border religious organizations, the Singapore Coordination Board was formed in 2000. Despite the organizational separation, the churches in the two countries continue to maintain strong ties with each other.

Present Situation

Currently, we have twenty-five churches, five prayer houses, four evangelical points[1], three worship centers[2], and six home fellowships[3] in West Malaysia.

There are altogether 3,192 members, twelve preachers, five elders, forty-two deacons, and fifteen deaconesses. Nine of our preachers are active, two are retired, and one is a trainee. A breakdown of the elders, deacons, and deaconesses is as follows:

 

	Elders	Deacons	Deaconesses
Northern Region	2	12	7
Perak Region	0	4	4
Central Region	2	18	2
Southern Region	1	8	2
Total number of ministers: 12 preachers, 5 elders, 42 deacons, 15 deaconesses Total membership (as of 31/10/2012): 3,192 members

 

Thank God for His grace—through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the efforts of the early workers, the church in West Malaysia has developed to become what it is today. However, there are still challenges ahead, and we seek to place greater emphasis on the following areas in the coming years:

Strengthening the Faith of the Members

There are many lost sheep yet to be brought back to the fold. We hope to reach out to them and bring these sheep back through visiting, counseling, and spiritual convocations. Another key area of pastoral work is family faith. We believe that a strong church depends on strong individual family units. Thus, in order to strengthen the faith of the members, we emphasize the importance of setting up a family altar for every family. This enables family members to gather regularly for worship and mutual encouragement during a busy week of work and studies.

Finally, in the face of the increasing temptations found in today’s fast-changing society, we will update and enhance our RE system to meet the changing needs of our younger members. Ultimately, we hope to nurture and build up the believers systematically so that Christ will be formed in them and they will be able to live out the will of God in His ministry for His glory.

Enhancing the Awareness and Participation of All Members

In order to enhance the awareness of all members regarding the holy work and to increase their participation in the work, the GA publishes a regular newsletter containing details of various types of work throughout West Malaysia. In addition, we have held national symposia on topics such as “Strategies for Regional Evangelical and Pioneering Work of the True Jesus Church in West Malaysia,” as well as a forum on the prospects and future strategies for Malaysia’s RE system. These platforms aim to encourage members to be more involved in the holy work in West Malaysia as well as to gather their feedback on what other useful programs can be organized.

Evangelism

A multi-pronged approach is taken to preach the gospel to all corners of West Malaysia. First, two months each year, in the first and second halves of the calendar year, are specifically devoted to evangelistic work. During these two months, wherever possible, all local churches in West Malaysia hold their evangelistic meetings. The West Malaysia GA supports these events with additional programs, such as personal evangelism seminars, which are held at the regional level.

Second, apart from evangelizing in areas with well-established churches, we are also actively reaching out to residents of remote areas, such as the native tribes living the villages of the Cameron Highlands. Preachers, ministers, and voluntary workers conduct pastoral visits and undertake pioneering evangelistic work at regular intervals in these areas.

Third, as the majority of West Malaysian churches conduct their worship services in English and Mandarin, there is a need to cater for members of other main languages. For example, a church has been established in Kajang Utama (approximately thirty kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur) to cater to our Tamil-speaking members. By God’s grace, the evangelistic work in the Tamil[4] community has thus been greatly enhanced.

In addition, we have some members of various ethnic origins (Chinese and natives from West and East Malaysia) in the east coast states (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang) of peninsular Malaysia. The main language of communication in these places is Malay[5], as the majority of the local population is Malay. At present, we only have prayer houses and evangelical points; the long-term plan is to establish churches in these places.

BE THOU OUR VIsion

Our vision is to establish a glorious church that shines forth a light, drawing people from afar to worship and seek the Lord, to gain the truth, embark on the pathway of salvation, and receive eternal life. In order to achieve this goal, there is still much work to be done. The GA executive committee, elders, preachers, deacons, regional executive committees, and church management councils need to work together, focusing on administrative, pastoral, and evangelistic work for the overall development of the church.

In terms of evangelism, it is important that we identify key areas for growth and prepare the necessary resources so that we can commission workers to participate in pioneering work. We also need to nurture Christ-like shepherds who will pastor the flock in a holistic manner and help members develop a sense of belonging so that they may realize their commission and serve God more actively.

We pray for the Lord’s guidance in realizing our vision for the churches in West Malaysia. May He strengthen us and give us wisdom to serve Him according to His will.