The ministry of local missionaries and your response.
本地宣教士的事工与您的回应。
written by director of BOE, Rev Law Hui Seng
The Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference (SCAC) BOE Ministry for the Sarawak Indigenous People group has served the indigenous people for more than 20 years. From the beginning, I am more or less involved in this ministry.
I write, appeal, teach, challenge, pray, personally go to all corners of Sarawak including longhouses and schools at the riverside and in the woods. I have the opportunity to communicate with Penan and Iban people, pray and heal for them, eat, drink, lunch and dinner together and sleep under the same roof. As I walked through these places and saw the indigenous people’s response to the gospel, I can only use Jesus’ challenge (teaching) to describe how much we need local missionaries. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38.
There are about 6,900 longhouses in Sarawak. Although only about 45% of the indigenous people live in the longhouses or the outskirts and inland, but we, as Christians and disciples of Jesus, must have the soul of love and missionary spirit, and not Meet the death (soul perish) without saving. In the past two decades, SCAC has adopted (claimed) around 112 longhouses, Sarawak’s Iban Annual Conference (SIAC) has shepherded 350 longhouses, and Rev Peter Shin (a Korea pastor) and his team have shepherded about 100 and 26 schools. Besides that, BEM, Anglican, Catholic and Independent churches also shepherd some longhouses. Like us and other denominations shepherd the inland indigenous people area that lacked of pastors or missionaries . I had estimated there are at least 4,000 longhouses without pastors or missionaries to shepherd them. Therefore, our indigenous fellows can easily be converted. It is a pity that many churches in Sarawak (including all denominations) say that there are not enough pastors in the cities. How can they be able to shepherd the inland indigenous people? This shows how much we need local missionaries.
Ministry of Local Missionaries
Praise the Lord, thanks to the efforts of the SCAC churches (130) over the years, we have approximately 30 large and small churches participating in the longhouse adoption ministry. We have increased inland short-term missions and visits year by year. The local missionary ministry has gradually progressed and awakened. Therefore, SCAC currently has 14 local missionaries with short-term, long-term obligations and salaries (a couple in charge of Hakka ministry, two of whom are missionary staffs and another one is an Iban.)
Most local missionaries participate in longhouse ministry. They cooperate with the SIAC pastor and Rev Peter Shin to the shepherd the indigenous people in inland longhouses. The longhouse areas they in charged include Pakan, Lubok Antu, Selangau, Sarikei, Kanowit, Ulu Julau, Ulu Layar etc.
In the longhouse ministry, missionaries participated in preaching, visiting, teaching in Sunday school, praying house by house, arranging short missions and visiting the longhouses, etc. It is purely an Iban evangelical ministry. Therefore, it is ideal for missionaries to be able to communicate in Iban language. This is because most of the longhouse residents are those with relatively old age and uneducated. If you can speak and preach to the Iban people in Iban language, you really have to use this language skill that God has given you.
As for you who cannot communicate or preach the gospel in Iban, most of the elementary and middle school students or young people in the longhouse can understand Bahasa Malaysia. You can use Bahasa Malaysia to serve in Bahasa Malaysia ministry in the church, go to the longhouse to be a Sunday school teacher, or become a tutor to teach Iban young people. If we don’t use this language gift, it would be a waste of our talents, which means that we have not been good servants or stewards of God.
The mission field needs missionaries
The biggest need for this mission in which Board of Evangelism (BOE) is involved is full-time local longhouse missionaries, because there are so many unearned longhouses. Before the epidemic, we inspected seven longhouses in Kuala Tatau and Kuala Balingian and this area needed a missionary to shepherd them.
In addition, we’re also required full-time campus missionaries. Currently, we have a full-time campus missionary who is a retired elementary school principal that assists Rev Peter Shin shepherd students in 26 middle and elementary schools at rural area. The main ministry for campus missionary is to teach the students the Bible using Bahasa Malaysia.
The Kapit Scripture Union campus co-workers informed me that the principals of eight primary and secondary schools welcome churches to their campus to teach the word of God. Is there any teachers who have retired and those who can speak Bahasa Malaysia willing to respond to this challenge? Other brothers and sisters also can respond if you have burden.
Conditions of becoming a missionary
In addition to the language skills emphasized above, you should have the burden to spread the gospel to the indigenous people.
Be good at teaching the word of God.
Can operate independently, be bold, endure hardship, and have strong practical ability.
In good health.
Have a driving license.
In the past few months of the epidemic, have you thought about whether to answer God’s calling by following the direction of local missions in the rest of your life? Of course, if you’re well prepared, you may respond now. If you’re not yet ready but you have set up your direction, you can prepare your own response in a few years. Whether you are the former or the latter, you can contact me to ask for more information. God bless you and Jesus loves you.
Rev. Law Hui Seng
(2/7/2020 Director of Board of Evangelism)
砂拉越華人年议會(SCAC)布道部原住小组已經服侍本地原住民二十多年了。從一开始，我到现在或多或少我都參与这个事工。我寫, 呼吁, 教导，挑戰，祷告，親自去全砂的各個角落, 河邊, 树林的長屋, 學校, 有机會与本南人和伊班人一起溝通，祷告醫病, 吃喝早午晚餐, 睡在同一屋簷之下。我对这些走过的地方, 看到原住民对福音的回应, 我只能用耶稣的挑戰（教导）来形容我们多么需要本地宣教士。耶稣说, [要收的莊稼多，做工的人少。所以，你们要求莊稼的主差遣做工的人出去收他的莊稼。] 馬太9:37-38.
全砂大约共有6,900間長屋, 雖然住在長屋或郊外內陸的原住民只大约45%, 但是, 我们身为基督徒，身为耶稣的門徒, 我们要有愛人靈魂和宣教的心志，并且不會見死(靈魂滅亡) 不救。过去二十多年, SCAC领养(认领) 大约112間長屋，砂拉越伊班年议會(SIAC)牧养350長屋, Rev Peter Shin（韩国牧师）和他的團隊牧养大约一百間及二十六間學校。另外BEM, 圣公會, 天主教和獨立教會也牧养好些長屋。其他宗派也跟我们一樣大大缺少牧者或宣教士去牧养內陸原住民。我估计最少还有4,000 長屋沒有牧者或宣教士的牧养。因此，我们的原住民很容易被Ｉ化。很可惜的是砂拉越许多教會(包括各宗派) 都说在城市牧者都不夠了，怎么有能力牧养內陸的原住民。由此可見，我们是多么需要本地宣教士。
本地宣教士的事工
感謝主，在过去多年SCAC眾教會(130間) 的努力之下，我们大约有30間大小堂會參与長屋领养事工。我们逐年有增加內陸短宣及考察。本地宣教事工也逐漸有进展与醒觉。因此，SCAC现有14位短期, 長期義務及受薪的本地宣教士(一對夫妇是客家语宣教士，当中有兩位是宣教性質同工，还有一位是伊班人。）
多數本地宣教士參与長屋事工。他们跟SIAC牧者及Rev Peter Shin配答牧养長屋的原住民。他们牧养的長屋范圍有Pakan, Lubok Antu, Selangau, Sarikei, Kanowit, Ulu Julau, Ulu Layar 等偏辟地方。
長屋事工上，宣教士们參与讲道，探訪, 教主日學，逐家祷告，安排短宣及考察長屋, 等等。纯粹是福音性的事工。所以，能以伊班话溝通是最理想。因为留有長屋的多數是年及受教育比較底的。如果您以伊班语与他们沟通或者传福音，我非常鼓励您使用上帝所赐给您語言能力服事祂。
至于不会用伊班语沟通或者传福音的您，長屋里的小學生和中學生或年青人多數是會明白國语的。您可以使用國语在堂會做國语事工，去長屋做主日學老师，或者成为导师教导青少年等。若不使用这语言恩赐就太浪费我们的才干，代表我们沒有做好上帝的好管家。
宣教工場需要宣教士
布道部所參与的本宣教最大的需要是全时間的本地長屋宣教士，因为有那么多未得的長屋。我们疫情前在Kuala Tatau 和 Kuala Balingian考察了七間長屋，需要一位宣教士。
除此之外, 我们被需要全时間校園宣教士。目前，我们有一位全时間校園宣教士, 她是一位退修的小學校長。因为Rev Peter Shin 有廿六中小學有各地需要我们的輔助。主要事工是以國语教导圣經。
加帛Scripture Union 校園同工通知我有八間中小學校長欢迎教會进去校園教导上帝的话。有退修的老师，有讲國語能力的，愿意回应这個挑戰吗？或是其他弟兄姐妹有負擔也可回应。
作宣教士的條件
- 除了以上所強調的語言能力，您要有負擔传福音给原住民。
- 要善於教导上帝的话。
- 能獨立操作, 大膽, 吃苦, 實应能力強。
- 有健康的体质。
- 有驾車执照。
在疫情这几個月中您是否想到, 人生下半場是否要走本地宣教的方向？当然，您现在有足夠的條件, 您就可回应了。不足夠條件的，您定了方向, 藉著下来在几年之內可專備自已準備以后回应。無論您是前者或后者，您都可聯絡我来尋问。上帝赐福您, 耶稣愛您。
刘會先牧師
(2/7/2020 布道部干事)