9 Apr 2024
This past January, CERC returned once again to the bright rooftop ballroom of Hotel Excelsior in Ipoh to attend Fellow Workers’ Conference (FWC), an annual conference hosted by the Gospel Growth Fellowship to bring fellow workers of Christ from the Klang Valley together for 3 days to talk about this year’s topic – the Gospel and Preaching.
The 16th edition was an exciting one for many. “Why does preaching exist? The premise is simple: because God has spoken.” were the words from the fellowship that welcomed the participants on the first day, including new and old-timers alike.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how all the strands are connected to the topic. Preaching is how God speaks to us, so how does it affect all these things?” said Chua Shuyan, a membership candidate of CERC who had been a longtime fan of FWC. The strands she mentioned were ministry strand groups focusing on topics catered to various ministry contexts, from Music to Leading Small Groups, to Counselling, and many others.
Participants sought answers to practical and essential questions about preaching, relevant to ministry across the Klang Valley.
The questions ranged from complex questions such as, “Why is faithful preaching vital for the health of the church and how can we support the preaching on the pulpit?” to even simple questions such as, “What constitutes good and bad preaching?”
FWC features talks by an invited speaker to guide the participants on how to navigate such topics.This time, however, the conference speaker Pastor Robin Gan was down with a bout of laryngitis and was unable to speak. In his stead were two full-length essays written by him which the participants read in their small groups.
Even despite the illness of the speaker, the conference’s participants were still abuzz with excitement as animated discussions within various small groups dotted the venue.
Brian Chung, a GGF partner from Reformed Evangelical Church of Kuala Lumpur (IRECKL) also a regular attendee, shared his sentiments. “In FWC, it doesn’t matter if you are a pastor or layman, but all of us as workers have a role and stake in our church and the kingdom. [This conference] has one special place in my heart, because it’s a conference when you put everything you learn in [Thinking Theologically Conference] and what you know from history and theology and put it together. This is a partner’s conference where we gather to not only learn but to make it practical.”
Ng Khai Ling, who had only begun joining FWC in 2020, also added, “Everyone needs this conference because it’s part of what it means to equip yourself to serve God better. That’s important because we all have a call from Jesus to build the church.”
Chloe Tristan (pictured above), a graduating Monash University student from Indonesia, was one person who benefited greatly from the conference. She was excited to share what she reflected throughout the conference’s 3 days.
“It really hit me how God grows us from the preaching of the word to us members and how we are also listening to God through the very preacher on the pulpit. I’m going back to Indonesian understanding how God has given his church his word in the word ministers.”
Chloe had been a non-Christian when she first came to Malaysia. Now, after coming to know the Gospel in CERC as well as her university ministry, she was looking to the conference to help her prepare for her ministry back home. Her final conference as a student was an important moment in getting herself ready for her mission as a fellow worker of Christ in Indonesia.
“As someone who’s going back to join a local church there, I understand how God would grow me so I myself can grow the church”
Andrew Teoh, who is a new regular to CERC and attending FWC for the first time, shared his reflections after the conference. “The conference was really sobering. Back home in Sabah, people are in danger of assuming what the preacher says is always correct, and therefore Gospel clarity is lacking in the churches there today.”
The 16th edition of the conference continues to encourage and urge Christians from all over the Klang Valley to think deeper thoughts about what it means to do ministry as Jesus’ people. We pray that CERC would continue to persevere in faithful ministry, preaching Christ crucified to the people of Klang Valley for the glory of God.
