A gathering under the half moon
by Timothy Bong
Other than providing free tuition and organizing various activities for children and youths, Malaysia Campus Crusade for Christ's i-youth ministry also visits some parents in the Kuching area. We always take the opportunity to celebrate the different festivals, inviting the parents of the children to come for these events, as it is good way of getting to know them.
On Sept 29, 2006 i-youth, Chin Kwong Methodist Church and South Peace Road Community Association jointly organized a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering.
Volunteers went to decorate the South Peace Road Community Association center on the day of the event. Rain or shine, these volunteers turn up every week to teach tuition classes and lead activities such as singing and storytelling. Their hard work has made a difference in the lives of the kids and is appreciated by the people in the area.
The chairman of the community association, Mr Bong Jee Fatt, said in the past, a few community centers in the city had been vandalized. However, with the guidance of the volunteer teachers, youths were more civic-conscious and the most obvious change was the drop in vandalism.
Another parent, Mrs Lan, shared that by participating in meaningful activities and attending tuition classes, the kids would not be idling, fighting or vandalizing property.
A total of 70 people, including community leaders, turned up for the event that night. Most of them had never been to church, and some were quite resistant to the Gospel. The program kicked off with a sing-a-long session, which got everybody, especially the kids, in a jovial mood. A little girl told the story of Chang Er and the origin of the Mid- Autumn Festival. Next, some of the students from the tuition class presented a song, adding to the festive atmosphere of the gathering.
Rev Mok Ing Huat of Chin Kwong Methodist Church delivered a message entitled "Reunion under the full moon". The response to his sharing was quite good: some of the parents accepted our invitation to go to church.
Although there was no full moon that night, the half moon still evoked a lovely atmosphere. The celebration ended with lots of laughter and people greeting one another Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. We hope to organize another gathering during Christmas. We will be holding tuition classes in the kindergarten of Chin Kwong Methodist Church in the coming school holiday to bless the community.
