AN UPDATE FROM SISTER MARILYN NANTA AND THE CHURCH IN MIRI (MATTHEW 28:18-20)

Dear Members in Christ,                                                                                                                   

An update from Sister Marilyn Nanta and the Church in Miri   

The Great Commission was commanded by the Lord Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. After the Lord Jesus Christ had resurrected, and before He ascended to heaven, the Lord Jesus gave this commandment to His disciples.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20

In obedience to the commandment of the Lord Jesus, the disciples continued to bear the Gospel of salvation to those who are yet saved, even to the ends of the earth. The Bible records for us the deeds of the Apostles in propagating the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the world.

We have been praying for the health of Sister Marilyn Nanta, and for the church in Miri. We thank God for the work of the Holy Spirit amongst God’s people. Calvary Miri has been on our prayer list, and before the Covid lockdown, Elder Chan and on occasion, our members will visit this church.

A. Visiting the Miri church and its people

Our sister Marilyn Nanta has been serving at the Calvary Miri BP Church for the past 13 years. We pray that God will continue to grant her health and strength to continue this work. On a Sunday, the members gather for worship. We thank God for new additions to the congregation in the past years. Some of them have been baptized recently by Rev Lee and are now serving faithfully in the church.

The church gathers for morning worship and evening worship on Lord’s Day. It was very sobering to see the congregation gathered 10 minutes before the start of the service. The solemnity of the worship was heart-warming. The picture shows some congregants praying quietly, and others reading the bible passage for the sermon of the day in preparation for the worship service. The Morning Worship and Sunday School altogether draw an assembly of about 15 adults and children.

Besides the Morning and evening services, the church prayer meeting is held online on Friday evenings. In addition, the youths meet on Saturday afternoons for a time of exhortation and sharing. Some of the youths and children of the congregation are pictured below. We thank God for watching over the spiritual life of the adults and the youths and children. 

B. The Miri station and its outreaches

Over the past several years, the Calvary Miri church has had a few outreaches in the surrounding neighborhood. An example is the outreach to Christian families in Kampung Lusut. The area is a makeshift dwelling area which was an old abandoned structure. It is currently occupied by several families. On occasion, Sister Marilyn Nanta will organize events for the children of these Christian families. An example of this is the annual Vacation Bible School visit by our brethren from Calvary Pandan.  

Brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray for sister Marilyn Nanta and the church in Miri. In addition, let us be strong in our faith and let us be zealous for the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus says, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few” Matthew 9:37. Let us pray that the Lord may call laborers to the vineyard. We pray and hope that some brother or sister may be moved to dedicate their life to the service of the Lord. Perhaps, you are the one, pray that the Lord will confirm His call upon you, and may the Holy Spirit lead and guide you with zeal and fervor.

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor