My Sunday Afternoons I

The meeting of the Children Ministry was towards the end when VC, who was waiting for me to go home together, texted me through his mobile phone that he was at the Bahasa Malaysia (BM, Malaysia national language) service in the multipurpose hall. I decided to find out how the service was like. A few weeks earlier, I had heard their worship while attending a training session from a room nearby. I had thought that those were Filipinos singing in Tagalog.

When I pushed the door and stepped into the hall, I was immediately attracted by the worship in BM by unfamiliar faces. Some were playing musical instruments while others were singing on stage. Two little girls were dancing in front of a standing congregation who were also singing. Ps Albert from Sabah who usually attend the English service for the Holy Communion on the first Sunday of every month was busy filming the worship with a digital camera. I took a seat at the back next to a few ladies. After several songs, VC who was at the front row noticed me and signalled to me to join him. Then only Ps Albert realized my presence and smiled to me.

The worship was specially for the recording purpose and DVDs on the BM service would be given out later as souvenirs for members to bring back to their respective home towns. I was able to sing those beautiful worship songs which were totally unknown to me by following the music and reading the lyrics on the screen.

During the prayer and sermon, Ps Albert talked in a vivid and humourous manner. I did not understand every sentence due to his Sabahan accent and my limited vocabulary. Later VC told me that the language Ps Albert was using was closer to Indonesian than Malay.

After the service, snacks and soft drinks were served outside the hall. Ps Albert warmly approached VC and me. He had been preaching in Melaka since a year ago and was probably going to stay another year. The congregation, mainly composed by Sabahans, Sarawakians and Indonesians, was small but everyone felt being in a family. I also saw a Chinese gentleman. He was the one who had invited VC to the service. He was married to one of the Indonesian ladies and both were studying in a bible college in Kuala Lumpur under the scholarship from CLA.

I really enjoyed the worship, the sermon and the fellowship that day and I promised Ps Albert that I would attend his service again the following Sunday afternoon.