It was a new milestone for the Children’s Ministry in Gopeng as the Sunday School in Kampung Ulu Kampar shifted to a new building. Stanley Lee elaborates more on this.
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 19:14
The Children’s Ministry in Gopeng has been running since the 1990s when the Orang Asli church was first planted by Archbishop Ng Moon Hing while he was still with St Peter’s Church, Ipoh. The children who attend the Sunday School in Kampung Ulu Kampar consist mainly of Orang Asli Semai. They are guided by Cikgu Latifah, the teacher-in-charge of the Sunday School and she is assisted by St Mary’s BM Ministry from time to time during their visitations.
The Children’s Ministry in Gopeng provides the Orang Asli children the opportunity to learn about Jesus and the Gospel and how to pray. Some of these children who are in primary schools also had the courage to tell their classmates or roommates in the hostel about Jesus. It was encouraging to see a number of the parents starting to attend the church services because of their children in Sunday School.
The Sunday School in Kampung Ulu Kampar was initially held at the cook house where
cooking was commonly done using wood in the village. The close proximity to cooking activities and smoke from the fire created an uncomfortable atmosphere for both children and teachers. The space in the cook house was quite limited and could not fit in more than 50 children. There was a need for a bigger space to cater to the needs of the increasing number of children in the Sunday School.
The idea of a proper separate building for the Sunday School in Kampung Ulu Kampar was subsequently proposed and was supported by the villagers. The estimated cost to construct the building was RM20,000. The raising of funds took some time and St Mary’s BM Ministry managed to raise RM21,8000 with the help of several church members, the Cathedral Council and the Praise and Worship Ministry.
The new building has been a blessing to many people in the Kampung Ulu Kampar so far. In addition to its use for the Sunday School children, the new building also provides other benefits.Visitors to the village are able to store their bags and personal items in the new building for safekeeping. In addition, visitors can also rest and sleep in the new building instead of in the church building.
Frankie Lim, one of the pastors in St Mary’s BM Ministry, indicated that his future hope for the Children’s Ministry in Gopeng is for more trained Orang Asli teachers to teach the children about the Gospel in the Sunday School. He also hopes that the Orang Asli children will be able to mature spiritually with a strong faith in Jesus through the Sunday School.
There is still much to be done for the Children’s Ministry in Gopeng as it faces various challenges in other parts of Gopeng apart from Kampung Ulu Kampar. These challenges include the need for more trained teachers and basic items such as stationery, paper and books. Members of the Cathedral can support the Children’s Ministry in Gopeng by donating some of these much needed basic items. Other than that, any form of support in helping to train up Orang Asli Sunday School teachers would also be highly appreciated.