Dear Friends,
This month, we invite you to intercede with us for Christian leaders from Southeast Asia, an economically, culturally, and religiously diverse region that is home to 10% of the global population. This week, please join us in prayer for Eva Wong Suk Kyun in Malaysia.
Malaysia consists of West and East Malaysia, also known as Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo, separated by the South China Sea. Around 50% of Malaysia’s 33 million people are ethnic Malay, while 23% are Malaysian Chinese and 7% Malaysian Indian. 61% of Malaysians practice Islam, 20% Buddhism, 9% Christianity, and 6% Hinduism. Although Islam is the state religion of Malaysia, the constitution grants freedom of religion and conscience. Nevertheless, the ethnically and religiously diverse country has experienced increasing intolerance over the past decade. Recently, a Malaysian high court overturned a 35-year-old ban on non-Muslim usage of the word “Allah.” Derived from Arabic, “Allah” is the generic word for “God” in Malay, and has long appeared in Malay Christian worship and publications, including Bibles.
An Assemblies of God minister, Eva serves as a fulltime faculty member and Spiritual Formation Director at the Bible College of Malaysia. She is completing her PhD in Theology at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in the UK. Her dissertation focuses on Pentecostalism in the Malaysian context, from the classical to the contemporary movements, in view of Joel’s prophecy. Through her research, Eva seeks to understand the development, over six decades, of Pentecostal theology and practice in the Assemblies of God of Malaysia. Eva and her husband, Philip Chong, have two teenagers, Clarissa and Trevor.
Eva shares the following message:
Dear ScholarLeaders Prayer Community,
Warmest greetings. I am truly grateful to God for your faithful prayer support for scholars in our local contexts.
Pray for Malaysia
Give thanks to God for the recently launched and ongoing COVID-19 vaccination program. Please pray that the vaccines will be efficiently administered throughout this year, and that Malaysia’s economy will recover soon.
Please also pray for political stability, and religious and racial harmony amid the pandemic, as Malaysia is currently under a state of emergency and Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
Pray for Bible College of Malaysia and Other Theological Seminaries
Give thanks to God for His providence and sustenance throughout the pandemic. We were able to transition to online platforms very quickly since the CMCO began in March 2020.
Presently, Bible colleges and theological seminaries are gradually reopening physical campuses for fulltime residential students and chapel services, but courses are still conducted online in view of travel restrictions and Standard Operating Procedures during CMCO. Please pray that in-person and hybrid classes can resume soon. Pray for more enrollment as the situation improves.
Pray for the Malaysian Church
We seek greater unity among all denominations and churches in advancing the Gospel. Pray that churches will be able to gather in person for services soon, as there are still restrictions in terms of capacity, age groups, and those in high-risk categories.
Most importantly, pray that there may be a central focus on the Gospel and missions. Pray for churches to employ new strategies in reaching out to the community both during and after the pandemic.
Pray for My Family
We are grateful to God for His presence, blessings, providence, protection, and gift of health. Please pray for overall well-being and strength for our elderly parents. We also need God’s wisdom, guidance, and grace in our lives, workplaces, ministries, and schooling.
Pray for My PhD Studies
I am immensely grateful for ScholarLeaders’ support. Please pray for me as I work on my full drafts, polish my dissertation, and make smooth progress toward a successful completion in due time, with God’s gracious favor, wisdom, and providence. My heart’s desire is that all these years of research and hard work will produce much fruit and blessings, bringing glory to God.
Thank you so much for your kind prayers.
Blessings,
Eva Wong Suk Kyun