Posts Tagged ‘Chin’

Where’s Chin State?

Posted: August 16, 2015 in Uncategorized
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chin_stateA year ago I wouldn’t have known there was a place called Chin State. I am now aware that Chin State is a mountainous state that is home to the Chin ethnic group in Western Myanmar (Burma). It is the poorest of 14 regions in Myanmar and the most remote. Since the end of July, much of western Myanmar has been hit by monsoon rains that have left hundreds of thousand people homeless.

Late last year the Perth Chin Baptist Church commenced a special relationship with Maida Vale Baptist Church, making use of our facilities in High Wycombe. As a result I have become more aware of this amazing group of people, many of whom lived in refugee camps before making a new home in Australia.

The news media has been silent, to a large degree, on the disaster in Chin State, but Chin people around the world have been united to try and get much needed assistance to their families. Take a look at this short video from the Chin community of Indiana in the United States.

Christmas at the Fair

Posted: December 9, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Another great fair is over – for the sixth year, Maida Vale Baptist Church has run Christmas at the Fair in Range View Park, High Wycombe, and it was a beauty.

Many thousands of people (couldn’t count them) turned up for three hours of fun, participation, food, rides, information, and a reminder that Christmas is a part of our cultural heritage here in Western Australia.

We had an amazing group of boys, both Maori and Noongar, who presented a series of Maori dances as part of their ongoing learning about the importance of family, respect, setting goals and achieving them, cultural identity and reverence for their creator.

A new choir in Perth, the Perth Chin Baptist Church choir presented some brilliant music from their native of Myanmar, and the ever-popular Kalamunda Pipe Band brought some cultural heritage from the northern hemisphere.

Maida Vale Baptist Church likes to think of Christmas at the Fair as our gift to the community – it’s not a fund-raiser or a PR exercise, but an opportunity for us to give something back to the community and encourage people to participate in a range of activities and get to know their neighbours in the process.

I would like to thank the scores of volunteers who helped out in so many ways during the year and during the event to make this another successful event, and to those who came along and enjoyed the evening I thank you as well.

Take a look at the video and enjoy it again.

Building Bridges of Joy

Posted: November 9, 2014 in Uncategorized
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The choir of the Perth Chin Baptist Church

The choir of the Perth Chin Baptist Church

I my last post I talked about my experience in attending a service of the Perth Chin Baptist Church, a wonderful group of people from Myanmar who have formed a Baptist Church here in Western Australia.

Lunch after church at the PNGWA Fellowship.

Lunch after church at the PNGWA Fellowship.

Today I preached at the meeting of the PNGWA Christian Fellowship. This is a group of Christians of all denominations from Papua-New Guinea who have made Western Australia their home.

Switching from participating in worship in the Chin language to worshipping in Pidgin is interesting, but is a great reminder that the worship of Jesus Christ reaches across cultures and language groups and we live in a country where freedom of religion is still a part of the fabric of our society.

While I didn’t necessarily understand everything that was being said at these two services, I experienced a spirit of joy that was infectious. It’s a great reminder of the words of one of the Old Testament leaders:

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”