If there is one thing the year-long 2007 Love Terengganu initiative managed to achieve, it is to challenge the Terengganu churches to rise in prayer for their own state. At the very least, it heightened awareness and commitment to prayer and intercession for the Air Jernih Presbyterian Church (AJPC), said the church’s pastor Koshy Thomas.
"One pastor plans to devote one sermon a month to teaching his congregation about prayer," he reported.
Pr Koshy observed the Terengganu churches had been strengthened and much encouraged by the presence of the prayer teams who had travelled from all over Malaysia throughout the year.
The teams were in the state most of the weekends and they covered all seven districts - Kuala Terengganu, Besut, Ulu Terengganu, Marang, Dungun, Setiu and Kemaman - where they met the brethren in this north-eastern peninsular state to pray with them. Altogether, five churches took turns to host the teams - AJPC, Lifeline AOG, Baptist Church, New Life Fellowship Centre and Elim Harvest Assembly.
The prayer initiative was coordinated by Pr Koshy and Dr C. Cheryan, Chairman of Kuala Terengganu Pastors and Elders Fellowship.
Not content with praying within the church walls, the teams were outside in the public places for on-site prayer.
Pr Sunther and his church members drove over 300 kilometres from Johore and ended up at the Kuala Terengganu river mouth for a blessed time of worship and intercession. The Terengganu brethren were moved by the love expressed by the team from Gereja Peace, Kluang. But the team members felt they were even more blessed. Explained Pr Sunther: "My team members received breakthrough in their own prayer lives. We are also able to establish relationship and networking with you all (Terengganu Christians). It was a wonderful place for our young people to be trained."
Lucrece Loo from SSMC, Petaling Jaya, and her team joined local intercessors for a prayer drive around Kuala Terengganu in April. They ended up on the beach where they had holy communion and a time of worship and intercession for Terengganu. Following that, they visited the sick in the hospital. One of the patient’s elderly mother heard the gospel from them and accepted Christ.
For Pr David Goh from Banner of Love, Petaling Jaya, his team had been going to Terengganu for the last 10 years and with each passing year, they increasingly believe that revival would break forth from the east coast. "The spiritual climate today compared with those days is so different. There is a sense of liberation and openness." He added that his church would continue to send prayer teams to Terengganu.
But what do the Terengganu Christians think? Have the many visits lifted the spiritual climate of the state, besides stirring the churches to be more prayerful? Pr Koshy believe so, albeit slightly. "One significant indicator of this is that several churches in Kuala Terengganu have reported an increased number of conversions in 2007 although the total number is still small. Former members of the churches here, who have moved down to the Klang Valley and other areas, have commented that the spiritual atmosphere over this town and state has changed during their balik kampung visits," he said.
However, he noted that this change was God’s grace and had been on-going over the years as the believers here faithfully intercede for the state. The work by NECF in recent years to publicise the spiritual needs of the East Coast states as well as to mobilise prayer had been a catalyst in helping to bring about this change.
One lady believed there would be more breakthroughs in 2008 and beyond. "More lives will see the Light of Christ, not only in Trengganu but also in the nation," declared the faith-strengthened Yeow Choo Beh from AJPC.
She also reported that for the first time, her church held a Christmas evangelistic gathering last year at a hotel and, again, for the first time, there were more "pre-Christians" (meaning non-Christians) than Christians in the gathering. The success of the evangelistic rally was partly due to the Love Terengganu prayer initiative, she believed.
On evangelism, Pr Koshy added: "All the Love Terengganu teams challenged us to take the Gospel to all people. Difficult indeed but not impossible and we need to find creative ways of doing just that."
The teams also encouraged them to grow in the area of holiness and humility before God.
"The initiative has reminded us again that God is immensely faithful, indescribably holy and passionately desires all men to be saved. Our response is simply to trust and obey," Pr Koshy concluded.
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