History of the Lutheran Church of Malaysia (LCM)

     This is a brief history of the LCM.  Those of you who are reading this who are in the LCM, please let me know if I say anything inaccurate!  So here goes... =)      There were two main cultures that were brought to Malaya (before the LCM existed).  There were workers from India who were brought in for rubber tapping.  There were also Chinese workers brought in for tin mining.  The Swedish church was one that focused on preaching the Gospel to the Indians.  These Indians who chose to follow Christ were the beginning of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malaysia (ELCM).  This organization still exists today.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), as well as many other churches, targeted the Chinese in Malaysia and these Chinese workers were the start of the LCM.      The LWF began it's missionary work towards the Chinese workers when they were put into "New Villages."  Here is an excerpt from good old Wikipedia.org to explain why these villages were set up (can read the whole article here)

     "The original purpose of the New Villages in Malaysia was to segregate the villagers from the early Malayan Races Liberation Army insurgents, which were led by the Malayan Communist Party, during the Malayan Emergency. It was part of the Briggs Plan, a military plan devised by British General Sir Harold Briggs shortly after his appointment in 1950 as Director of Operations in the anti-communist war in Malaya.

     The plan aimed to defeat the communists, who were operating out of rural areas as a guerrilla army, primarily by cutting them off from their sources of support amongst the population. To this end, a massive program of forced resettlement of Malayan peasantry was undertaken, under which about 500,000 people (roughly ten percent of Malaya's population) were eventually removed from the land and housed in guarded camps called 'New Villages'.

     By isolating this population in the "new villages", the British were able to stem the critical flow of material, information, and recruits from peasant to guerilla. The new settlements were given around the clock police supervision and were partially fortified. This served the twofold purpose of preventing those who were so inclined from getting out and voluntarily aiding the guerrilla, and of preventing the guerrilla from getting in and extracting help via persuasion or intimidation. The British also tried to win the hearts of the new settlers by providing them with education, health services and homes with water and electricity."

     In March of 1952, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) convened its 1st Southeast Asia Lutheran Conference in Penang, Malaysia to talk about the Chinese in these "New Villages."  In 1953, there were international mission projects from the USA, Germany, Sweden, and Hong Kong to the "New Villages." In 1962, efforts were made to make a national Lutheran Church in Malaya (Malaysia was still Malaya at that time). There were significant differences, both theologically and culturally, between the Indians and Chinese who made up most of the Lutherans in Malaya at that time.  Because of these differences, both the ELCMS (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malaya and Singapore) and the LCMS (Lutheran Church of Malaya and Singapore) were formed.  The church in Singapore has since developed its own governing body, the LCS (Lutheran Church of Singapore), thereby disconnecting itself from these two churches which is why they are now the ELCM and the LCM.  The LCM became a member of the LWF in 1971.

     The first bishop of the LCM was the Rev. Carl Fischer in 1974 followed by Rev. Peter Foong (1977-1985), Rev. Daniel Chong Hoi Khen (1985-1993), Rev. Gideon Cheng (1993-2005) and the current Bishop, Rev. Philip Lok (2005-present).  For a more in-depth look at the history, please take a look at this link: Our Story.

     The current partners who are supporting the LCM are the ELCB (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria), the LCA (Lutheran Church of Australia), the FELM (Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission), and the ELCA. Please keep all these churches in your prayers so that the ministry going on here in Malaysia may continue for  God's glory and kingdom.

     I hope that this post finds you all well.  I also hope that God may move in your lives to bring you closer to Jesus and to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Please keep the LCM in your prayers!  =)