Church in Cambodia

Phnom Penh Mennonite

Posted by Charles on

This morning I attended Phnom Penh Mennonite while Crystal took the girls to New Life Fellowship. Arthur and Phyllis, the Area Directors/our supervisors, came with me to Phnom Penh Mennonite and we met the five new YAMEN/SALT participants there along with one of the Exchange Coordinators, Phillip.

The service format was greetings/introductions, three songs, three testimonies, scripture, sermon, another song, prayers, announcements, and closing prayer. We had a fellowship meal/pot luck afterwards.

Testimonies

Malin shared about volunteering in Haiti for one year with MCC’s YAMEN program.
He shared about a death in his family and how his faith carried him through it.
She shared about surviving the Khmer Rouge by escaping to France – by the grace of God! Incredible story.

Scripture

I think the scripture was 1 Corinthians 1, but I’m not positive as I’ve forgotten my Bible Chapters in Khmer.

Sermon

Pastor Mades Meas preached on the importance of “Participation in a Church fellowship” and translated key messages from the sermon on the fly for the non-Khmer speakers in the audience.

“Reluctance to attend Church is not a sin, but you will get weaker and weaker.”
“You come to church not to be happy but to get joy. The Apostle Paul was about to be executed but he had joy.”
Pastor Mades Meas brought a third language – Ancient Greek – into his sermon, expounding on ἐκλήθητε εἰς κοινωνίαν. (The man on the smartphone had a Bible app open.)

Sunday School

Phnom Penh Mennonite did have a Sunday School program!

MCC Connections

Pastor Mades Meas and his wife Sopheary are both MCC IVEP alumni. Sopheary was the first IVEP participant from Cambodia almost 20 years ago. One of the Church Elders was another IVEP participant who I mock interviewed (preparing him for the Visa interview at the US embassy) back in 2007 – I must have made an impression because he recognized me!

Malin Yem is a regular member at Phnom Penh Mennonite. She just completed a year with MCC’s YAMEN program in Haiti. It was wonderful to introduce the incoming SALT and YAMEN participants to a recent YAMEN alumni.

Also, I didn’t know until this morning but the Cook at the MCC Office, Sreymom, is a member at Phnom Penh Mennonite.

Fellowship

In a wonderful act of hospitality, several Church members quietly and quickly changed seats so they could translate for the non-Khmer speaking visitors.

Pictured here are Victor (YAMEN participant from Kenya), a Church member translating (I’ll get her name from Sreymom tomorrow), and Phyllis (MCC SE Asia Area Director).
The food may have been different but excitement around the line at the fellowship meal felt familiar.
Pastor Mades Meas talking about the situation in Cambodia (and in the Church) with the newly arrived SALT and YAMEN participants.

6 Comments Add yours

  1. Tenika Christian says:
    August 25, 2019 at 7:01 am

    This is just so amazing to be a part of change and fellowship like this is just awesome and every time you share it fills me up. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Homer Wood says:
    August 25, 2019 at 7:46 am

    Thanks for sharing; very interesting. Homer

    Reply
  3. glendalandis says:
    August 25, 2019 at 7:11 pm

    It was interesting to read & see photos about your visit to Phnom Penh Mennonite as I am preparing in to attend Plains Mennonite this morning in our pavillion. Blessings & Love –

    Reply
  4. Emma Marie Hanna says:
    August 25, 2019 at 7:53 pm

    Really enjoyed reading about your experience at church. Great photos and captions.

    Reply
  5. Linda Conklin says:
    August 25, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    Found your post very interesting and uplifting.

    Reply
  6. Pingback: What are YAMEN and SALT? – 4 Cs in Cambodia

Leave a Reply