I have been able to visit churches on Sundays and also joined some of their activities during the week. As the culture and life are very different from Melbourne, I gain by observing and experiencing things I otherwise won’t if I just stay in the same church / Christian environment.

One of the first things I notice here is from my conversation with a few friends. Hearing their sharing of years of daily struggles, I see that it is because they had no one else but God to rely on that they have experienced the reality and richness of His mercy more dearly than many of us who are living in relative comfort most our days. If you’re not drowning, you won’t know what it’s like to be rescued or held afloat. In lack, they find God provides. What do we know if we never feel we have any serious lack? But faith is tested and you know what you truly lean on when you’re required to live your belief.

There is much to share and so much learn from the Indo churches (so I’m estimating I need 4 posts on this haha 😅). Here’re some thoughts relating to the churches I’ve been to, noting that I’m just a visitor (and not for long), so I may think differently if I have known more as a regular serving member.

To start off, let me first say..

Methinks they’re interesting

~ No bible study groups

Or Growth Groups (as my home church calls it). That is, other than the Sunday corporate worship, a small group with whom you gather during the week to do bible study. In Melb, our GG’s study follows the same series as the Sunday talks, so the idea is we learn more in depth in our respective groups.

Here, they do already have a separate ‘Sermon In-depth’ session that’s open to all. And instead of GG during the week, I attended what’s called ‘Understanding the Bible’ group, different times of the week for the ‘women’, ‘elderly’, ‘young adults & workers’, and ‘general’ that’s open to everyone. The format is a lecture/teaching style on a topic unrelated to the Sunday talks, followed by Q&A and open discussions. This is under their Teaching department. They seek to complement what’s not already covered in Sunday talks. It may be some other bible talks, or history of the church / doctrines, or specific topics catered to nurture different groups to be educated Christians of their own belief and heritage. Recently I’ve been to the ‘Reformation Movement’ series.

As for fellowship and community, there’s something called Organic Small Group (OSG). They meet to share life, pray and read something together.

~ Simultaneous prayer

Intercession is part of the order of service. The service leader announces a few prayer points (one at a time), followed by everyone praying simultaneously for that same point. I’m not used to this and find it quite distracting. Some pray quietly, some aloud, but normally you would be able to hear the prayer of the service leader who has the mic 🎙! So, I would end up praying with and affirming his/her prayer instead of going off on my own prayer.

Likewise in small group prayers in other settings, the practice is also simultaneous prayer.

The good thing is it encourages people to be actively praying. The down might be the distraction I experience. One other thing I thought of hearing those voices echoing around the big hall (at a special combined service that Sunday with 4k people) is that perhaps that’s a little glimpse of what it sounds like with multitutes of voices going up to the heaven’s throne all the time.

~ Application for a marriage blessing 💒

If you wanna get married in the church, you apply for it. It will then be announced a few weeks prior to the planned date, with the couple’s headshots and full names on display. And they will ask if there’s anyone who has any valid objection, to let them know.

I’ve never seen such a thing in Melb 😅. The line that says, ‘if anyone has any objections..’ isn’t even mentioned at the wedding itself, let alone a few weeks before — which actually make sense, so people actually have ample time to bring up if any!

~ Covid and Privacy 🔓

In one of the churches, they still get people to register attendance for the service for covid tracing. On the second time I went there, as I ticked it’s not the first time I register (meaning my name is on record), the next page list a dropdown of all the names that starts with ‘M’ on their record! 📃 Then I just need to tick my name on it.

Again this won’t happen in Melb I don’t think? People will be very concerned of their privacy (to have their names so readily available out there for all to see). But then again, not just in churches, but in commercial and all other areas of society in general, you can definitely feel the whole privacy ship hasn’t quite reached Indo yet.. 🚢

~ State of Union address rather than preaching?

In a previous post, I’ve mentioned a particular Indo church called GRII (Gereja Reformed Injili Indonesia = Indonesian Reformed Evangelical Church) whose founder was Rev. Stephen Tong. He’s well respected (for good reasons) by many whom he’s mentored previously and are now ministers in the various ministries of GRII.

Recently I attended their Sunday service (which is also their church’s thanksgiving 33rd year anniversary) where Rev. Tong preaches. However, I find that more of a state of union address, where he recalled the origin of the church and the journey that it’s been, along with his personal calling, challenges and experiences of God’s leading and providence, and exhorted the next generation to their calling. There is no scripture exposition. There is a place for such a talk, but perhaps not in a Sunday service (albeit it’s their special thanksgiving service). I also say this because I have heard other Sunday talks he’s delivered previously and it’s of similar content i.e., sharing of personal stories and experiences and an issue of challenge to the next generation, not a preaching on a particular scripture that’s read 📖

The other thing to note is that the talk alone lasted for 70 min. That thanksgiving service also includes pastors’ ordination and the Lord’s supper, totalling ~ 4.5 hrs. This is unthinkable in Melb, but I bet this is not abnormal for them here. A typical Sun service talk is about an hour, so any service here will be a lot longer than what people in Melb are used to.

There is so much more to be said, I will continue the next part on what I find very encouraging and good lessons for us in Melb (or the West in general?) and what may be worth emulating.

(continue to part 2)