Ibans Rise for the Nation
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Iban Christians in prayer and worship at the gathering. |
THE 14th Gempuru Besai Iban, an annual gathering of Iban Christians in November 2011, saw renewed focus on national transformation as a missional purpose of the Church.
In the past, the focus had been on developing church and personal spirituality. But events of the past year had shown many Sarawak Christians, including those from tribal communities, about the need to protect the indigenous people of East Malaysia as provided under the agreements that Sarawak and Sabah signed when they joined Malaya as sovereign states to become Malaysia. The rights of the indigenous people include full freedom of religion and autonomy over native lands.
Ang (left) beating a traditional gong to mark the opening of the gathering. |
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NECF secretary-general Sam Ang and executive secretary (Research Commission) Eugene Yapp addressed the gathering on current trends and concerns in national developments. They recapped the theme of the 13th Gempuru Besai in 2010 which was "Christians and Politics" and encouraged the Ibans to move to the next level of taking their faith into the public sphere for nation-building.
About 4,000 Ibans attended the gathering, held in Miri, of which 1,000 were youths who re-dedicated their lives to God. |
