West Kalimantan is a province in Indonesia with the biggest territory. Spread widely in the Borneo island, with its lush and green tropical jungle, illustrating the fertility of the land in Indonesia. However, in many parts of the province, we can still see simple people, even very simple ones. How could they build a church building, when they themselves are having inadequacy to eat. That is exactly why Anugrah Ministries came to this region with the mission from God: to reach out and help those who are in need.
Tareng is a small subvillage, located at Landak interior, about 15 km away from the Main Street (border between Indonesia and Malaysia). It is within the territory of North Amboyo Village, Ngabang District, Landak Region, West Kalimantan Province. In this village, live a group of people who are the congregation of GPdI Maranatha Tareng, led by Pastor Richard Kotambunan and his wife, Mrs. Hardini Asen. Pastor Richard Kotambunan is a Minahasan, from North Sulawesi, who dedicated himself to serve God. At the age of 34, God called him to pioneer a ministry that reached out to the Dayak people in West Kalimantan, at Sumiak subvillage to be exact. His ministry has birthed more than 6 churches, which he handed over to his workers to lead. All have their own church building, though semi permanent. He has mentored more than 50 servants of God, serving in many denominations in West Kalimantan. These are the fruits of his ministry.
In the year of 2007, Pastor Richard was assigned to move from Sumiak subvillage to Tareng subvillage. At that time, the congregation at Tareng subvillage consisted of 15 families, with an indecent 6x12m temporary church building. The building had no foundation, yet many damages. For many years, this has become a struggle for the pastor and his congregation. They tried to renovate the church building many times, but the result was far from decency. They have been praying for years for God to open up a way for them, so they could renovate the building, until God allowed them to know Anugrah Ministries, through the GoodNews Program. They were watching an episode of Church MakeOver (CMO) on TV. At the end of the episode, they learned the requirements of CMO, and they started to write a proposal. However, due to doubt, they never sent the proposal.
They kept praying for God’s way, because the congregation themselves have no capacity to renovate the church building. Most of them are traditional farmers, with minimal income. It turned out that God’s will cannot be cancelled by anyone. In the year of 2014, Anugrah Team was visiting West Kalimantan again. At that time, Pastor Richard took courage to hand in the proposal, hoping that it aligned with God’s will. After almost 3 years waiting, and constantly praying, finally God’s answer came on His time.
Monday, 23 January 2017, things were a bit different at Tareng subvillage. It became crowded because of Anugrah Team’s presence. On that day, all the congregation set aside their time to be a witness to God’s blessing that they have been long awaiting. Anugrah Team came with a purpose, to start the 41st project of CMO at GPdI Maranatha Tareng. The event started at 4pm with a short service. Every one who came, whether the congregation or the community, was filled with joy. After the service, we continued the event with the signing of MOU (Memo of Understanding) between Anugrah Ministries and GPdI Maranatha Tareng, witnessed by all the attendees. Then we symbolically laid the foundation of the building, starting with the Field Coordinator of Anugrah Ministries, followed by Pastor of GPdI Maranatha Tareng, and Elders of the church.
These are the things which Anugrah Ministries will do in this 41st CMO project:
1. On the Church Building:
We will tear down the old church building because it is not decent at all, and it has no foundation. Most of the wooden materials are already rotten, or attacked by termites. So we will rebuild the new church building from scratch and enlarge the measurement to 7x14m. We will install all new ceramic-tiled floor, ceiling, concrete walls, doors, windows, and roof. Besides that, we will also add a front porch to the church building.
2. On the Pastoral Home:
The old pastoral home is indecent as well, so we will rebuild a new pastoral home, measuring 6x8m, consisting of 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. All with ceiling and tiled floor.
God is so amazing for everyone who faithfully hope in Him. Thanks for the support that we have been receiving from all partners of Anugrah Ministries, so until today we can still carry out God’s work to bless those who are in needs. If any of you are burdened to take part in the next CMO projects, please do contact us. God bless you!
This post is also available in: Indonesian
