Diakonia 2025 Volume 1
Penang Easter Conference 2025 – The Triumphant Cross
YL Khong
ylkhong1@gmail.com
As in every year, the Penang Assemblies held
their combined annual Easter Conference
during the Easter weekend this year. As in the
previous years, the Easter Conference was
held at Burmah Road Gospel Centre attended
by about 200 to 300 members of the
assembly and public.
Each assembly takes their turn in organizing
the Easter Conference and this year, it was
the turn of Bukit Mertajam Gospel Centre
(BMGC). The Conference is a three evenings
event starting on Easter Friday and ending
with Easter Sunday. Usually a baptism will be
held on Sunday followed by a good dinner.
Every assembly in Penang does their part either in presenting song items or preparation of refreshments and of course the venue host will also prepare the place for the meetings.
This year, our brother Cheah Wing Choong from Jalan Imbi Chapel was the speaker with the theme the Triumphant Cross with the sub-topics over the 3 evenings covering – The Transcendent Christ, The Traumatic Christ and the Triumphant Christ.
The Annual Easter Conference has been a good platform for evangelism, for the wider assemblies to work together, for fellowship and for the Word of God to be heard by many.
Easter has come and gone and some things to reflect on.
Firstly, something from Psalm 133:
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
Though BMGC was the organizing committee, we could not have done this without the help and cooperation of all the other assemblies. We are just too small to do something like this. It was like precious oil to us and a tremendous encouragement, to have brothers and sisters from the bigger assemblies to come forward to do their part. And I believe because of that, the Lord has blessed us in some ways through the conference.
One tough job of the Conference is finding a speaker. The speaker must be known by some, if not most, should not be controversial to any if possible and from a well-known origin, preferably. BMGC do not know a lot of people so in a way, a tall order for us. I think the Lord already thought of that long before we even get our act together. Last year through work in the STEM ministry, I landed up in Jalan Imbi Chapel. Through the course of events, I had a chance to meet the elders there. Among them was brother Wing Choong. And when asked, it did not take him long to agree to drive up north to share the Lord’s Word with us. And so, we had our speaker. I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation.
In 2 Corinthians 9:8
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
And so, we praise Him!!
Three solid evenings with our attention focused on Christ. How this is needed in this day and age, where the presence of the Lord and His voice is drowned by the glaring visibility and loud cacophony of the world competing to capture our attention. For 3 short evenings, we get to delight and meditate on the One, and Only One (The Transcendent Christ), who through humility, even to the cross, and obedience, even unto death (The Traumatic Christ) dies for us and is now seated at the right hand of the Father (The Triumphant Christ). This, our brother Wing Choong has brought to us so eloquently.
Post conference, I was pondering; “wouldn’t it be great if every now and again, the
Assemblies come up in force, together, to do something to make some impact and catch
the eyes of the community or even the nation?” As Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:16
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Perhaps, the Easter Conference achieved that in a small way. It might be worthwhile to consider how to amplify this cooperation to increase the visibility of the Assembly for His glory.