Bishop Albert Chiew (centre) receiving a token from Bishop
Dr Hwa Yung. - Connection picture.
MELBOURNE - The 5th Session
of the Chinese Methodist Church in Australia Annual Conference
(CMCA), held here recently, has elected the Rev Albert Chiew
as the new bishop, and Mr Joseph Ting as the Lay Leader.
During the conference, the long-expected Annual Conference Building
was officially declared opened by Bishop Dr Hwa Yung of The Methodist
Church in Malaysia, the Rev Dr Su Chii Ann of the Sarawak Chinese
Annual Conference (SCAC), the new Bishop Albert Chiew and the
outgoing bishop, the Rev Dr James Ha.
On Dec 3, 2006, CMCA celebrated its 20th anniversary of the beginning
of the mission work of the Chinese Methodists in Australia. In
June 1986, a small flock of about 20 people gathered in the Kew
suburb of Melbourne. This humble gathering marked the beginning
of a great harvest. Two years later, in November 1988, SCAC commissioned
the Rev James Ha as the missionary to Australia.
Through years of hard work with other co-workers, the Mission
Conference of the Chinese Methodist Church was established in
1994. In 2002, it was officially upgraded to the Annual Conference
of the Chinese Methodist Church in Australia. Its first bishop
was the Rev Dr James Ha.
CMCA currently has nine churches, six preaching centres and two
preaching points with a total membership of about 1,500. They
are served by 14 Elders, six Deacons and numerous local preachers.
The motto of the conference is: "To spare no effort in expanding
the ministry of the Mission Conference to establish churches and
preaching points in all cities and towns where the Gospel can
be preached to the Chinese immigrants or other English-speaking
peoples of Asian ethnic origins."
CMCA continues to strive to reach
out to all people across Australia. Its urgent need is to have
a full-time missionary or pastor to serve in Port Moresby, Papua
New Guinea. - Connection, The Chinese Methodist Message.