The 2025 Peninsular Malaysia Mission (PEM) Stewardship Caravan for Christ (SC4C) took place from the 14th to the 20th of March. The vision of PEM SC4C is to highlight the importance of ‘People Putting God First’ in all endeavours while keeping the mission of ‘inviting members to trust God as the owner and provider and to partner in His final mission through regular and systematic giving.’ The 7-day journey aimed at promoting stewardship and fundraising for worthy causes began in Penang and concluded in Johor Bahru. The event, which took place in seven different states, brought together church members and communities to share and learn about the 8Ts of Stewardship: Talent, Time, Temple, Treasure, Terrain, Truth, Tribe, and Testimony.
Leaders from the Adventist Church Regional Headquarters in the Philippines, Vice President Pr. Stephen Salainti, Stewardship Ministries Director Pr. Francis Amer, Associate Secretary Pr. Memerto Guinggiung II, Communication Director Pr. Heshbon Buscato, Attorney Evin Villaruben, leaders from the Malaysian Headquarters, and territorial leaders of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. They delivered inspirational messages about the 8Ts of Stewardship, while selected participants shared their personal experiences and testimonies of God’s faithfulness in their lives. Additionally, youths and children were awarded Pathfinder and Adventurer honours in response to their participation and involvement in stewardship through the youth ministries.
The Journey
The PEM SC4C took off at Penang, where close to 300 participants from Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia convened on Friday, 14 March, marking the beginning of a 7-day spiritual journey.
Day 1, Friday, 14 March
A centralized vespers program themed ‘Time’ brought together churches around the island to Penang English SDA Church. The church overflew with members and caravan participants excited to unite in worship and fellowship. Setting the stewardship spiritual stage, Pr. Jimbil Simbah, President of the Adventist Church in Sabah, shared the first message exploring and reiterating the need to understand the principles of stewardship.
Day 2, Saturday, 15 March
On Sabbath morning, participants visited four churches on Penang Island, including the Penang Chinese SDA Church, Penang Indian SDA Church, Lighthouse Batu Ferringhi, and Penang Hospital Church. In the afternoon, the caravan continued its journey, visiting three additional places: The Lighthouse John 17:3 Scotland Road and Sungai Ara, both on the island, as well as Bukit Mertajam Church and Light House 3.0 in Kulim, Kedah on the mainland. In total, seven congregations were blessed on the second day of the journey, reinforcing the mission of stewardship, faithfulness, and service.
Day 3, Sunday, 16 March
On Sunday morning, the entire group assembled at Ipoh English Church, where Pr. Francis Amer, SSD Stewardship Director, gave a meaningful message on the theme of ‘Territory’ before traveling toward the next location. In response, Sister Angie Wong, an Ipoh English church member, expressed her appreciation for being able to host the group in their church. Further, she shared, “We need to learn to be a good steward of God. God has blessed us in many ways, and it’s a time to return and support one another through giving, not only financially but also giving our time in service to God.”
As the journey continued southward, toward the central region, participants and church members assembled to engage in sermons, personal testimonies, and community service activities.
Day 4, Monday, 17 March
On Monday morning, a group of participants served the senior citizens of Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE), an old folk’s home in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur. They visited the home, providing free health screening and massage to the elderly residents, thus highlighting the event’s commitment to community engagement and spiritual upliftment.
Meanwhile, another group, chaperoned by Pr. Stanley Adnan, PEM Family Ministries Director, visited and distributed a total of 400 packs of Bubur Lambuk, a special kind of rice porridge popular amongst the Malays during the fasting month of Ramadhan to patients at Banting Hospital, Selangor. Deputy Director of Banting Hospital, Dr. Hartini binti Mohamad Ridzuan, graciously joined the entourage, visiting and serving the patients that evening. The group then traveled to a Kampung Orang Asli (Indigenous tribal village), where they distributed essential toiletries and gave out Bubur Lambuk to the villagers. The group reached around 100 families during that visit. This outreach initiative was published in ‘Nanban,’ a local Tamil language newspaper, on Wednesday, 26 March 2025.
In the evening, the caravan visited four churches in the Klang Valley: Klang BM Church, Petaling Jaya English Church, Petaling Jaya Chinese Church, and Banting Indian Church. Although the services ended late at all churches, the caravan participants and attendees were equally blessed by the ongoing efforts to enhance unity and outreach amongst the people in Malaysia.
Day 5, Tuesday, 18 March
As participants continued their journey’s mission on the fifth day, another group of participants served the senior citizens of Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE), an old folk’s home in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur. The representatives of PAWE expressed their appreciation and satisfaction with the SC4C team for spending two days providing care, encouragement, and assistance to the elderly residents and invited them to return soon.
In the evening, the caravan made a pivotal stop at the MAUM Headquarters, where a special service took place. Reinforcing the mission of stewardship through dedicated service, regional Associate Secretary, Pr. Memerto Guingguing presented a strong message of faithfulness while sharing his personal testimony on his and his family’s conversion to Adventism.
Day 6, Wednesday, 19 March
With two more locations to visit, a group of participants took time in the morning to serve the community of Seremban. As plans and preparations had already been done ahead of time by the Seremban SDA church members, the caravan participants implemented a free health screening measuring BMI, blood pressure, Body Health Age Computation, Blood Sugar testing, and Cholesterol testing.
As each stop provided participants and attendees alike, opportunities for engagement through sermons, testimonies, and community service activities, the assembly at Melaka King Green Hotel fell no short of the expectation.
Day 7, Thursday, 20 March
The impact of the 2025 PEM Stewardship Caravan for Christ underscores the community’s commitment to stewardship and demonstrates the power of collective efforts in supporting meaningful causes. As the journey came to its final destination, the team collaborated with PEM Adventist Community Services of the southern region in organising a Health Expo at a local shopping mall. Located at Aeon Mall Bukit Indah, among the busiest malls in Johor Baharu, the team provided health screening, a blood donation drive, health talks, and a display of aerobic exercises for the shoppers.
After a week-long journey from the north of the peninsula to the south, the caravan participants were excited and eager to convene at Johor Bahru English Church for the final lap and the closing ceremony. More than 300 people, including members from Johor Bahru Bahasa Church, Johor Bahru English Church, Johor Bahru Indian Church, and Ulu Tiram Church, were blessed by the message presented by Dr. Jane Yap, MAUM Health and Possibility Ministries Director, on the theme, ‘Temple.’ She shared a powerful and meaningful message on how we can honour God by taking care of our body and respecting it as His Holy temple.
Fundraising and Contributions
Throughout the event, generous contributions were received from members across the seven locations. Close to RM114,000 was collected from all the churches visited by SC4C. The funds have been allocated to worthy causes such as church building maintenance and renovation, student grants, refugee student funds, and LoudVoice Media, a ministry dedicated to spreading the gospel through media platforms. “The support of the church truly empowers us to be able to acquire greater efficiency of resources in order to produce more spiritually impactful content in various languages” exclaimed Russel Fam, Founder and Director of Loud Voice Ministry. The amount collected is a testament to the faithfulness and generosity of the church members in supporting these important projects.
Conclusion
The 2025 PEM Stewardship Caravan was a remarkable success, not only in fundraising but also in reinforcing the principles of stewardship, trust in God, and community engagement. The funds raised will go a long way in supporting church maintenance, student education, refugee aid, and media evangelism. The event underscored the power of collective giving and faith in God’s provision, inspiring all participants to continue putting God first in their lives.
At the end of the event, Pr. Justin Ginsud, MAUM Stewardship Director, reminded, “Let us ensure that the 8T emphasis of the Stewardship Ministries serves as a catalyst for spiritual growth and deeper faith in God. Continue to be faithful stewards in God’s work. God First: Forward MAUM!”
Reported by Hazel Wanda Ginajil-Gara, MAUM Communication Department
27, March 2025, Thursday.