After much anticipation, prayer and hard work, City Harvest Church Kuala Lumpur will finally be moving into their new building in end-July.
Contributed By Natalie Sia
Construction is underway for the new CHCKL church building. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHCKL
The search for a new building began in September 2007 for City Harvest Church Kuala Lumpur, an affiliate of CHC, Singapore.
The requirements for the new church building were many, but the prime feature had to be location. CHCKL’s senior pastor, Kevin Loo, shared with his congregation that ideally, the new church should be located in Sunway, as there were nine universities and campuses in its vicinity. The new building also had to be spacious enough for other recreational facilities such as a futsal field, a badminton court, a gym, a swimming pool and a wedding chapel.
After much prayer and efforts, the location was found in 2008. It took about a year for the deal to go through, and an additional two years before the design was finalized. Finance was a major constraint, but construction for the building began in March 2010.
During this time, church members faithfully sowed their finances and prayed for the project. Everyone was excited about the plans and the future, including 25-year-old managing director, Hee Jin Chong.
Lives Transformed
Hee first came to CHCKL in March 2004, when he moved from the state of Kedah to Kuala Lumpur for his studies. A friend invited him to the weekend service, and he was impacted by the praise and worship as well as the preaching of God’s Word. The warmth of the church members also convinced him to remain in the church and to be planted in the house of God. Hee, who admits that he used to be selfish and bad-tempered, experienced a tremendous change in his life. Through the friendships built and the discipleship process that he has gone through in church, he has learned to put others first and be more Christ-like in nature.
Hee also learned the biblical principle of sowing and reaping, which prompted him to step out and trust God with his finances. According to Hee, as he began a lifestyle of giving his tithes and offerings to the church, and sowing into the church’s building fund, he experienced a return of finances, or as he puts it, “blessings from 30-fold, 60-fold and up to 100-folds.” These came in the form of scholarships, cars as well as a condominium unit. Within two years of joining the workforce, Hee now manages his father’s company in KL.
Today, Hee continues to serve in church faithfully on a voluntary basis as a subzone leader with five cell groups and about 60 members under his care. He also serves in the worship team playing the electric guitar.
To Hee, CHCKL is not just an institution, but a family and a place where his life has been changed. As such, the upcoming move into the new church premises means a lot to him. He shares, “I believe that with this bigger place, the church will be able to impact the society more and truly make a difference in the community.”
What The New Building Means
Like Hee, David Oh, 39, CEO, was happy to hear that the church had secured a space for a new building. He says, “We had outgrown our current building a long time ago and we really need a new place to keep growing as a church. It was a fulfillment of God’s promises to us also, to finally own our own place.”
Sabrina Ooi, 18, an undergraduate, echoed similar sentiments. “I feel so proud of our church that we’re able to move into this place, as it will be much bigger than our current building. It also means we will be able to bring more friends and see more people experience God’s love.”
Leaders and members alike are looking forward to what is to come. Keith Tay, 32, a zone supervisor of the church, is grateful that God has brought them this far, and is confident that the move will propel them to the next level of their growth and influence as a church. “I am looking forward to the space that we are going to have. People will be able to gather for Bible study classes, prayer meetings, cell group meetings and also fellowship around the church compound! It will also create many more opportunities for our members to serve.”
Loo himself believes that God is preparing the church for a new season of growth. More importantly, he is relieved that all the members will finally have proper seats during services, instead of having to sit in the overflow rooms and on the steps of the stairs.
Loo is also full of gratitude toward God for all the prayer answers throughout this journey. He reveals, “Before taking this big step, I needed a confirmation from God. He sent Pastor Kong (senior pastor of CHC Singapore) and Dr. John Avanzini my way, with timely prophecies and confirmation of God’s promise to me. God also pointed me to the Bible in 1 Chronicles 17 to confirm that He has indeed spoken to me.”
With the promise came financial challenges. Yet God provided every step of the way for the church. Says Loo, “God provided a very godly and kind-hearted businessman to help us secure the loan. This kind man also helped us immensely along the way.”
Loo gives credit to his church members for all their hard work, fervent prayer and tireless giving toward the new building. “Our people’s giving and sacrifice convicted me that we are indeed ready for this new season of our church life.”
CHCKL is poised for the move in end-July, which is set to coincide with the church’s celebration of its 10th anniversary this year, a reminder of God’s faithfulness to His promises.
