From Friendship to Faith

Outreach—a word that Christians are all too familiar with. Christ himself commands us to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19-20), while the church exists to minister to people in the city. Yet amidst family needs, work commitments, and church programs, many of us struggle to come up with ways to engage with our neighbors. Back in September 2021, I posed a question to several young Christians in Kuching:

“What are people in the city after?”

A year before, our team’s efforts to reach the city were halted by a series of seemingly unending lockdowns due to the Covid-19 virus. In the second half of 2021, however, restrictions on social activities began to loosen, and Kuchingnites started to leave their houses to reengage with the world outside.

Exercising and Eating Together

“Health,” answered one of the guys. Around that time, running and cycling clubs were popping up left, right, and center in Kuching, the latter often organizing events that saw officials block off sections of the street for them. Surprisingly, even though indoor recreational sport facilities for badminton and table tennis resumed operations, gyms and weight rooms were one of the latest ones to open.

How can we provide a welcoming workout space to those who want to stay fit?

Along with two other guys, we surveyed a few locations and settled on the Malaysia-China Friendship Park for its popularity among Kuchingnites. On October 3rd, we started our first workout. Soon, words spread that there was a free, beginner-friendly exercise group in Kuching, and more people joined us, including those who happened to be at the park on Sunday evenings.

Stretching and running were not all we did, however, as we also invited all who came to eat dinner with us. Our goal since the very beginning was to focus on building relationships with people in the city before sharing the gospel with them. Those post-workout meals gradually became a space for Christians and non-Christians alike to chat about spiritual topics.

Making Space for Games and Conversations

“Community”, another person replied. In a city where people are more rooted and focused on their families, we found that most young adults would begin their work at eight in the morning, get home around seven or eight in the evening depending on traffic conditions, then call it a day and repeat the same schedule for five days a week.

Ironically, city people are the loneliest people despite regular contact with other humans. New York Times cites the accelerated pace of life and the domination of technology in our social interactions as the cause of such loneliness. “With this acceleration… efficiency and convenience have “edged out” the time-consuming messiness of real relationships.”¹

How can we give people opportunities to make new friends, especially those who have moved to Kuching for their work or studies? We started by hosting board game nights in Saradise, the target neighborhood for our church plant. Occasionally, people who happen to be at the cafe where we play games would come talk to us to see if they could join us for future games.

Ministering both Physical and Spiritual Needs

Whether it’s workout meetups or game nights, the primary conviction behind our outreach efforts is that the gospel is much more than good news that bring people into heaven. In the gospels, we see Jesus cared for both the physical and emotional needs of those He ministered to. Christ fed his followers after his teaching (Matt 14:13-21) and consoled those under distress (Mark 5:21; John 8:1-11). Likewise, we desire to care for people’s health first while also giving them a chance to meet and dialogue with Christians.

In Sarawak, where many people call themselves “Christians” but are no longer part of any church, we hope that our actions and friendship may provide Kuchingnites an opportunity to thoroughly question and engage the Christian faith. We walk with the skeptic, the curious, the burnout and the spiritually wounded to patiently guide them towards the truth.

Are you someone in Kuching who’s looking to connect with us? Do you know someone who is moving here that is searching for friends and community? Reach out to us through Facebook, we would love to meet you and get to know you!