PHNOM PENH: The first Annual Meeting of The Methodist Mission in Cambodia was held on Jan 29, 2004, at Toul Kork Methodist Church here.
Ministerial members and lay delegates from the four participating churches, namely, the United Methodist Church (UMC), Korean Methodist Church (KMC), The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS) and the World Federation of Chinese Methodist Churches (WFCMC) met the Cambodian delegates for a time of worship and conferencing. Such conferencing has been an accepted tradition since John Wesley’s days.
The meeting opened with a Holy Communion Service when Bishop Jun Yang-Chul of Korea gave the exhortation and Bishop Dr Robert Solomon of the MCS administered the sacrament.
After the Service, Bishop Dr Solomon, who is also the Presiding Bishop for the Council of Bishops, which included Bishop Jun and Rev Ralph Lee, President of the Methodist Church in Hong Kong, called the meeting to order. Following that the bishops and guests gave their greetings.
Among them were the Rev Dr S. T. Kimbrough, who spoke on behalf of Bishop William Dew of the United Methodist Church. Bishop Dew was unable to attend the meeting because of a sprained back.
Others included the Rev Dr David Wu, Associate General Secretary of the General Board for Global Ministries (GBGM) of the UMC, the Rev Kim Dong Guil, Director of Asian Missions for Korean Methodist Church, the Rev Khoo Cheng Hoot, Chairman of the World Federation of Chinese Methodist Churches, the Rev Dr Clarence Lim, Director of the Methodist Missions Society of the MCS, a representative of Bishop Heinrich Bollater of Switzerland, and Mr Yim Cheuung, President of the Cambodian Christian Methodist Association.
During the meeting two things were decided upon. First, a new Drafting Committee, comprising representatives from the mission agencies, and headed by the Rev Khoo, will further ratify the working papers of the Structure and the Discipline of the Mission. Second, the date for the next Annual Meeting was scheduled for Sept 1 and 2, 2005.
At the Closing Service later that day, Bishop Dr Solomon shared the exhortation. He also appointed the Rev Song Jin Sup as the Mission Superintendent. Other Bishops’ Cabinet members included the Rev Warren Harbert of the GBGM and the Rev Philip Lim of the MMS.
Later, the Rev Song read the appointments of the 10 Deacons, Coordinators and Bible School graduates as pastors.
The Rev Philip Lim is the Missionary Pastor to Cambodia.