Over 50 join jogathon to raise money for church’s reconstruction

SIBU: To ensure a more secure future for Malaysia’s multiethnic population, its citizens should uphold the principle that the country is made up of diverse ethnicities and religions, said Oscar Ling Chai Yew.
 
The Sibu Member of Parliament (MP) emphasised that the demands of extremist groups advocating for a single nation or religion are in contradiction with the spirit of diversity in Malaysia.
 
“We must speak out and declare that our country is not a nation of only one race or one religion. Instead, our country is a nation of diverse religions and ethnicities.
 
“This must be affirmed by all Malaysians to ensure that the nation continues to be a country consisting of various ethnicities and religions,” he said when officiating at a jogathon event organised by Tanjung Bekakap Iban Methodist Church here today (Aug 19).
 
More than 50 participants took part in the event, which aimed to raise funds for the reconstruction project of a church in Tanjung Bekakap, Batang Lebaan.
 
The jogathon was divided into five categories, namely under 12 years, 13 to 17 years, 18 to 40 years, 41 to 60 years, and 60 years and above, involving a race distance of approximately 10 kilometres.
 
Meanwhile, touching on the construction of the new church, Ling described it as a collective effort to raise funds and establish the church together.
 
The reconstruction of the church, which cost around RM750,000, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
 
The ground-breaking ceremony for the project was officiated by the Bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia, Reverend (Rev) Dr T. Jeyakumar on Nov 29, 2022.
 
Once completed, the new church will be able to accommodate over 100 worshippers at a time, in addition to providing a residence for the pastor and classrooms for Sunday school.
 
Also present were Sarawak Iban Annual Conference (SIAC) president Rev Jatan Badi, SIAC former Bishop Rev Steward Damat, chairman of the committee for the construction of the new church in Tanjung Bekakap Tuai Rumah Gantih Saing, and others.