In Honor Of Dr David Gunaratnam



"Every church has her theologian, but not every church has a saint". That was how a Malaysian leader described Dr David Gunaratnam, the quiet elderly Christian statesman, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday.

Rev Wong shared his "reflection on the impact of David's ministry on mentoring a young generation. His leadership is relatively a quiet one and yet impactful.

In an age where the public applauded celebrities, platform charismatic leaders, David's quiet leadership offers a new perspective and freshness of spirituality. We thank God for a man like David. He is indeed God's gift to His church."

Thanks to Kar Yong, I learnt that a new book has been published in honor of him: "The Soul of Mission: Perspectives on Christian Leadership, Spirituality and Mission in East Asia: Essays in Appreciation of Dr David Gunaratnam."

Kang San, the editor, describes the project in his introductory chapter:

"David Gunaratnam celebrates his seventieth birthday on October 3rd, 2007. In appreciation of David’s lifelong ministry to the church in Malaysia and commitment to cross-cultural mission in East Asia, a group of friends agreed to contribute a series of essays dealing with the theme of “spirituality, leadership and mission”. These three themes converged in David G’s (as David is affectionately called) life and ministry as a servant of the church, an advocate for global mission, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Although most of the writers in this volume reflected on East Asian contexts, we hope these essays will contribute to the ongoing discussion on servanthood, mature leadership and genuine spirituality in the practice of Christian mission. The volume also offers a sampling of perspectives from both experienced mission leaders from the West and national leaders from different parts of Asia whereby issues on discipleship, suffering, leadership, growth of the church, and mission in East Asia are explored."

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Unknown said…
Dr. David and Christine Gunaratnam were my mentors and my friends influencing my Christian walk with some of the greatest changes in my life. I arrived in the small Presbyterian Kuala Trengganu Church in the early 1970's, having received Christ only a year earlier. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I taught science in the local high school, which soon became a tent-making job. Under their leadership, I became the church organist, Sunday school teacher, Junior Church leader (leading songs, drama, and Bible lessons), and evangelist in the community. Along with Pastor Lee, they had followed Jesus' model and building code for His church setting everyone who loved Jesus on fire with their teaching, encouragement, empowerment, and supervision. After I left Malaysia, I dropped teaching and followed Pastor's Lee's advice to go to seminary. First, I went to Wheaton Graduate School, then later to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. My husband, Rev. Dr. Stephen Vannah, and I went into missions for SIM working among unreached Muslim people groups in Senegal, West Africa doing evangelism, church planting, Bible teaching, song and drama (all the things the Kuala Trengganu Church had encouraged me to do). Dr. David's and Christine's profound servant leadership in Christ edified everyone around them, including me. When I came back to the U.S., I thought churches would all follow Christ like they did. I found very few do. Even with good theology, most have top-down power structures relegating the masses to pews to listen to Bible messages from the very few and very talented chosen from long-term strong alliances. In one church, I was considered spiritually inferior because of my gender. In another, no elder or pastor ever called, encouraged, or empowered anyone in our family into ministry like David and Christina did. We sat in the masses. When I walked for the first time into Dr. David's and Christine's and Pastor Lee's church, I was a stranger with a different color, different accent, different nationality, and a whole lot of other differences; I was a stranger for one week! The next week, they were my friends in Christ forever and I grew like all eleven disciples did under Jesus' training. Christ was in them and lived through them. After three years in Dr. David's and Pastor Lee's church, my feet were set firm in the Lord's footprints and I never turned back. During the last five years, I have another ministry, even bigger. I have intensely researched the Bible and science discovering they agree on global warming, oceans dying, great forests burning, . . . the first four trumpets and bowls in Revelation are manifesting all over the world through scientific research. The Bible prophecies and science predictions are merging and manifesting like never before heading on a terrifying trajectory of global collapse of civilization in preparation for our Lord's return. Now it is my turn to give back to you. Will you please join me on https://www.revelationisnow-beready.com? Barbara Summers (in the 70's, now Dr. Vannah).
10:36 AM
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