Blessed Christmas!

BLESSED CHRISTMAS!

Calvary Today wishes all Calvarites and friends a Blessed Christmas!

Christmas reminds us of God’s greatest gift to man in the form of Jesus. It was a fulfillment of a promise God made to Israel, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14)

They saw the fulfillment of this promise some 700 years later, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us’.” (Matthew 1:22)

It may seem an awful long time for God to fulfill His promise but time is relative to God. The important thing to remember is that God keeps His promises.

When we started our quest to re-establish truth, transparency, good governance and accountability in our church, it was not because we had nothing better to do. The Bible teaches us to be good stewards of everything He blesses us with and that includes finances. It is our responsibility to ensure that our church practices good stewardship. We cannot pass the buck to the pastors and deacons alone. God holds us individually equally accountable.

Since our little teh tarik group started before the AGM in March this year, God has, time and again, answered our prayers. Promises have been fulfilled. God never fails.

We are aware that many of you are getting weary after 8 months of enduring the ‘nonsense’ that we have seen or personally experienced in our struggle to see a change in our church. Let us not give up but have faith in God and believe that victory is just round the corner. The Bible says, “ Now faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Let us all enjoy this Christmas by reflecting on God’s goodness and mercy to us this entire year. We have many things to rejoice and be grateful to God for. So for the next few days, we hope that all of us will set aside our differences and unite in our spirits to celebrate Christmas with Joy. We are dedicating this post for all to put in:

1. A Prayer for the new year.
2. A Christmas greeting
3. A Testimony of God’s blessings and goodness in your lives.

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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This is a testimony written by KC Lim.

Not too long ago, while my simple housewife was driving along the Penchala Link, God showed her the rainbow which ended just in front of her car. (Read her post on 18 October) She had been seeking God about the situation in our church and He answered with that rainbow, giving her the comfort that He will deliver us out of our situation. Rainbow, as you know, is a reminder of His promises.

Last Saturday, while my family and I were flying back from Cairo, where we had been touring, another ‘miracle’ of sorts happened. About an hour or so after our plane took off from Mumbai, India after a short transit, one fellow passenger seated at the window lifted the window shade. Instantly, the beautiful colors of the rainbow flashed across the aisle right in front of my wife who was seated in the middle row. She stretched out her hands and the rainbow colors rested on the palm of her hands. See the photos below.








The phenomenon, regardless of whether it was caused by a natural rainbow across the sky then or something else, is a reminder to her (and to all of us) that indeed, victory is already in our hands. We just have to exercise faith and claim the victory He has promised.

During our trip, we were reminded that God delivered the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery into the Promised Land and we were asking God when He is going to deliver us out of the crisis our church is in. My wife, being the more “holy’ one was prayerful throughout the trip and on the plane. And God answered with the rainbow again.

Campaign for a Special Audit

To ALL Calvarites who seek after truth,

It does not matter if you are pro-SP or pro-TTG. Or if you are sitting on the fence or do not want to be involved. You still need to know the truth. All of us want the truth. Truth and righteousness are the hallmarks of Christians. The only way for the truth to be established is for a special audit to be done on the specific events and/or transactions mentioned by Dr Lum and others in the blog.

Below is my letter to our two auditors requesting for a special audit. If you seek after truth, if you are not afraid of the truth, if the truth will set you free then please join me in this request to our auditors. The greater the support from the people of Calvary Church the greater shall be the encouragement and motivation for the auditors to act. Please get all your friends in the Church to support this demand for truth and transparency. If they cannot email, please do it for them.

Please email the following short message to:
Bro Tam Kok Meng at tamkm@adventconsulting.com.my and
Bro Chow Sang Hoe at sanghoechow@gmail.com with
cc to Calvary Today at calvarytoday@gmail.com
(cc to Calvary Today is merely to facilitate the counting of the support as the Campaign progresses)

"Subject: Special audit of specific events and/or transactions in Calvary Church

I endorse and fully support the request of Bro Wong Hong Meng for a special audit on the specific events and/or transactions listed in his letter to you of 20th December 2008.

(Your Name)
(Voting member/associate member/regular worshipper)
Calvary Church”

Calvary Today would keep your name confidential. It would not be posted on the blog. Please do this for the sake of truth and righteousness.

Please identify with truth and righteousness by wearing a white top this Sunday.

With His love and blessings,
Hong Meng

_____________________________________________________________

To: Bro Chow Sang Hoe, Calvary Church auditor
Bro Tam Kok Meng, Calvary Church auditor
cc: Rev Ong Sek Leang, General Superintendent, AOG Malaysia
From: Wong Hong Meng
Date: 20th December 2008
Re: Special audit of specific events and/or transactions

I take comfort that both of you are members of MIA and hold audit licences from the Minister of Finance. You were elected by the members as auditors for Calvary Church at the last AGM in March 2008. You are therefore, jointly and severally, responsible and accountable to the members at general meetings for the audit on the entire church and all its activities including but not limited to the Missions Department, the extended ministries, the auxiliary ministries and the outreaches. I have confirmed with the technical partner of a firm of public accountants that it is right and proper for me, as a member of the Church, to request that certain specific events and/or transactions be subject to a special audit including those that happened or purported to have happened in past years. This is particularly so when there are speculations among members of the Church that these events and/or transactions may not have been properly authorized and/or could be in violation of Church policies or generally accepted accounting principles. I humbly request that you undertake this special audit expeditiously and report your findings to the members in writing by way of a special audit report. You do not need approval from Senior Pastor or the Board of Deacons to do this audit. You are independent, elected by the members and responsible to the members.

Some of these events and/or transactions were alluded to by Dr Lum Siew Heng, the deacon who recently resigned from the Board, in his interview with Calvary Today. Attached are the two parts of the interview posted on Calvary Today for your reference. The revelations by Dr Lum must be given very serious consideration as they came from a Board member directly involved in the discussion on the events and/or transactions. Other events and/or transactions had been alluded to in the comments to the blog postings. I am in no way asserting that the allegations are true. The purpose of my request is for the truth to be established on these purported events and/or transactions so that speculation can stop. As duly elected auditors you have the authority and responsibility to establish the truth through a special audit on behalf of the members of the Church. No restriction or limitation can be placed upon you by Senior Pastor or the Board in the fulfillment of your role as duly elected auditors. If the Board or the Senior Pastor places any restriction on you or if they refuse to answer your questions, you must report the same to the members accordingly.

The following are the events and/or transactions which must be subject to the special audit:

1. That a love gift of USD10,000 was given by Senior Pastor to Pastor Delmer Guynes when he came to chair the EGM on 15 August 2008. This love gift was only informed to the Board and post-fact approval sought two months after the event.

• Please report back to the members if this is true. I am not questioning the quantum but the payment and approval process.
• If true, how was the payment made to Pastor Guynes at the time of disbursement? Was the payment in cash and in what currency?
• Does the Senior Pastor have the authority to approve such a large love gift?
• Was the post-fact approval minuted by the Board?
• Was Dr Lum’s objection minuted?
• Did Pastor Guynes acknowledge receipt?
• Who financed the payment if it was not paid from the Church petty cash?
• If a cheque was issued and then encashed, who signed the cheque? A cheque of more than RM5,000 requires one of the signatories to be the Church Secretary or Treasurer or another deacon.
• If one of them had signed the cheque before Board approval, would this be a violation of the By-Laws of the Church as well as their cheque signing mandate?
• Would you as auditors deem such a practice as acceptable?
• Would post-fact approvals be the norm for the Board of Deacons of Calvary Church?
• What would be your recommendation to the Board on this practice?

2. That the Missions Department paid for the overseas airfares for one of Senior Pastor’s grandchildren as well as the son of a deacon.

• Please report back to the members if this is true.
• Although the payments may have been approved by the Board, would you consider these payments, if true, to be proper and in compliance to Church policies?
• Would the payment of airfare for Senior Pastor’s grandchild fall within the terms of employment of Senior Pastor or those of the child’s parents?
• Would the children of other pastors or church workers be entitled to such benefits?
• If yes, please let the members know which other children have benefited from this.
• If no, then what was the justification from the Missions Director for the payment?
• Was this payment declared as a taxable benefit in kind in the EA form of the child’s parents?
• Would the payment for the deacon’s son fall within any scheme of service for the deacons of the Church?
• Was this payment, if true, approved and minuted by the Board and/or the Missions Committee?
• If not approved by the Board or the Missions Committee who approved it?
• Does the person have the authority to approve such payments?
• If yes, which other deacon had benefited from this provision?
• If no, then what was the justification from the Missions Director for the payment for the deacon’s son?
• Was this payment declared as a taxable benefit in kind in the EA form of the deacon?
• If no EA form had been issued for the deacon would you deem this to be an incident of possible tax evasion?

3. That Pam Guneratnam and Jim Guneratnam were given scholarships to study in the United States by the Church.

(When the scholarship was given to Pam Guneratnam, I personally checked with Dr Paul Nah, a deacon at that time. His answer to me was that if the Church did not give the scholarship, Senior Pastor would have to borrow money to finance her education. I was very surprised.)

• Please verify and report back to the members if one or both of Senior Pastor’s children were given scholarships by the Church.
• How much money was expended on the scholarships, if any, and over what period?
• Would the scholarship cover Pam Guneratnam’s post-graduate studies?
• Were these scholarships, if true, approved and minuted by the Board?
• Does the Church have a scholarship scheme for the children of pastors and church workers?
• If yes, which other pastors’ children had received the scholarship?
• If no, then what was the justification for the scholarships given to Senior Pastors’ two children?
• Would the scholarships for Senior Pastor’s two children fall within the terms of employment for Senior Pastor?
• If the scholarships were not part of the general scheme of service of the Church, were the payments declared as a taxable benefit in kind in the EA form for Senior Pastor?

4. That medical expenses amounting to approximately RM40,000 was paid from Church funds for Senior Pastor’s grandchild soon after birth.

• Please verify and report back to the members if this is true. I am not questioning the provision of financial assistance in the face of an unusual medical condition. I seek to understand Church policy on such payments and the approval process.
• Was it within the terms of employment for the child’s parents?
• Was this payment approved and minuted by the Board?
• Was the payment within the general scheme of service for pastors and church workers?
• If yes, which other pastors’ children had received this medical benefit?
• Was the benefit made available to Pastor David Seah?
• If no, then what was the Board justification for this differential in treatment?

5. That the Church reimbursed Senior Pastor RM15,000 for his membership fees at the Jackie Chan’s California Fitness gym in Mid-Valley.

• Please verify and report back to the members if this is true.
• Was the payment within the terms of employment for Senior Pastor?
• How long after Senior Pastor joined the Fitness club as a member was the reimbursement requested?
• Is the membership in the name of the Church or in the personal name of Senior Pastor?
• Any other pastor or church worker given this benefit?

6. That in the eleven years that Dr Lum was on the Board Senior Pastor had never declared the monies he received from his local and overseas ministries to the Board of Deacons.

• Please check the Board minutes to determine if this is true.
• Is it also true for Senior Associate Pastor?
• Are all other pastors and church staff required to declare to the Board or a superior authority all monies received in their ministries?
• If all others are required to declare and if Senior Pastor and Senior Associate Pastor are not, what is the Board’s justification for this departure from policy?
• If the policy also applies to Senior Pastor and Senior Associate Pastor, please obtain from them a declaration as to the total amount of all such monies received from both local and overseas ministries for the last twelve years.
• Please also obtain from them a declaration whether the monies were brought back into Malaysia or deposited off-shore.

7. That our Ampang outreach Pastor, Sister Adeline Koh, was paid a salary of RM250 a month over the past 7-8 months.

• Please verify and report to the members if this is true.
• Please also verify if she was living in the store room of the Church.
• Is the RM250 per month within the salary range of the Church for this category of staff?
• Are there others earning a similar salary?
• Is there any staff of similar qualification and with similar ministry responsibilities earning a significantly different salary?
• Who determined the salary for Sister Adeline Koh?
• Does the person have the authority to determine the salary?
• Is this treatment of Sister Adeline Koh, if true, in violation of Malaysian labour laws?

8. That the love offering collected at a youth meeting for Rev. Phil Stevenson from the Perth International City Church was never given to him.

• Please check with the youth leaders to verify and report back to the members if this is true.
• Apparently the collection was announced and made in his presence. Was Pastor Phil aware of the collection?
• What was the amount collected?
• If not given to Pastor Phil, where did the money end up? Into which fund or account?
• Who made this decision?
• Does he/she have the authority to make this decision?
• What was the justification for the decision not to give the collection to Pastor Phil?
• What was the amount given to Pastor Phil as a love gift?
• Please seek written confirmation if there are other similar instances where offerings were collected for a specific invited speaker and then not given to the speaker?

9. That the salaries (stipend) of Senior Pastor's children and their spouses are not made known to the Board. Their annual appraisals are done by Senior Pastor and he decides with the deacon for human resource on their salary increments, unknown to the other deacons.

• Please verify and report back to the members if this is true.
• If true, what is the Board justification of their acceptance of this practice?
• Please also verify if the annual increments over the last few years given to Senior Pastor’s children and spouses were reasonable when compared to other pastors and staff of the Church.
• Are there any other pastor or staff whose annual appraisal and/or salary and annual increment are not made known to the entire Board of Deacons?
• Do you as auditors find this practice acceptable?
• What recommendation would you give to the Board?
  

The people in Calvary Church need to know the truth. We deserve the truth. You have the ability and the power to give us the truth. Please do not disappoint us. Let the truth set us free.

Thanking you.

Yours in Christ,
Signed:

Wong Hong Meng

p.s. This memo would be released to the people of Calvary Church.

Urgent Announcement (Updated 22/12/08)

UPDATE

The BOD has issued an announcement on Sunday, 21 December, pertaining to some points raised in Dr Lum's resignation letter. Dr Lum has informed Calvary Today that he will reply to the points raised by the BOD after the Christmas season, ie. the first week of 2009, in the spirit of goodwill and peace to all. So be patient with him and continue to uphold him and his family in prayer.
________________________________________________________

Dr Lum’s interview has evoked much response from members and regular worshippers, from TTG supporters as well as SP supporters,. From the comments posted thus far, it was noted that there are still some disbelieving members. It is perfectly alright to have your own opinion and as Christians, we all believe that truth always prevails in the end.

We also note that there are a few others, hiding behind pseudo or anonymous names, who, for reasons best known to themselves, attempted to cast doubts on Dr Lum’s comments and views. Some comments can be even construed to be attempts to discredit him.

Dr Lum has informed Calvary Today that he does not take offence to those comments and wishes to inform readers that he is prepared to meet anyone before or after the 10.30am service at DH on any Sunday to clarify his comments or answer any questions. To meet him, please email him at lumsiewheng@yahoo.com.sg to make the appointment. However, he has indicated that he will only respond to those who are willing to identify themselves. He will not respond to anonymous persons.

An Interview with Dr Lum Part 2

THIS IS THE 2ND AND FINAL PART OF AN INTERVIEW WITH DR LUM


CT: There was a speculation by someone who posted a comment on the blog that SP earns RM35,000 a month. Is there any truth in the amount speculated? What about the rumour that he gets a huge yearly bonus? Should the SP’s remuneration be made known to the members?

DL: I must clarify that SP alone does not earn that amount but the combined salary with Sis. Petrina's exceeds that amount. SP and his wife gets 13 months salary plus 2 months ex- gratia. Wether that is a considerable amount, I leave it to the members. Yes, my personal opinion is that all pastors’ salaries should be approved by the BOD and made known to the members. In some churches, a member can simply walk into their church office and request to know their pastor's income (stipend). That’s transparency! A pastor must be accountable to his congregation and to God.

CT: On transparency, is there any truth about Missions funds being used to fund SP's children or grandchildren’s education? What about the other pastors and deacons’ children, was any of their education sponsored by the church?

DL: I don’t think any of SP’s children or grandchildren or any pastor's or deacons’ children are sponsored by the church. That is probably just a rumour. But I do know that one of his grandchildren’s airfare and one of the deacons’ son’s airfare was paid by the Missions Dept. This was presented by Pastor Peter Ong to the BOD recently. In fact, SP's grandchild's airfare was approved by the BOD. My opinion is that it is inappropriate to do so. Missions funds are given sacrificially by members to propagate the Gospel and to alleviate suffering of the marginalized, the poor, the widows and the orphans, and NOT for private use.

CT: At the last AGM, someone asked the question whether SP declares the love offerings he receives from the churches where he is invited to minister. His reply was that he is accountable to the BOD. Has he declared such love offerings to the BOD? We know that all the other associate pastors and staff have to declare any gifts received by them to the church.

DL: In my 11 years as a deacon, SP has never once declared to the Board of Deacons the monies received by him in all his local and overseas ministries. But all subordinate pastors and staff are compelled to do so. My seminary lecturer, Dr. Stefan Sos, currently President of the SOS Evangelistic Association in Canada, once shared with the class on the extravagance of many senior pastors in Malaysia and Singapore, who seem to attend nearly every International Christian conference at their church’s expense. When he was the senior pastor of a mega church in Canada, his Board limited him to only 3 conferences a year, to be paid by the church. Beyond this, he had to bear the costs. Any excess funds received by him privately is used as an earnest deposit to help poor Romanian Christians to purchase a home for themselves. He doesn’t keep the love offerings that he receives.

CT: Any other events or matters that you wish to highlight which may be of interest to our members?

DL: The reappointment of SP by the BOD contravenes Rule X1 of the Church Constitution, which demands a ratification by a two-thirds majority vote from the voting members. Failure to ratify has invalidated SP's reappointment.

On the Alliance Bank loan ( RM 35 Million ) for the construction of the Calvary Convention Centre, I had proposed to the BOD that since the loan has not been drawndown, it is imperative that the BOD seek the approval of the congregation for the loan. The BOD must not act independantly as the decision has legal implications. The Church Constitution must be reviewed. Rule XIV must be revoked with immediate effect. Any rule that fails to incorporate or excludes the Body of Christ (the Church members) in Church governance is suspect and theologically imbalanced. The Body of Christ Ministry is of utmost significance.

The Nomination Committee ( for the deacons' nominees ) has failed to act independantly due to the interference of SP in including nominees of his choice after the committee has made their selection. Committee members are then made to sign and endorse SP's nominee (s) as well as theirs, as though the entire selection were theirs. Our current Treasurer was never nominated by the Nomination Committee, who were subjected to fasting and praying for the Holy Spirit's choice of nominees!

I would like to highlight the plight of our Ampang outreach Pastor, Sis. Adeline Koh, a BCM (degree ) graduate. She has been paid by our Church a salary of RM250 a month over the past 7-8 months. Due to this deplorable circumstance, she is forced to live in the store room of the Church! Why bother to impress the world with our missionary giving when we have no love and respect for our own outreach pastors?

I am outraged that Church funds of RM15,000 were used to reimburse SP for his membership fees at the Jackie Chan’s California fitness gym at Mid-Valley. He had claimed and insisted that this was promised to him earlier, by whom, no one knows. None of the deacons could verify his claim.

The love offering collected for Rev. Phil Stevenson, Sr. Pastor of Perth International City Church, Perth, Australia, was never given to him.

The lawyer KK Wong's report and the external forensic auditors’ reports on CIM should be made readily available to all Church members, unconditionally. It is shocking to note that the BOD was given just 20 minutes consecutively to read through both reports! None of the BOD could have a copy of either! It is significant to note that Calvary Church, and not CIM, paid the RM25,000 for the auditors’ report. The lawyer’s report (which was supposed to be M500/hour) was subsequently probono.

It is disheartening to note that the salaries (stipend) of SP's children and their spouses is unknown to the BOD. He evaluates his own family's ( and their spouses' ) appraisal forms (performance ) annually and decides with the deacon for human resource on their salary increments, unknown to the other deacons. There is no existing HR Committee to decide on this. Neither is the grading of their appraisal forms divulged to the other deacons.

CT: Many discussions have been going on about SP’s travel by business class. What are your views on this?

DL: I am not in favour of any minister of God traveling on business class airfares. Business class airfares are 4-5 times the economy class fares. There are no CEOs in the study of Ecclesiology. A pastor has to leave the Church if he aspires to be a CEO. Jesus could have traveled in a chariot and worn affluent apparel but He chose to walk and to ride on a donkey, wore ordinary clothes and mingled with ordinary people. A servant- minister’s lifestyle must be exemplary and not be a stumbling block to others. He must be above reproach.

CT: You may be aware that there is a reasonably big group of our congregation who are unhappy with SP and the lies and half-truths that he has told. Many have left our Church. Do you think it is still tenable for him to continue as the Senior Pastor of Calvary?

DL: No,I don't. I had written to SP to return all monies to the Church and to retire gracefully, with immediate effect. In my opinion, the congregation is hurting and has loss all confidence in him and the BOD. I had also called upon the BOD to resign en bloc, with immediate effect, as they have shown themselves to be ineffective, indecisive and have failed to act independantly. Many current problems could have been prevented had the BOD stood firm. Incidentally, prior to the EGM, lawyer KK Wong ( a Baptist deacon ) had suggested to SP and the BOD that should the congregation members not accept his legal report, the forensic auditors' report and the BOD's explanation, it is best that SP and the BOD resign en-bloc as the congregation has lost their confidence in them!

The declining Church attendance, struggling tithes and offerings collection and low morale is reflective of a weak and deteriorating leadership. A shepherd's heart is always to care, to nurse and to feed his sheep, and not to perpetually beat his sheep with his staff. The good shepherd even smells of his sheep!

An Interview With Dr. Lum - Part 1

THIS IS PART 1 OF AN INTERVIEW BY CALVARY TODAY WITH DR LUM. THE FINAL PART 2 WILL BE PUBLISHED LATER.

CT: Firstly, we would like to congratulate you on your graduation with a Masters in Divinity. With your busy schedule as a full time doctor and your various responsibilities in ministry and as a deacon of the church, you have proven that nothing is impossible with God.

DL: Thank you. Yes, To God be the Glory.

CT: My first question – Did you resign voluntarily or were you asked to resign?

DL: I resigned voluntarily.

CT: Why did you resign?

DL: It was a difficult decision to make. There were 22 issues raised in my resignation letter. Over the last seven years, I’ve been struggling in my spirit as to whether to relinquish my position as a deacon, as I have been disturbed over these issues.

CT: What are these issues? Can you elaborate?

DL: Let’s just say issues which are contrary to what TTG stands for. I’m referring to truth, transparency and good governance.

CT: Any examples? Maybe we’ll ask you specific questions, easier for you. We have heard so much about Board of Deacons minutes being taken back by the Secretary after each meeting and none of the deacons are allowed to keep any of the minutes. Is that true?

DL; That is absolutely true. It’s something that I’ve voiced out to SP but without success. This has been the practice for years. I mean, who’s to say that the minutes won’t be tampered with? In fact, at one instance, the Secretary mentioned to the Board that the minutes appeared to have been altered and SP admitted that he had altered it. That’s an area I’m not comfortable with.

CT: Are the deacons allowed to freely express their opinions at the Board meetings?

DL: We can express our opinions, but at the end of the day, his views generally supercedes those of the Board. As you are aware, abstentions and objections are unrecorded in the minutes and may not be well received too.Perhaps, this may be the reason why many of the deacons decide to remain silent.

For example, when I raised the crucial question of " whether it would please our Lord for a freemason to build the Sanctuary of God ( CCC )," and handed each deacon a copy of the gods worshipped by freemasons and a copy of the Position Papers of the Assemblies of God, USA ( which calls freemasonry a " secret society " and advises church adherents worldwide not to be associated with it ), SP was furious and threatened to disallow me from distributing such material in future without his prior consent. None of the deacons spoke up on this issue, except former deacon Lawrence Mak. We both suggested to dismiss the freemason, with costs. However, SP refused and was adamant in engaging him to build the CCC. This was at the inception when no contract was drawn up yet.

CT: Do you think that there is transparency in all the board deliberations and decisions?

DL: No, I don't. For example, I was disappointed that vital information was withheld from our lawyer, Mr. KK Wong. Three days prior to the EGM, when I questioned the lawyer on the conflict of interests and the designated offerings, he replied before the BOD, the external forensic auditors, Sis. Petrina and SP that he was NOT furnished any information on the designated offerings. By then, he had already submitted his report to our secretary, Sis. Bernadette. I had told him before everyone else present that his report was therefore incomplete and invalid.

CT: Are all board meetings minuted?

DL: Yes, but I’m disappointed that abstentions and objections to certain proposals are not minuted, so it appears that the entire board is unanimous in those decisions.

CT: We heard that in recent times, there were occasions when you were not invited for board meetings or were ‘conveniently’ not informed of meetings. Is this true?

DL: Yes. Before the recent EGM, I was not notified and had been excluded from certain crucial
Board of Deacons meetings, e.g. the initial meeting with lawyer Mr KK Wong and meetings with Rev. Guynes.

CT: One of our church trustees who was on the Missions Committee for a number of years, said that he never knew of the transfer of funds of RM200k per year over several years. What are your thoughts on this?

DL: I’m not surprised.

CT: At the recent EGM, the members were told that the BOD had approved the transfer of a total of RM1.9M to CIM between 2002 and 2007. Were you aware of the BOD approval or that there were board resolutions approving the same?

DL: Honestly, I can’t remember if the Board had approved those transfers, the reason being that the deacons are not allowed to keep the minutes; so there’s no way we can refer to past minutes to check if it is true that the Board gave the approval. The minutes which are circulated to us, explanatory accounts data and our personal notes are taken back after meetings and are shredded without our knowledge. All approved minutes are signed only by the Secretary, to the exclusion of the other deacons.

Anyway, I find it difficult to comprehend the need to give CIM RM200,000 annually from the Missions Dept for SP’s travel expenditure when in actual fact, his past expenditure ranged between RM50K to RM80K. This transfer of funds should have been made known to the congregation and their approval sought, as the quantum is large. Evangelism in the 1st century Church was in the marketplace - out where the sinners are, and not in Christian conferences where almost everyone is a believer! It defeats the purpose of Missions funds.

CT: We heard some rumours that besides the church paying for Dr Guyne’s expenses to come here to chair the recent EGM, the church also gave him a big love gift, something like S$10,000. Is this true? Was it approved by the deacons?

DL: Yes, it’s true. SP made the decision on his own accord and then after 2 months, he requested the BOD to ratify this gift of US$10,000 to Rev Guynes. I was appalled by the fact that SP gave Rev Guynes this gift without prior approval or discussion with the BOD.

This amount, together with his other expenses (airfare, accommodation, etc.) and the external auditors’ fees of RM25,000, has drained the Church of more than RM80,000 for holding the EGM. Thank God for lawyer, K.K. Wong who offered his services probono.

The EGM was absolutely unnecessary and uncalled for, had SP taken heed of the advice given by our internal auditor, Lee Tuck Heng, to release the accounts of CIM and the extended ministries to the congregation members to view.

CT: So, did the Board ratify the payment?

DL: Yes, they did.

CT: SP has been preaching out of context and has used the pulpit to hit out at the TTG group in recent times. For example, during a 10.30am service at DH, he told members who think that he is preaching a prosperity gospel to go and jump into the lake. Didn’t the BOD advise him against this type of behaviour?

DL: I’m not sure about the other deacons but I have personally spoken to SP, as well as before the BOD, over the frequent caustic remarks made in sermons over the pulpit. These words are unbecoming of a servant-minister of God and serves only to inject anger, hatred, bitterness and division into the congregation. Unkind and malicious words have been spoken over the pulpit: “ungrateful; jump into the lake; you have an independant spirit; if you don’t give, you stink; are you a snake or a sheep?; go to another church; take another bus; the curse of leprosy followed; etc.”

The goal of preaching is to bring wholesome healing and Christ-likeness to a hurting Congregation and not to cause division in the Church. There must be certain ministerial ethics in the delivery of sermons. There is no place for faulty exegesis, loaded language and name calling, emotional manipulation,misrepresentation and partial truths.

CT: Our church website says that we have 10,000 members/worshipers. This is also highlighted in the newspapers recently. Isn’t the BOD aware of this misleading information that is being disseminated by the church? If so, why hasn't the board taken steps to rectify
the misinformation?

DL: Calvary Church does not have 10,000 worshipers. The official figure ( inclusive of outreach churches ) reported during the AGMs is between 2600-2700. For your information, this figure includes new born babies and toddlers too! Even if we were to include our previous independant outreach churches, both local and abroad, the conservative figure is less than 5,000. The BOD had queried SP on this matter but sadly, he denies that it is less than 10,000. The figure seems to have escalated from 8,000 to 10,000.

Misrepresentation by projecting an inflated figure is a serious offence. This matter should be referred to the Ethical Committee of the AG General Council.

CIM RETURNS CHURCH MONEY

In a “surprising” turn of events, Calvary International Ministries, the personal ministry of Pastor Prince Guneratnam, announced last Saturday that it is returning all the balance money in its bank account amounting to RM1.05 million back to the Missions Dept of Calvary Church. The amount was the balance remaining from the RM1.3 million that was transferred from the Missions Dept to CIM between 2002 and 2007 without the knowledge or approval of the church members. This “change of heart” is a complete turnaround of the adamant attitude that we saw in Pastor Prince during the recent EGM.

The members were informed for the first time during the recent EGM in August 2008 that the Board of Deacons had previously ratified and endorsed the monetary gift to CIM. Members were riled by the total lack of transparency and proper governance in the whole saga which had led to a split in the church. Our God is a faithful God and once again, He has answered our prayers. He has heard the cries of all those who have stood up for truth and transparency.

The deacons have also at last Saturday’s closed door meetings for church leaders, announced the following:-

1. CARED, which is a subsidiary of CIM has been transferred to our Church as an extended ministry. All the balance money in CARED’s bank account amounting to about RM400,000 has been transferred to a new CARED bank account under the Church. This money is the balance remaining from the RM576,961 that was transferred from the Missions Dept to CIM/CARED without members’ approval or knowledge in 2006 and 2007.

2. A Constitutional Review committee comprising of Bro Philip Tan, Sis Bernadette, Sis Helen Gan, Bro Dennis Xavier, and Bro Ong Keng Hock has been formed to undertake the review of the sections of our Church Constitution relating to financial provisions and nomination process for nomination committee, deacons and auditors. This committee does not have any representation from the TTG Group. The limited scope of the review has conveniently left out the main concern of all the Church members which relates to the office and authority of the Senior Pastor. This exclusion of one of the real issues confronting the church has already gotten a stamp of failure on the whole exercise from the start. It is certainly not what the members want.

3. The formation of the Financial Governance Committee is also another joke. The committee comprises Deacon Edward Rajasingam, Deacon Han, Bro Lee Tuck Heng (ex-church auditor), Bro Tam Kok Meng (present church auditor), Bro Au Weng Sang and Bro Ding Lai Hong. With the inclusion of 2 deacons and the previous church auditor, all of whom had been ignorant or overlooked the many accounting issues as well as the unauthorized transfer of funds from missions Dept to CIM, we wonder how effective this committee can be?


Both Senior Pastor and Sis Petrina shared at Saturday’s meeting. Here are some NOTE WORTHY STATEMENTS made by them during the meeting.

He said:

#1.… the church celebrated my 30 years celebration and in that celebration, we launched CIM and that is how CIM came to be … The church gave a gift of RM30,000-00 and everybody was glad and happy. …

#2.…Before that was known as Sr Pastor’s Overseas Travel and 30 years in celebration then gave it a name called CIM – it was a personal ministry. Personal in a sense it wasn’t Pas. Steven doing it, it wasn’t Pas. Peter doing it. It was me that was doing it so that’s where it was said that it was to be a personal ministry of Pas. Prince Guneratnam.

#3.…And also when it (CIM) was formed, it was also expressed that it will come a time…when the church gets big enough, …The Lord wants to move me into full-time to evangelistic … Then I will move into evangelistic … I will be changing my job, changing my role, changing my position, no more pastoring, now as an evangelist. You don’t call that retirement. You don’t retire. Just change of job. It’s changing your responsibility so CIM gave my overseas missionary ministry a structure, a structure to what I was doing.

#4.… CIM will release to Calvary Church all existing funds in CIM books, at this stage, a total sum of RM1,055,550-68, which means CIM now has a zero balance. So we’re going to return all that sum of money.

#5.… Money has never been our issue.


She said:

#6.… As Sr Pastor has said, “to give structure to a ministry that has been well accepted internationally and after 30 years. …. giving it a structure will help in the funding from people like Dr Cho and Pastors and many friends, from Japan …and people gave at the launch. This was in September 2002.

#7.… In 2003, we bought land for the CCC, … CCC then became our top priority. We must put CIM aside and not talk about CIM and people supporting this ministry, because we want everyone, including our friends, our contacts, to support CCC and we want to raise funds for CIM will be after CCC has been built…our desire was to channel all funds for CCC… and as some of you know, our good friend Dr. Cho gave two million and it could come to CIM…Pas. Robert and church also gave two million and some others…

#8.…So you say, “How did Missions get involved in giving to the seed fund?” Missions has always supported SP overseas ministry and God in the meantime, blessed our Missions and Faith Promise abundantly and since the Church has EXCESS fund, more money. After meeting all the commitment, there was still MORE money left from (for?) missions and since CIM is a missionary endeavor to missionary in nature, evangelistic crusade, a certain amount was appointed to CIM seed fund. Missions money can only be used for Missions.

#9.… Missions money has never been brought back to the church to be said whether it can be appointed or not. …So certain amount of money was given to CIM approved by the Missions Board as well as the Deacons. It was not something that we transfer. It was never like this. So that’s why Sr Pastor and I were very comfortable to receive this amount of money given to CIM because it was for ministry. …It was for crusades and fall in line with the criteria of money given to missions. ... And since we give hundreds to thousands….you heard, four million and we don’t come back to church for approval to give money for …Dr. Guynes ministry or for Peter Wagner who built the Prayer Tower….the Indian Pastor, David Mohan….

#10.… it never dawn on us and at the same time, you must know, Sr Pastor and I, all we know is ministry. We have not come from the secular world. I know nothing about CBT and I know nothing about this transfer of funds. Our thinking has always been spiritual. … so we accept it very gratefully and happily, as we put CCC first and not put the ministry that was personal, …and God in turn gave back to CIM …

#11.… When this perception was created, this misinterpretation, we immediately thought of giving back the money.

#12.... the Board Of Deacons never thought about having to come back to the church for approval, whether the amount can be given to the SP’s ministry/CIM. Maybe we took for granted that everybody would be so happy that we can support the SP’s ministry so and since we never have to come back to the church at large to say whether this money can be given or not. It was already designated for missions, so you know, that was it.

#13.…First of all, we needed to clear the allegations that it was CBT and pastor has said how the Board was brought in and it, that has been cleared. Now after the EGM, now we will return the money and it has been given back … because of certain allegations, it has become ugly and since God is always our source and if it will bring about peace and settlement, we are very happy.

#14.…Why call it Calvary International Ministry and since this is a personal ministry, why don’t call it Prince Guneratnam Ministry?... For all of you who know pastor, even a little, you know that Sr Pastor is a very reserved, shy person. He doesn’t talk about himself, neither does he talk about our family…. By nature he is always reserve…and so giving it Prince Guneratnam Ministry will bring a lot of attention to himself and he doesn’t want that. So that is the reason.

#15… Another reason why we call it Calvary International Ministry - our love and our recognition of Calvary Church. We are so much a part of Calvary Church. We have given the best of our years…35 years…Calvary Church will always be apart of us even when we go to heaven, I believe, when we die lah ah and we will, I hope, be apart of some of you. It was recognition affection that we call it Calvary International Ministry.

#16.… It was never meant to deceive people to give money to us using Calvary’s name. By the way, people give money to individuals they can trust. They don’t give to church name and say ……

#17.… Every sen has been accounted for by the Certified independent audit, accountant. All money has been returned. There is zero balance. The matter is considered closed, I hope.

Well, now that all the balance money in CIM has been transferred back to the Church Missions Dept (whether voluntarily or involuntarily, we leave it to you to decide), we sincerely hope that Pastor Prince and his dear wife will do the next right thing and that is, accept full responsibility for the crisis that the church is in and change job to do what has been in their hearts all these years and become evangelists.

God Bless.