Malaysia: Helping students love the Bible in a world of distractions
Melissa was the student who stood out. Eu Pui had been involved in FES Malaysia student ministry for 16 years, but Melissa stuck in her mind. Melissa prepared Bible studies thoroughly for the group she led. She thought about the timing. She thought about the audience. And what’s more, Melissa wanted the Bible to influence her life, the way she interacted at church and her decisions at work.
Eu Pui longs to see more students in Malaysia like Melissa, committed to engaging deeply with Scripture. But with students’ increasingly busy schedules and social media distractions, it’s getting harder to help them love the Word. They lose concentration. They just want sound bites. They’d rather watch a YouTube video than open the Bible.
These are just some of the challenges of student ministry today in Malaysia and in the rest of East Asia – and indeed, across the world.
The recent IFES Scripture Engagement gathering brought together the Scripture Engagement global team, regional and national movement staff from almost every IFES region, including Eu Pui from East Asia. A network of regional champions for Scripture Engagement was formed. The group spent time talking together about how they can best help their students engage deeply with the Bible, in different contexts. This network will continue to be a space for encouragement and learning across the regions over the coming years, which, God-willing, will filter out across every national movement.
- Thank God for the conversations staff had at the Scripture Engagement gathering, sharing ideas and best practices. Pray that Eu Pui and the others would know how to take it forward in their own regions and movements.
- Pray that Eu Pui and other FES Malaysia staff would continue to find joy in the Word as they spend time meeting students and preparing studies, talks and training.