"Parakaleo" Basic Intensive

In Oct 2021, The Parakaleo Asia Pacific Ministry held an online Basic Intensive Training to equip women in ministry. This was conducted over seven sessions on the Greenhouse.

The Parakaleo Ministry regularly conducts online small groups and training for pastors' and elders' wives, as well as women in ministry. Here's more about the ministry.

Below, you will find a participant's reflection on the recent training and a transcript of her testimony.

A Testimony

Here's the transcript of Fang Say's testimony about the Parakaleo Basic Intensive. Should you be interested to know more about the Parakaleo Ministry, visit this page or write to [email protected].
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"Parakaleo" means coming alongside in Greek
"Thank you for the privilege to share my experience with Parakaleo.

I've been a follower of Christ for over 40 years and have been involved in various ministries for more than three decades. My husband, Christopher and I are presently worshipping at CPCKL.

We have just exited our home church of almost 40 years recently in October, we have two grown-up children, Julian and Jamie. I'm currently a full-time homemaker, but in my earlier part of life, I enjoyed a career in broadcasting and production for 15 years before moving into voluntary church work. I set up and managed a nonprofit dialysis centre in the last 10 years.

Well, thanks to the multiple MCOs, 2021 has given me a lot of time for self-reflection and to draw closer to the Lord through His Word. I was invited to join the Basic Intensive with Parakaleo by Dar, having attended a number of sessions in a small group that she kindly included me in.

To me, the Basic Intensive became a much-needed supply of fresh air. It resuscitated many parts of me that had worn down in the hyperactive pursuit of Christian works and righteousness over the years.

During the seven-week period, I found new vocabulary to articulate my understanding of the gospel. Things like gospel lens, the gospel dance, gospel quivers, left turn, right turn, fruit to root, voices, verdict.

These are just some of the phrases that I am now slowly picking up and placing into my brand new tool bag. But I think more importantly, after so many years of witnessing and evangelism work, it was only during this period that I discovered I could have actually neglected preaching the gospel to myself.

Parakaleo has done quite a bit to shake off that gospel sieve that's been sitting on my head. It made me realize that I may have missed out living out the best parts of the gospel; the tremendous grace, the real freedom, the great confidence, all of which I am entitled to just simply because I belong to Jesus Christ. And I am to live out that knowledge to God’s big story of grace in the now and not yet.

At the onset of the Basic, I have this fixed mindset to receive new knowledge so that I too can teach and minister to others. By the end of the seventh week, it dawned on me that I was the one who needed to be taught and ministered to first. It's much like that proverbial oxygen mask on the airplane where one needs to wear it first before being able to help others.

Although this realization was very humbling. It nevertheless was also empowering for me. I want to say a big thank you to all the teachers in the Basic, namely, Dar, Wendy and Utako who did a marvellous job of cramming, I think, almost 179 pages of concepts and material into 21 hours of online class.

And that from different time zones that they were located in. I appreciate the enthusiasm, liveliness and most of all, their willingness to reveal their vulnerability, sharing their gospel stories. Indeed, by sharing their vulnerability, I saw their strength and courage as women in ministry.

It was truly inspiring and enlightening. Not forgetting the members in my small group at the Intensive, their honesty and willingness to share made it all an even more enriching experience.

Thank you, Gospel City Network for all that you do in and for Malaysia, I'm really looking forward to more in the coming months in 2022 with you.

Thanks."

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