GLC23: Transforming Lives Everywhere!

Video is available for download via HIM Intranet

In a land where diverse cultures meet vibrant warm hospitality, Hope International Ministries held its Global Leadership Conference 2023 (GLC23) after a three-year hiatus in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. 530 pastors and leaders  from 64 churches and 19 countries joined the conference themed “Transforming Lives Everywhere!” The conference kickstarted with a Pastors and Coordinators Gathering on the 3 July where many pastors, coordinators, and church core team members gathered to be inspired, connect, and hear from the elders before kickstarting the conference which was held from the 4-6 July. 

On 4 July, the main conference began with a bang as everyone from different parts of the world filled the Imperial Hotel hallway to register and finally connect in-person. Many swarmed to the carnival booth before the session began where they experienced the local culture by walking through different booths that included a live band, a photo booth where delegates could take pictures wearing traditional Sarawakian clothing, merchandise booths, a dart booth where delegates can have fun together, and an exotic animals booth where different exotic animals were put on display and made the highlight of the carnival: mealworm tasting! 

Throughout the conference, there were many different sessions where different Pastors shared their heart for the church, what God has been doing, and what is to come for the movement. On the 4 and 5 July, there were TEG talks (Transformed by Encounters with God) where many different people from the movement shared their stories and experiences about “Transforming Lives Everywhere” and “Generations”. The TEG talks aimed to foster inspiration and learning, to provoke conversations which were carried out during the long lunches thereafter where delegates were able to have lunch and personally interact with their preferred TEG Talk speaker. 

Our Elders also shared their heart with inspiring messages throughout the three days. Ps Wilson shared a powerful message titled “Immeasurably More to Come” on the first day, setting the expectation of the great things to come during the conference and beyond. On the second day, he shared the stage with Ps Lance to bring an impactful message on “Spiritual Covering through Spiritual Parenting” highlighting that spiritual parenting is like a loving embrace from God and displays the nature of God the Father to those we lead. On the same day as well, Ps Denis shared a compelling message about “Generations”, highlighting the importance of every generation and that every generation is for the next generation. On the final day, Ps Simon shared his heart on “Maximising Who You Are and what God Has Given to You” in our quest to transform lives everywhere. Later that day, this message was further reinforced as pastors and leaders from different regions took the stage to share their Transforming Lives Everywhere testimonies.

A highlight of the conference which many were queuing for, was the Prophetic Impartation session. The session was held on the 5 July where a limited number of delegates were able to register for a prophetic impartation by Pastor Lai Ling and her team. The session aimed to encourage, exhort, comfort, confirm, direct, and even bring correction through the prophetic word. 

Another highlight of the conference was the Leaders Connect for Singles on the last day of the conference. This networking session gave a space for singles in the movement to gather, build friendships, and foster meaningful connections with engaging icebreakers and thought-provoking conversations. The session assisted delegates to broaden connections with leaders across the globe who shared the same vision and DNA. 

The conference ended with an experience like none other. Everyone dressed up in different traditional clothing and gathered as one to celebrate with a celebrative dinner. People of different cultures and backgrounds came together as a family to celebrate the diversity, unity, and beauty of the Hope family. The night started with a cultural dance around the world by brothers and sisters from Hope Kota Samarahan, followed by feasting of delicious Chinese banquet, fun and jaw-dropping activities where the flexibility of the regional pastors was tested, and ending with an appreciation session, “We Celebrate You”, for all the regions across the globe. The room was filled with great vibrancy and love as everyone picked up their red napkins and spun them in circles which painted a beautiful picture of the unity and diversity of the Hope Family. As the night continued, many continued with a jamming and dancing session with one another as the worship team encored. 

GLC23 Kids Program

Throughout the conference, the little ones were not forgotten! The children also followed the theme “Transforming Lives Everywhere!” and had a fun time together as they went to the Borneo Cultures Museum, and Fun Factor on the first day. Followed by a Mini Olympics and a learning trip to the fire station and ending the conference with a fun-filled session— “The Art of Picasso” at Hope Church Kuching.  

GLC23 Community Impact Initiatives

During GLC23, we undertook two impactful Community Impact initiatives as well. Through Tech for Pastors (T4P), we collected 36 mobile phones, 2 tablets, and 5 laptops to support pastors and leaders in India and Africa. Additionally, through Books Build Legacy (BBL) in collaboration with Business Events Sarawak, we gathered 499 books for the libraries in rural areas of Sarawak. We thank the delegates for their generous contributions.

Optional Extra Activities

From 7 to 9 July, optional extra activities were held where different delegates could sign up for different activities like volunteering at an NGO—Hope Place, connecting with a life group, joining the Ablaze Glocal Legacy, or going on the Borneo Odyssey 1.0 mission trip! 

12 international delegates from GLC volunteered at Hope Place. There were broken into two groups where the first painted and cleaned a house for an octogenarian man who lives alone, and the second group delivered food aid to two families who lived across a hanging bridge where the delegates had to hike the Padawan hills for more than 30 minutes while carrying the food. 

“Everyone had an adventurous time that tested their physical endurance, yet this experience was truly memorable for them and gave them the chance to be the salt and light to society.” – Hope Place Staff

80 youth leaders from across the globe gathered for Ablaze Glocal Legacy to connect and celebrate God’s faithfulness. The event kickstarted on the 7 July with an icebreaker and encouraging stories of God’s power at work from Ablaze Manila, Bacoor, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, and Penang. Pastor Torch from Hope Brisbane shared about “Passing on Your Legacy” in which he exhorted each delegate to receive, run, and relay the flame with perseverance so that every next generation will know God. He also shared about “Generation Discipleship” which addressed issues of disengaged youths in the church and promoted intergenerational mentoring. This was followed by a practical activity of evaluating the effectiveness of respective Life Groups using a Ministry Assessment Tool. The event ended with an “Encounter Night” where youths from Ablaze Kuching gathered with the 80 youth leaders to worship and seek God’s Presence. Many youths received personal rhema words from God and were ministered to. 

“Despite challenging times, God had remained faithful by bringing in the young generation and strengthening the leaders to disciple them. We were reminded that the harvest is truly plentiful, but the workers are few – but God is able!” – Gladys Tan, Hope Kuching

During the Borneo Odyssey 1.0 mission trip, delegates from Hope Kuching, Hope Auckland, Hope Newcastle, Hope Sandakan, and Hope Hobart were able to reach 72 families in Kuching, Engkilili, Longshe, Sapit Village, Tanjung Manis, and Sibu longhouses. Many seeds were sown, along with four salvations during the trip! 

“We  praise God for His provision, support, protection, and presence. for the trip to Kampung Senyaruk, Sibu. There was heavy rain and we waited cause it was dangerous to drive in the rain. But after we finished praying and decided to depart, the rain stopped. The road condition was very challenging after rain (slippery and steep), we really prayed hard during the journey.” – Daniel Lee, Hope Kuching

“The genuine love that comes from Abba God that touches people and simple faith for Abba God to answer prayers for people’s needs.” – Pey Bin, Hope Perth

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Ps Brendan Kirby

Brendan and Helen Kirby are the founding pastors of Hope Church in Adelaide. Brendan became a Christian in 1984, and joined Hope Melbourne in 1991. In the 80’s Brendan trained in physics at The University Of Melbourne, and graduated with a PhD in 1989. Since then he has worked as a post doctoral fellow and research scientist for about 23 years in various government research organizations. He married Helen in 1994, and in early 1998 they moved to Adelaide plant the Hope Church together while they both were working. He resigned his job as a research scientist for the Australian Defence in 2012 to work full time as a pastor.  Brendan is passionate about building and planting churches, and oversees churches in Perth, West Africa, Central Africa and India.

Ps Lance Wolter

Ps Lance & Belle were married in 2006 while pioneering Hope Church Gold Coast. As time went on they began to also become more and more involved helping with other churches in Australia and missional work (especially in Africa). In late 2018, they both took a leap of faith and relocated to Southern Africa to help churches in that region to become more fruitful in discipleship and the multiplication of churches. They are currently serving over 180 churches in Southern and Eastern Africa as well as churches in Gold Coast, New South Wales and ACT (Australia). Lance and Belle are passionate about pioneering community empowerment and social justice projects for the poorest of the poor. The family is also blessed with two beautiful children, Michael and Hadessah.

Ps Chaiyapruck Pewruangnont

Pastor Chaiyapruck Pewruangnont came to know Jesus Christ in 1988 at Hope of Bangkok church when he was a high school student. After he graduated with a Bachelor Degree of Architechure from KMITL Bangkok, he was trained and sent out to be the pastor of Hope of Hatyai church in 1996. He then moved to be a regional pastor at Hope Nakornrachasima and oversaw the North East region of Thailand. In 2000, he moved to Hope Bangkok church to join the pastoral team and oversaw the North region of Bangkok. In 2002, he moved back to Hatyai again and oversaw the Southern and North East of Thailand. He is currently the Vice President of HIM Thailand. Pastor Chaiyapruck is married to Pastor Patcharee. They have 2 daughters.

Ps Chuchat Chaisombat

Pastor Chuchat Chaisombat grew up in Payao, Northern Thailand.  After graduating in Economics, he started to serve God as a full-time pastoral staff.  He now lives with his wife Siriphorn in Chiangmai. He graduated in Master of Ministry from Bangkok Bible Seminary (BBS). He is currently the President of HIM Thailand, and leads the HIM churches in Thailand. Chuchat enjoys pioneering churches and discipleship.  He has a deep desire to inspire and help Christ-followers to be passionate for God and to serve Him until their last breath.

Ps James Loke

James Loke graduated in economics and worked in the central bank in Singapore. He then received a sovereign call to serve God in the mission field whence he travelled widely to preach and teach the Word of God. He is based in Singapore, where he serves God with his wife Christine. He oversees HIM churches in Thailand and the Philippines.  James believes that God wants His people to know Him well and to have a close relationship with Him and with fellow believers.  James desires Christ-followers to be passionate for God, mature in Christ and live pragmatic lives honouring Him.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Ps Prakich Treetasayuth

Pastor Prakich Treetasayuth received a Bachelor’s Degree of Science, majoring in Biochemistry, from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He was awarded a Master’s Degree of Philosophy in Theology from the Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. After receiving Christ in Hope of Bangkok Church in 1988, he was committed to the church and its ministry in many areas including biblical studies. In 1995, he became a regional pastor and the Head of Publication, in charge of the church’s teaching materials. He was appointed as the Pastor over Student Ministry in 1999 until he relocated to Europe in 2004 in his new role as the Regional Pastor over Hope Europe. God called him back to Thailand in 2021 for an additional role as the General Secretary for Thailand Bible Society. Pastor Prakich is gifted in leadership, word of encouragement and as a shepherd and a teacher.

Ps Kwong Lie Ong

Pastor Ong Kwong Lie pioneered Hope Johor Bahru (in Malaysia) in the year 1993. With a humble beginning of 1 person, today the church consists of more than 200 members and is still growing. Besides pastoring Hope Johor Bahru, he also oversees daughter churches in the state of Johor and Malacca. God has also entrusted him to oversee churches in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and India. Pastor Kwong Lie graduated from Harvest Bible College in Melbourne with Diploma in Christian Ministry in 1991. He is married to Pastor Swee Min and they have 2 sons. Pastor Swee Min supports him in his pastoral role locally and internationally.

Ps Denis Lu

Pastor Denis Lu was one of the pioneering members of Hope Kuching with Pastor Simon, in 1992. He is currently the Senior Pastor of Hope Kuching. He oversees HIM churches in Malaysia. Denis graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1991 from University Newcastle, Australia in 1991. He returned to Kuching, lectured at Stamford College and later became the College’s principal in 1995. He moved on to be an education counselor for Taylor’s College before entering full-time ministry in September 2001. Denis is married to Pastor Chong Hai Eng, who is also the Senior Manager in the HIM Elders’ Office. They have a son.

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Ps Simon Eng

Pastor Simon Eng is a Civil Engineer by training. He has been ministering for over 30 years. His experiences include pioneering Hope Kuching, mentoring leaders and pastors, and ministering in cross-cultural Regional Conferences. Pastor Simon is married to Pastor Lai Eng and they have 3 wonderful children, who are active in their faith as well. Pastor Simon is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of Hope Kuala Lumpur and an Elder in Hope International Ministries. He loves to build God’s people and travels extensively to minister and care for God’s churches.

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Ps Wilson Lim

Wilson and Lai Ling are founding pastors of Hope Church, a thriving multi-site church with its headquarters in Brisbane. Wilson is currently serving as President of HIM and oversees Hope churches in Oceania and North America.  Wilson is known for his lively, engaging expositional preaching, theological and leadership insights as well as apostolic father’s heart.  His passion is teaching, equipping leaders and building the church.  Wilson holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (Monash University) and a MTh (The University of Manchester). He was a research scientist with CSIRO. He also formerly served as a Bible College director and is currently the chairman of Australian Care & Trauma Services.  Lai Ling complements him in ministry with her passion in the areas of prophetic, intercession, pastoral care and counselling.  Together, they minister widely around the world today and founded a ministry equipping website wilsonlailing.com.  They have three adult children and 1 daughter-in-law.

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