Nhill Karen (K’Nyaw) Baptist Church celebrated their 11th anniversary in June, and at the same time dedicated their new church building as a place of worship, fellowship, service and blessing for generations to come. Karen people originate from the Karen ethnic tribe in Myanmar.
“The congregation and the pastors feel so blessed, happy and nervous at the same time about moving across to the new building,” said church Youth Leader Diana Taw. For the previous 11 years, the congregation had been using the Uniting Church building .“It is really a big change for us and we have a sense of responsibility to take care of it. My hope and prayer for the church is that we keep working together as a team, as one big family, for us to keep going strong in the Faith, keep serving God with love and be the light to those who needed it.”
The heartwarming event featured special songs, prayers, and a luncheon as they praised God for the guidance and support that He provided during the building process. “We can see clearly that God was the one who did everything for us. God sent us so many angels who helped and supported us. We did not need to do much. They helped us with everything, talked to the agent to negotiate the price, talked to the bank and lawyer for us, spread the news to others and secured help on our behalf… It was really a big blessing from God. Without God, this is impossible, but nothing is impossible to God.”
The church has a beautiful relationship with many diverse community groups in the Nhill area and these have played a significant role in the growth and success of this vibrant faith community. The most notable example of this is a local company, Luv A Duck, which approached Karen people living in Melbourne to move to Nhill and work for the business. “The business was in danger because there were not enough workers. They found out about Karen people in Melbourne, and invited them to come check it out. A few Karen people came to work at Luv-a-Duck, and their families moved there afterwards. Now, almost every household in Nhill works at Luv-a-Duck and most of the workers there are Karen people. The business is still going strong.”
The Karen now represent more than 10 percent of the town’s population, with around 200 Karen residents in a community of approximately 2000 people, and the church and the community have a beautiful interwoven relationship of collaboration and respect. “Community groups in Nhill have always welcomed us with love and a lot of support. Whenever we organised an event for our church, they are always there for us, to give us their hands, buildings or places to use free of charge. They invited us to their events, and we invited them to our events. We are working together as one big community.”
The partnership with Nhill Uniting Church is just one example, with the Church having provided their building free of charge to the Karen congregation for services and church activities over the past 11 years. “I don’t even know how to describe our relationship with the Nhill Uniting Church. We are so blessed and grateful to have their support. They are like our foster parents who were always there to support us with whatever we need without hesitation.” The churches held regular combined services with singing and Bible readings in both languages. They hope to continue doing this every few months.