Even before the first brick was laid, the Lord had His hands on the Essential Life Center, an Urban Center of Influence. Find out how lives were transformed through Adventists in Cambodia.
Even before the first brick was laid, the Lord had His hands on the Essential Life Center, an Urban Center of Influence in Battambang, Cambodia’s third largest city. A man named Phon was hired to do welding by Gary Rogers, the superintendent of the building project. Gary is the Global Mission director for the Cambodia Mission and also a Adventist missionary. Phon liked having a day and a half off each week to relax rather than the demanding seven-day weeks he had to put in at other companies. He also enjoyed the morning worships led by Gary.
Phon believed the Bible to be the Word of God, so when Gary opened the Scripture and showed him about the Sabbath, tithe, the health message, and the meaning of baptism, he accepted its teachings. He began keeping the Sabbath day holy from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. He also decided to be baptized and become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“It has had a very positive impact on my life. I found the truth about the Sabbath. That made me happy because I want to follow the Bible. This makes me very happy that I’m now with a group of believers who follow the Bible, especially Sabbath worship. (22scnd)”
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all churches and schools in Cambodia, Phon spent more time with his family and gave them Bible studies. They, too, accepted the Sabbath and dedicated their lives to Christ through baptism.
Many others have come to know Jesus through the ministry of this Urban Center of Influence, also known as a UCI, and the Battambang Central Church is very thankful for the work the center is doing to connect seekers like Phon to its church family. People of all different backgrounds who wouldn’t otherwise enter a church walk into the UCI and Battambang Central Church looking to better their lives. Whether through the language class, music classes, or the vegetarian restaurant, the UCI offers a perfect meeting place for people from different walks of life. Before the pandemic, more than 100 people were coming to the center each day, and trained members from the Battambang Central Church welcomed them with open arms and shared about Jesus. About 20 people have already given their lives to Jesus through the joint ministry of the UCI and Battambang Central Church, and many more children and young people are studying the Bible.
“My prayer request is to ask people from around the world to pray for the center and church here. Pray that the church will grow both in spirit and in numbers, and become inspired and on fire for God to share the gospel around this community. You can see there are a number of facilities like a soccer field and basketball court. Pray that people will come to engage with us so they can be introduced to Jesus.”
Thank you for contributing to the 13th Sabbath Offering that helped make this Urban Center of Influence possible!
