Khamsay Phetchareun, former Executive Secretary of the Southeast Asia Union Mission, has joined the Global Mission Centers, under the office of Adventist Mission. He now serves as the director of the Center for East Asian Religions. This center is one of six centers focused on helping the church reach out to people from non-Christian backgrounds.

“Dr. Phetchareun comes to us with rich experience in working alongside Buddhists, and understanding their cultures and beliefs,” says Gary Krause, director of the Office of Adventist Mission. “Born and raised within this context, he is especially well placed to share spiritually. He is also actively involved in promoting health and education.”

Phetchareun says, “I am humbled to have been given this unique opportunity. I don’t know why God picked us, but I can trace God’s leading in my life in the past, so I know that He will continue to guide.”

Phetchareun became a Seventh-day Adventist as a young adult, and studied theology at Avondale College in Australia. After marrying and raising his family in Australia, he and his wife returned to Southeast Asia to support the work of the church in that field in various capacities. This included serving as Associate Director for ADRA Myanmar, professor of religion at Asia Pacific International University in Thailand, and Mission Director in Laos. He also served at Fulton College in Fiji. Most recently, he has been serving as Executive Secretary of the Southeast Asia Union Mission. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree, focusing on Buddhism, from Andrews University.

Mission in Buddhist contexts has proved to be challenging for Adventists, and for Christians more broadly. Only about 1% of Thailand’s population is Christian, and other primarily-Buddhist countries also have very small Christian populations, despite more than 100 years of mission efforts in many of these countries. With this challenge in mind, the church established the Center for East Asian Religions with the purpose of finding more effective ways to connect with people with a Buddhist worldview. Over the years, the center has developed resources to assist the church in this area.

“While progress among Buddhists has moved more slowly than we as a church might wish for in the past, and I don’t have all the answers myself, I believe that God can call Buddhists to Himself and direct us to them through prayer,” says Phetchareun. “There is power in prayer!”

He emphasizes the importance of building relationships and demonstrating care for the community through acts of service before expecting to be heard. He notes that this is Christ’s method. “There is a saying,” he comments. “‘If I love you, your words are music to my ears. If I don’t like you, your words are like the sound of a mosquito to my ears.’”

Prior to Phetchareun’s appointment, Greg and Amy Whitsett, who were long-time missionaries to Southeast Asia, served as director and associate director of the Center for East Asian Religions for 10 years. Greg is now fulfilling the role of planning director at Adventist Mission, while Amy is serving as an associate director at the Institute of World Mission.

To learn more about the Global Mission Centers, visit GlobalMissionCenters.org. For more information about Adventist Mission, visit AdventistMission.org.