History of Shan Churches in Burma 1861-2001 - Khamkoo

Analysis 224
The result is that they become more and more interested in our religion. Besides helping each family in
their farms we have allotted over twenty acres as the Lord’s acres from which we hope we will be
getting some money.”
Present
The support to local Churches comes mainly from members of the Church. Government or local
authority does not give financial support to the Church. Sometimes they also received support from
foreign friends and Churches. Some Shan Churches are financially rich and independently selfsupporting.
They may have millions of Kyat in their account since Shan are generous in donation. But
some Churches are very poor. They don’t even have enough money to support their pastors. Some
pastors have to do other work to support their families. The work and ministry of the pastor are
declining because they have to spend more times on their secular work to earn extra money. Sometimes
secular works have drawn full-time pastors to quit their ministry. The strong Church seldom helps the
weak Church financially. It is rare to see one Church supporting other Church financially. One may
have million but one may have nothing to support their pastor and ministry. Some funds are raised from
abroad to support Shan Churches in training, pastors, evangelists, evangelism, missions and Church
Planting since 1984. Shan Churches and missions must learn how to be self-supporting. I believe the
strength is within us. But we are lacking of love, care, unity and priority. We need two kinds of support
to Shan Churches. One is spiritual support and the other is educational support. Most of the Shan
Churches are spiritual weak and biblical, theological education are very much limited.
Ezra 10:4 Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are
doing.
18. Friendship
Past
Dr. Griggs said in 1901, “Since then I have performed several operations upon people
belonging to the village including a Buddhist priest and have given medicine to almost everybody there
at one time or another. This, of course, has made them very friendly and we wished very much to open
an out-station there but we had no one whom we could spare from our compound.” 91
It was reported in TaungGyi in 1915, “Dr. Henderson‘s skilful medical work has made many
friends among the people” Missionaries were well treated and accepted by people because they offered
health care services and education to the public without discrimination. They gained friendship through
their services. It was reported by Dr. Henderson from MuongNai in 1912, “At the Christmas
entertainment, which the Christians of MuongNai themselves managed with such skill, the rulers of the
town, the prince and his wives, all attended. During the celebrations in honor of the coronation,
Christians were the only ones invited into the prince’s palace where they were entertained with
refreshments.” 92 It was very uncommon to have a royal family, ruler of the people who were
Buddhists, to attend Christian gathering. It was an extraordinary achievement for Shan Christians to be
invited to prince’s palace as special guests during coronation celebration. It was reported in TaungGyi
in 1914, “Nearly all who were baptized came from those who live near and this seems to be the rule
each year. First despise, then pity and then embrace is quite true of the converts won from heathenism.
Those who are reached as a general rule seem to be the people who first became acquainted with the
missionary by daily intimate contact and then attend the services, after which they generally become
91 87th Annual Report, 1901, American Baptist Missionary Union, report from Dr. Griggs
92 98th Annual Report, 1912, American Baptist Missionary Union from Dr. Henderson