History of Shan Churches in Burma 1861-2001 - Khamkoo

Analysis 254
gospel and mission works are the works of paid pastors and evangelists only. They don’t need to
participate. Some are reluctant to participate in God’s work without pay. There are very little
cooperation among Eastern, Southern and Northern Shan Churches. They use to do thing separately and
sometimes competitively. Shan believers and Churches in Southern Shan State are small and weak in
all aspects but the strong Churches from the East and North seldom go to help.
God has given us a wonderful opportunity of preaching gospel to the Shan in common Shan
(Burmese-Shan) language and DaiMao (Chinese-Shan) dialect to all the Shan people in Myanmar,
Thailand and China through radio broadcast from Far East Broadcasting Company since 1989. I asked
pastors from Eastern Shan and ShweLi Shan to participate in this ministry in providing sermons in
Shan. However until today no one from ShweLi has contributed any. All pastors in ShweLi are
DaiMao. But none of them has given a sermon for DaiMao program. Late Rev. Sai Stephen from
KengTung had contributed about 40 sermons before he passed away.
Shan believers in PangLong are poor. They wanted to raise money so that they could have their
own Church and pastor. They wanted to go to ShweLi Valley and collect offering from Christian
brothers and sisters there. ShweLi is a border town with China and having good business and there are
some rich Christians in MuSe. But their letter of request to give them permission to come to ShweLi for
fund raising visit was turned down by ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Mission. No one can organize any
Christian activity or collect any donation from their Churches and members without their permission. If
we call one another as “Christian brothers and sisters” we should love, care, concern and help one
another.
1Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love
for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions
and in truth.
1John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not
love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
39. Meeting and Fellowship
Past
Bixby reported in November 1863, “Where could we get the fund for such an undertaking? It
was so ordered that I should arrive at Rangoon just in time to attend the second annual meeting of the
Burma Bible and Tract Society, an organization which though small and young is already doing a great
and good work for the enlightenment of Burma and as the President called on me to state to them the
condition and prospects of these frontier tribes I had a good opportunity to present this subject and to
press upon the society the claim of the Shan to the printed as well as the preached gospel.” 152
Missionaries met in Rangoon for business meeting at the Baptist mission headquarter. Most of the
missionaries working among other people groups in Burma came to annual general meeting.
It was reported in 1894, “Arrangements had been perfected to have a meeting in April with the
MuongNai and NamKham Churches in the HsiPaw Church. Bhamo has ceased to be classed as a Shan
station and KengTung was not then opened. Dr. Harper of MuongNai was, by reasons beyond his
control, prevented from attending, so NamKham and HsiPaw Churches held a two days’ series of
meetings, in which the spiritual interest was good and the Christian fellowship was enjoyed by all.
During the business portion of the meetings, it was decided to organize a temporary association of the
152 Letter From Mr. Bixby, Nov. 23, 1863, Toungoo, The Baptist Missionary Magazine, May 1864.