A Visit to Kudat

Last week, from Tuesday to Friday, I was in Kudat, Sabah, for meetings of the

Provincial Liturgical Committee. Each diocese sends two or more representatives to serve on this committee, which helps prepare, revise and make liturgies available for use across our dioceses. We also work on and publish the annual lectionary.

One of my main responsibilities is to help make our liturgies available digitally through PrayDOS, which carries liturgies from different dioceses in various languages. PrayDOS also serve our deaneries.

It may not be the most exciting work, but it is necessary. My hope is that these efforts will serve our churches well for many years to come.

Kudat lies far to the north of Sabah. Once its capital under British rule, it was also a landing place for Hakka migrants who came to make a new home here. The name “Hakka” means “guest families”, reflecting a history shaped by migration. Conflict and displacement led many Hakka people to seek new lives in other parts of the world, including Southeast Asia.

During our stay, we enjoyed some good Hakka food and visited local Hakka church museums. Their exhibits told stories of migration, faith and perseverance, and of how these communities settled and made Sabah their home. My father was Hakka, so these stories held a particular personal interest for me.

The Provincial Liturgical Committee L-R:

Revd Eisu Das (Diocese of West Malaysia),  Revd Canon Terry Wong (Diocese of Singapore), Revd Joseph Soon Jun Jer (Diocese of West Malaysia), Revd Yap Chee Han (Chairman, Diocese of Singapore), Revd Canon Bradley Sangan (Diocese of Kuching), Archdeacon Moses Chin (Diocese of Sabah), Revd David Wong (Diocese of Sabah)

Sabah is also a place of great natural beauty, with its forests, mountains, rivers and beaches. We managed to visit the Tip of Borneo, where the South China Sea meets the Sulu Sea. It was a beautiful setting in which to pause and enjoy a little of what this part of Borneo has to offer.

We were blessed refreshed by this trip to the north of Borneo Island.

The Anglican Hakka Museum in Kudos.