Tag Archives: statement

CHC Publishes Yoido Full Gospel Church Statement

28 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

YOIDO FULL GOSPEL CHURCH STATEMENT CRITIQUE

CHC recently published Yoido Full Gospel Church’s official statement about the Yonggi Cho scandal. Before reading their statement, we would like to highlight some concerning elements to our readers in this statement.

Underneath the Yoido Full Gospel Church (YFGC) statement, we will publish the biblical qualifications of Godly leadership. It is important to consider if David Yonggi Cho and his elders fulfill the requirements as we offer our critique.

Snippet 1:

“From this day forward all us who are related to this matter will try our best to prevent something like this from happening again.”

What does this mean? Elders did try “to prevent something like this from happening”. They apparently did the biblical thing behind closed doors with David Yonggi Cho (Matt 18:15-20). They were expelled and made the issues public. They were maligned by David Yonggi Cho but were proven to be right in court. Those apologising appeared to do nothing of the sort. When you read the statement, it does not sound like they are apologising about their complacency.

If they want “to prevent something like this from happening again”, they need to remove Yonggi Cho’s family from leadership and have them counselled under God’s Word.

Snippet 2:

“More than anything, we can’t stop expressing our deepest apologies towards our members and to our spiritual teacher and leader Pastor Yonggi Cho for our inability in properly aiding him.”

Why is YFGC leadership “expressing [their] deepest apologies” to Yonggi Cho for their “inability in properly aiding him”? Like we just said, a cluster of elders did try to aid and correct Yonggi Cho privately and they were expelled from his church.

The comment is disturbing. It sounds rather cultish that they are apologising to their leader when it was their leader was caught committing illegal activity.

Snippet 3:

“We promise to sincerely do our best to ensure that Pastor Cho’s ministry will be carried out well within God’s grace.”

Dear elders: your minister is unqualified to hold a pastoral or leadership position in your church. Not only is he a false teacher, he doesn’t even tick the qualifications to be in ministry. He can’t manage his own family.

Furthermore, Yonggi Cho does not have a ministry. Every Christian is called to uphold Christ’s ministry, not their own (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Timothy 3:15). However Cho has counterfeited Christ’s ministry by establishing his own ‘ministry’ which is why you see this entire empire as “Cho’s ministry”.

Snippet 4:

“We urge our members to also continue praying for Pastor Cho’s health and ministry.”

Here is the next mistake in their statement. You do not pray God’s blessing over wolves or God’s enemies (Isaiah 5:20; Proverbs 17:13). Instead, we are called to love and pray for them to repent of their wickedness and turn back to God. As we stated before, the elders need to not only pray for Cho, they need to do the following:

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:11-12

Snippet 5:

“In light of this incidence, we would like to put our past behind and set our sights on the bright future as we move forward in faith to lead in the sharing and practicing of love.”

This is both foolish and unloving to say the least. YFGC should not “put [their] past behind and set [their] sights on the bright future”. Why? They haven’t learnt from their past mistakes and have only made the same mistake again. The leadership need to examine the beliefs, the practices and the system of Yoido Full Gospel Church.

This statement lacks substance, lacks clarity, lacks meaning, lacks accountability and shows little regard for God and His word. If they can’t discern and articulate what the problem is then what have they learned?

If you feel lead, please pray that Yoido Full Gospel reforms and submits to God’s Word.

YOIDO FULL GOSPEL CHURCH STATEMENT

CHC published the following,

Yoido Full Gospel Church’s Statement To Its Church Members (23 Feb 2014)

To the members of our church

This is to inform you our members concerning the results of the trial pertaining to our church held on February 20 (Thursday).

1. With regard to the documents which were approved a while back, a judgment has been made by the judiciary. We sincerely apologize for bringing anxiety to all of the members who have loved our church and prayed about all of the matters related to this situation. From this day forward all us who are related to this matter will try our best to prevent something like this from happening again.

2. More than anything, we can’t stop expressing our deepest apologies towards our members and to our spiritual teacher and leader Pastor Yonggi Cho for our inability in properly aiding him. We promise to sincerely do our best to ensure that Pastor Cho’s ministry will be carried out well within God’s grace. We urge our members to also continue praying for Pastor Cho’s health and ministry.

3. For the past 56 years, Yoido Full Gospel Church has never ceased its ministry of saving souls by preaching the gospel and helping the poor and needy, despite the many difficulties that the church has been through. In light of this incidence, we would like to put our past behind and set our sights on the bright future as we move forward in faith to lead in the sharing and practicing of love. To accomplish this, we dearly need your prayers. We beseech you to pray for the church more fervently and more earnestly.

February 23, 2014 (Sunday)
Yoido Full Gospel Church Senior Pastor Young-hoon Lee, Pastors and Members of the Board

Source: Yoido Full Gospel Church’s Statement To Its Church Members (23 Feb 2014), http://www.chc.org.sg/#!yoido-full-gospel-churchs-statement-to-its-church-members-23-feb-2014, CHC, Published 23/02/2014. (Accessed 24/02/2014.)

proof_CHCYoidoChurchStatement_24-02-2014

NOTE: SCREEN GRAB WAS TAKEN ON THE 24/02/2014.

The Apostle Paul says to young Timothy,

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

1 Timothy 3

CHC Stands With The Convicted David Yonggi Cho: “We Stand By Him In This Time Of Need”

25 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The scriptures say,

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:11-12

This scriptural instruction was given to the church to deal with immoral members. If you think this form of church discipline on members is severe, how serious do you think church discipline would be on Christian leaders caught in criminal activity?

Who knew that CHC would reject God’s Word and rather defend a pastor convicted of criminal activity? There is something seriously wrong when CHC defends a criminal in Christian leadership rather then defending God’s Word.

Will Phil Pringle and C3 stand by Yonggi Cho in this time of need as well?

A commentor from CHC confessions published a statement from CHC regarding David Yonggi Cho’s sentence,

Dear Church Family,

Re: News Of Dr Yonggi Cho’s Court Case

Some of you might have heard about Dr Yonggi Cho’s son being sentenced to three years’ jail. Dr Cho has been issued a fine and a five-year probation but he will not be jailed.

We are saddened by this news and our thoughts and prayers are with Dr Cho and his family as they go through this difficult time.

Dr Cho is the Senior Pastor Emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church. He has always been a great friend of our church and he has done innumerable good works for the Kingdom of God. We stand by him in this time of need.

The church leadership echoes the sentiments of a senior Yoido Full Gospel Church leader who says: “I have worked for Pastor Yonggi Cho for 40 years that I can say, Pastor Cho is living a very modest way in good example, and he usually gives away all the substances or personal donations that are given to him. Please consider what he has done for good, and please do not judge him by what his son did.”

Please join us in prayer for Dr Cho and his family.

In Christ,

The CHC Management Board

FAQ

It was reported in the Korean press on 20 February 2014 that Dr Yonggi Cho’s son has been sentenced to three years’ jail. Dr Cho has been fined US$4.7m and given a five-year probation but he will not be jailed.

Dr Cho is the Senior Pastor Emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea, which has over 800,000 members and is widely considered as the world’s largest Christian congregation. According to a report in Korea Joong Kang Daily, during the 90-minute sentencing on 20 February, the courtroom was packed with church members, “a testament to the influence the Cho family wielded in the mega-church.”

While there has been talk of an appeal, Dr Cho has decided to accept the judgment of the court as an appeal may force him into an adversarial stance against his son, says a senior elder of the church and a close personal friend to Dr Cho.

What was the case all about?

According to News 1 Korea, a Korean internet news portal, in September 2011, 30 elders of Yoido Full Gospel Church made a formal complaint that Dr Cho and his son had misused over 20 billion won (US$18.7m) of church money to purchase shares of stock. The police began investigations in December 2012.

According to Korea Joong Kang Daily’s report on 21 February, Dr Cho stood trial on charges that he ordered church officials in 2002 to purchase 250,000 shares of stock for I-Service, a company owned by his oldest son Cho Hee-jun, 49, at a price four times higher than market value, causing the church to lose 13.1 billion won.

Prosecutors argued that Dr Cho’s son had asked his father to purchase the shares at a much higher cost to recoup the 20 billion won he lost in stock investments two years earlier — a claim the court accepted.

Why does Dr Cho face penalties?

News 1 Korea says that the court judge stated that the reason for the penalty was due to the specific evasion of taxes amounting to 3.5 billion won (US$3.3m). But it also stated that this had something to do with wrong advice given by the accounting firm.

The court judge read out the statement that although the crime was initiated by the son, he couldn’t have caused the church such a big loss without Dr Cho’s help, due to the latter’s position in the church.

We understand from very reliable sources that Dr Cho had no personal gain from any of the investments.

Is it true Dr Cho will be jailed?

The two largest Korean newspapers The Chosun Ilbo and Joong Ang Ilbo have both reported that Dr Cho will not be jailed. He is under probation for five years, which we understand to mean that he will be under the watch of the authorities.

According to Korea Joong Kang Daily’s report, the judge explained: “Considering how the defendant has led his life in tumultuous times, and contributions he has made to society as a religious man, the court has decided to suspend his prison term for five years.”

What did Dr Cho’s son do?

According to news reports, Dr Cho’s eldest son Cho Hee-jun, who has been in jail twice before, apparently lost that sum while serving as chairman of the newspaper Kookmin Ilbo, when he collected billions of won in donations from readers and church members to help cover the newspaper’s operating costs.

While delivering the three-year prison term, the judge rebuked him for attempting to shift the responsibility for his unethical business practices onto his father and other senior church members.

Korea Joong Kang Daily reported that the judge said of Cho Hee-jun: “The defendant’s behavior is subject to and deserves criticism.”

Cho Hee-jun was taken into custody immediately upon being sentenced.

What should we do now?

Dr Cho has been such a friend and mentor to our church. We are grateful to God that there is no jail term for Dr Cho. Let us pray for him, Dr Kim Sung-hae and their family in this challenging time.

We understand that Yoido Full Gospel Church should be issuing a formal statement in the coming days. That statement will be posted here in due time.

Updated as at 22 February 2014

Special Notices
22 Feb 2014
Re: News Of Dr Yonggi Cho’s

Source: Grace Tan, CHC Confessions, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/CHCConfessions/posts/755571817795531?comment_id=7568643&offset=0&total_comments=38, Comment made on the 22/02/2014. (Accessed 24/02/2014.)

We thought it worth publishing the updated version,

We understand that Yoido Full Gospel Church should be issuing a formal statement in the coming days.
That statement will be posted here in due time.

Dear Church Family,

Re: News Of Dr Yonggi Cho’s Court Case

Some of you might have heard about Dr Yonggi Cho’s son being sentenced to three years’ jail. Dr Cho has been issued a fine and a three-year prison term which has been suspended for five years.

We understand that a suspended sentence is a sentence given after the formal conviction of a crime that the convicted person is not required to serve. We also understand Dr Cho has been issued a conditionally suspended sentence. This type of sentence withholds execution of the penalty as long as the defendant exhibits good behavior.

We are saddened by this news and our thoughts and prayers are with Dr Cho and his family as they go through this difficult time.

Dr Cho is the Senior Pastor Emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church. He has always been a great friend of our church and he has done innumerable good works for the Kingdom of God. We stand by him in this time of need.

The church leadership echoes the sentiments of a senior Yoido Full Gospel Church leader who says: “I have worked for Pastor Yonggi Cho for 40 years that I can say, Pastor Cho is living a very modest way in good example, and he usually gives away all the substances or personal donations that are given to him. Please consider what he has done for good, and please do not judge him by what his son did.”

Please join us in prayer for Dr Cho and his family.

In Christ,

The CHC Management Board

FAQ

It was reported in the Korean press on 20 February 2014 that Dr Yonggi Cho’s son has been sentenced to three years’ jail. Dr Cho has been issued a fine and a three-year prison term which has been suspended for five years.

We understand that a suspended sentence is a sentence given after the formal conviction of a crime that the convicted person is not required to serve. We also understand Dr Cho has been issued a conditionally suspended sentence. This type of sentence withholds execution of the penalty as long as the defendant exhibits good behavior.

Dr Cho is the Senior Pastor Emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea, which has over 800,000 members and is widely considered as the world’s largest Christian congregation. According to a report in Joong Ang Daily, during the 90-minute sentencing on 20 February, the courtroom was packed with church members, “a testament to the influence the Cho family wielded in the mega-church.”

While there has been talk of an appeal, Dr Cho has decided to accept the judgment of the court as an appeal may force him into an adversarial stance against his son, says a senior elder of the church and a close personal friend to Dr Cho.

What was the case all about?

According to News 1 Korea, a Korean internet news portal, in September 2011, 30 elders of Yoido Full Gospel Church made a formal complaint that Dr Cho and his son had misused over 20 billion won (US$18.7m) of church money to purchase shares of stock. The police began investigations in December 2012.

According to Joong Ang Daily’s report on 21 February, Dr Cho stood trial on charges that he ordered church officials in 2002 to purchase 250,000 shares of stock for I-Service, a company owned by his oldest son Cho Hee-jun, 49, at a price four times higher than market value, causing the church to lose 13.1 billion won.

Prosecutors argued that Dr Cho’s son had asked his father to purchase the shares at a much higher cost to recoup the 20 billion won he lost in stock investments two years earlier — a claim the court accepted.

Why does Dr Cho face penalties?

News 1 Korea says that the court judge stated that the reason for the penalty was due to the specific evasion of taxes amounting to 3.5 billion won (US$3.3m). But it also stated that this had something to do with wrong advice given by the accounting firm.

The court judge read out the statement that although the crime was initiated by the son, he couldn’t have caused the church such a big loss without Dr Cho’s help, due to the latter’s position in the church.

We understand from very reliable sources that Dr Cho had no personal gain from any of the investments.

Is it true Dr Cho will be jailed?

The two largest Korean newspapers The Chosun Ilbo and Joong Ang Daily have both reported that Dr Cho will not be jailed.

According to Joong Ang Daily’s report, the judge explained: “Considering how the defendant has led his life in tumultuous times, and contributions he has made to society as a religious man, the court has decided to suspend his prison term for five years.”

What did Dr Cho’s son do?

According to news reports, Dr Cho’s eldest son Cho Hee-jun, who has been in jail twice before, apparently lost that sum while serving as chairman of the newspaper Kookmin Ilbo, when he collected billions of won in donations from readers and church members to help cover the newspaper’s operating costs.

While delivering the three-year prison term, the judge rebuked him for attempting to shift the responsibility for his unethical business practices onto his father and other senior church members.

Joong Ang Daily reported that the judge said of Cho Hee-jun: “The defendant’s behavior is subject to and deserves criticism.”

Cho Hee-jun was taken into custody immediately upon being sentenced.

What should we do now?

Dr Cho has been such a friend and mentor to our church. Let us pray for him and his family in this challenging time.

We understand that Yoido Full Gospel Church should be issuing a formal statement in the coming days.

That statement will be posted here in due time.

Updated as at 23 February 2014

Source: CHC, http://www.chc.org.sg/, Updated as at 23 February 2014. (Accessed 23/02/2014.)

proof_CHCChoUpdate_23-02-2014

News Articles Reporting On Charged Member Leaving CHC

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

What is the media saying about the controversial dialogue between Chew Eng Han and City Harvest Church?

The Star provided readers with this article,

City Harvest Church stalwart Chew queries leadership

THE rift between City Harvest Church stalwart Chew Eng Han and the church leadership has become more apparent after the two sides were involved in a telling online exchange over the last few days.

It started after Chew announced last Friday that he had decided to leave the church after 17 years.

His departure came as a surprise to many not only because he had been integral to the church’s leadership, but also because he did so in the middle of a high-profile corruption trial involving him and five other church leaders.

But those in the know said that Chew, who was once on the church’s board and was also its fund manager, had been unhappy with his colleagues for some time now.

A day after the church board put up a statement on its website saying while it may not understand or agree with his reasons, it wished him well, Chew issued a statement on a blog.

He queried if the board knew about a meeting he and his wife had with church founder Kong Hee and his wife Ho Yeow Sun.

He also asked if the board had read a report by the Commissioner of Charities (COC) detailing apparent misappropriation of church funds.

That investigation led to the Com­missioner suspending the church lea­ders, including Chew and Kong last year, and subsequently moving to discharge them from office.

Chew’s post drew a response from the church yesterday, which said the board had, after “appropriate reviews”, satisfied itself “regarding the allegations of integrity, honesty and lifestyle of the senior leadership”.

Chew faces six charges of criminal breach of trust and four charges of falsification of accounts. The trial resumes in August. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Source: City Harvest Church stalwart Chew queries leadership, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/6/26/asia/13286465&sec=asia, 26/06/2013. (Accessed 27/06/2013.)

The Christian Post reports,

Kong Hee’s Co-Defendant Quits City Harvest Church Due to ‘Spiritual and Moral’ Issues

Megachurch Denies Claims of Dishonesty Among Leadership Amid Financial Fraud Case…

A member of Singapore’s City Harvest Church, led by founder Pastor Kong Hee, announced his resignation from the Pentecostal megachurch as its leadership battles charges of financial fraud in court.

Supporters of City Harvest Church in Singapore appear in an April 2013 public photo on a Facebook page titled "COC Must Not Remove the 8 Leaders of CHC."
Chew Eng Han, 52, shared in a personal statement published online that after 17 years of serving City Harvest Church in various capacities it was now time for him to go.

“The time has come for me to make a major shift in direction for my life. I’ve thought and prayed through this for many months, and on balancing the pros and cons of it, I now have a deep conviction that that (sic) the right thing to do is to depart from City Harvest Church (CHC),” Chew wrote in his statement.

“CHC is my first and only church and in the 17 years there, I have been fed the Word of God and learnt (sic) to grow in spiritual strength and faith. For that, I am deeply grateful. Many members of the church have qualities which are not easily found elsewhere – tenacity, faith, love for people, generosity, perseverance and loyalty. If certain events had not overtaken this wonderful experience, CHC would undoubtedly continue to be my one and only church.”

Chew insisted, however, that all was not as it seemed at City Harvest Church, a charge the megachurch has denied.

“For those who do not know me well and have not heard me out, I hope you will not jump to conclusions about me and the appropriateness of such a move. Those who know me better will understand what I’ve been seeing and tolerating – wrongful labelling (sic), quick to take credit and to pass the buck, betrayal, slander, ingratitude, denial and lies, manipulation and control, greed, pride, hypocrisy, abuse of authority, practice of favoritism and different standards,” Chew added. “It is exacerbated when it is perpetrated by top leaders, including those who taught us that the Word is supreme and that obedience to the Word equals loving God. Leadership cannot be measured by words but by action. Nobody qualifies to lead, or to preach what he cannot practise (sic) in real life. More than anything, these are foremost issues of spiritual and moral significance.”

While City Harvest Church has acknowledge Chew’s departure, the board claimed in a public statement that his remarks amount to nothing more than “personal views” and insisted that the megachurch was operating with integrity.

“The Board has been working with the senior leadership for many years and knows and believes that the senior leadership has always walked in integrity, adhering to Biblical principles through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We maintain our full confidence in the leadership. Over the last 24 years, they have worked hard to maintain and protect the interests of the church and the members, and we trust they will continue to do so,” read the statement attributed to City Harvest Church management board secretary Lee Kiam Hiong.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the Board and the church leadership have always leaned on God for all decisions of the past, and will continue leaning on Him even in this time of difficulty,” Hiong added.

“It is our hope and prayer as the Board that CHC will be even more united in such a time as this, that as a church, every member will put his and her trust in the Lord and remain steadfast in prayer.”

The apparent fallout between Chew and City Harvest Church comes as six of the Singaporean church’s board members stand trial for allegedly embezzling S$24 million ($18.9) from a building fund to support the pop music career of Pastor Kong’s wife, Sun Ho. There was also a second allegation of board members taking another S$26 million ($20.5 million) to help cover up the initial embezzled amount. In addition to Pastor Kong and Chew, who once served as fund manager for City Harvest Church, John Lam, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Sharon Tan are also defendants in the high-profile criminal case. All served in some capacity on the City Harvest Church board.

Chew issued a further response to CHC’s denial of his claims, revealing that he and his wife had met personally and at length with Pastor Kong and Sun Ho to discuss his departure. He also suggested that current members of the church board were not fully aware of the fraud allegations brought by Singapore’s Commissioner of Charities and the Commercial Affairs Department regarding church funds.

“The board is probably unaware of many other issues, especially those on the pastoral angle, in terms of the manner of conduct of some of their pastors and senior leaders. Without such information, it is not equipped to issue a board statement of confidence,” Chew wrote in his follow-up statement. “The church statement is a mere attempt to unite the church with a spiritual tone, but lacks substance in dealing with the real issues of truth and integrity.”

City Harvest Church has attempted to put an end to the public back-and-forth, issuing “a message from the board” to church members Monday that read in part: “We do not wish to discuss, engage or argue with these allegations at this present time as these matters are before the Court. We would like to advise our members to do likewise. There are two sides to every story and all the evidence will be brought up in due time, and the truth will be revealed.” Concerned congregants were encouraged to contact their pastors personally if any issues remained. According to a previous City Harvest Church news notice, there were 24 pastors and assistant pastors on staff.

Pastor Kong has denied charges of misappropriating church funds and expressed confidence that he and the other defendants will be exonerated. Congregants have stood by CHC’s leadership and enacted prayer campaigns to support them spiritually.

City Harvest Church, founded by Kong Hee and Sun Ho in 1989 as a nonprofit nondenominational evangelical church, is one of Singapore’s largest megachurches. According to its 2011-2012 progress report, City Harvest Church’s congregation size numbered more than 19,000 last year.

Source: By Nicola Menzie, Kong Hee’s Co-Defendant Quits City Harvest Church Due to ‘Spiritual and Moral’ Issues, http://www.christianpost.com/news/kong-hees-co-defendant-quits-city-harvest-church-due-to-spiritual-and-moral-issues-98749/, 25/06/2013.

Read our coverage on this here:

1. CHC Farewells Charged Member Chew Eng Han

2. Chew On This: CHC’s Recent Statement Regarding Departure Of Charged Member

3. CHC Discussing Chew Eng Han’s Latest Statement

CHC Discussing Chew Eng Han’s Latest Statement

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

If you are not up to date with the dialogue between Roland Po- uh… Chew Eng Han and CHC, please read our previous article:

Chew On This: CHC’s Recent Statement Regarding Departure Of Charged Member

In response to Chew Eng Han’s curly questions, CHC has responded with the following statement,

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

Dear Brothers and Sisters in City Harvest Church,

We wish to put on record that the members of the Management Board have satisfied ourselves regarding the allegations of integrity, honesty and lifestyle of the senior leadership after appropriate reviews since the investigation by CAD started. We wish to reiterate that we stand by our statement on 22 June 2013 that we have full trust in the integrity, honesty and spiritual standing of the pastoral leadership of City Harvest Church.

We do not wish to discuss, engage or argue with these allegations at this present time as these matters are before the Court. We would like to advise our members to do likewise. There are two sides to every story and all the evidence will be brought up in due time, and the truth will be revealed. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says that “there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

If you have any pastoral concerns, please feel free to contact your pastors or email info@chc.org.sg.

In the meantime, “I appeal to you brothers [and sisters] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Cor. 1:10).

In Christ,

Lee Kiam Hiong
Secretary
2013/2014 Management Board
City Harvest Church

Updated as at 24 June 2013

Source: Lee Kiam Hion, CHC, http://www.chc.org.sg/#!message-from-the-board-24-jun-2013, Updated 24/06/2013. (Accessed 25/06/2013.)

Chew On This: CHC’s Recent Statement Regarding Departure Of Charged Member

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in C3 & Pringles Associations

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

News recently broke of Chew Eng Han. He is one of six members charged for mishandling church funds of up to US$40 million. He has decided to step down from his position at City Harvest Church. You can read his farewell and CHC’s reponse in our article here:

CHC Farewells Charged Member Chew Eng Han

Things are getting interesting. Chew Eng Han has responded to CHC’s statement. He writes,

Chew Eng Han’s response to CHC’s statement

In response to CHC’s Board’s response to my Personal Statement on my departure from CHC, the following are my replies:

1. Firstly I refer to the para which states:

“While we do not understand the reasons for his current sentiments, we wish nothing but the best for Eng Han and his family, and thank him for all his contributions.”

My query to the Board is whether they have been made aware of a four and a half hour meeting between Pastor Kong, Sun, myself and my wife? Are they also aware of some of the issues which I raised and whether there were sincere corrective actions taken since that meeting 3 months ago?

2. Secondly I refer to the para which states:

“The Board knows and believes that the senior leadership has always walked in integrity, adhering to Biblical principles through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We maintain our full confidence in the leadership.”

My query is how many of the board members made a conscious effort to read the COC Inquiry Report which was made accessible to them? And if they did, was then a diligent internal inquiry held in-house, to determine if there was any wrongdoing on the part of the alleged wrongdoers? Has the board done an inquiry on the issues named by COC, and satisfied itself fully that there has been no compromise of integrity? If the board has not done so, it cannot state that it knows and believes in the integrity of the senior leadership.

3. The board is probably unaware of many other issues, especially those on the pastoral angle, in terms of the manner of conduct of some of their pastors and senior leaders.  Without such information, it is not equipped to issue a board statement of confidence.

The church statement is a mere attempt to unite the church with a spiritual tone, but lacks substance in dealing with the real issues of truth and integrity.

Dated 22 June 2013

Source: Chew Eng Han, Chew Eng Han’s response to CHC’s statement, http://mrslightnfriends.com/chew-eng-hans-response-to-chcs-statement, 22/06/2013. (Accessed 24/06/2013.)