By Brad Rantayy
LONG KEVUK (Miri), June 10: The Penans must move forward in life and not be easily duped by people with ulterior motives, advised Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau.
Closing the 3-day annual Irau Easter gathering on June 5, he also urged the Penans not to isolate themselves from the other races as they could not exist on their own. He wanted them to work with the other communities to jointly taste the fruits of mainstream development.
On the Irau Easter that was held at the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) church here, Dennis remarked that it was a revival gathering of sorts and all believers must live the lives as preached for a better tomorrow.
“Today we can see a great difference in the Penan community’s life as compared to before 1952, the year the Penans accepted Christ as their Saviour.
“Our belief in God has changed our lives. Our belief in Christ has also taught us to develop our self, family and the community, as a whole,” he said.
On a related matter, he lamented that the church was now being tested by the love for money, possessions, ambition and desire for power, leading to followers shirking daily Bible reading and prayers.
“But, of course, I hope my observation is wrong and churches continue to grow,” he said.
The annual gathering attracted more than 1,000 Penans from 18 BEM churches in the Apoh and Tutoh region to hear main speaker senior pastor Daniel Sia from BEM Bandar Lawas speak.
Also present were former SIB/BEM Sarawak president Rev Jok Wan and PBB Telang Usan Youth chief Dominic Nyurang Ajeng. — DayakDaily
