Cambodian pastor set to speak
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
Barnabas Mam has a lot to share with his fellow Christians.
A former member of the Khmer Rouge communist revolution in Cambodia, Mam chose to accept God in 1972 after spying at a three-day crusade, the first evangelistic crusade held in Cambodia, attended by thousands of Christians at Phnom Penh Conference Hall. It was at this crusade, Mam said, that the spirit of God touched him.
Although Mam experienced harsh disapproval from his Buddhist family and fellow communist activists, his Christian belief thrived. Mam, 51, now pastor of Living Hope in Christ Church in Cambodia, tells an inspiring story full of hardship and faith. His seemingly shy and quiet demeanor suddenly becomes animated as he recalls significant moments in his eventful life.
Mam will be just one of dozens of guest speakers who will share their intriguing stories, testimonies and messages to nearly 3,400 people at the 13th annual Christian Equipping Conference, also simply known as Honolulu 2001, running Thursday through Saturday at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
A survivor of Pol Pot's infamous regime, Mam endured years of bloody fighting, evacuations, arrests and imprisonment.
Despite these ordeals, Mam achieved myriad accomplishments, such as planting over 15 churches at refugee camps in Thailand during the late 1980s to 1993, and nearly 50 more in Cambodia since 1995.
"My message is (about) bearing lasting fruit, based on John 15:16," said Mam, who arrived three days ago for the conference. "I'm going to share how important I am in the sight of the Lord, how important my mission is in the sight of the Lord . . . I will also be sharing some biblical principles."
The conference, sponsor-ed by Hawaiian Islands Ministries, is an annual gathering for Christians to become equipped for ministry, find encouragement and be renewed.
Dan Chun, co-founder and chairman of the board of HIM, said organizers hope to achieve what he calls the "three E's."
"We want to expose our people to great training and teaching, equip them in the how-to's of being an effective ministry, and third, to engage them to go and do whatever God is calling them to do," said Chun, also the pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu.
Participants may choose from dozens of seminar topics, including parenting, marriage, depression, social issues, youth ministries, worship and prayer.
Mam is scheduled to speak 3:15 p.m. Friday. Other speakers include Tony Campolo, a professor of sociology at Eastern College in Pennsylvania and an internationally regarded speaker who counseled former President Clinton following the Lewinsky ordeal, and Melinda Peterson, associate director of Youth Industry, which provides vocational training for homeless and at-risk youth in San Francisco.
Lilian Hiratani of Pearl City said that she is going to the conference "to enrich my Christian life, to challenge me more and to discover other ways to serve the Lord." This will be the third conference Hiratani will be attending.
Chun expects a larger turnout than at last year's conference, which included about 675 churches and more than 50 denominations.
"We believe it (will be) the largest, most diversified Christian training conference in the history of Hawai'i," Chun said.
Organizers are also providing special "Intensive Workshops" and "Take a Peek" sessions.
The workshops are led by experts and offer informational sessions that cover topics similar to those at the conference. Unlike the conference workshops, which are about an hour long, the workshops give people a chance to spend three hours on a specific topic.
These workshops, which will be 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, cost $75 for one session or $125 for both.
"Take a Peek" is for those who do not want to attend the entire conference. Participants can choose sessions a la carte and pay $35 per session.
Those interested in attending the conference, workshops or the "Take a Peek" sessions can register at the door on the day of the event.
Registration fees for the conference are $225 for individuals, $195 per person for groups of 5 or more and $95 for students. This does not include fees for the intensive workshops and the "Take a Peek" sessions.
For information, call 988-9777, toll-free at 1-877-998-9777, e-mail info@himonline.org or visit www.himonline.org
