{"id":7869,"date":"2021-09-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/only-god-could-turn-disaster-into-ministry-2\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T19:04:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T19:04:33","slug":"only-god-could-turn-disaster-into-ministry-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/only-god-could-turn-disaster-into-ministry-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Only God could turn disaster into ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands stream into Holy Stadium: Mennonite congregation sponsors vaccination clinic<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In multireligious Indonesia, many people have never been inside a church. The pandemic is changing that for residents of Semarang (population 1\u202f800\u202f000) and surrounding area.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In coordination with the local government, police and military forces, the 2022 MWC Assembly host venue JKI Injil Kerajaan (Holy Stadium) is holding a vaccine clinic, dosing up to 8\u202f000 people per day in a country struggling to vaccinate citizens amid a severe infection wave.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe as a church can show that we can do something in the midst of a difficult situation like this,\u201d says Timotius Tanutama. He is one of the founding leaders of the 30-year-old megachurch that is part of Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI), one of Indonesia\u2019s three Mennonite World Conference member synods.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As thousands of people pass through the church each day, \u201cWe accept them, we love them, we try to minister to them,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vaccines are provided free from the government but Holy Stadium covers its facility costs, worker wages and provides lunches and snacks from Monday to Friday.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearby, Holy Stadium Miracle Healing Centre provides quarantine space for COVID-positive people to isolate safely away from crowded living quarters. Set up in just four days, it has sheltered more than 600 people in its 100 beds since June.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the outdoor courtyard, capacious main hall, lobby and several side rooms of the church building, some 100 volunteers each day manage the flow of people in and out of the building, checking vital signs, validating batch numbers and entering data to assist the 45-50 medical staff who administer COVID-19 vaccinations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many workplaces require vaccination and public spaces are beginning to mandate proof of vaccination. The government directs employers to refer unvaccinated staff to Holy Stadium. The church has also used its extensive social media to advertise the service.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost people are very happy [to get vaccinated],\u201d says Timotius Tanutama. \u201cThe service is fast and the people are kind.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While supplies last, the clinic runs Monday to Friday from 8:00-15:00.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are not enough vaccines to keep up. Budiman Prajasantosa, organizer, says the clinic has shut down for several days to wait for more vaccine supply to arrive.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical staff are supplied by the government; the volunteers recruited by Holy Stadium are mainly students whose classes are either cancelled or moved online during this lockdown period. Some are members of the congregation; others have never been to church or practice Muslim faith.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holy Stadium gives volunteers a small daily stipend and lunch and snacks from the catering outfit that is preparing to feed the multitudes at Assembly in 2022.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Read more\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis program has let the church help the community and also given a chance to share God\u2019s love with them,\u201d says Lydia Adi, international relations representative for JKI and member of the MWC Faith and Life Commission. \u201cIt has opened the doors for the church for people who would otherwise never step into the doors. We are able to serve in a holistic way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bible verses posted on the walls of public spaces catch the attention of the thousands of people passing through the space, and senior pastor Tina Astaris and other church leaders also provide inspiration and prayer support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vaccination clinic has provided opportunities for peacemaking efforts. When a Muslim leader who was initially opposed to vaccination brought a group from his congregation for vaccination, Holy Stadium provided a special lunch to show love across faith differences.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we hold a crusade, it\u2019s a few thousand people in one week. [With the vaccine program,] in six months, we could have 1 million people come through the church doors,\u201d says Timotius Tanutama. \u201cThis is something only God can do.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MWC granted JKI Injil Kerajaan $10,000 from the Global Church Sharing Fund to assist with their costs for participation in the vaccination program. The JKI Synod is grateful \u201cfor the help received to be able to serve the city better and quickly distribute more vaccines to lower the Covid-19 numbers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Give to the Global Church Sharing Fund<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

* Mennonite World Conference is calling on its members around the world to love their neighbour by donating directly to UNICEF\u2019s campaign to share coronavirus vaccinations around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Love Neighbours, Share Vaccines<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thousands stream into Holy Stadium: Mennonite congregation sponsors vaccination clinic  In multireligious Indonesia, many people have never been inside a church. The pandemic is changing that for residents of Semarang (population 1\u202f800\u202f000) and surrounding area.   In coordination with the local government, police and military forces, the 2022 MWC Assembly host venue JKI Injil Kerajaan (Holy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[252],"network":[360,144],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-7869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-love-neighbours-share-vaccines","network-commissions","network-deacons-commission"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOnly God could turn disaster into ministry - Mennonite World Conference<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/only-god-could-turn-disaster-into-ministry-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Only God could turn disaster into ministry - Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thousands stream into Holy Stadium: Mennonite congregation sponsors vaccination clinic  In multireligious Indonesia, many people have never been inside a church. 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