Malaysian Pastor Vows to Open First Gay-Friendly Church
By
Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Aug. 24 2007 01:50 PM ET
The first and only openly gay pastor in Malaysia said Thursday he will move forward with plans to open the country’s first gay-friendly church despite government opposition.
The Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng, an ethic Chinese Malaysian ordained in the United States in May, has called on mainstream churches to not discriminate against homosexuals.
“We are going to set up a church just like any other one but the only difference is that we affirm and welcome those who openly declare themselves gays, lesbians or homosexuals,” Ouyang told Agence France-Presse.
“We will follow all the rules by applying all the proper licenses. We already have a church of such stature in Singapore and I do not see why we cannot set up one here,” he added.
On Aug. 12, the openly gay pastor led a Sunday service attended by nearly 80 congregants – mostly homosexuals – who hugged and sang hymns and lyrics such as, “With justice as our aim, a queer and righteous people united in Christ’s name,” according to AP.
Ouyang said he has received a flood of hate mails regarding his plans.
Furthermore, the pastor’s intention to open a homosexual-oriented church is opposed by not only Christians but also Muslims in a country where 60 percent are followers of Islam.
“It is the deviant sexual behavior we do not condone,” commented the Rev. Wong Kin Kong, secretary general of Malaysia’s National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, according to the Malaysia Star. “We cannot stop him wanting to set up such a kind of church, but the evangelical churches will inform followers of our stand and advise them not to follow this teaching.”
Wong told the Associated Press that his group does not recognize Ouyang’s ordination.
“We have nothing against gays but we don’t encourage any form of practice that contradicts the teachings of the Bible such as relationship among the same sex,” the evangelical minister said.
“It is clear that the Bible prohibits a sexual relationship between people of the same sex,” he noted, according to the Malaysia Star. “If a person condones same sex marriages, it is definitely violating Christian principles.”
Currently, Ouyang is pursuing his doctorate at Boston University and said he plans to return permanently to Malaysia in a few years. He lives with his partner Angel Ayala, an American, and said they hope to marry when same-sex “marriage” is legalized in New York. The Malaysian pastor was formerly in a heterosexual marriage and said his former wife gave him the strength to be his true self.
It was in 1998 that Ouyang went to study sociology and theology in the United States.
While in the United States, Ouyang had worked at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York, which seeks to serve homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. The MCC founder, Bishop Troy D. Perry, is also a homosexual with a partner of over 22 years who is HIV-positive.
Ouyung said he hopes to set up an MCC branch in Malaysia by 2010.
Although homosexuality is not itself a crime under Malaysian law, it is covered by a law prohibiting sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and whipping, according to AP.
Malaysia’s Tourism Minister Adnan Tengku Mansor has said the government will block the plan for the gay-friendly church because Malaysia wants the country to be seen as a “family-oriented” holiday spot, according to AFP.
Christian Post Reporter: Malaysian Pastor Vows to Open First Gay-Friendly Church
Friday, August 24, 2007
Praise Song from MCC Service
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Praise Song
(P68, v1-2, 4-5) “Once We Were Not a People“
Once we were not a people, God's people now are we,
A gay and lesbian people, A new community.
We once feared condemnation On earth and from above,
Until God's grace and mercy Showed us the way of love.
We are a holy nation, Empow'r'd and called by God
As prophets, teachers, healers, To spread good news abroad.
To live and work together God called us from the night
Of gloom and isolation Into a wondrous light.
We are a pilgrim people, Of every class and race,
From many sects and cultures, Now gathered in one place.
We challenge one another To bend and grow, and be
A church where all God's children Can find a family.
Once we were not a people, God's people now are we,
A proud, determined people, Still striving to be free;
A gentle, loving people With justice as our aim;
A gay and lesbian people United in Christ's name
____________________________________________________
Malaysia Star: Gay pastor leads service, his partner watches with pride
Monday, August 13, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Angel Ayala sat in the second row of people, watching with pride as his partner Rev Ou Yang Wen Feng calmly led the faithful through a two-hour Sunday service at a hotel here. And through it all, Ou Yang, a self-confessed gay pastor knew he was not alone because of Ayala's presence. “He has been very supportive and it was important to know that I was not alone,” Ou Yang said in an interview yesterday after the service attended by about 100 people. He said it was important to show other gay people that it was possible to come out together, and to heterosexuals that gay relationships were not just about sex but about “spiritual and emotional love.”
The pair has been together for four-and-a-half years and hope to marry when same sex marriages are legalised in New York. 
Ayala, a finance manager said he supported Ou Yang’s plan to set up a church in Malaysia.
Ou Yang, 37, is a Malaysian pastor who serves at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York. He is also currently pursuing his doctorate at Boston University.
He hopes to set up an MCC branch here in 2010, before which, friends would help him start a cell group that he said was open to all regardless of their sexual orientation.
Earlier during a press conference, Ou Yang, when asked about opposition from other churches in Malaysia, said as a Christian minister, he would pray for them.
The service also saw Metropolitan Community Churches founder Bishop Troy D. Perry giving a sermon. Also present was his partner of over 22 years, Phillip De Blieck.
Perry said he was thankful for having De Blieck as he was that “special someone” who was there for him through good and bad times.
They married under Canadian law at the MCC of Toronto in 2003 and hope to get the marriage recognised by the California State Supreme Court by this year.
Perry believed the church would be a blessing for the gay and lesbian communities in Malaysia.
He also spoke of his promise to his partner that he would stand by him, when De Blieck was diagnosed with HIV two decades ago.
When asked about his former heterosexual marriage and his two sons, Perry said he was in contact with one of his sons and is a grandfather of three.
De Blieck, 43, said his “greatest gift” to the world and the church was to always be supportive of Perry’s work.
“When I met Troy, I did not know who he was. And I think one reason Troy fell in love with me was because he knew I was interested in him as a person and not the title,” he said.
IHT: Malaysia's first openly gay pastor holds controversial church service
Sunday, August 12, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's first openly gay Christian pastor conducted a controversial worship service Sunday, calling on mainstream churches not to discriminate against homosexuals.
Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng — an ethnic Chinese Malaysian who was ordained a minister in the United States in May — told a congregation of nearly 80 people, mainly homosexual men and women, to "reclaim our faith and celebrate our sexuality."
"For some of us, especially our gay brothers and sisters, we have experienced firsthand that Christianity has been used to persecute minorities," Ouyang said during the service in a Kuala Lumpur hotel.
Ouyang, 37, has sparked concerns among Malaysian Christian community leaders after he recently declared that he hopes to set up a church in this predominantly Muslim nation, which has large Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities.
A church that accepts homosexual relationships would face stiff opposition from both Muslim and Christian conservatives in Malaysia. Although homosexuality is not specifically a crime in this Southeast Asian country, it is covered under a law prohibiting sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and whipping.
"For so long, we've been quiet," Ouyang said Sunday. "We've been brought up to believe that they were right and we were wrong. But today, we're making history. We're here to tell Malaysians that we're all children of God."
Ouyang has worked at the Metropolitan Community Church in New York, which tries to serve homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. He has said he wants to return to Malaysia permanently within the next few years.
Rev. Wong Kin Kong, secretary general of Malaysia's National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, reportedly said last week that Ouyang's plans to preside over a Sunday service and start a church has stirred anxiety "because Christians do not want others to assume they condone such a thing."
Ouyang claimed he and the organizers of his Kuala Lumpur service — which is considered one of the first steps toward establishing a church — "received very nasty" phone text messages.
Worshippers at the service, including people from neighboring Singapore, hugged each other and sang hymns with lyrics such as, "With justice as our aim, a queer and righteous people united in Christ's name."
Ouyang went to the United States in 1998 and studied sociology and theology. He lives with his partner, an American.
MCC KL Services on 11 and 12 August 2007, KL
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Please come to listen to theRev. O.Young, the Rev. Troy Perry (human rights activist and founder of Metropolitan Community Churches) and the Rev. Pat Bumgardner (senior pastor of MCC in New York)
All are welcome, regardless your gender and sexual orientation. We believe in love and social justice. We believe we live in an unfinished world and we have an unfinished calling. Until all people are free from oppression and free to love and to be loved, our work is not done.
(1) The Lord is My Shepherd
Date: Aug. 11, 2007 (Saturday) 2pm-5pm
Venue: Grand Olympic Hotel
Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur
Language: English
(2) Sunday Christian Worship Service
Date: Aug. 12, 2007 (Sunday) 2pm-3.30pm
Venue: Grand Olympic Hotel
Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur
Language: English.
The Star Online: Gay Pastor Sparks Uproar: Rev Oyoung Wenfeng (Aug 10)
Friday, August 10, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: A controversy has erupted among the Christian community over what they claim is an attempt by a self-confessed gay pastor to set up a church here.
For the past week, protest e-mail and SMSes have been sent to Rev Ou Yang Wen Feng, a Malaysian pastor who serves at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York. He has been back here for about a week.
According to the MCC homepage, the church is part of an international movement of Christian churches reaching out to all, including homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals.
Ou Yang, 37, has drawn much flak from Christians for his plan to hold a Sunday service at a hotel this week.
He came out of the closet about his homosexuality last year and is said to be the first pastor in Malaysia to do so.
 |
Ou Yang states that his proposed church would serve all people, not just homosexuals. |
When contacted yesterday, Ou Yang said he was merely trying to set up a church “where everybody felt safe and welcomed”.
It is unfair to label it a gay church, he said, adding that the hate-mail had hurt him.
“This church is not limited to gays but serves all people. This will be an active church. We have so many community-centred plans, such as assisting the poor, charity work and upholding justice,” he said.
Ou Yang noted that the New York church served food to 5,000 homeless people and hoped to launch similar programmes here. He plans to return to Malaysia for good in 2010.
He credits his former wife for giving him strength to be true to himself, acknowledging that she had endured much anguish during their seven-year, childless union.
Asked if his church would solemnise same sex marriages, he replied: “Same sex marriages are illegal in Malaysia, so how can I perform them? However, I will bless the union.”
Ou Yang said that his talk in Penang last week received much opposition from “faceless parties”. However, the talk saw a full house of about 200 people instead of the initial estimate of 60.
“Many are just curious about me. They ask me many things about homosexuality and my life. They just want to know more and not to be converted by me,” he said.
The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia secretary-general Rev Wong Kin Kong, when contacted, acknowledged the proposed worship on Sunday had sowed anxiety among Christians.
“One of the reasons for the emotional reaction is because Christians do not want others to assume they condone such a thing,” said Wong.
He added that the churches could not accept Ou Yang’s version of the church because “it is clear that the Bible prohibits a sexual relationship between people of the same sex. If a person condones same sex marriages, it is definitely violating Christian principles.”
Wong said the churches had always welcomed all kinds of people, including homosexuals.
“It is the deviant sexual behaviour we do not condone. We cannot stop him wanting to set up such a kind of church, but the evangelical churches will inform followers of our stand and advise them not to follow this teaching,” he said.
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