A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF DATO' DR DAVID GUNARATNAM: Missions Statesman, first chairman of OMF Home Council Malaysia

This paper is published again on 12 October 2021 to encourage more young people who are considering Missions as their calling. Prior to this, this paper was on placed on "draft" format in this blog.

By Stephen Ng 

Introduction

            Jim Wilson in his chapter, “Reaching Youth in Asia,” wrote: “…church chroniclers, and other data gatherers estimate that somewhere in the area of 92% of the people of Asia are uncommitted to Christ” (Douglas, 61).

            Much of the early work of pioneering churches in Malaysia was therefore done by the missionaries from the West. Between 1951 and 1972, over 150 missionaries from China Inland Missions (CIM) invested their lives in helping to meet the practical needs of the locals such as medical work and education.[1] A team of young and faithful men and women who came under the direct influence of these missionaries were, in return, able to nurture the next generation that, after these Western missionaries had to leave Malaysia by 1975, the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) Malaysia Home Council was able to rise to the occasion to become a sending mission. Investing in the lives of the younger generation has proven to be a good model that saw the continuity in the seed sown by the past generation.

            One of these “unsung heroes,” who impacted at least ten young people from Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church (Emmanuel EFC) to respond to the call to enter various church or parachurch ministries, is none other than one of its elders, Dato’ Dr David Gunaratnam. As the founding chairman of OMF Malaysia Home Council, he served for 24 years between 1978 when the Home Council was established, and 2002, when he handed the baton to (now, Datuk) Dr Alex Mathews.

Missions Centric

            The second child of a Sri Lankan immigrant[2] and school teacher, P. Gunaratnam and wife, Claire Tharmalingam, David G (as he is affectionately known by many) was born in a small town, Raub in Pahang on October 3, 1937. With four other siblings, David spent his early childhood in Raub, and later in Kuala Pilah. Most of his early education was in Mahmud School in Raub and later, the Tuanku Muhammad Secondary School in Kuala Pilah. By the time he was in Form 3, his father was transferred as assistant principal of King George V, Seremban. Here, for the first time in his life, he was able to attend an English-speaking church – the Seremban Wesley Methodist Church.

             For the first 15 years of his life, there were no church services in English in the small towns that his family was living in. The tradition of investing in the young David was exemplified by his own mother who, without fail, would teach him and his siblings a lesson from the Bible every day[3]. This was foundational to his faith, where later in his life, David was time and again reminded of what his mother had faithfully taught him the Word of God.

            In 1956, he was accepted to study dentistry at the University of Malaya (then located in Singapore). Through the Varsity Christian Fellowship (VCF), for the first time, he heard the gospel preached by university lecturers. In 1957, at the age of 20, he accepted the Lord as his personal Saviour. Through the influence of the Scripture Union, he learnt that having his Quiet Time every morning was a must; this spiritual discipline has since helped him to deepen his relationship with the Lord.

            There were about 50 students from various faculties attending the VCF and many of them were enthusiastic about doing evangelistic outreach. The fellowship grew. One of the student leaders, Dr Bobby Sng, a medical student, was a great inspiration to David. Till today, he still remembers what Bobby said in his younger days: “What do we hope to do after we graduate? Certainly, it is not just to find career advancements for ourselves. We should go to smaller towns where there are no churches and start some pioneering work and witnessing in these towns.” These words left an indelible mark on David’s life.

            The VCF had very good Bible teachers such as Dr Ernie Poulson[4], who taught them the entire Bible book-by-book over a period of three years. OMF missionaries who passed on the baton had a big impact on David’s life in the area of missions. Although David had initially offered himself to become a full time missionary, God showed him that he had an important role to play in preparing and sending out missionaries. (Goldsmith 2007, 55).

            After his graduation in 1961, together with a number of his other university mates, David was resolute to choose to work in smaller towns so that he could serve the less privileged and be a witness to them. He started by serving as a government dental surgeon for eight months in Kluang (1962-3) before being posted to the small fishing village of Mersing (1963-9). After his posting to Mersing, he was commuting to Kluang on Thursday afternoons and Fridays[5] and spending the remaining of the week in Mersing to do dentistry and pioneer work. It was here that he had organised talks at a hall which he rented for only RM10 to RM20 a month. One of the first converts was one young man, Alan Tan. David, following the example of his Master, was willing to befriend Alan despite the latter’s dubious past (Goldsmith 2007, 55-59). The small congregation, which David planted, continued to flourish during his term of service there.

            The two-hour journey on a winding road through the jungle between Mersing and Kluang did not deter him from reaching out to a small Christian group of high school students led by two Christian teachers, Teo Eng Lin and Khoo Siew Hoon in Kluang. Since his early years, David had believed in investing in the lives of the young. This fellowship was vibrant and grew to almost 70 young people.

            After marrying Christina Pillay in April 1967,[6] they had two sons, (now, Dr.) Cedric and Mark Gunaratnam. The newly married couple spent another two years in Mersing, where they helped to organise a number of quarterly Christian retreats in Kluang for working adults from the state of Johor[7]. Great Bible teachers were invited to teach in these retreats; among them were Chua Wee Hian, J. Oswald Sanders and Theodore Williams.

            In 1969, David and his family left for the United Kingdom on government scholarship, where he pursued his study in orthodontics and oral surgery (1970-2). Upon returning to Malaysia, he requested to be posted to Kuala Terengganu where he served as an orthodontist for five years. There was only one English congregation in Kuala Terengganu meeting in the hall of the Air Jerneh Chinese Presbyterian Church; and for the most part of his time in Kuala Terengganu, he served as the de facto leader until a young (now, Rev.) Loh Soon Choy, who had just completed his seminary studies in Singapore, was appointed as its first pastor of the English congregation. Averagely, there were about 50 to 100 people who attended the Friday worship services5.

            There were some 15 other graduates who were posted at the same time to Kuala Terengganu. These were keen Christians, and the Air Jerneh Presbyterian Church thrived. Among them were (now, Datuk) Dr Alex Mathews and wife, Vasantha; a chemist, (now, Dato’) Kee Sue Seng, and other young people who became committed Christians as a result of the movement of the Holy Spirit in the church. Many of them were later posted to other states, and having been impacted by David’s teaching, were serving the churches wherever they went.

            David’s divine calling into missions has always been to a bi-vocational ministry. To him, this means always offering a high standard of service at the workplace and being a man of integrity. He constantly worked at his relationships with his colleagues, and bearing a good witness for the Lord. His passion for missions, coupled by his upbringing in smaller towns, gave him reasons to pick the rural East Coast states as his first preferences.

            While most of the young people were moving to the bigger towns to pursue their careers, David’s willingness to live in these smaller towns earned him great respect – something which he would always ascribe the glory to the Lord – and this gave him a lot of opportunities to serve in the local churches.

            His bi-vocational ministry, however, did not deter him from spending time and keeping a balance between the family, and his work and church commitments, making sure that he gave his best to all three areas[8]. In fact, the Dato’ship[9] from the Sultan of Terengganu in 1985 is a testimony that his excellent service was appreciated by His Royal Highness.

            In 1977, he was posted to Kuala Lumpur as an orthodontist with Klinik Pergigian Cahaya Suria (Cahaya Suria Dental Clinic) in Puduraya. In 1980, after serving with the government for 19.5 years, he decided to start his private practice. The timing just was right; two years earlier, the OMF had asked for a Home Council to be set up in Malaysia and David was asked to chair the Malaysian Home Council. The objectives of the Home Council were to (a) educate the Malaysian churches about their role in missions (b) motivate and mentor young working adults for the mission field. Through the years, God had prepared David for the role that he was to play in the OMF Home Council. He believes that Malaysia has always been on the receiving end, and it was time for the churches to start sending out missionaries into countries where the gospel has not been preached (Matthew 28:19-20).

His Role in OMF

            David’s enthusiasm in missions was infectious especially on the young people. Among them were Yap Heong Mong and (now, Dr.) Tan Kang San, who served the OMF in various capacities[10].  Heong Mong describes David’s role as instrumental in confirming God's call to join OMF in October 1985. “We attend the same church. He was aware of God's call to missions and prayed regularly for me. When (the late) Dr James Hudson Taylor III talked to Dr David to appoint me as the first Executive Secretary for Malaysia, he concurred,” she explains.

            One of the major roles that David played within the OMF framework was to bring everyone together on the third Thursday night of the month for a prayer meeting. About 15 people would come from all over the Klang Valley to the OMF Mission House[11] to pray for the mission field.

            David started the annual OMF conferences, where good speakers – including mission leaders such as Jamie Taylor IV, Pastor Allan Webb, Dr Patrick Fung, Dr Robert Solomon and Ajith Fernando – were invited to speak.  It was in such prayer meetings and conferences that David knew who was serious about going on the mission field. He would then mentor them and a number of them ended up serving in the mission field for many years.

            Anyone who showed interest in missions, David would always counselled them, as a preparation, to attend the Kairos Course[12] which runs for five days. “For anyone to enter into the mission field, the divine call is very important. My general advice to young people is that while they may be interested in missions, discipleship is the key to their preparation. They must take at least five years to join whatever profession they are in and work out the Christian principles in their lives. Studying the Word of God daily and applying it in their lives at the workplace is a prerequisite to missions. Secondly, I often advise the young persons to work out their relationships at work and within their family. Both husband and wife must be of the same mind and be united in their ministry. Finally, they should also get involved in the church. In all three areas – work, family and church – having the right attitude in everything is very important.”

His Style of Leadership

            According to Sinek, there are “only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it” (Sinek 2009, 26). David’s style of leadership obviously follows the latter. He did it with the heart of ‘a leader, filled with humility of a servant’ as described by Pastor Wong Fong Yang, who is a direct product of David’s influence. In a book, The Soul of Mission, Fong Yang describes David in these words: “He is far from being a high-profile leader. He serves patiently, carefully, prudently and incrementally. He does what is right inconspicuously and unassumingly – for his church, for the people around him. He works and serves away from the limelight. The little things – small and obscure kind deeds – add up like a forceful stream of water that runs deep into the hearts of those he touches” (Kang San 2007, 18).

            This is echoed by Kang San[13], who describes him as `a rare model of leadership which allows others to thrive while he diminishes.’ He rather let Kang San to be in the forefront and allowing his mentee to take risks, while he remained in the background.

            “He is able to bring the team together, because he was willing to play the mentoring role,” Kang San says. “David has always been `a coach, a gardener, an accompaniment and a fellow pilgrim’; he would always hold on to the maxim, `Let others increase, while I decrease.’ I have seen in David the outliving of the acronym, HIM which stands for Humility, Integrity and Missions. His whole life exemplifies all three values, supported by his godly character. The driving force was his overriding commitment for the honour of God’s name and the extension of His kingdom. He was never focusing on church growth or giving a few percent of the church budget to missions, but for many years, missions was at the centre of Emmanuel EFC, where 60 to 70 percent of the church budget was given to missions. For many years, we had no pastors or buildings, yet we managed to send out missionaries. In many ways, under David’s leadership, Emmanuel EFC emptied itself to give to missions. Yes, this model that David has established for the church was a very radical leadership, which makes Emmanuel EFC a Mission-centred church rather than a church-centred mission,” Kang San adds.

            Heong Mong recalls David and his wife praying faithfully for every OMF missionary who was sent out to the nations. “He also meets up with them, especially when they are back on Home Assignment and gives special interest to their families,” Heong Mong adds.
            To dentist and orthodontist couple, Choo Yew On and wife, Chern Chern, who serve as OMF Cambodia volunteer lecturers at the government dental school in Cambodia since 1996[14], David is known to them as ‘someone with a shepherd’s heart who was resolute, yet gentle in his approach’.

            Yew On, who first met David at OMF prayer meetings and the OMF annual conferences in the early 90, says he was impressed that David could remember what he had shared the previous years. “When he heard of my interest in missions, every year he would set aside some time to meet with me during the conference and asked about the progress of my calling and interest in missions and gave me words of advice or encouragement,” Yew On elaborates. “His committed prayers for me is simply reassuring. Both he and Christina’s godliness, gentleness, humility, prayer life and warm hospitality have a great impact on me.”

            Another Malaysian missionary, Pauline Mak says David “came and walked with me when I sensed that Thailand was not the mission field God had called me to serve. He knew about Lloyd Oppel, a missionary in northeast Laos who had started a vocational centre, Tonsivit and connected me to Lloyd. He was the main person who introduced me to Laos, where I served for 10 years. He is a very kind hearted counsellor and takes good care of missionaries who are on home assignment. He used to phone me just to see how I was doing and fetched me out to his home for meals. We chatted and prayed together. I appreciate his pastoral care for us.”

            His style of leadership was what motivated another young man, Tan Yu Keong to join OMF. “The fact that OMF Malaysia was led by such a godly and wise man, surrounded by other faithful servants of God, strengthened my dream of serving God under their guidance,” he admits. “Since Hudson Taylor's time, OMF has the longest experience reaching out to East Asians, so I looked to OMF before considering other mission possibilities.”

            Stella Hooi was the first Malaysian missionary sent out to Central Thailand by OMF Singapore-Malaysia[15] in 1969. When OMF Malaysia Home Council was set up in 1978, with David as its chairman, Stella came under OMF Malaysia Council. “This was when I first got to know David and Christina,” Stella says. “They are such a godly couple. I remember when I was staying with them during my furlough, I felt their great hospitality and their warm-hearted support in prayer. David’s vision was to always exalt Christ. They made me feel at home. It was good to have someone who was faithfully supporting me in prayer. He bought me a small tape recorder that cost about RM500 in those days and paid it out of his own pocket money.”   

Delighting in Small Things and Being in a Team

            David has always believed that ‘small is beautiful’ and being a good team player. Both he and Christina had served in smaller towns in the East Coast, and when they were in Kuala Lumpur, they were looking for a small church near their home in Taman Zooview. David was later elected to serve as a church elder at Emmanuel EFC in 1980 until 2010, when he decided to relinquish the post to allow the younger people to take over.

            In each of the smaller towns or churches that he had served, he was always looking for a team of young people with the right commitment and team spirit. Choosing the right team members was important for any ministry. He believes that, in order to qualify, there are several criteria: one has to be godly and growing in the Word and willing to walk with the Holy Spirit. In both his church and OMF, he had just the right team of people to bring the church and Home Council to the next level. His faithfulness to serve as both a church elder and a mentor to the young people has helped him to make an impact on their lives.

            On the flipside, if there is anything that limits David’s impact on the wider community, it would have been the fine balance that he would have to achieve between his commitment towards the holiness movement and personal piety on one hand and the need to be more open to the wider mission emphases and thinking that Kang San, who is currently the General Director of BMS World Mission, says he now has to grapple with. “As I become increasingly aware of the new missions in the post-modernist era, which involves the need to respond to the challenge of inter-faith relations, social justice, racial relations movement and creation care, I think David could have taken on a different emphasis, if he were to live in this era,” Kang San says.

            At that time, Emmanuel EFC in Jalan Genting Klang had only about 15 students and ten adults. Most of the adults from the church were already planning to migrate to Australia. Over time, others like psychiatrist, Dr T. Maniam and his wife also joined the church. Because of its close proximity to Tunku Abdul Rahman College, many of the students also started attending the church, and some of them have continued serving the church as its elders till today. From a small church, the congregation has grown to more than 200 members.

            This is the result of team ministry, as David would later tell the young people in the church: “Team ministry is very important because nothing can be achieved by a one-man ministry. We always go astray with our own thinking. The fact that we have a team, we can always discuss. Whenever there is unity, the Lord blesses the work. It’s not about me but always the team that is submitted to the Lord. Prayer is the key to the ministry. The elders of the church made it a point to come together to pray two hours a week. This contributed a unity that comes from the Holy Spirit.”[16]

Conclusion

            Under his 30 years of personal mentoring, Kang San considers David an example of ‘genuine conversion, radical discipleship, godly leadership, wisdom in complex situations, balanced spirituality and God’s agenda for the transformation of cultures’ (Kang San 2007, 229). He has an excellent and proven record in his life and service.

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgement

Appreciation goes to the following persons for their invaluable contributions towards this research paper:

 

·       Yap Heong Mong

·       Stella Hooi

·       Tan Yu Keong and Li Min

·       Pauline Mak

·     Dr. Tan Kang San

·     Choo Yew On and Chern Chern

·     Datuk Dr Alex Mathews

 

 

References

About OMF International in Malaysia . OMF. n.d. https://omf.org/my/about-omf-int/ (accessed 27 May, 2020).

Douglas, Dr. J. D. , ed. Tell Asia Today. Epping, NSW: Dr G.D. James Multimedia Ltd, Year Missing.

Goldsmith, Elizabeth. Against All Odds: God at work in an impossible situation. Milton Keynes: Authentic Media and OMF International, 2007.

Kang San, Tan, ed. The Soul of Mission: Perspectives on Christian Leadership, Spirituality and Mission in East Asia (Essays in Appreciation of Dr David Gunaratnam). Petaling Jaya, SEL: Pustaka Sufes Sdn Bhd, 2007.

Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. New York, NY: Portfolio, Penguin Group, 2009.

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[1] Refer to the OMF Malaysia website   (About OMF International in Malaysia n.d.).

[2] David was himself the third generation after his grandfather came to Malaya in the early 1900s.

[3] Refer to 2 Timothy 1: 5 tells us the importance of the role played by mothers. Timothy was the product of Lois, his grandmother, and his mother, Eunice, who although married to a Gentile, was faithful in passing on the teachings of the Torah to his son, Timothy. David’s mother, Claire Tharmalingam exemplified this tradition very well.

[4] Dr Ernie Poulson was the dean and subsequently the principal of Singapore Bible College.

[5] David was in the habit of spending his Thursday afternoons and Fridays in Kluang, where he was serving at the Agape Presbyterian Church. Fridays are still weekends in the states of Johor and Terengganu.

[6] David was working in Mersing when he was invited to speak at a Scripture Union camp in Penang. This was when he met his wife-to-be, Christina Pillay (Goldsmith 2007, 59).

[7] Most of the meetings in Kluang were held on Friday mornings at 10am. Friday was a weekend holiday in the state of Johor while Sunday was a normal working day.

[8] In this aspect, David exemplified the lives of men of God in the Bible such as Daniel and Nehemiah, who faithfully served their kings while remaining faithful to their God.

[9] Darjah Dato’ Paduka Mahkota Terengganu (D.P.M.T.) which carries the title, Dato’.

[10] Yap Heong Mong played various roles in OMF between 1985 and 2016. She took on the role as Executive Secretary in 1985, before going to serve in Hong Kong in 1990 as a missionary. She then moved to Singapore to serve as the accountant of OMF International in 1993; and in 1994, served as its International Director for Finance until the end of 1999, before going to Hong Kong on her second stint as Assistant Field Director for Chinese Ministries in 2001. She then returned to Malaysia as Executive Director of OMF Malaysia in 2004 and served until she steps down in October 2015. She then went on home assignment before retiring in 2016.

Tan Kang San succeeded Heong Mong as Executive Secretary in January 1990 for the next three years before furthering his theological studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada (1992-1993) and Doctor of Ministry in Missiology at Trinity International University, USA from 1994-1995.

During this time, Barnabas Boon served as Executive Secretary (1993 and 1996). On returning, Kang San assumed the post of Home Director in July 1996 until 2003. He then went on to become Director for Mission Research at OMF International Headquarters in Singapore from 2004-2005.

By 2007, OMF Malaysia had more than 20 missionaries serving in various capacities in Thailand, China, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Macau (Goldsmith 2007, 223).

[11] The OMF Mission Home was located at 3A Jalan Nipah, Off Jalan Ampang.

[12] See https://www.kairoscourse.org/

[13] This was an interview via Zoom with Kang San on June 13, 2020.

[14] Together with a group of Consultant Orthodontists from UK, Choo Yew On and Chern Chern have since set up a postgraduate orthodontic course to train orthodontists since 2003

[15] There were three Malaysians, including a former Department of Chemistry Director-General, Mr R.D. Amarasingham, on the Singapore-Malaysia Home Council at that time when Stella was interviewed by the Singapore Home Council. She spent a total of 16 years between 1969 and 1985, serving as a nurse at a small village hospital set up by OMF in Nongbua, with its first lady doctor, Dr. Ursula Loewenthal.

[16] This practical outworking of unity, as taught by Jesus in John 17: 20-26, was beautifully demonstrated by the elders who come together every week for a two-hour prayer meeting. David believes that prayer helps to reinforce the team unity within the leadership.