In the past months or so, for some reason I had been bombarded by a few individuals in Facebook to defend my faith. Looking back, I traced what I believe to be the probable cause of it all to be due to a somewhat spirited defense which I put up when these individuals attacked the devotions we give our Blessed Mother in the practice of our faith.
Since that fateful day, I was regularly asked to "clarify" matters regarding the tenets of our faith... While some of the questions were rather easy to answer, there were quite a few which were somewhat more challenging as these skeptics came armed with bible verses to contradict other bible verses... When confronted with the trickier ones, I was tempted to just feign ignorance & dismiss it out of mind... Somehow, I had always managed to respond to these sometimes provocative attacks... I guess perhaps God is using all this as a means of enriching & strengthening my faith through research, reading, reflection & prayer...
One of my major source of information is undoubtedly the internet... I have a number of websites which I had found to be very informative bookmarked for easy access... And one day while researching on a particular topic, I googled up two names from the past...
In my search results, the names of Dr Jeffrey Goh and his wife, Angie appeared... I first came across Mdm Angie through Sunday School activities at the turn of the millenium... Back then, I was a young impressionable person who had just started out in career with a million & one things I wanted to do to make a difference...
Deemed to old to be an "altar boy" lest the term would require amendment to "altar men" I was plain old parishioner for a couple of years... I was a choir member as well previously but decided against returning to that fold considering the need for the weekly practice and a somewhat rigid Mass attendance weekly... You see, I had the tendencies to be a church hopper even back then... For the uninitiated, I love church hopping every week... I'd define the phrase "church hopping" as the act of going from church to church every weekend... Not really a good idea actually as you are unable to form a strong bond with a particular parish...
Anyways, going back to Mdm Angie & Sunday school, there was a plea one weekend for volunteers for Sunday school... Figuring that this would be a good way to contribute, I signed up thinking that my duties would be more of an assistant... Imagine my shock when I was given a class of my own... And to make it worse was the fact that the class was to be in Malay!!!!
Well, somehow I got through the year with some bumps and bruises but thankfully relatively unscathed... I got my first Malay language bible that year... I had problems with the language barrier but somehow I managed to do it... Don't ask me how... I guess God truly got me through that year... Anyway, after the 1st year experience, I was given an English class assignment for the 2nd year... And it was definitely a whole lot easier as I was brought up through English catechism classes all the while...
And that was when I got to know Mdm Angie... Not know her as in know a close friend know... But rather knew who she was... And she helped out with materials back then... Sometime in 2001, a study on St Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians was organized for the Sunday school teachers... And that was where I met Dr Jeffrey for the first time... I had probably bumped into him in church before but wasn't aware of who he was back then...
Now, my first impression of Dr Jeffrey wasn't exactly a rosy one... I remembered as he was introduced to us by the Sunday school coordinator then (don't know if he still is now), Paul thinking that he (Dr Jeff) didn't look particularly friendly... I could still remember how I sank in my seat wondering what made me agree to sign up 10 Tuesday evenings in the first place...
Never judged a book by its' cover... An overused cliched phrase but nevertheless true... Especially where Dr Jeff was concerned... He turned out to be extremely knowledgeable in theology with his personal brand of humor... His sessions were extremely informative & I found myself looking forward to the next session every week...
As with most good things, they end far too quickly... In a flash, the ten weeks were up & the sessions ended... I actually found myself missing those sessions... If memory serves me right, I could recall that another session was organized the following year on another topic... Unfortunately due to work commitments, I was unable to sign up... It wasn't too long later that the first seeds that would lead to my eventual "crisis of faith" were sown that led to me being estranged from the church for almost 6 years...
Anyway, I chanced upon the website of Dr Jeff & Mdm Angie recently. The website is called ECCM which is a short for The Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry. For the initiated, the term "Ephphatha" means "Be opened". This term can be found in the Gospel of Mark 7:32-35 where Christ healed a man who was both deaf & dumb.
Quoting from the website;
"If Ephphatha represents freedom from an obstinate place where one is deaf and voiceless, then “Coffee-Corner” symbolizes a freedom from the strictures of formality and structures artificially imposed on the people of faith. It is a place where people can relax and speak freely as equals about just anything under the sun. It offers a space for discussions that take in different dimensions and perspectives, so we may see more clearly where people stand and why. It provides a forum for questions to be put and answers to be explored. It presumes that we all have a voice, are capable of hearing, and have opinions of our own, and are not inhibited from speaking up. To be sure, our little coffee-corner aims to help open our ears to hear more deeply and our eyes to see more clearly, so that we might go on to speak more courageously and to live more truthfully."
A little background on Dr Jeff & Mdm Angie... Dr Jeff is a lawyer by training having obtained his LLB from Buckingham University & qualified as Barrister-at-Law at the prestigious Lincoln's Inn, London. Mdm Angie is a qualified teacher.
The lovely couple studied Theology and Canon Law at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Both obtained a Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus (S.T.B) in Sacred Studies there. Mdm Angie also took an M.A. in REligious Studies while Dr Jeff obtained a Licentiate of Canon Law (J.C.L.) and a Ph.D in Religious Studies.
They have taught theology at St Peter's College, a major seminary which caters to the formation of the clergy in East Malaysia for over 10 years. It came to my attention as well that they have both been travelling extensively throughout the Catholic Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei to conduct retreats and seminars as well as to be invited lecturers at official insitutions overseas.
They have also been writing and publishing books for a while now. A series, which is published annually and entitled "Christian Living Today" is co-edited by Dr Jeff & Fr Emmanuel Katongole, an Associate Research Professor of Theology & World Christianity since 2000. Also written by them is the book entitled "Living the Gospel: St Paul's Call t Match Words with Actions in First Corinthians"... Now that is a book I will be looking for when I return to Kuching, whenever that will be...
In their website, Dr Jeff & Mdm Angie would reflect from their unique perspective on matters which are relevant to us today, especially where our faith is concerned. They both welcome feedback as well as participation from everyone in the spirit of love. A number of readers had sent some over issues of the faith to Dr Jeff & Mdm Angie for clarification. I find that the responsiveness & speed to which they answered any emails to be pleasing. How often do we get frustrated at unanswered communiques in this fast moving world today?
Perhaps you have any questions that you have burning inside but have yet to find an answer to? What are you waiting for? Get right on ahead and visit Dr Jeff & Mdm Angie's website at The Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry
Word has it that they are both coming over to KL next year for a retreat. Let's hope that comes to fruition. I know I'd be among the first, if not the first to sign up!
