Cambodian CRC Moves Forward

Arsonists burned down the office building of a tiny Cambodian Christian Reformed Church situated in the Western suburbs of Salt Lake City in October of 2007.

The loss of the building that the 80 church members had worked hard to update over the three previous years surfaced as a steely resolve among them, a resolve that was honed 40 years ago when many of them escaped the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge in their birth country.

After the arson attack, the congregation was "bowed down, but not defeated" in their determination to establish a faithful Cambodian presence in their neighborhood.

Since then, the Cambodian CRC has worked hard, with the help of CRC agencies and CRC congregations, to tear down the old structure and prepare to construct a new church.

It was month after the arson, November, 2007, that the and Christian Reformed Home Missions sent a letter to CRCs in the U.S. requesting an offering to help other churches in the area raise funds for the Cambodian CRC.

Enough funding was gathered to bulldoze the remains of the original structure. The demolition was completed in part through $34,000 donated by CRWRC Disaster Response Services. In an August, 2008, financial report, Dee So, the Cambodian CRC’s secretary, said that dozens of CRCs and individuals from Montana to Connecticut had given to successfully support the effort.

"We are grateful for your support as we take this journey in planting God’s kingdom in West Valley, Utah," So said. "It has been slow progress, but the outcome will be worth the trials that have been and are to be endured—when the lives of the people in the surrounding area are changed by God’s Word and love."

CRWRC and CRHM have continued to assist the Cambodian CRC to outline a building program for the next phase of the project. Pastor Charlie Phim and his small congregation have raised about $90,000 for the effort, with more than half coming from church members, and they have taken out $100,000 in loans. CRWRC-DRS has pledged an additional $20,000 to the project and will provide a volunteer estimator, project manager, and construction workers once the project is underway.

Before construction can start, the Cambodian CRC needs to raise an additional $120,000.

"It’s my heart's desire to support this effort in any way we can," says Bill Adams, CRWRC-DRS director. "From the perspective of the Cambodian CRC, the burning of their building is a major disaster, and their plight deserves special consideration."

Adams asks that CRC members talk to their church, pastor, or deacon chair to encourage a financial gift to the Cambodian CRC of Utah building program. Call CRWRC-DRS at 1-800-848-5818 for more information. Support for the Cambodian CRC can be given online.