A recollection by Elder Daniel Yeoh & Elder Dato’ George Ting
Extracted from Our Story, His Glory (2016)
The present site of Heritage Centre in Section 13 was an industrial warehouse owned by a leading Japanese electronics manufacturer. In the early 2000s, the building and the land were put up for sale for RM17 million due to the company’s downsizing of global assets.
In 2002, while PJEFC was still at Taman Megah, Dato’ George and Elder Daniel spearheaded negotiations for the purchase, with an audacious offer price of RM12 million. The Japanese company rejected the price but upon our appeal, said it would nevertheless check with its headquarters in Tokyo even though its representative was skeptical the HQ would ever agree.
To the officer’s surprise, instead of an outright rejection, the HQ counter-offered RM12.75 million. We later learnt from the real estate agent that he had a part to play in the counter offer as he agreed to forgo part of his commission to facilitate the sale at RM12.75 million. The property at the current market value is worth some RM50 million.
After PJEFC had paid the earnest deposit, another buyer emerged with a much higher offer. Yet, the Japanese company honoured its word to sell the property to the church. Later, the Japanese officer intimated to us, “I don’t know why Tokyo agreed to such a price” — a testimony of God’s divine intervention and providence.
Funding
The purchase and the cost of renovations to repurpose the building as an auditorium with sound system plus a sports complex and gym came to approximately RM16 million. PJEFC still had to resort to a loan to make the shortfall.
A bank loan of RM7 million was obtained from Public Bank through Elder Daniel’s contacts, while Dato’ George and wife Datin Cecilia graciously agreed to act as guarantors of the loan. The church’s assets consisting of a shophouse in Johor, a double-storey terrace house, the three-storey shoplot in Taman Megah and its land bordering Seapark/Sg Kayu Ara were sold to raise about RM3 million.
Gifts from members totaled some RM3 million, while another RM3 million was raised as loans from church members with 5% interest offered. Not a single church member who loaned the church money asked for interest, and half of them returned 50% of the loan to the church as an offering. Such was the generosity of members.
Renovations were completed swiftly in 66 days as the renovation team was committed to claim the same period Nehemiah used to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
In October 2002, PJEFC relocated to its new premises with the moving all done by church members using their own vehicles to transport items from the Taman Megah premises. In true “gotong-royong” style, the moving was completed over three weekends.
Enlarging Our Tent
Heritage Centre was dedicated to the Lord at a special service in January 2003. For long-time members, it was part fulfillment of a prophecy the church received in 1989.
That year, at the church camp, the speaker, Rev. Des Short from New Zealand Faith Bible School, prophesied from Isaiah 54:2-3 over PJEFC:
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left.”
Further conviction that God had plans to use PJEFC as a tent, spreading out to cover the surrounding community, seemed to be affirmed when the Selangor government converted Heritage Centre’s land title into religious land for a non-Muslim house of worship on 11 June 2014.
“Thus far, the Lord has helped us”, as Samuel said in 1 Samuel 7:12. The journey to Heritage Centre — the enlarging of the tent — has truly been by God’s grace.
May the stories of the years to come be about the spreading out to the right and the left as PJEFC strives to reach the community.
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🙌 Thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in leading PJEFC to Heritage Centre.