Dear Members of HIM,
Pastor Simon Eng
In late June, PN wrote to a number of people in HIM, alleging that leaders of HIM had left HGI in a wrong manner, and called on HIM members to re-join him. A blogspot in English reiterated the same message. PN has given incomplete information and also misrepresented the facts.
We parted with the former leadership of HGI for a few reasons:
- DJ and PN had disqualified themselves as elders according to biblical standards. PN was involved in adultery for an extended period of time. Efforts to have him fully restored were opposed by DJ. DJ separated from his wife, and encouraged various church leaders and members to participate in religious ceremonies for his political purposes, causing other believers to stumble;
- They were not accountable to other leaders and members, especially in the area of finance. There are still ongoing investigations by the Hope of Thai People Foundation, which is the legal entity of the original Hope of Bangkok, regarding the misuse of funds involving these leaders;
- They maintained that they had acted biblically when their actions showed otherwise.
The procedure of our parting may have surprised PN but we have good grounds to do so because:
- DJ himself asked us to choose whether we wanted to continue with him as the apostolic covering, although he tried to backtrack later;
- PN was removed as president and Somthob suspended as vice-president according to the procedure spelt out by HGI Licensing Policy that they had approved themselves together with other HGI elders. The reason was because PN no longer met the biblical criteria to be an elder.
PN also alleged that the present HIM leadership is improperly appointed. Actually the HIM leadership is no different from the old HGI leadership minus the top leaders who disqualified themselves. I was the remaining elder that was untainted in the whole saga following the allegations by Rubina about leadership improprieties in Bangkok in October 2008. Together with the then RMCs in HGI, I took the needed leadership in HGI. We then decided to break from the past and revamped organisationally by replacing HGI with HIM.
We are concerned that the true motive of PN is to split the existing HIM churches so that he can regain some members. We need to be aware of what has happened in Thailand since October 2008. After Rubina highlighted the misuse of funds in the Hope of Bangkok/Hope of Thai People Foundation, PN had little platform for ministry. On one occasion he was given a platform at the Windsor Hotel, Bangkok during which he managed to convince a portion of the daughter churches to come out of the Hope of Thai People Foundation umbrella.
He has continued this strategy in various forms all over Thailand. What used to be a unified family of Hope churches throughout Thailand is now fragmented into five or more groups. The church landscape in Thailand is a pitiful tragedy with brothers in Hope or ex-Hope churches fighting other brothers who used to worship together in the same church. In the midst of all this happenings, hundreds and perhaps thousands have stopped coming to church or moved to other (non-Hope) churches.
What PN is doing sounds too familiar for us not to raise the warning that he may very well attempt to do internationally what he did in Thailand. It is unusual for an outside party to write directly to you about your leaders bypassing and not even informing us. Regardless of his arguments, it seems obvious to us that he wants to have a direct communication with HIM members and very likely influence members or even leaders to leave existing HIM churches to join him.
If you have further questions, please talk to your pastor directly. Alternatively, you can write to our central HIM office through byhim.office@gmail.com. We have set up this new email address to address any issues and concerns you may have about PN’s actions.
Let us remain united together in HIM, and continue on the new chapter which we have established and are forging ahead to continue to plant churches and fulfil God’s Great Commission in our localities, countries and all over the world.
In Christ,
Pastor Simon Eng
