Sungailiat Bible Week Opening Service, September 5, 2025

At 3 p.m. local time, the music of "You are Everything" rang out, accompanying the worship songs of the congregation at GBI Air Merapin, who were attending the opening service of Sungailiat Bible Week, September 5, 2025. Around 60 congregants were present in the sanctuary by the time the event began. At least half of the congregation had been present since 2.45pm. They were so enthusiastic to attend this service, longing to hear the delivery of His word.

For the first 15-30 minutes, the congregation was invited to sing, worship, and sway and clap in praise of God (Praise and Worship). Led by a praise leader from the local church, Mr. Johny, and accompanied by music directed by Mr. Sudarsono. The praise and worship team had managed to build a warm atmosphere among the congregation from the very beginning. Happy faces were visible from every person in the worship room.

Then came the delivery of the Word of God by Rev. Anwar Tjen, Ph.D.. Consistent with the atmosphere of wisdom that had been built, Rev. Anwar opened the devotional with an explanation of Biblical Spirituality. This reflection stated about the importance of our lives being carried out in accordance with the truth of God's Word. Biblical Spirituality invites people not only to read and memorize the Bible, but also to live according to what is conveyed in the Bible.

Afterward, Rev. Anwar Tjen also voiced a reflection on "a journey". As far and long as the journey is, God's word is timeless. He also shared some Bible quotations in Hebrew, Greek, which were correlated with the Indonesian language. This seemed to increase the enthusiasm of the congregation in hearing the presentation of Rev. Anwar Tjen. Occasionally, he made light jokes that brought laughter.

After 30 minutes, Rev. Anwar Tjen delivered the final part of his devotional, a biographical reflection. He shared his early introduction to the Bible. In the initial confusion of Bible reading, he stumbled upon the words of Jesus, "love your neighbor". No one would have guessed, including him, that he would become an expert Bible translator. The reflection ended, signaling that the opening service of Sungailiat Bible Week 2025 had come to an end. This also signifies that the activities of the 2025 River Bible Week will soon be inaugurated. The entire continuation of the Sungailiat Bible Week series will continue to be held, until September 7, 2025.

After the opening service, came the TB2 Bible seminar.

The activities of Bible Week 2025 will continue until September 7, 2025. There is still a Drawing Competition, Digital Literacy Seminar, and of course the Museum of Biblical Objects Exhibition, as well as the LAI Publication Exhibition that will further introduce the Word of God to His people.