LCSJ Guidelines on Donation & Expense Claim

This post was created to get members’ feedback concerning the issue of making donations and expense claimable for projects undertaken with public funds received, including allocations made to such projects from club accounts.
All members are requested to vote based on the poll listed herein and the results can be viewed at the end of your vote and they will change as the voting continues. Do visit the site from time to time and see the results as they are updated. I will then summarise the findings for presentation at the next BOD meeting.

Claims for meeting expenses

Following Christ’s Example

Imitating Christ

 

Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. (1 Peter 2:21) “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1) Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. (Phil 3:17) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Jesus stated many times that He came as an example and the New Testament uses some tense of the phrase “follow me”, “follow Him” or “followers of Christ.” The word “followers” can be traced back to the Greek word “mimos” which means “to imitate.” From the word “mimos”, we can easily see from where the English word “mimic” is derived.

Scripture is loaded with examples revealing how and what one must do in order to be an imitator of Christ. Love your enemies. Forgive those who have sinned against you. Heal the sick. Make disciples. Visit the infirmed and feed the hungry.

Sometimes we have a feeling that the job should be left for someone more qualified to do and that it is not for us. Whether it is preaching, reaching out or attending to the needy, some Christians feel disqualified. But we know that Christ strengthens us (Phil4:13) just as the apostles who were unlearned were able to speak with boldness and clarity.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13).

When Jesus said, “come follow me,” he called men from vastly different backgrounds. None of these men identified with the top echelons of society or the political and religious elites. Peter was a fisherman; Matthew a tax collector, one of those men in a profession hated by everyone.

When the Scribes and Pharisees heard the apostles spoke with boldness and conviction, they soon discovered the reason for this boldness. It was not a result of their vast education, for Peter and John had no education except in the craft of fishing and seafaring. Their boldness was not from the self-sufficiency of knowledge but from God. Today we observe our leaders without formal lessons in the bible but displaying similar zeal and boldness when preaching Christ. Some have attended short lectures but much of their knowledge comes from self-study and personal research.

Charles Spurgeon wrote: “A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ. …written out in the words and actions of his people. If we were what we professed to be; if the Spirit of the Lord were in the heart of all his children, as we could desire; and if we were all possessors of that vital grace, we should be pictures of Christ, that the world would exclaim, “He has been taught of him; he is like him; and he expands it out into his very life and every day actions...”

“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)

The “smell” some people ever have of Jesus is the “smell” our faith, godliness, and compassion produce. If we are a bad spiritual odor, that odour will make Jesus “stink” to some people. If we are a godly aroma or fragrance, that aroma will be a sweet smelling memory. Someday that aroma may bring them to life’s saving fragrance, Jesus.

Smell evokes a memory response. The next time you smell something familiar, try to recall what is the very first thing which pops into your mind. Does that smell evoke a memorable (pleasant or unpleasant) event that happened in the past?

What does God think of when He smells us? Do we smell like sin and death which remind God of rebellious Satan? Or do we smell like Christ and cause God to remember His precious Son? (Ephesians 5:2.)

The Christian life should be characterized by the virtues taught in the Word of God. Such was the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. During His tenure on this earth, He exemplified the love of God, and by His own example, faced the same difficulties of life which we face (yet to a far more intense degree, Heb.4:15). He gave us a pattern to model ourselves after, by which if we should follow, along the straight road will lead us to a victorious life, well-pleasing to God (1Pet.2:21-25; cf. Matt.16:24; Jn.13:15).

We are commanded to love one another as He has loved us, and He lay down His life for us. Jn 15:12-13. Loving one another is easier said than done. Often we have certain values, prejudices and responses. Some people are easily liked whereas others have a way of putting us off. The command of love is across nationalities, colour and background. Some of us have this inhibition to approach others that we are not familiar with, perhaps because of shyness. Then there is the lack of flair in starting a conversation. We hide behind our own reluctance and go about being busy with other things like chatting with brethren. Love means that we make others feel welcome. We emphatise with their plight if they are suffering and assist in any way we can. Jesus asked us to provide food and water for our enemies. The preaching of Christ and the apostles contains lots of instructions on the importance of love and the displaying of such character. Jesus as an example showed that he loved us so much that he gave his life for us. How do we express our love for brethren and others? Do we respond positively when others ask for help eg. a sister needs you to take over her bible class, or a preacher needs transport to the airport, or a visiting brethren needs accommodation in a home? Who will be the first to be asked to render some help? Do you think that you will ever be asked?

This topic encourages all of us irrespective of our standing and training to be brave and to venture outside our comfort zone. Sometimes, we need to be pushed. Other times we need to be reminded or reprimanded. The best is for us to challenge ourselves when the odds are against us to do better. Christ did not only instruct, he gave us many examples and he led the way.

So, where is it that we should be imitators of Christ? Everywhere, in the workplace, in the homeplace, in the schoolplace, in the locker room, in the restaurant, etc. Live the life of Christ and make a public spectacle of the love affair we are having with God! Jesus said, “When they’ve seen Me they’ve seen the Father,” we can say, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ that liveth in me.”

Presented at Richard Lee’s Residence 27th June 2009

Class of ’76 reunion 2009

Last Sunday some old boys from the MACS class of 76 got together for a celebration of sorts. We had a great meal and shared lots of stories! As usual, Kiam Hann did not disappoint us; organizing a wonderful reunion and providing entertainment to go with the good food. I have assembled here some of the portrait photos of those who attended the do and short commentaries to go with it. I am sure the comments do not do justice to describing my fellow friends who have lots of interesting success stories to tell of their own and the short time we spent together did not allow us to get to know each other better. But the fellowship was great and we walked away with a feeling of déjà vu; the good old time is back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I  hope that this light hearted summary of those who came for dinner ( + one who was supposed to join us later but went AWOL) makes for interesting reading; no offence intended and trust that none will be taken. There is much we do not know about each other, hopefully over time, we will be able to fill in the blanks.

We had some good exchanges and some names remembered; eg Woon Chin Chan, Woo Kai Wah, Pang Ah Lim, Loh Wai Yu, Ng Ee Chuan, Simon, etc.

Those were the days!

Keep in touch guys,

1st Dec 2009

In Loving Memory

 

In Loving Memory ofDad

 

Dad 2006 birthday

My dad came to Malaysia at a tender age of about 10 from China by sea. He once told me of how he had fallen into the water unnoticed from the ship and was rescued upon discovery by a sailor thereafter. Unfortunately, little else is known to me of his early days except for the times we shared together.

 

Dad was strict with us, his children (6 + 1 [adopted] sons and 2 daughters). We developed a certain fear of him especially when he was angry. But his punishments were infrequent and were not as severe as what we made it out to be. Generally he expressed his love for us in his own ways. When he was endowed, he was generous and would bring home his catch or buy us some quality fish from the market. He provided for us although we knew his earnings were not much. We had a good house (big wooden house) to stay and were never hungry because the vegetables mum planted were able to earn us income for our sustenance and the farm poultry provided us occasional dishes of meat.

Dad was not formally educated but he taught himself to read, was well read (examples: Chinese novels like the Three Kingdom) and  kept up to date with events and happenings from reading the Chinese dailies. He took a positive approach to life, always believing in himself and proud of his family.

His initial ventures into business did not take off successfully but his opening of a Bak Kut Teh restaurant paid off handsomely with patrons coming from far away places like Singapore just to savour his delicious cooking. His business flourished and he was able to pass it on to my younger brother who later invited other siblings to join in the business. All in all there are now three brothers and one sister running their own BKT business, learning the trade from dad. My friend Kiam Hann who knew a part of dad’s business history told me that dad was well liked by his friends who encouraged him to start the business and supported it from the opening. This is his legacy – Teo Chew BKT is now well known in Malacca and in KL (when Kim Haw decided to open his restaurant, he named it after father, He Teck BKT).

Dad had an illustrious life even before this, having travelled and worked outstation and in Australia (some of his friends who followed him to Christmas Island and Perth stayed back and are today citizens of Australia, living comfortably). He tried his hands at farming, cooking and mining jobs as well as sea fishing. It was not easy for him, being away from us but he was clever at hiding it. Eldest brother was encouraged to follow him to Kota Kinabalu where he learned the spray painting trade. Having saved some money he returned home after a few years to start his own spray painting business.

Dad more than made up for his absence from us by making frequent visits to our home in KL in later years. He would take bus rides from Malacca and walked to my wife’s kindergarten from the bus stop. At times he bought us fish or other meat and carried it all the way. He did his best at communicating with us all and was especially fond of the grand children. When he was with us, he would bring the kids for movies and occasional treats. His mobility was restrained in later years after sustaining a fall and as time progressed he had difficulty walking and remembering.

The last two years were particularly hard on him as he was less mobile and suffered poor health. I had always pictured him as a strong person both physically as well as mentally and had difficulty accepting his frail condition. In the week before his passing, eldest brother phoned me that dad asked for me. And so I visited him in hospital where we had to say our last farewell. Dad succumbed to his illness and passed on from this life on the 28th May 2009 at the age of 87. He brought us up well and we hope to live up to his good name. We have lost someone dear to us and shall miss him. Dad was laid to rest on the 1st June 2009. We cherish the memories of the time we shared together and will forever keep him in our hearts.

I would like to convey my appreciation for the many condolences, words of comfort, prayers, flowers, messages and visits by relatives, brethren and friends during the period of bereavement. Thank you all for your kind concern and thoughtfulness. The outpouring of love has helped to lighten our grief and sorrow. 

CHUA CHENG CHYE CHARITABLE TRUST

 Chua Cheng Chye Charitable Trust

The fund RM18,388.00 and rising…..

Following recent mails soliciting for pledges towards Mr Chua’s trust fund, many have responded to the call and made contributions to the fund. It is the intention of the promoters to set up a trust in remembrance of Mr Chua’s good name and to touch the hearts of others as we were touched through the good deeds of friends and teachers. Mr Chua was one such fine example – a teacher who gave of himself, going the second mile when called upon to help. Whether he was on active duty, retired or during economic crisis, his heart was always with the underprivileged. We too can rise to the occasion and do our bit to carry on his tradition of doing good deeds! Any amount, just keep the ball rolling and send this message to other MACSians in your address book.  Let us maintain the momentum. Thanks to those who responded, we have now exceeded RM18K and the figure is rising. Spread the good work and May you be blessed in His special ways! ♥

 

The Chua Cheng Chye charitable trust is set up by a group of friends coming together to form a non-profit charitable organisation, sharing a common bond with Mr Chua either as friends or as his ex-students and in memory of his good name and generosity. These friends have a common vision of promoting charitable deeds in Mr Chua’s name. They are deemed as settlors in the setting up of the trust. The trust is an informal fund under the custody of a Board of Trustees and will not be registered or subject to the country’s tax relief provision until such time the Board of Trustees so decide to apply for such status. The trust is created for students of ACS (P) Malacca and will be utilised towards one of the following purposes:

1) The relief of Poverty

The gift/bursary is required to relieve the misery of poverty by providing the basic necessities of human existence – Food, Shelter and clothing.

2) The Advancement of Education

In this instance, it is the provision of books or a fund for the students to purchase books or pay for educational fees.

Funding:

The sources of fund are generated from the following: a) Donation received from friends and well-wishers. b) Fund raising events. c) Interest income from surplus placed in interest earning deposits with licensed banks. d) Other legitimate purposes including profits on approved investments. The yearly support and valuable contribution of well-wishers is important for the survival of the trust.

The Board of Trustees

Thought shall be given to the appointment of the initial trustees and the method of appointment (or election) of subsequent trustees. In this regard, the minimum and maximum number of trustees needs to be addressed. In accordance with usual principles of corporation governance, there are advantages in having between five and nine trustees, rather than a smaller or greater number. For a start, the Board of Trustees shall consist of 5 settlors who are prepared to set aside time to meet, consider, as well as shortlist/interview beneficiaries and through a process of selection decide who the recipients of the yearly award are. The trustees will also decide on the number of awards, frequency, manner of award (either in cash or kind), and ensure that fairness of distribution is observed. The position of the trustee is an honorary one with no financial benefits or remuneration. The appointment is permanent unless the majority of the Board decides to remove or replaced based on the non-performance, self-discharge/resignation by the trustee or by operation of law (eg. an un-discharged bankrupt is not allowed to act in that capacity). When the fund size permits, the trustees can also be corporate trustees in which case, the Board of Trustees shall only operate as dispenser of the fund and decide on the fees payable upon the appointment of the corporate trustee.

Committee

A committee to assist the Board of Trustees shall be set up to assist the Board of Trustees in the administration of the Trust. The committee for the first year may include members of the Board of Trustee and will be appointed by the initial settlors. Thereafter the annual selection process can be decided by the Board of Trustees by way of simple majority.

Chairman

Secretary

Treasurer

Committee Members: (3 members to help especially in organising events and to raise funds.)

Auditor

A bank account with a licensed bank shall be opened under the names of the first three key officers (ie Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) who will also be joint cheque signatories [either two of the three shall be deemed as authorised signatories for each cheque issued]. Thereafter changes shall be made, consistent with the appointment of the new office bearers. Payment for purchases of gifts, bursaries and other approved expenses shall only be made subject to authority limits as decided by the Board of Trustees from time to time. The Treasurer shall produce financial statements (in accordance with proper financial standards) on a quarterly basis and each year the financial statements shall be audited by the Auditor.