A Shepherd Who Never Stopped Serving
Only moments earlier, the long dirt road leading to Pastor Jonathan’s church had baked beneath the relentless heat of a Myanmar afternoon. Children laughed through the church grounds while families slowly made their way home. Some walked. Others climbed onto small three-wheeled motorcycles for the journey home. When the rain finally came, nobody hurried for shelter. After days of oppressive heat, the downpour was welcomed with grateful smiles.
Inside, the sounds of worship had only recently faded.
Ceiling fans pushed warm air around the room. Conversations filled every corner of the building. Children played outside while women, their faces brushed with traditional thanaka (a natural paste made from tree bark, worn for sun protection and beauty), chatted quietly together. Shoes lined the doorway. It was an ordinary sight in Myanmar, yet it said something extraordinary. This wasn’t simply a church gathering. It was family.
Pastor Jonathan greeted everyone the same way. With a smile.
It quickly became obvious that this wasn’t simply respect for a pastor. It was genuine affection.
The people loved him because he had spent years loving them first.
Jonathan planted the church more than twenty years ago, beginning with little more than his own family gathered together in faith. As more people came to Christ, the apartment where they met became far too small. In 2017, another pastor sold Jonathan a nearby church building, allowing the growing congregation room to continue flourishing. More recently while our OneCoMission team was visiting Yangon, that same church welcomed more than one hundred people to a community outreach.
Yet what makes Jonathan’s church remarkable isn’t its size.
It’s the people filling it.
Most are new believers.
Many are discovering the Bible for the very first time.
“In the past, I just read the Bible and knew only a very superficial faith. But by studying these lessons, I came to understand deeply that faith is the response we have to what God reveals to us.”
ABC Discipleship Student
Like many pastors across Myanmar, Jonathan carries both the joy and the responsibility of shepherding people who are taking their very first steps in the Christian faith.
Many arrive eager to learn, but unsure where to begin.
Each week, Jonathan gathers his congregation to work through the ABC Bible and Leadership Curriculum before dividing into smaller discussion groups. The curriculum isn’t intended to replace Scripture. Instead, it helps new believers understand God’s Word, ask questions, and apply biblical truth to everyday life.
“When we only use the Bible,” Jonathan explains, “it’s difficult for them to full comprehend. But when we give them the ABC curriculum, they become excited, and they study more.”
One young woman in the church has become known for filling notebook after notebook with handwritten notes from each lesson.
What she learns doesn’t stay on the page.
She now invites strangers to church, eager for them to discover the same hope she has found.
“I came to understand that we are precious,” she says, “not because of what we have done, but because God created us.”
This is discipleship at its best.
One believer helping another follow Jesus.
After the service, our team joined Jonathan and his family for lunch.
The table overflowed with traditional Burmese dishes, including fresh vegetables, beautifully prepared pork, and more food than any of us could possibly finish.
Yet something else left a far deeper impression.
Jonathan and his wife refused to sit down.
Instead, they continued serving everyone else.
As we ate, they moved quietly around the room, making sure every guest had enough. Even after we repeatedly encouraged them to rest, Jonathan’s wife and several ladies from the church gently stood behind us, fanning us against the afternoon heat.
It was profoundly humbling.
Hospitality wasn’t simply something they did.
It was who they were.
Perhaps that explains why this church feels different.
People don’t simply attend because Jonathan preaches well.
They stay because they know they are deeply loved.
More than two decades of faithful ministry have shaped a church where disciples become disciple-makers, new believers grow in confidence, and God’s Word takes root in hearts that are already reaching others with the hope of Jesus.
That is how the Church grows. Quietly. Faithfully.
One life at a time.