Ting (fourth right) with Merlin (right), David (third right) and others giving the thumbs up to the completed RTP project (building in the background) and the ongoing project to improve facilities at the church.
MIRI: The BEM Community Lutong church here will be given a facelift starting Sept 28 to provide a more conducive environment for its members to attend church services, as well as their children attending the nursery and Sunday school.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Sebastian Ting said works on the project will take three months (until Dec 27) to complete and RM100,000 had been allocated from his Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) fund.
“This RM100,000 project is the second phase funded under my RTP for 2019, the first one was in 2017.
“The first batch of RM100.000 was for building the toilet and for nursery/Sunday school which has been completed while among the scope of works for the second phase are repairing the ceiling, brick fencing, installation of CCTV and levelling the ground around the premises,” said Ting to reporters when visiting the project yesterday.
Accompanying him were councillor Leslie Lau and officials from Miri City Council. Among those on hand to brief them on the projects were the church elder (chairman) Merlin Labor and Pastor David Pangau.
Merlin thanked Ting for the funding and his keenness in ensuring the success of the project, adding that once completed, it will provide not only comfort but also added security to the parishioners.
He also thanked the proprietor of the former cinema for allowing BEM to freely use the premises as their church, which could accommodate over 1,000 parishioners at any one time.