Callous Pastors and Wounded Sheep

The NECF has decided to hold the Malaysia Jubilee Prayer Celebration in CCC on the coming 15 September 2013. 

Many Church Pastors have asked their congregation to attend this prayer event in CCC. While many are ready to attend this event, there is a group of wounded sheep, the ex-Calvarites and the axed-Calvarites, in their congregation who are reluctant to attend this prayer meeting. Many of these “ex-” and “axed-” Calvarites have opted to pray at home. 

Instead of extending an arm of encouragement and trying to understand the predicament these ex-Calvaites are in, some of the Pastors are preaching the sermon of forgiveness and proclaiming the judgement of curse on those who are unwilling to forgive. 

This is an extract of a sermon entitled "The Blindness of Sin"  that Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG) was reported to have preached at the CCC on 9 August 2013, as reported in Christianity Malaysia.

“We have to understand that living in sin and even holding on to unforgiveness can cause us to be blind to things. We must not stay in that sinful state for there lays a curse.” 

Therefore, sermons such as these implies that those who have expressed their unwillingness to attend the Malaysia Jubilee Prayer Celebration are still harboring unforgiveness in their heart.

However, to ex-Calvarites, this is indeed an irony, coming from a Pastor who was so blinded that he had no hesitation to sack hundreds of his members who questioned his mismanagement and misuse of Church funds.  These wounded sheep who have been rescued by God in His mercy and grace, from the land of "Egypt" are now being asked by the new Pastors to re-visit "Egypt". 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

The following is a letter from a Pastor to one of these ex-Calvarites who have decided not to attend the Prayer Celebration at CCC this coming 15 September 2013. We believe that this is the stand NECF and many Pastors are taking when confronted with ex-Calvarites who choose not to attend this prayer event at the CCC.

LETTER FROM A PASTOR

We need to pray for Pastor Prince and for the debt to be settled in a God- honoring way. In the end it is the Christian testimony that counts in Malaysia. When one part of the body hurts, all the rest of the body hurts too.

Once a project is started in God's name, the whole world looks on. Rightly or wrongly, the world does not care because it only looks to criticize the Church of Jesus Christ. So we need to protect the good name of The Lord. How?

We pray for the leader that God will direct him in the right way.

We pray for the protection of the Name of Christ

We do what we can if possible to help.

We will not join in the host of criticism but instead pray for the wrong doer or pray for God' s vindication if innocent.

We will not spread the accusations but leave it to The Lord, especially when we cannot know both sides of the story. 

We must not make judgments unless we know both sides.

We must forgive the wrong doer and if he is repentant we must help to restore and to control damage because the real enemy of the Church , satan, seeks to destroy His church.

Pastors are a rare breed nowadays! Many do not want to become pastors because of the stress and heartaches. Many churches cannot find successors to replace their pastors. Every month, 200 pastors resign in America alone. AOG Pastors in Malaysia suffer the most heart problems so much so the Insurance Company have refused to insure them! 

So we need to pray for every pastor and not to help satan destroy them by either making them fall into sin, or make mistakes big and small, or expect them to be superhuman. We will not spread negative stories about them. Let God deal with them. We can only advise and pray. If truly in the wrong, God will judge because a pastor holds a greater responsibility and face a greater judgment. We are called to pray and not be the Judge. Even when action has to be taken, do it in love not in spite.

We ourselves have gone through so many false accusations just because we will not compromise, or have to correct wrongdoing, or refuse to be bribed or intimidated. So we would like to encourage all who are called Christians to pray for the Body of Christ and for God to give to us,  shepherds of character and wisdom. We commit the false and corrupt into God's hands.

I do not mind you passing on this message to the whole body of Christ. How we need to close ranks, pray for the weak and encourage the weary! Our enemy is not flesh and blood but principalities and powers of darkness.

May The Lord return to a united, faithful loving church.    

Here are some responses written by different ex-Calvarites, who have read this letter.

Response #1 

To go back to CCC when the Lord closed doors - IT IS NO.   To participate what they are doing NO.   To walk with the Lord yes.......in any case PG insists despite all the evidence I HAVE DONE NO WRONG......he never asked for forgiveness........but we have made the choice to forgive him all the same.     When the pastor mentioned judging - is it not true that when a brother sin, we must go to him to tell him of his wrong-doing?   Is this judging?

A pastor can make mistakes but must have a humble attitude to admit wrong and get things settled in love.......this is something to ponder.......

Response #2

Many close to 1000 including I have already let go, forgiven PG for the wrongs done to us, the sheep under his care.

Many of us who left  CC have found 'pastures to graze' and eventually got involved with the service for our Lord......but many too have stumbled and do not want even to go to worship - this is sad and this hurts the most.  We are working and praying these will be restored and healing comes to them.

Response #3

I am sorry to say that this pastor is treating ex-CC members as firstly like kids and secondly people still suffering  pains from church abuse can move on...

Will PG confess all that unspiritual acts  he and his cronies have done and still doing these many many years before and after the start of the CCC project?  Has any one from the pastoral or the elders group come forward with a full explanation and not just attribute the "wrong doings" to only the victims?  Has anyone still in the CC institution ever expressed concern for a deacon sacked as a result of a kangaroo style court hearing? We know that there are dozens more very vital issues besides the wrongful usage of the church money and dictatorial power.

It is very unfair to listen just to one man's justification of  his "image" and family survival and protection and ignore the practice of church abuse unless your pastor is revealing a common practice in all churches in this sick world.

Let me give a quotation from a world leader:- "Forgive your enemies but do not forget their names."

Please tell your pastor that you have forgiven him but it is harder to forget that lousy name of a so-called Shepard.

Pastors and leaders from other churches should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger and not taking sidesinted.  Why?  PG has often reminded his congregation of the saying "Birds of a feather congregate together".  This saying is applicable to all including men of God using the pulpits to teach.

Response #4

Just sharing the little I know and is not an attack on Ps. This is the ills of the churches around. What the pastor shared are things I have heard from many others who have been raving about the building and the goods the building is to the Christian community here in Malaysia, a Muslim nation. That is why I say the Pride of Christians in M'sia. Do correct me if I am out of line with my opinions, most importantly, if I am wrong biblically. 

Response #5

Praise God that He is still doing wonderful things for me to cause me to fly higher with Him as He has done since the problems started in CC. He never fails. To God be the glory. His grace is ever before me.

This email is encouraging to me at this time when many Christian leaders are blinded by the grandeur of a building, which suddenly has become a Christian "pride"  in Malaysia which must be saved at "all" cost, to illustrate God's glory. A building?

Also I wonder when we need to defend God's Majestic Name, when He is the One who defend us, His followers. So cover the dirt so that the Church as one body will look 'good' to others. Will this please man or God? I know my God is much mightier and sovereign. He is the All-Powerful One. Are we drawn into secular mindset nowadays? 

Another point to make is if pastors are called, why do they fail? Are they not called to stand for Christ, the Truth, The Way and the Life. So what if insurance companies do not insured the AOG pastors? To whom and in whom do we trust? And why the rejection? If pastors cannot stand the fire of refining, can they be true shepherds for the many lost sheep? I rather have one Paul than many Diotrephes? What do you think? Has the Church as a whole fail the world? Is there a compromise in our values for unity sake? 

I leave the judgement and forgiveness bits for  you to think about. Feeling sad that the eastern churches are much influenced by the "mega churches" ways of the west, which is also affecting the African churches. 

The main problem in CCC is not the debts. Only God can restore it because our wonderful Lord can make All things good, like the way He is making something beautiful out of our redeemed lives. 

Pray for the many who were hurt and still are hurting.  Still learning and changing and being transformed by His Holy Spirit, prayerfully,

Response #6. 

This was sent in by an ex-Calvarite. It is a perfect divinely timed reminder to Pastors who have visited the CCC and were awed by it.

From: Daily Proverb proverbs@letgodbetrue.com

Date: Tue, Sep 3, 2013 at 4:00 AM

Subject: Proverb for Tuesday, September 3 (3:31)

Proverbs 3:31

Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

Sin seems to help some get ahead, but it is a lying illusion. Do not be jealous of those who appear to prosper by taking advantage of others, for they shall soon be brought down (Pr 3:32-35). Do not use any of their manners or methods, for they are the tools of fools.

 Those that oppress others – afflict, dominate, or torment them – are in trouble with God. Such men are froward, and they are an abomination to God; such men are wicked, and they are cursed by God; such men are scorners, and they are scorned by God; such men are fools, and God shall shame them. But He will bless gentle and kind men (Pr 3:32-35).

 Overbearing and presumptuous men may succeed for a while, until God and men take back what they stole by their oppressive ways. Foolish men are impressed by the strong-arm tactics and apparent success of these tyrants. They are deceived thinking such methods are manly and efficient – the way for the strong to survive and prosper. But God inspired the rule here – do not envy such men (Pr 23:17; 24:1,19-20; Ps 37:1,7-9).

 Neither should you adopt their manners or methods. It is not enough to despise froward men; you must also reject all their habits and practices. Sin will deceive you by justifying some of their ways, as long as you reject other of their ways. God and Solomon knew this temptation, so they also condemned choosing any of the devices or tactics of oppressors.

 What are the ways of an oppressor? They love to drive a hard bargain, paying less than they should, but charging more than they should (Pr 11:26; 20:14). A righteous man pays a fair price and charges a fair price, especially when the helpless or poor are involved. When it comes to charity, the oppressor neglects the poor and only gives a little grudgingly, but a good man gives generously and is rewarded for it (Pr 11:24-25; 29:7).

 What are the ways of an oppressor? They are harsh and hard on animals, employees, and themselves. But noble and virtuous men are kind and merciful to all three (Pr 11:17; 12:10; 18:23; 29:21). The oppressor speaks sharply, critically, and much, wounding his hearers, but the wise man speaks his few words graciously, feeds men wisdom by his speech, and wins even the king’s heart (Pr 10:21; 12:18; 15:2,28; 17:9; 22:11; Col 4:6).

 What are the ways of an oppressor? They create strife, divide and conquer, look out for number one, and sow discord (Pr 6:14,19; 15:18; 16:28; 26:20-22). But godly men crave peace, work to keep it, and honor others (Pr 15:1; 19:11; Eph 4:3; Phil 2:1-5). An oppressor walks over a starving Lazarus going to his fat table, but he ends up in hell (Lu 16:19-23)! Diotrephes may cast men out of the church, but he will pay (III Jn 1:9-11).

 What wisdom can you learn? Rather than envy oppressors in the world, whom God abhors, envy the righteous, with whom God shares His secret (Pr 3:32). Choose the ways of the godly and earn favor with God and men (Ps 37:37; I Co 4:16; 11:1; Phil 3:17; 4:9). God measures the heart and actions of every man, and let Him find you helping others.

Calvary Church's New Theme ... Make CCC Debt-Free!!!

This is a Comment placed in the previous post which is NOTE WORTHY FOR ALL READERS.

CC NEW THEME...MAKE CCC DEBT-FREE!!! 

AT CCC WHO CAN PREACH TODAY WITHOUT A MONEY APPEAL?CCC IS IN FACT A HOUSE OF BAAL….

How true as one blogger puts it. Since Easter service on 31st March 2013 every service and sermon seemed to be enslaved by ‘MAKE CCC DEBT-FREE!!!’ And no matter how the speakers ( including invited special speakers ) tried to disguise his/her sermon, anyone with some grey matter can discern that each and every service and sermon is nothing much more than $$$ appeal. 

Becos of CCC, there had been so many strategies and tactics, some psychological, some seemingly Biblical and some plain secular ( like sponsoring a seat at RM5000.00 each ) that we have lost count. The latest was CCC Day on 7-8 July 2013. The speaker RS emphasized on ‘Miracle Harvest Offering’ and that now is God’s divine kairos moment to give towards CCC Debt Free challenge.

The following week, SP again highlighted this God’s divine kairos moment to give towards CCC Debt Free challenge. Again and again he repeated and even said… ‘ during this kairos/divine moment, God wants to do some something for you… I don’t know how long it will last..’

Both of them ( RS and SP ) tried to tell the sheep that this is a once-a-lifetime opportunity to give towards CCC so that you can get once-a-lifetime opportunity of God’s special/kairos blessing. It doesn’t come every day!! SP even WARNED… ‘ God is giving you divine/kairos, IF YOU FAIL TO GIVE…’

Nowadays it is no longer give when God bless you. Give even when you don’t have!! Blind faith or testing/forcing God? Please don’t get me wrong. Yes, God can bless you if He calls you to give what you don’t have.

I wonder how many sheep were intimidated by them. Had it not for this blog I and my family would have been so ‘frightened and coerced’ by such cleverly orchestrated fund-raising tactics.

In the process, LIES AND DECEIT WERE UTTERED WITHOUT BATTLING AN EYELID.

Consider the following…

I SK on 26/05/2013… ‘ we had a wonderful AGM…OUR FINANCES ARE WONDERFUL!!’

‘…Every year, we take TWO faith promise, beginning of year and middle. This year we are not taking for this July to December ( since our finances so wonderful? )’ 

Is that not outright LIE when the faith promise for February to December 2013 already taken? Such clever planning so that they ( SP, APs and BOD ) can have a CCC Day pledge.

II SP on 26/05/2013 (same day)… ‘ we have a balance of RM50,000,000.00 to pay to be debt. free…without having to go to the banks..’

III one deacon on 7 and 14/07/2013… highlighted how God provided the RM175million for CCC.

Dear readers of this blog, how can CC declare God provide the RM175million when more than RM60million is bank borrowings secured via the church properties that God blessed CC with through these 50 plus years. And now with no more properties to charge to the banks, how can SP go to the banks? They must be desperate and had no choice but to milk the sheep by whatever means! 

And how can SP, the APs and BOD DECEIVED the sheep by saying if they ( sheep ) raise the RM50million, CCC will be debt. free when there is millions in bank borrowing to be repaid? 

Dear SK… owing more than RM100million ( bank borrowings and current debts to contractors ) and you said ‘OUR FINANCES ARE WONDERFUL!!’

What about the enormous maintenance and bank interests?

If the above does not illustrate LIES and DECEIT I don’t know what is.

On one occasion in his money appeal, SP even say once CCC fully paid, the sheep no more opportunity to give. By then, even if the sheep want to give, he ( SP ) won’t accept.

But sad to say many many sheep are so easily taken in. Many are so naïve. Many think that this RM50million is to pay the remaining or balance bank loans so that CC no need pay any more interests.

They seem to think the tens of security guards, cleaners etc work for free. Yes…water and electricity also free like fresh air!!!

As I wrote in my last blog, the MONEY APPEAL WILL CONTINUE ON AND ON AND ON…..

Dear sheep at CC…please be discerning

GOD BLESS

ANOTHER SMALL FRY

Posted by ANOTHER SMALL FRY to Calvary Today 2 at August 7, 2013 at 3:15 AM

CCC is finally built ...

CCC is finally built… and the journey of financial slavery begins

Senior Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG)’s dream of a 5,000-seat auditorium to accommodate his 2,500 congregation was finally realised with the completion of the Calvary Convention Centre, Bukit Jalil (CCC) in March this year. But he could have chosen a better time than the recent Easter season to hold the inaugural service at the new venue.

Whilst Easter is a message of hope and salvation and freedom from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Easter service at CCC on Easter Sunday heralds the beginning of financial slavery for the members of Calvary Church. With an estimated bank debt of at least RM60 million, borrowed to fund the construction of Phase 1 of the CCC costing some RM200 million, the financial burden on the church is simply unimaginable. 

The monthly interest payable on the bank loans at say 7% per annum will amount to a whopping RM350,000 per month or RM4.2 million per year. This is excluding the principal repayment which, over a 10-year repayment period, amounts to RM500,000 per month or RM6.0 million per year. The operating overheads and the building maintenance cost, hitherto not fully divulged to the congregation, will be another killer.

To incur a monthly costs of between RM850,000 to RM1 million per month, just to hold 4 Sunday services there, is just plain illogical. Enslaving an entire congregation to fulfil a pastor’s dream is sinful, to say the least.

From feedback from the members, the call for money is now even louder and is sounded at every service.  How long the members can continue to take it is anyone’s guess.

The completion of the CCC also made it into the local online news, The Malaysian Insider recently. 

Read the article : SEA's Biggest church opens amid rising religious debate in Malaysia

Some of the interesting comments to the above news article are appended below:-

true Malaysia 146p · 2 weeks ago I'm not sure what kind of Christianity this Calvary church is expounding ... The prosperity gospel is still very much alive sadly

lavinesh24 151p · 2 weeks ago This money would have been better spent on the various underprivileged homes in Malaysia which today are in real dire needs of funds. This show of opulence is evident in all religions while funds needed to help our fellow humans is lacking.

Pekan Mari 151p · 2 weeks ago Gosh RM 200 million....I thought Christians were beyond this sought of thing and it was UMNO Muslims who indulged in showcasing giant mosques which are never even 20% full even during Friday prayers. In fact the little mosques in small townships, kampongs are the ones that are regularly utilised. Good luck. BTW have you heard of AFM. That stands for Asset and Facility Management. In short, maintenance. Your battle may have just begun.

bukan_buta 150p · 2 weeks ago Lord Jesus never aspired for any opulence nor extravagance.
What is the use of a RM 200 million building if it fails to deliver Jesus' message of LOVE ??

                                                     

The brand new RM200 million Calvary Convention Centre, Bukit Jalil taken recently,
looking dirty and weather-worn.

EGM Update: Calvary Church to Sell Church Properties

As the Calvary Convention Centre (CCC) gets built, the pressure on Senior Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG) and his Deacons to raise the money to pay the Contractors also begins building up.

The slowdown in members’ giving and the failure to secure additional loans despite the assistance of Exsim, is forcing PG to resort to premature selling of the bungalows around the main Church Sanctuary in Damansara Heights. 

At a specially convened EGM last Friday, 20 April 2012, he sought the approval of the members for a general mandate to sell 5 out of the 6 bungalows to raise the shortfall in funds required to complete the CCC. 

CCC Progress Update

Before the Resolution was put to the vote, Deacon Ngeow Zoo Gin presented an update of the progress of the construction of the CCC. He informed the members that the physical completion is expected to be in August this year, with the Certificate of Fitness anticipated to be issued by March next year. The Church hopes to be able to hold the Good Friday and Easter services at the CCC next year.

Financial Update

He shared that the challenge is to raise RM97.6 million being the Balance of the Construction Cost of RM200 million by 31 December this year. 

The Church projects an Income Surplus of RM5.8 million for the rest of this year including fund-raising and after netting off the Interest Payable to the Banks on the loans drawn down. 

The balance of the loans available for draw down is RM28.8 million while the balance of Sales Proceed of the commercial land due from Exsim is RM36.5 million. 

After taking into account of the above, the net cash shortfall is RM36.5 million.

Proposal to sell Bungalows

To partly meet this required funding, a mandate is now being sought from the members to sell the 5 bungalows.  

Deacon Ngeow explained that based on the valuation done on one of the bungalows in April last year which was RM400 per sq ft, the total estimated value of the 5 bungalows is RM22.7 million. A recent verbal estimate by the same Valuer puts the market price at RM450 per sq ft.

CT notes that, in his estimation of the value of the bungalows, he did not elaborate whether he imputed any value for the building or taken into consideration the fact that all the bungalows are not “livable” as they have been renovated for Church ministry use. 

He has also obviously not considered the possibility that a few of the bungalows, being situated nearby or adjoining the main Church Sanctuary may not be able to sell or be able to fetch the market price that he expects.

He said that the bungalows may be sold either individually or on an en-bloc basis. There are discussions ongoing with several parties for sale on an en-bloc basis. The sale of the bungalows may be an outright sale or a sale with an option for the Church to buy back.   

Resolution Proposed

The Resolution proposed encompasses the following points:-

1.    That the Board of Deacons is authorized to sell any or all of the 5 bungalows along  Jalan Damansara Permai namely the Antioch Bungalow (No. 2), Capernaum Bungalow (No. 3), Berean Bungalow (No. 15), Bethel Bungalow (No. 21) and Bethlehem Bungalow (No. 27) on the following terms:-

a.  That the Sale Price be fixed at an average market price at the very least, determined after 2   independent Valuations have been carried out in respect of the property or properties intended to be sold.

b.  That the property or properties be sold to person/s or body corporates who are not in a conflict of interest position with members of the Board of Deacons or Pastors.

c.  That the terms of the sale may, if required, include a buyback clause at a price of up to 35% higher than the Sale Price, exercisable over a 5-year period.  

d.   That the proceeds of the sale/s, be used exclusively to defray the cost of such sale/s and to fund the continued construction of the CCC.

e.   That the full details of the sales/, once transacted,  are notified by displaying such details on the    Church notice board or the next General Meeting immediately following such transaction.

2     That the Trustees of the Church and the relevant members of the Board of Deacons be authorized to execute all documents.

3.   That this Resolution will be valid until 2014 AGM or unless sooner revoked.

The Resolution was put to the vote and was approved by the members. Out of the attendance of 310 members at the EGM, only one lone brave hand went up to object to the sale of the bungalows. 

Proposal to set up a SPV to manage CCC

Deacon Chow Sang Hoe presented a preliminary report on the issue of maintenance of the CCC and marketing of the facilities to the public to generate income to cover the maintenance costs. 

The present decision of the Board of Deacons is to set up a separate entity outside the Church to run the management of CCC. Towards this, the proposal is to incorporate a new company, that is, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be owned and held by a professional Corporate Trustee in trust for the Church or a Trustee Company set up by the Church. 

The SPV, will, in turn, appoint external service providers to maintain and to market the facilities. The committee had approached 13 service providers and 8 had expressed an interest to handle the functions. From the 8, the committee has selected 5 to submit their proposals by end of this month. However, 1 service provider has since declined while the remaining 4 service providers have yet to submit their proposals.  

Deacon Chow lamented that it is a challenge to get a service provider for CCC because  the church has imposed a requirement that Sundays are reserved for the Church’s use. He acknowledged that in the secular world, most exhibitions, forums and seminars are held over the weekends and therefore, it is hard to market CCC’s facilities. He appealed to the members to pray for this matter.

CT Comments

Although the Resolution to sell the bungalows was passed, the actual sale of the properties will be challenging. The close proximity of the bungalows to the main Church Sanctuary will be a matter of concern as well as a bargaining point for potential buyers due to the traffic congestion and parking problems on Sundays and during other services on weekdays. 

Even if PG goes back on his earlier assurance that he will not sell and close down the main church here (it is highly probable that he will sell, out of desperation to raise funds), the buyers will still be concerned what the future development will be on this site.  

On another note, even if all the 5 bungalows are sold for RM22.7 million (assuming any further appreciation balances out the cost of sale), there will still be a shortfall of RM3.8 million for this year. This is on the assumption that Exsim pays up the RM36.5 million this year as projected by Deacon Ngeow.

However, this is a big question mark. Under the Terms of Sale of the commercial land to Exsim, Exsim has the right to terminate the Sale and Purchase Agreement, should they fail to obtain the Development Approval from the authorities. If this happens, the church has to refund every sen paid by Exsim todate. 

This will be disastrous to the Church!

CCC : Calvary Church Begins Loan Drawdown

Senior Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG) must be going through dreaded times.

The road to fulfilling his vision of building a mammoth monument (Calvary Convention Centre or CCC) to glorify God has certainly not been easy. 

Although one may argue that it is never easy when one does the will of God, the same also holds true when man’s vision gets clouded with God’s vision and man believes his vision is God’s vision. 

However one looks at it, the road that PG has taken surely looks like one that will lead Calvary Church into many years of financial bondage, beginning with this latest drawdown of the Bank Loan.

Does God need to borrow money from man’s banks to fulfill His vision? 

Our Bible declares that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and He owns the “cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). Our God is a mighty rich God and He has no problems fulfilling His vision. 

Alas, for PG, he has to resort to Bank borrowings to fulfill his vision. The money is just not coming in as he had hoped for, as members become numbed to his incessant barrage of “give, give, give” from the pulpit and the constant insinuation that God will not bless if they do not give. This “spiritual threat”, is of course, unbiblical. God blesses because he is a good God, not on the basis of our giving as we cannot “earn” His blessings.

Hence, PG has no choice but to draw down on the Loans granted by Alliance Bank and Public Bank. 

Last Sunday, the Church announced that they have drawn down RM14 million to pay the Contractors and the Interest Payable on the Loan Amount drawn down comes up to RM70,000 a month.

What does the future hold for Calvary Church from now on?

When the total loans of RM43 million from both Banks are fully drawn down, the Interest will amount to RM215,000 per month or RM2.58 million per year.

This does not even take into account the Principal payment. If the RM43 million loans are to be repaid over, 10 years, it will come up to another RM358,000 per month or RM4.3 million per year.

The combined interest and principal payment will eventually be a whopping RM573,000 per month or RM6.88 million per year for 10 years! 

This is just mind-blowing and poses a huge question mark over the Church’s ability to repay the Banks and the future fate of Calvary Church, considering that the income surplus for 2010 was only RM6.1 million. The cost of maintaining the CCC is not even taken into account.

Will the construction of CCC be completed with the full drawdown of the Loan sum of RM43 million?

The answer is NO. Even with full loan drawdown, the Church is still short of RM75 million to complete Phase 1 of CCC. The Exsim land deal is supposed to generate a cash inflow of RM55 million to the Church but this is spread out over at least 4 years. 

Therefore, in the interim, PG will have to raise between another RM55 to RM65 million, assuming Exsim will pay between RM10-20 million upfront on the deal.

PG certainly needs a giant panadol!

Footnote: CT has amended the loan repayment figures in the above article, following verification that the loan period is only 10 years. The original article had assumed a loan period of 15 years.

Calvary-Exsim deal becomes riskier

At the recently convened Calvary Church EGM on 16 Dec 2011, the Board of Deacons sought the approval of the members to vary the terms of the Calvary Church-Exsim Development Sdn Bhd joint venture on the commercial plot of land adjoining the Calvary Convention Centre (CCC) project.

The variation sought was to allow the title and ownership of the land to be transferred to Exsim upon the receipt of the amount of RM20 million, out of the total agreed purchase price of RM55 million. The variation was approved by the members.

Under the previously approved terms, the title to the land was to be transferred to Exsim only after the receipt of the full sum of RM55 million. However, this situation is not desirable as it would mean that Calvary Church, as land owner, will be a party to every sale and purchase agreement that will be signed in respect of the apartments sold. This, in turn, will result in severe tax implications as highlighted in our previous article on this issue.

(Read Calvary Enters JV with Property Developer dated 22 October 2011.)


One of CT’s readers had sent the article to all the deacons and pastors of Calvary Church, and having taken note of the concerns raised by CT, the Deacons have now come up with the above variation in the terms.


Whether this new revised Agreement will enable the church to avoid Income Tax on the Church’s share of profits from the Development, is too early to tell. Such a risk remains, so does the questions of ethics. Jesus did say that we ought to “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” when He was asked if one should pay taxes.


Aside from the issue of tax, the new revised terms, raises a new risk. Previously, the title was to be transferred to Exsim only after the full sum of RM55 million is received. If the Development project is successful, Exsim will have to pay the Church in full in order to secure the title to the land and to enable them to sub-divide and transfer the strata titles to the apartment purchasers.


Now, if the title is transferred to Exsim after they pay only RM20 million, Exsim is no longer under any pressure to pay up the balance RM35 million.

Exsim may have promised to pay the RM35 million in staggered payments over the next 4 years and this may be clearly stated in the agreement but the fact is the church has no collateral or further control over the land. Exsim can very well stretch out the payment over the next 10 years or ask for a discount. In the worse case, the matter may end up in the civil courts for years.


Two Directors of Exsim have agreed to guarantee the RM35 million balance amount but however, their personal net worth is unknown and therefore, it is difficult to ascertain if their guarantee is worth the outstanding debt. Besides, enforcement of guarantees can only be commenced after ALL ATTEMPTS of recovery from Exsim have been executed.


This is the most obvious sign that Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG) has become so desperate to get his CCC built that basic common sense and rationale no longer prevailed.


PG’s desperation bodes well for Exsim.

Why was Exsim selected to be so “blessed” by Calvary Church remains a big question mark?


Who is Exsim?


Actually, very little is known about this joint venture partner of Calvary Church. As reported in our earlier article, Exsim Group is a small, industrial and commercial lot developer, which recently undertook a residential condo development called the “The Treez” in Bukit Jalil.


From the Exsim website and “The Treez: brochure, the “the Treez” project was developed by Jalilmax Development Sdn Bhd,.


A search at the Companies Commission revealed that Jalilmax was incorporated on 8-8-2005. The directors of Jalilmax are Lim Aik Hoe, Lim Tau Fong and Lim Aik Kiat. Exsim Development Sdn Bhd is listed as the current owners of Jalilmax.


On the other hand, Exsim Development Sdn Bhd was incorporated only on 14-10-2009 with a paid-up capital of only RM100,000. Its directors are Chong Peck Ee, Loo Yoke Foong, Puang Wan Ching and Wong Siong Lin.


The directors of Exsim and Jalilmax are totally different people. Perhaps, the information
available from the Companies Commission has not been updated but the fact remains that Jalilmax was set up earlier and taken over by Exsim only after 14-10-2009.


With only a paid-up capital of RM100,000, Exsim does not even qualify to apply for a Developer’s Licence. The law requires a Developer to have a minimum paid-up capital of RM250,000 before they can be issued a licence to commence any property development.


It is quite likely that Exsim will incorporate a new subsidiary company to undertake the development of Calvary’s commercial land as is normally the case with property development groups where the holding company remains purely an investment holding company while the subsidiaries are the actual developers. This is to protect the holding company from legal liabilities should any development goes sour or gets entangled legally or financially.


The gross development value (GDV) of Exsim Group’s total projects are a mere fraction compared to the GDV of the big players like Sunway, Glomac, Sime Darby, MK Land, SP Setia, and Sunrise whose GDVs run into tens of billions of ringgit.


So is PG taking a “gamble” with a small company like Exsim? He certainly is!


With the 2013 Pentescostal World Conference in Kuala Lumpur looming near, PG is desperate. He had already announced to the world that he is hosting the conference in CCC and so, it will be a huge loss of face for him, if the CCC is not completed in time.

Calvary Enters JV with Property Developer

Calvary enters JV with property developer
After banks reject loans to CCC

At the recent EGM of Calvary Church held on 23 September 2011, the Board of Deacons announced that all their recent loan applications to various Banks to finance the construction of the Calvary Convention Centre (CCC) have been rejected.

Previously, the Church had only managed to secure a RM35 million loan from Alliance Bank and a RM8 million loan from Public Bank. However, the Church is still short of at least RM75 million to complete the project.


The wasteful RM300 million project (Phase 1 and 2) has been plagued with problems after problems since commencement of works. Despite the recent fanfare of the cornerstone-laying ceremony at the site, the ability of the Church to complete the CCC remains in doubt.

Having failed to secure additional Bank borrowings, the Church is now embarking into a Joint Venture with a small Property Developer to develop the 1.75 acre commercial land adjoining the CCC site to build Serviced Apartments. The Developer, Exsim Development is a relatively new industrial park Developer with 2 on-going industrial developments in Bukit Rimau and Kota Damansara. Recently, they ventured into their first condo development at Bukit Jalil called the Treez.


The Joint Venture between the Church and Exsim has been disguised as a sale of land at a highly inflated price of RM55 million with payments staggered until 2015. Deacon Zoo Gin admitted during the presentation that the market value of the land is only about RM17 million. From this, it can be inferred that the difference of RM38 million represents the profit share from the proposed apartment development.

The obvious reason to camouflage the Joint Venture as a sale is for tax planning purposes (defined as the legal form of tax evasion). The other reason is aptly said by Senior Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG) at the EGM that “we do not want to be seen as going into business”.


Zoo Gin claimed that the Board had consulted a Tax Agent on the tax implications of the sale and the Tax Agent has opined that the sale transaction, although at inflated price, falls under the Real Property Gains Tax and therefore, the gain is not taxable as the Church has held the land for more than 5 years. (If the sale proceeds is recorded as profit share from property development, the entire RM55 million less the original cost of land will be taxable.)


Zoo Gin clarified that the land title will be transferred to Exsim only upon full payment of the RM55 million. Should this be the case, then when the Apartments are sold, the individual Sale and Purchase Agreements will surely state Calvary Church as the Landowner and Exsim as the Developer.


In such a scenario, how then, is the Church going to convince the Tax Department that this arrangement is not a Partnership or Joint Venture and should not be taxable? PG and his Deacons may fool the members but can they fool the Tax Department?


This commonly used strategy of hiding profits from property development in marked-up Sale and Purchase Agreements can easily be challenged by the Tax Department. The Church will run the risk of public exposure and a fine but the worst consequence is the embarrassment it will bring to the Christian community.


The Calvary-Exsim Deal

Exsim will buy the land for RM55 million on a staggered payment basis as follows:-



Upon signing the Sale and Purchase agreement, Exsim pays the church 2% of Purchase Price equal to RM1.1 million. This earnest money is refundable should the Development Order (DO) for Apartment Development not be approved by DBKL. In such an event, Zoo Gin said that with the refund to Exsim, the status would be back to square one.

Exsim will pay the church RM13.0 million in February 2012 from a Bank loan which Exsim will obtain by charging the commercial land to the Bank. Exsim will bear the interest cost on this RM13.0 million loan. This will be a Third Party Charge as the land title would still be in the Church’s name. By this time, the Church would have received RM14.1 million but the land would have been charged to a Bank. Deacon Zoo Gin told the members that this is OK because the land was bought for RM7.0 million and the present value is RM17.0 million.

Exsim will pay the Church RM2.0 million a month from July to December 2012 totalling RM12.0 million and the balance of RM28.9 in quarterly instalments from March 2013 to December 2015.

In addition to the RM55.0 million, Exsim will make a donation of RM1.5 million to the CCC building fund. This donation will be paid in 2013.


The reason why Exsim was chosen

Zoo Gin informed the members that they had 3 proposals from 3 parties namely Seal Group Bhd, E & J (the contractor doing the reinforced concrete work for CCC) and Exsim. Seal Group Berhad did not turn up for the interview because they could not meet the Church’s requirements while E & J is merely a Contractor and not a Developer. Zoo Gin claimed that no other Developer was interested although invited. Therefore, Exsim was the only option.

Zoo Jin said that they have checked Exsim’s financials and found their financial strength to be “sufficient and acceptable”. A member asked him to elaborate with figures. He declined saying that it is not appropriate to disclose at the public meeting. Either he had something to hide or he was simply ignorant of the fact that private limited companies’ financials, shareholders and directors’ details are in the public domain and can be easily obtained from the Companies Commission.

Who is going to bear the risk should this JV deal not work?

Exsim has a very good deal. They only pay a refundable deposit of RM1.1 million for the option to develop the land with absolutely no risk. Even if they take up a loan in their own name to pay the Church the second payment of RM13 million, they are not at risk as the collateral is the Church land. The risk is on the Church. In the event of a default in loan repayment by Exsim, the Church will have to come out with the money to repay the bank or stand to lose the land.


Even if the DO is obtained, there is no certainty that the Apartment Development will sell. In order for Exsim to pay the Church RM55 million and still make a development profit, Exsim will have to build about 400 apartments and sell them for at least RM750,000 each to generate a gross development value of RM300 million, based on an average development profit of 30%. That is certainly a tall order for that locality and during a time of anticipated severe economic downturn by the time the apartment project is launched. If Exsim does not make profit, then the Church may not receive the full sum of RM55 million.

With such risks and the uncertainty of getting the full payment of RM55 million, why then is PG and his Deacons pushing for this transaction?

Rumours of a side deal are aplenty especially since it is an open secret that all, if not most, of the final negotiations with contractors and suppliers and probably in this case, Exsim as well, are done by PG and his son alone. That aside, without doubt, it is definitely a case of pure desperation that PG and his Deacons are willing to take this risk. The clock is ticking fast and money is just not coming in as PG had hoped.

On the EGM, it was good to note that there are new faces who are beginning to ask questions but unfortunately these voices are still few in numbers. Without saying, of course, the supporters of PG at the EGM, shouted praises to God and voted yes to the sale.



Clip #1 : Listen to the 3 Options presented by Zoo Gin.




Clip 2 : Listen to the terms of the JV

Has TOTT Worked?

Many members and ex-members of Calvary Church, KL have been asking this question :-
“Has TOTT (Turn Off The Tap) worked?”.
The answer is a resounding “Yes”.


CT has tabulated the figures below from the Annual Reports of the Church from 2007 to 2010. The total income has dropped since 2007 with the highest drop registered in 2010 of 19% from the previous year. With the expenditure remaining high, the surplus has also dropped since 2007 with the highest drop recorded in 2010 of 30% from the previous year. Similarly, the Faith Promise has also suffered the same fall in income since 2007.


This is clear evidence that when Church members are unhappy, they will “speak out” with their wallets. This should also serve as a warning to all the pastors out there that they ought to conduct themselves and their Church affairs with integrity, transparency and accountability lest they suffer the same consequences as Calvary Church.

TOTT has been giving Pastor Prince Guneratnam (PG) nightmares and scrambling for Bank loans, which he had hoped, to avoid. Despite his constant dose of prosperity gospel, continuous reminders to the members to bring their Tithes and Offerings to the storehouse (Church) and the oft-repeated remark that they should not eat in McDonalds and pay in KFC, the giving by members continue to dip.


The original plan was to borrow only RM35 million to help fund the construction of the Calvary Convention Centre (CCC), however later, the loan amount became RM43 million instead.


Now, with the cost of CCC escalating to RM200 million for just Phase 1 alone and the drop in Church Income , the Church has to borrow an additional RM75 million, making a total eventual borrowing of a massive RM118 million.

The total estimated cost of the CCC is now at RM300 million, an increase of RM150 million from the original approved budget of RM150 million in 2005.


TO RECAP : Click on the links below to read the following previous articles on the CCC :-


Article # 1 : CCC : The Alarming Facts posted on June 20, 2011

Article #2 : CCC: Calvary Convention Catastrophe? posted on June 21, 2011


Article # 3 : CCC Cost Continues to SOAR posted on June 2, 2011




The latest question on everyone’s lips is:-
“Will PG be able to complete CCC?”
The simple answer is “Yes”.

So long as the Church is able to give sufficient collateral to the Banks, the Banks will lend the necessary funds to the Church. Well, the Church does have sufficient landed properties accumulated over the last 50 years to secure the Bank loans.


However, the more important question to be asked should be:-
“If the CCC is completed with the Bank loans, will the Church be able to repay the loans?”
The obvious answer is “No”.


Based on current interest rate of say, 8% for such Commercial loans, the Interest Payable on a loan of RM118 million amounts to RM786,000 per month while the Principal Installment payable over a 10-year repayment tenure amounts to RM983,000.


The total monthly payment of RM1.769 million is way beyond the means of the Church, considering that their surplus per month for 2010 is only RM508,000.


If the loan is stretched to 15 years, the total interest and principal repayment will still be a massive RM1.44 million per month.

This is even before taking into account the cost of maintaining the CCC which is not likely to be cheap.

Based on the present congregation size and income, Calvary Church is surely headed for financial catastrophe. Calvary Church may lose all the properties charged to the Banks and the CCC itself. If this happens, Calvary Church may even go into bankruptcy.


That was what happened to the Crystal Cathedral mega church in USA when it could not service their US$36 million mortgage.

Click on Title below to read the article from Berita Calvary
US Church files for Bankrupcy




Coming back to our present topic, It is always easy to borrow money but the repayment is seldom as easy. With a world-wide recession looming ahead, times will get tougher. Members’ ability to maintain their giving will, invariably, be affected.

PG may have planned to sell off some or all of the Church properties to reduce the Bank borrowing but with the anticipated slowdown in the property sector, the properties will not likely fetch as much value as he had estimated.


This is actually the time to exercise wisdom and refrain from excessive spending and borrowing. The Bible warns against getting into financial slavery and urges the believer to always prepare for bad times. And bad times will come, that’s for sure.


Here's another article posted in Berita Calvary which is worth taking note of : Borrow to Build