Page 163 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK
161
Symbols of religious harmony; the Al-Naim Mosque and the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd sit side-by-side in Miri’s suburb of Lutong.
gurdwara in Sarawak, it was built in 1919 and has been gradually improved and expanded ever since. The courtyard is shaded by a 100-year-old angsana tree.
LIMBANG DIVISION
MOSQUES
MASJID BESAR LIMBANG
Jalan Buangsiol, Limbang
The Limbang town mosque was built in 1973 and is located in the
town centre. A new and larger Limbang Divisional Mosque is currently under construction at the nearby Limbang New Township.
CHURCHES
ST EDMUND’S CHURCH (RC)
Batu Satu, Jalan Kubong, Limbang
This small Catholic church
is notable for being established not by European missionaries, but at the request of Catholic Ibans migrating into the Limbang area during the early 20th Century.
ST MARK’S CHURCH (ANGLICAN)
Jalan Kubong, Limbang Although an Anglican chapel existed in Limbang since 1934, the first St Mark’s church was built in 1960. The current church building dates from 1984.
THE B.E.M/S.I.B – SARAWAK’S
VERY OWN CHURCH
The Sidang Injil Borneo (Borneo Evangelical Mission) is the fastest- growing Protestant denomination in Malaysia, and the country’s second largest church (after the Catholic church) with over 500,000 adherents. It
was founded in Limbang Division in 1929 by Australian missionaries Hudson Southwell, Frank Davidson and Carey Tolley. The missionaries were forced to leave Sarawak after the Japanese invasion, but their good works were carried on by Indonesian and local converts, mostly amongst the Kelabit,
Lun Bawang and Murut communities of Northeast Sarawak. Southwell returned to head the mission in 1947 and it was handed over
to local administration
in 1976. The church, now universally known as the S.I.B., continued to grow and prosper, expanding throughout Sarawak and into Sabah. In 1995, a branch of the church was established in Peninsular Malaysia. S.I.B. now has almost 500 congregations; 219 in Sarawak, 221 in
Sabah and 31 in Peninsular Malaysia. It is an open, democratic church, with each congregation electing its own leaders.
TEMPLES
SAN CHING TIAN TEMPLE
Jalan Krokop 9, Miri
The San Ching Tian temple is the largest Taoist temple in Southeast Asia. The magnificent red roof, elegant lotus design motif and the delightful wind chimes make this a very impressive and atmospheric place to visit.
SIKH GURDWARA
GURDWARA SAHIB
Jalan Kubu, Miri
One of only two Sikh
The Borneo Evangelical Mission Church (B.E.M/S.I.B) is the fastest-growing Chris- tian denomination in Malaysia, as typified by the Canada Hill Church in Miri, with a capacity of over 1,000 worshipers.