One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place. Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me … Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.” – 1 Samuel 3:2-5,8 (CSB)

I have met with Samuel several times, but today we met at an Asian restaurant in East Nashville so he could tell me his story. Samuel Thawng is the pastor at Chin Bethel Christian Church, one of Nashville Baptist Association’s newest members. While waiting for our order, he conveyed his story in proficient and deliberate English. We stopped briefly to down a bowl of Sichuan Dan Dan, then I returned to recording his account.

Samuel grew up in Burma to a religious Roman Catholic family. Burma, officially renamed Myanmar in 1989, is the largest country in Southeast Asia. Myanmar has over 100 people groups and languages, and Samuel is from the Falam Chin tribe. His grandparents raised him after his father died when he was one year old.

Although his grandparents were practicing Roman Catholics, Samuel claimed to have never heard the gospel in his youth. A childhood friend of Samuel’s had a “holy name” and was baptized at birth. This idea stuck with him. When I queried him about “holy name,” he meant a biblical name like Matthew or John. Samuel wanted a “holy name” and to be baptized. He heard the gospel and came to faith when he was 13 years old while attending a Gospel crusade in his village. When he was around fifteen, he felt the call of God to Christian ministry.

Yangon, formerly Rangoon, is the largest city in Myanmar. Samuel moved there at sixteen to attend Bible college. Unfortunately, after graduating, his plans for ministry were put on hold. His stepfather found work in neighboring Malaysia and called on the family to join him. To fulfill his family obligations, Samuel moved to Malaysia, losing all his “hopes and dreams” of being a pastor.

“Everything crashed down,” Pastor Samuel told me.

God is patient and faithful. In 2013, God called Samuel into the ministry again. A friend from Bible college wanted Samuel to replace him at a church in Klang Meru. Samuel thought that if this was God’s will, his wife would agree that this truly was God’s call on his life. They served the church in Klang Meru for the next few years, with God preparing him for future ministries.

Once again, God called Samuel, this time through a friend in the States. Samuel and his young family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving as a bi-vocational pastor to a group of Chin there. In 2017, his family was uprooted again as God directed him to start a church that would become Chin Bethel in Nashville. “Bethel,” which means “House of God,” started with five Burmese families and has grown to over twenty families.

Last year, Samuel reached out to the Nashville Baptist Association to be part of our network of churches. Please pray for Pastor Samuel and the believers at Chin Bethel. Here are a few ways you can pray and partner with Chin Bethel:

Although they currently meet in a Methodist church, they seek to partner with a Baptist church, where they are more aligned theologically.
They are seeking an English-speaking children and youth minister, a great opportunity for someone called to cross-cultural ministry without leaving the city.
Samuel desires to reach the Burmese people with the gospel and hopes to partner with local churches in evangelistic efforts in Nashville and beyond.

The prophet Samuel had a unique call on his life. For pastor Samuel Thawng, the call of God was not a one-time event, but a repeated call of obedience throughout his life. Will we answer the call? Will we say, “Here I am, you called me”? Please write to me if God places in your heart a desire to help this dear brother and his church.

Brett Boesch
Connections Strategist
bboesch@nashvillebaptists.org