Immanuel Pattaya Myanmar Nazarene Church

It’s a bit of a long name. Immanuel Pattaya Myanmar Nazarene Church is a diaspora church. It was planted in the Pattaya area of Thailand for Myanmar migrant workers.

The church’s leader, Rev. Naing Win, first came to faith. He was baptized at Immanuel Nazarene Church in the Mon region of Myanmar. This happened under the ministry of Pastor Rama.

Myanmar’s ongoing political turmoil continued. The persecution that came after his family converted to Christianity made life increasingly difficult. Economic struggles were heavy enough. When mixed with threats and social rejection for their faith, it became too much to bear. Eventually, Rev. Naing Win and his family moved to Thailand. They sought freedom to worship. They also wanted a way to give for their livelihood.

Even in this new land, their faith remained alive. In Pattaya, there was no church offering worship in the Myanmar language. So, Pastor Naing Win opened his own home as a place of worship. That small gathering slowly grew into today’s church community. He named it “Immanuel” in honor of the church where he had been baptized.

Hearing this story, my mind instantly went to Acts 8. After Stephen’s martyrdom, a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and the believers were scattered. But wherever they were scattered, they preached the gospel and formed new gatherings of worship (Acts 8:1–4). Pastor Naing Win’s life exemplifies this story. He planted a community of faith in the very place where he was scattered.

Today was an especially meaningful day. Pastor Rama, visiting Thailand to attend meetings in Bangkok, made the trip to join the worship service here. Before arriving in Bangkok, he expressed a desire to visit Immanuel Church. He wanted to worship with them. Today, that precious desire came to pass.

During the service, there was a time for sharing prayer requests. Although the sharing was in Myanmar language and I couldn’t understand all the details, one moment deeply moved me. A sister began to share, but her voice caught in her throat. She could not finish her sentence before breaking down in tears, pouring out her request with deep emotion. I didn’t know the exact words, but I felt the weight and urgency of her prayer. It transcended language and went straight to the heart.

In that moment, I was reminded again how sacred and precious the worship of those scattered can be. It is so often a genuine confession of life itself. Pastor Naing Win has not had formal theological training. The church receives almost no outside financial support. Yet, this community comes before the Lord with pure, sincere faith.

Another scene during worship also stayed with me. The church owns only nine chairs. With our group present, some members had to sit on the floor. Adults and children gathered in a small room. They shared a few plastic chairs. Their worship was humble and unpretentious. I felt a lump in my throat.

After the service, I gave an offering of 3,000 baht to help buy more chairs. My prayer is that these chairs will soon fill the room. Each one will be occupied by someone hearing the gospel. They will meet Jesus for the first time. I hope this space will become a place of revival.

Lord, hear the tear-filled prayers of this sister, and pour comfort and hope upon this house church.

May this small worship in a foreign land be set ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Let it become an unquenchable light of faith even in the midst of hardship.

“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4)

#MyanmarDiaspora, #Myanmar #SoutheastAsia