Borneo Evangelical Mission Church Builds Office Building with One Million Subsidy from Sarawak Government

(Miri, 14th) Datuk Ting Chiew Yaw, the Deputy Minister of Sarawak Tourism and the State Assemblyman for Piasau, today handed over a grant totaling one million ringgit on behalf of the Sarawak Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) to the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) located in Boulevard Garden, to support the construction of its new office building.

Ting Chiew Yew highlighted that the Sarawak government allocates special funds through UNIFOR every year to assist in the developmental needs of churches, temples, and non-Muslim religious venues. This year, the total allocation reaches up to 110 million ringgit, aimed at supporting Sarawak's multi-religious sites.

He reminded the beneficiary organizations to utilize the grant appropriately, deposit the check into the bank promptly upon receipt, and commence the relevant projects. Additionally, he encouraged the recipients to apply to UNIFOR again if the grant is insufficient to complete the expansion and development plans. He emphasized that Sarawak is the only state in the country with a UNIFOR setup, marking it a good policy from the government that benefits multi-religion, and he hopes the public will make full use of this resource.

Ting Chiew Yew  also thanked the Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari and Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas for their support of non-Muslim religious venues, and he urged recipients to submit project reports to UNIFOR on time to showcase the transparency and effectiveness of fund usage.

Borneo Evangelical Mission President Bina Agong stated that the current building of the church headquarters is old and lacks space, unable to meet the needs of staff and daily operations, hence the decision to build a new two-story office building at the Boulevard Garden site.

It is reported that the project officially started construction on April 15 this year, has now been completed about 90%, and is expected to be completed by February 15, 2025.

After the grant handover ceremony today, Ting Chiew Yew also conducted an on-site inspection of the new office building under construction at the Borneo Evangelical Mission. He expressed affirmation on the progress of the project and looks forward to enhancing the church's service capability and community contribution once the facility is in use.