The first missionary to Thailand from the brotherhood was Parker
Henderson. He came over in February 1958 with his wife, Donna, and
three children. Another child was born in Thailand as well as the
adoption of a Thai boy. Parker lived in Bangkok and started the Somprasong
4 Church of Christ. As with almost all missionaries who have come
to Thailand, Parker also made trips to the countryside to spread the Gospel
to the 70% of the Thai population with lives there.
In 1962 the Somprasong 4 church building was erected with an
auditorium and classrooms. The Bangkok School of Preaching started
in 1969, and the four-story structure adjoining the Somprasong 4 church
building was built in 1971. Throughout the Sixties to the present
Thailand has hosted some 30 missionary families, half of which studied
at the Sunset School of Preaching before coming over. The majority
of these families stayed for 3 to 7 years and then returned to the States.
Other congregations in and around Bangkok were also started.
In 1974 a church was begun on East Sukhumvit Road, Friendship Church of
Christ, with a present-day membership of around 120. A congregation
was started near the airport (Bahnmai) in 1979 and today has about 50 members.
The Church at Siam Park (about 30 people) began in 1992 and the one at
Siam University (also 30 people) started in 1993.
The Somprasong 4 church now has an eldership. Because of
the travel time, the majority of the Church members stay at the building
all day on Sunday. The activities that occur throughout the day are
imperative to the growth and stability of each individual as they are often
isolated from other Christians throughout the week.
The Somprasong 4 church had involved themselves in the work at
Ramkhamhaeng University from 1988 till 1999. Now, they started their
own Christian Center at the church building to reach out to the people
and students around the church area.
As mentioned before, 70% of the population of Thailand live in
the countryside outside of major cities. Approximately that same
percentage of the church membership in Thailand also lives in provinces
outside of Bangkok. This mission field has proven very fruitful in
the past and as such, missionaries traditionally devote a good percentage
of their time to trips into the outlying provinces. In addition to
evangelistic needs, the churches in these regions are in need of spiritual
food. Often times the churches rarely have a full time minister,
but rely upon untrained members and the occasions when ministers can come
to them.
At the present tune, there are about 120 Churches of Christ in
Thailand with about 4,500 believers. Most of the churches and the
Christians are in Northeast of the country. Patinya spends a great
deal of his time visiting, teaching, and encouraging the churches in this
area in which most churches do not have local preachers.
Patinya is on staff at the Khon Kaen School of Preaching.
Although unable to teach daily since Khon Kaen is located in the northeast
portion of Thailand, he takes two one-week trips yearly to teach different
books of the Bible.
Both the northern and northeastern regions of Thailand hold regular
Leadership Training Seminars. Patinya travels from Bangkok to teach
the 3-days events. The purpose of these seminars is to strengthen
the members and develop leadership and Bible knowledge in the church leaders
so they can better look after the needs of their own congregations.
Revivals and camps are planned regularly throughout Thailand.
These events often serve as the main source of Bible training and fellowship
time that many of those who attend will receive for the year. In
addition to the large-scale seminars and camps, Patinya uses his free weekends
to visit small congregations throughout north, northeast, and central Thailand.
Students from Ram often get the opportunity to travel with Patinya and
experience bringing encouragement to their Christian family. The
different churches often have specific problems in which they would like
the guidance of a man learned in the Scriptures. Patinya is often
called upon to enter into their planning sessions and even domestic problems.
Ramkhamhaeng Christian Ministry
The Ramkhamhaeng Christian Center began in 1988, two months after
the Thitathans' return to Thailand. The leaders at the Somprasong
4 (Soi 4) Church of Christ agreed that an excellent opportunity existed
to evangelize to the 500,000 students enrolled at Ramkhamhaeng (Ram) University.
Ram is unique in that it is an open campus, which means that virtually
anyone having graduated from high school can enter. Tuition costs
are not high, and the student population is poor and seeking a chance to
enrich their lives, an opportunity that might not be available otherwise.
The students come mostly from rural provinces, which means that they are
staying in dorms away from their family. This provides yet another
plus for evangelizing since a parent’s belief can often supersede a child's.
Somprasong 4 church agreed to supply the rent for a Christian
Center located in a small, three-story shopping strip in front of the campus.
Patinya and Tim Bennett became the center's first directors and quickly
developed a method of bringing students into the center. With the
large economic dependence on tourism that Thailand has and the growing
use of English throughout the world, university students find that good
English skills can greatly increase their chances of getting a job.
Through offering English classes by Tim, they were able to come into contact
with large numbers of university students. Whenever you mix excited
Christians with people that haven’t heard the gospel yet, the Lord causes
good things to happen. The students got curious about the Bible and
soon more than just English was being studied. Before too long, baptisms
started occurring. To date, approximately 80 people have put the
Lord on in baptism.
The success of the Ramkhamhaeng Christian Center reached further
than the 80 or so baptisms. Kelly Davidson helped out at the Center
for a period in 1992. After experiencing the excitement of working
with University students, Kelly and Veragit Chotinukul began a new campus
ministry at Kasetsart University in 1992. During the same year, yet
another campus ministry was started in Thon Buri at Siam University.
Both of these ministries have followed the methods used at Ramkhamhaeng.
Ram is an evangelistic outreach with various needs, and it is
also a source for Christian workers. The church at Soi 4 started
the Ram work, but it also receives its own benefits in return. The
youth group at the congregation numbers about 40 people from high school
through college. The leaders of this group are the Christians who
were converted through the Ram Center. The children always enjoy
playing with college-aged kids. The students also provide manual
labor and encouragement to the largely non-Christian staff. Some
students often get to travel with Patinya on trips into the rural provinces.
The purpose of these trips, other than personal growth, is to encourage
and strengthen the Christian members who are isolated from their Christian
family.
Currently the Ramkhamhaeng Christian Center is located in a residential
neighborhood behind Ram University. Roughly 15 Christians including
2 full-time Thai ministers help with the work. English classes are
taught free of charge 3 times a week with an average attendance of 40 students.
The facilities include 2 classrooms, 3 offices, and enough space to board
approximately 6 people. Aside from regular English classes, personal
Bible studies, and Bible classes in both English and Thai, various tutoring
services are conducted at the Center. The English classes are taught
for one hour with the sole focus on teaching English. Following the
study hour is an activity hour in which Christian songs are sung, games
are played, and a short talk is given. This short talk is often instrumental
in initiating interest in Christianity. The focus of the talk is
on solving one's problems through moral means. These talks accompanied
by a display of Christ in the daily lives of the Christians often stirs
curiosity and personal Bible studies are then begun.
For the further information contact:
Patinya Thitathan
Thailand for the Savior
P.O.Box 24-1063
Ramkhamhaeng Post Office
Huamark, Bangapi
Bangkok 10241, Thailand
Qffice Phone 662.314.1665
Home Phone 662.373.2097
E-mail: <pthit@asianet.co.th>
Doug Strickland, elder
E-mai1: <dstric9001@ao1.com>
Jack Roe and Jack Murray (Former elders)
Midtown Church of Christ
1701 Oakhurst Scenic Dr.
Fort Worth Texas 76111
Phone 817.834.7355