Christian Church of Friendship Chiang Mai

Kham Thiang, Chiang Mai

Location

Located in the heart of the Kham Thiang district of northern Chiang Mai, the Chiang Mai church is strategically located near two key Khmu neighborhoods. Initially planted out of a house, the church moved locations into a larger building to facilitate a hostel ministry to those needing housing support. Kham Thiang is famous for having a Thai renowned plant market.

The Chiang Mai church has great opportunity to minister to their community as most that live in the neighborhood are working in low income jobs or none at all. Chiang Mai is a tapestry of many tribal ethnicities and therefore the church has reflected their context, and unites many different ethnicities under a family bond through Christ.

Pastor- Ae Suchawadee

Ae was born in Huay Khoi, Chiang Rai. As a teenager she moved to Lampang and then in adulthood moved to Chiang Mai. She felt pulled towards bible school and attended Lanna Bible School for 4 years.

After graduating Ae stepped in to serve as the lead pastor of the Chiang Mai church. Ae serves the church through her gifts of teaching and shepherding. She has deep compassion for the people God entrusts to her, therefore she is often found out caring for the needs of the people in her community, or serving the people of her church.

Ae is currently completing her Masters in organizational management alongside her ministry responsibilities

The "Church"

The church is comprised of people of many different ethnic backgrounds. There are ethnic Thai, Kharen, Lahu, and Khmu people all worshipping together.

Most of the people of the church did not grow up in Chiang Mai, but rather moved to Chiang Mai from villages in adulthood looking for work. Consequently many of the members have a natural tie to a rural community that either doesn't know the message of Christ, or knows very little. Evangelism becomes an important aspect of their faith in this situation.

History

Context

Worship Services

In 2015 Chaloerm Saenwinchai started travelling 3 hours to Chiang Mai in order to evangelize in the Khmu slums just north of the old city. Many came to faith and gathered in the home we had rented nearby the slums for worship. Laa Saenwinchai would lead worship, Jon and Chaloerm would take turns preaching and together they followed the Spirit moving in this community.

In 2017 the church moved into a larger building in order to be closer to the community in which the believers and our outreach existed, and in order to facilitate a hostel for those needing support.

Covid drastically changed the landscape of Chiang Mai and the church is starting over again after so many of the congregants moved back to their villages. Ae Suchawadee has been shepherding the church as it starts anew with a handful of remaining congregants.

The Chiang Mai church ministers in an urban context. Many urban Thai people, if low or middle class, will need to work 6-7 days a week. This creates a contest with the church's ability to gather for fellowship, cell group, evangelism, and worship.

Consequently, the church is often gathering in the evenings and their coworkers are their predominant group they will share their faith with.

Worship services are held at 7pm on Sunday evenings to allow for the greatest participation of believers. Most evenings of worship will include worship, a time for the congregation to praise God through personal testimonies, growing in God through a time in His Word, congregational prayer time, and then a time of fellowship.

The Chiang Mai congregation is deeply interactive in their worship services. They embody the feeling of a close family as they share their lives together while worshiping. From interacting with the teaching, offering testimony of praise items, taking the time to intercede for one another and their community together, or the rich time of fellowship after the worship service. They know how to love one another as a family.