Friday, June 18, 2010

News update Pastor breaks silence

By By Yen Feng

AFTER weeks of silence and dodging the media, City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee on Thursday broke his silence about the ongoing probe involving his church.

In his first public comments carried in his blog entry, titled 'Reflections', Mr Kong, 46, said he and the church management board were helping police with investigations, and that he and his family were 'doing well'. He also thanked church members for their support.

The one-page statement, however, shed no further details on the case, which broke last month when Commercial Affairs Department officers raided the church's offices in Suntec.

'Because we're in the midst of the investigation, I am unable to provide any details about the progress besides what already has been released by the Singapore Police in their statement to the press,' Mr Kong wrote in his message.

Mr Kong, who is also the church's senior pastor, described the investigation as a turning point for the church, which, since its founding in 1989, has grown to become Singapore's largest independent Christian church with a congregation of more than 33,000 followers.

On the police raid which took place only a day after the church had concluded an international conference of more than 25,000 participants, he wrote: 'What a difference a day makes... The page had turned. The celebration had abruptly ended.'