Highlights

We are continuing to appeal to our readers and visitors to donate to our work of running two centres. The annual budget is RM120,000 (USD38,000) for 2014 and 2015 and will grow higher as we recruit more staff and take in additional trainees.

Please make payment to 'Persatuan Berdikari Seremban Negeri Sembilan' with your name and address on a cover slip so we can mail you our official receipt. All donations from April 1 2011 will be exempted from taxation by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia. Please send the payment to:

The Treasurer, Persatuan Berdikari Seremban Negeri Sembilan, 381, Jalan Kenanga 1, Taman Bukit Chedang, 70300 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Thank you for your support.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Our Constitution

Here are some key points in the PBS constitution to help you better understand its work.

Aims and Objectives


  • To foster and develop employment training and survival skills for young adults with learning disabilities, irrespective of race, religion and gender.
  • To rehabilitate and improve young adults with learning disabilities to enable them to find employment or business opportunities.
  • To set up sheltered workshops and employment training centres.
  • To provide follow-up opportunities for ex-trainees.
  • To provide field support to the placement trainees and employers for better understanding.


Membership

  • Membership shall be opened to all Christians above the age of 18 years who shall be Malaysian citizens and residing in the district of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
  • The final decision on the acceptance of any membership application is vested in the Committee who shall exercise its discretion and whose decision is final.
  • Members shall pay RM5 for entrance and RM10 annual subscription.
  • Members may resign giving 2 weeks written notice.
  • All members shall comply with the rules of the association and may be subject to disciplinary actions for any misdemeanours or violations.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Understanding PBS

In this blog I would like to introduce our logo.



Depicted is our emblem showing the picture of a person in blue carrying a bed and covered by the name of the association. Symbolically it represents the covering of the association over our learning disabled trainees. The colour red stands for life while blue represents courage, dignity and strength.

The bed represents a crutch that the disabled person depends upon most of his life as the association tries to help him overcome his difficulties and to learn to live a full life to the best of his abilities.

Certificate Presentation

Finally we received the official letter from the Registrar of Societies's office here in Seremban informing us that our certificate of registration will be presented to us, and several other newly registered societies, on 18th June 2008 at the Hotel Royale Bintang Seremban in the Lake Garden area.

Together with 2 other committee members, we will certainly look forward to this momentous event. It is like going forward to receive our birth certificate!

Coming just 3 days before our planned inaugural AGM on 21st June I think the timing could not have been better. I do believe God walks with us as we begin our journey.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Encouragement, Driver of Good Performance

We all need an encourager and encouragement at one time or another. And the early church was no exception. Barnabas was a real person of the first century A.D.. He was called Barnabas the encourager. He lifted people up, gave them COURAGE and HOPE by his generosity and kindness. Barnabas practiced his Christianity. We learn about Barnabas (Encourager) from the Bible, e.g. (Acts 4:36,37).

People working in social projects like Persatuan Berdikari Seremban need to be encouraged too. Staffs are paid below secular rates and volunteers help at their own expenses. Encouraging them will spur them to continue their good work. Money alone cannot buy all we need in this life. Being recognized as people who contribute to the betterment of the disadvantaged members in our society builds us and nurtures our souls.

Be an encourager, like Barnabas, and find yourself encouraged too.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Identity Establishment

It is vital at the onset of a new creation to establish an identity consonant with its vision and mission. The members and the elected office bearers have a mandate to translate these goals into reality, which is why the membership profile is so important. They must be people of strong credibility as well as with willingness to serve in whatever capacities they are gifted in. Undergirding these is a staywire that unite them all without any personal objectives. The achievement of the greater goals must be the constant focus in all deliberations and decision-making.

Organizations are but shells and names through which people operate. At the onset, the creation of a right culture is so important that not paying attention to it can lead to the development of divisive thinking, internal politiking and abuse of facilities and resources. A strong leadership must constantly watch for signs of any fallout and restore order and unity before the identity of Persatuan is modified through bickering and division. Many an organization failed or are weakened due to failure to detect and rectify their weaknesses. Like a tree that need regular pruning, so an organization need a similar correction process. It is crucial that Persatuan members, committee, staff, volunteers and even parents of trainees be regularly re-committed to our vision so that we stay on course to what we set out to do.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Spiritual Gifts for the Common Good

1 Corinthians 12: 4-5 say:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

On this Call to Ministry Sunday, Rev. Paul Christie preached on the need to exercise our gifts for the common good of God’s kingdom. God endows us all with gifts but we sometimes downplay them, or consider them inferior or too insignificant to apply in the service of the church or a community project that glorifies the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a timely call to us in Persatuan. No gift is immaterial or irrelevant. But in exercise any gifts we need to discern that they must be used for the common good of the ministry we exercise them in.

It is my prayer in the Persatuan that we keep this foremost in our mind as we get down to work for the good of the future of this project.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Preparing for the Launch

Nope, not a space rocket launch but that of Persatuan. We had a very fruitful meeting today which, beside discussing Pusat's 10th anniversary celebration, also deliberated on how to launch the Persatuan. We have fixed the date, 21st June 2008, to hold our inaugural AGM and then elect the first committee into office. Over the coming 2-3 weeks we will be contacting potential members whom we have identified to join the Persatuan. Our criteria are: good background, skills or profession and connections that can usefully serve Persatuan's work, and a passion and love towards uplifting the life of the learning disabled through training.

The committee unanimously agreed that a strong founding membership will ensure the healthy development of the Persatuan. We pray that those we invite as members will agree to join us.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Challenges Persatuan Will Face

As a ministry under the church, Pusat Berdikari Seremban, feels 'safe' as it can just fall back to the church when major decisions need to be made. But like a child tied to the apron strings of his mother, he cannot grow and be into his own. The process of maturing must means Pusat must detach itself from the church. Becoming Persatuan is the umbilical cord cutting stage and with that will come several challenges.

The very first is the need for the church to 'release' Pusat to be Persatuan. It is both painful and emotional but happily Persatuan will be very much a part of the church work through the involvement of her members. This is very crucial for the church to sustain a vital link and keep its character within Persatuan.

The second issue is trust. As a parent learns to trust in the judgement and decison making of his grownup son who is leaving home to begin his very own life and start his family, likewise the church must also trust in the leadership of Persatuan to let it evolve its own identity and culture. And trust that its leadership will sustain and practice the Christian values it believes in in running the association.

Third challenge is building up a good membership base from which the association can tap vital management resources to run the association professionally.

Last but not least, to be able to withstand criticisms and stay focussed on what its vision and mission are. Staying focussed is paramount for Persatuan to succeed especially in its initial years.

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Relay Runner

We are all runners in a relay, whether in our work, at play or at home. Each one plays a role in ensuring the overall good of the community we are a part of. A person who does everything may achieve much but he tires easily. He also may not have the best ideas or skills to perform the best for the community. Most of all, he is unlikely to deliver the overall best. The most dangerous situation is that if he leaves or fall, the community suffers from not have a smooth succession plan.

I believe in a system of strong leadership team in Persatuan, one that the team actively assist one another in building up the work that we are called into collectively. As we are all guided by the Vision and Mission of the association we have direction and a goal to focus on. I believe there is joy and delight in this work when all the team members run their leg of the 'race' to achieve victory. My last take in this subject is there is no victory in our respective leg of the work, we just do our best and pass on the baton to the next runner who will take the work to a higher and different level.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Common Good

Yesterday I shared with the church executive committee about the development of the registration of the Persatuan and the mechanism it will take to steer the work of the Pusat Berdikari Seremban which is a church ministry towards the Persatuan which is a society governed by constitution registered under the Societies Act of Malaysia.

In June (next month) the work of Persatuan will be activated and over the subsequent 6 months take over the role that Pusat has been performing over 10 years. I don't envisage any glitch in the transition. In fact I believe that the common good that the committee, staff, volunteers and the church leadership see in this community service work will ensure that Persatuan will bring it to a higher level of service and performance.

Persatuan look forward to a wider participation from the corporate sector as well as volunteers from the churches in Seremban. How much can Persatuan grow? The answer lie within our hearts and our desire to help the learning disabled people who need our assistance.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Color of Compassion

This morning a thought passed over my mind. Is compassion color blind? Or do we dispense compassion according to who the beneficiary is? I reached a conclusion that we are often biased towards who benefits from what we can provide in their time of need. For instance we may give to the crippled but not the blind, or to the elderly and not the deformed young man. Or worse, we may give preferentially to our own kind, and you understand what I mean. Sometimes we give only to one religious group. Something we should think deeply if this is right.

In Christ, compassion is a universal value that cuts across race, religion and culture. It may be difficult to accept the saying that all man are created equal but when one is indeed stricken by a terrible illness, or fallen by poverty or swept away by tragedies like tsunami, cyclone or earthquake, it just show that there is no favorites in God's eye nor will He protect one group more than the rest. In His sight, all man are indeed created equal for all man are made in His image.

This colorblind concept of compassion must transcend our mission of the Persatuan, that in providing care we look away from the client's background and look into his inner needs instead. When we give the trainees opportunities to enhance their lives we set no condition and play no politics. Towards this end the culture of the environment of Persatuan must be one that dignify human values.