Doris Colby writes in Highlights of One Hundred Years... 

“The spirit of missions came alive in an unexpected corner of the world, when Mr. T. Devairakkam returned with his wife Victoria and family to the home of his boyhood in Malaysia. Educated in our Velacherie Boarding School in India, he was eager to spread the gospel among Tamil speaking Indians. He officially became associated with the A.A.M. Society in 1959.

The first church was organized in June, 1960. In December of the next year, Mr. Devairakkam was ordained to the Christian ministry by Dr. Moses C. Crouse while he was there.”

In May 1959 the American Advent Mission Society executive board approved the opening of the Advent Christian work in Malaysia under the leadership of Rev. and Mrs. Thambusamy Devairakkam.

Subsequently, AC work developed to include a medium sized church at Kluang in southern Malaysia and a medium sized church at Banting, near to Kuala Lumpur, in the mid west of Malaysia.

The church at Banting became independent of ACGC in 2011, and following a major split in 2008 Rev T Devairakkam’s daughter Ruth Devairakkam and her husband Wilfred took over leadership of the church at Kluang. They are assisted by their daughters Joanna and Jerusha.

Ernie Schache
Asia Team Leader
May 2011