Cambodia

Mission District

Organized Free Methodist Churches: 5
FMC Membership: 600
Ordained Ministers: 1

Origins

Rev. Sok Em and his wife, Savy, became Christians while they were living in a refugee camp in Thailand. Sok received Bible training while there. In the late 1980s, the Ems and their three children immigrated to Canada. In 1992 Rev. Em, an ordained member of the Canadian General Conference and supported by the Canadian Free Methodist Church, returned to his village of Prek Thei to begin the work in Cambodia. The Cambodian Free Methodist Church officially began in 1994 as a project of the Asia Pacific Free Methodist Missions Association (APFMMA), with the Hong Kong Free Methodist Church responsible for supervision.

Present Ministries

Six missionaries have been assigned to Cambodia by APFMMA, including missionaries from the Philippines and Hong Kong. The multicultural missionary team also includes those from Japan and North America. Teams from Free Methodist churches in Hong Kong, the Philippines and the U.S. have made many medical and evangelistic trips to Cambodia.

Most current members have been converted from Buddhism. Thriving ministries include three International Child Care Ministries hostels, church planting and microeconomic projects to support pastors and provide income for church members. Kurmel International School was dedicated at the Phnom Penh ministry center campus in November 2010. Starting with grades K-2 in 2011, the school will eventually provide quality education for grades K-12.