21 September 2019 – Our team of CMS volunteers travelled deep into the heart of Padawan town to help the villagers and church community of St. Michael Church, Teng Bukap. The church building was completed this year and held its first mass to the congregation of Catholics from its neighbourhood on 25 May 2019, just days ahead of the local festive Gawai celebration. Located 30km from Padawan town, the large church acts as a mother church to the smaller churches in its vicinity and could hold a congregation of up to 1,200 churchgoers from twelve villages from around Teng Bukap.
Chairman of the St. Michael Church Committee, Mr Kevin Jindes, and 59 villagers greeted our team of 45 volunteers as they arrived at the site for a briefing on the work laid out for the day. After a hearty breakfast prepared by the church committee, our volunteers together with the villagers, equipped with their gardening tools – grass-cutter, hoe, and machete cleared the church’s lawn of weeds and topped-up the soil to plant grass which they have gathered from a nearby field. Our company’s pick-up truck made a few trips to the field to pile-up grass and covered the entire church lawn. Plants and palm trees were also planted along the road kerb in front of the church and flower seedlings were placed in the raised bed garden at the church’s entrance.
This CSR activity was organised by CMS Construction Materials & Trading Division with CMS Quarries Sdn Bhd donating some 350 metric tons of aggregate worth RM5,25 for the church’s large parking area. The work of laying and compacting the aggregates were carried out by the church’s contractor.