Kong Hee: Senior Pastor of City Harvest Church Draws International Attention

Kong Hee, the beleaguered founder and senior pastor of a Christian group in Singapore, "received Jesus Christ (as) his personal Savior and Lord in 1975," said his organization's website.

"Kong is known throughout Asia as a dynamic speaker, communicating the message of faith in a very relevant and contemporary way. He has a strong vision to train 21st century leaders who would plant strong local churches everywhere in Asia," the website noted.

Pastor in Trouble

Pastor Kong Hee and four other CHC leaders were charged with criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts of the church. They are now out on bail, but will be in the court again on July 25.

In his Twitter account, the pastor described himself as "(a)n ordinary guy serving an extraordinary God."

Kong's latest tweet, posted June 27, states: "But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the One who holds my head high ~ Ps. 3:4 (NLT)"

Church leaders under investigation

City Harvest Church (CHC) is a well-attended autonomous church in Singapore. It has an average of more than 20,000 attendees in December 2010.

Singapore's Commissioner of Charities (COC) and Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) began looking into reported misuse of CHC funds on May 31, 2010.

COC said it found financial irregularities of at least S$23 million during the course of its investigation. The church funds were allegedly used to finance the music career of Kong's wife Ho Yeow Sun, who is a co-founder of the church.

Following the arrest of the pastor, AsiaOne Business reported, "the Kongs live in a luxury Sentosa Cove penthouse which cost $9.3 million."

Getting to know City Harvest Church

CHC members are essentially Christians who have been "filled with" or "baptized in" the Holy Spirit, in a symbolic ceremony. The church is non-denominational, as members are encouraged to develop a close and personal relationship with God.

City Harvest Church is affiliated with many religious organisations, such as including the National Council of Churches of Singapore, Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore, and Festival of Praise Fellowship, among others.

CHC followers, as well as observing outsiders, have taken to Twitter to air their insights on the allegations surrounding Pastor Kong Hee.

@CaLvinnnnnn: Prayed for my ldrs @konghee @mynameissun @tanyepeng, Sharon, john and Eng han! I know God is in control and He will take care of them!

@jasonleong: If christians r understanding/sympathetic to 1 of their own charged for Fraud+CBT, why so quick to condemn others? http://bit.ly/MxwBr9

‏@RaptorPHD: If kong hee embezzled $24 million to fund sun ho's music career how come she's still a nobody ? #Philosoraptor

@CynStarine: God, You know the pure hearts of @konghee, @mynameissun, @tanyepeng & all on team. God, You will vindicate! #ibelieveintheCHCcrossover

@mkcm: PLS READ... this is the @konghee tt we know n love... We r not delusional followers... We just know the man's ... http://tmi.me/sroHO

This message now welcomes visitors of the official CHC website: