80 Malaysian churches unite online to sing 'The Blessing' in 7 languages in viral video

120 members from 80 Malaysian churches and Christian ministries across the country virtually joined together for a YouTube video last Friday (May 15) to sing a song of blessing for their homeland and uplift the spirit of all Malaysians during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The video, shared widely across social media during the weekend, has gone viral with over 200,000 views in two days, while also catching the attention of Malaysian redditors. 

[embed]https://youtu.be/t9vJw3tZ7E0[/embed]

A member of the Malaysia subreddit who was involved with the project said that it was a huge undertaking with a lot of planning and coordination needed for both the vocal and instrumental tracks. Everything took place within two weeks from conception to completion, while the actual recording of the song took two days.

"The Blessing" was written by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, and the song was first released as a music video on Elevation Worship's YouTube channel back in early March. 

The song's popularity on YouTube inspired members from nearly 30 churches in Pittsburgh to videotape themselves singing the song together on April 10.

Congregants in the  UK had their own take on "The Blessing" that involved over 65 Christian organisations and ministries, which was released on YouTube on May 3. That video has also gone viral with over 2.6 million views to date.

The latest rendition of the "The Blessing" from Malaysia's 80 church ministries has parts of its lyrics recorded in seven local languages (Dusun, Iban, Mandarin, Tamil, Kelabit, English and Bahasa Melayu) accompanied by various ethnic instruments to represent the rich multicultural diversity of Malaysia.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/themalaysiablessing/posts/107525750967463?__cft__[0]=AZU0z87-GJL0rTxeIU5xdBTGrT5s5eq2cka0C6WpROfZXDF5yj[/embed]

The description under the Malaysia Blessing YouTube video reads:

"The Malaysia Blessing -

At this unique and challenging time in Malaysia, 80 churches and movements, representing hundreds of others, have come together online to sing a blessing over our nation. Standing together as one, our desire is that this song will fill you with hope and encourage you.

Our buildings may be closed but the church is very much alive!"

Malaysia's unique version of the song has drawn praise and admiration from YouTube commentators of various religions and nationalities, as well as support from Malaysians living abroad.

melinamoey@asiaone.com