We’re better togethEr.
The Together Co. is a young, bilingual church in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We believe that church is a family, not just a building. We’d like to invite you to come and be a part of ours.
Hi!
We are Andrew and Maija Thomas, and we live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
We are planting a bilingual church called The Together Co.
Our heart is to see Cambodian young people come to know God, and out of a relationship with him begin to make a difference in their country.
We called our church The Together Co. because we know that we are ‘better together’. That through unity, between each other, us and God, and churches around the world, we can make a difference in Phnom Penh.
Partner with us
our vision
Our vision is that all may know God and find belonging in his family. For a long time, we have talked about how church isn’t a building, but a family. A real, deep community, rooted in Christ. A place that’s not just about a Sunday experience, but a true and deep community.
Our heart is to create a place for people who have never been to church before can call home.
TARGET GROUP
Cambodia, and particularly Phnom Penh, the capital city, is changing really fast. We have lived here for 7 years now, and the city is almost unrecognisable. There is so much development and change. Emerging from this is a new demographic of people in Cambodia. Young, educated, globally more aware, and looking for something different from their parents’ generation. So our focus is on urban young people. University students, young professionals and young families. These groups, especially the emerging middle class, are not connecting with traditional churches or missionary efforts in Cambodia, so that is our focus. We see this demographic as one of the least reached groups of people in a country with so few Christians to begin with.
WHY PHNOM PENH?
Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital city, with an approximate population of 2-3 million people. It is by far the largest and most urban city in Cambodia, with the majority of Cambodians living in rural villages and towns across the country. Therefore, Phnom Penh is the hub for education and business, with many young people moving to the city to study or work, as well as the young people who have grown up here.
We have noticed a big generation gap emerging in Cambodia. The genocide of the 1970s and the resulting trauma is still within living memory for many older people, and older generations are largely rural, and very traditional in their thinking. Young people in Phnom Penh are modern, connected to the internet, and increasingly wanting different things for their lives than their parents.
There is also a very large group of young people studying in English from a young age. Phnom Penh has the highest level of English speakers we have encountered in Asia.
Learning English was and is seen as a ‘way out’ or a way to get better opportunities. One side effect of this is that many young people are disconnected from their native language and culture, and struggle to relate to their parents.
Cambodia’s median age is around 25, with 30% of the population under 14 years of age. Approximately 97% of Cambodians are Buddhists. Cambodia is a country full of young people who don’t know Jesus, an obvious need! Every day you will see 100’s of young people in the shopping centres and cafes around the city, hanging out or studying. This is the group of people we feel called to reach.
ANDREW + MAIJA
We (Andrew and Maija Thomas) have been married for almost 10 years, with 2 children - Aija (6) and Noah (2). We have lived in Phnom Penh for 8 years now.
Andrew is from Wollongong, NSW, where his parents planted a church when he was 7 years old. They are still pastoring that church today, and Andrew grew up in that environment, volunteering and leading before becoming youth and young adults pastor there.
Maija is originally form Brisbane, QLD. Her parents are missionaries, so she has grown up all over the world. In fact, next year will be Maija’s 12th total year in Cambodia, making it the longest time she has lived in a single country, including Australia!
They met in Siem Reap when Andrew came to preach at a youth camp, and after getting married served in Wollongong with Andrew’s parents for 2 years before moving to Cambodia.
OUR STRATEGY
OUTREACH
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Casual, english language conversation for students and young adults. This was the first thing we started (before any worship gatherings), and was how we made most of our early connections with people.
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Going out, either by ourselves, or with small teams, and inviting people to talk about faith or come our our gatherings. Most of the universities we would target are private, which means we cannot access their campus, but we’ve had some good connections in cafes and shops surrounding those locations.
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Andrew has been working with a local high school running a youth ministry this year. This school is unique as they study in both English and Khmer, making it a great connection for us. It’s a Christian school, but the vast majority of the students are not from Christian families.
OUR STRATEGY
community
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Right now, we have 4 or 5 great young people who are a part of the team helping us, with 1 or 2 people who are key and really carry weight and responsibility. We would like to make it a focus to build this team in the next 12 months. Church planting can be a lonely job, and we know that we need good people to help carry the load. We also have a couple of expat (western) families that have joined our church, which is helpful, although not our target group.
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We meet weekly on Sunday afternoons for a bilingual church service. Our gatherings are approximately 1 hour long, with praise and worship and a short talk. We also run a kids program at the same time.
TOGETHER SPACE
We have a big vision for church not just being about Sunday gatherings.
As well as a church background, we have experience in media and design, as well as coffee and baking, and can see how all of this could come together in a physical space that serves our Sunday gathering needs as well as being open during the week as a cafe, co working and event space.
This kind of space would also be beneficial as it could be self funding. The average income for most Cambodians is quite low, so creating ways for the church to be self sustaining outside of tithes and offerings or continual dependance on overseas support is a big goal of ours.
WHAT’S NEXT
We have a huge vision for our church here in Phnom Penh. But the last few years have been challenging to say the least. If we’re honest, Covid, a young family, and general life in a developing country have all taken their toll. But we are committed and determined.
We see the next 12 months as a rebuilding phase, through to late 2023.
Our goal is twofold.
Build a strong local team that is willing and able to work alongside us in outreach, community building and church life.
Raise funds and plan for a physical space for our church, that is open 7 days a week and creates opportunities to connect with our target group every day.
This would be a longer term goal, possibly in the next 2 years.
We called our church The Together Co. because we believe in unity. We believe that we are ‘better together’. We know God has called us to something significant, and given us a heart and a vision for Phnom Penh so that we can be part of what he is doing in this city and country.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
With a big vision comes big needs. We would love your support and partnership in three key areas: praying, giving and going.
Pray for us and our family, as well our church and Cambodia. We know we can’t do this by ourselves! Church planting is first and foremost a spiritual endeavour.
Consider supporting us financially. As we’ve outlined, we have obvious financial needs, and much more vision than our budget right now!
And why not come and visit? We would love short term teams of young people who can engage in outreach.
GAP YEAR
Are there are young adults in your church who would consider a gap year with us?
We are looking for young adults who love God and his church. Young people who want to explore missions or vocational ministry, and come and serve in South East Asia. 1 or 2 year terms would be ideal, but shorter durations would be considered.
It is possible to live for a year in Phnom Penh as a single person for approx. $25,000.
It can be difficult to get good paying part time work here, unless someone has teaching qualifications, so fundraising ahead of time would be required. Alternatively, people who work online (freelance, work from home etc) would find it very doable in Cambodia.
