#WeAreCERC ft Pele Palasundram

Pele Palasundram currently manages a team of engineers at Yokogawa, but here in CERC we know him for his humble, down-to-earth attitude, along with his witty charm.

Born and raised in the small town of Seremban, Pele developed a love for Mathematics since he was young. While he struggled in other areas of academics, he speaks fondly of how his parents helped him through school.

“Even though I scored poorly in reading and writing, I constantly scored A’s in math. Among my siblings, I was the only one who didn’t learn Tamil, and they were far more intelligent than me. Nevertheless, my parents didn’t give up on me. My mom used to tutor me in reading and writing a few hours every day.”

When asked about what job he wanted to have growing up:

“I always wanted to be a garbage collector, because I really didn’t think I could be anything else. At Form 4 however, my teacher recommended engineering to me, and it was the first time I considered being an engineer. I didn’t expect much of it, but as it was mainly mathematics, I accepted it quite easily.” 

Pele went on to study Mechatronic Engineering at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, scoring top marks every semester before graduating on the Dean’s list in 2001. 

In 2007, Pele joined Yokogawa, leading a multi-site commissioning of generators for a prominent multinational corporation. He was a stellar worker, which led to opportunities to climb the corporate ladder.

“This was possibly one of the most important things I did in my career. Because of my work at Yokogawa, my client at the time offered me a lucrative job .”

Nevertheless, while being a good worker was his service to God, Pele knew career was not his God.

“My church attendance suffered because I was often travelling outstation for work at the time. I decided not to accept the job as I had just started attending church more regularly then.”

He made this decision not just once, but three times!

“An even more tempting offer came in 2012, when I was offered a job in the Middle East with a very comfortable salary. CERC was only recently planted however, and while we could’ve used the extra funds, I decided it was better for me spiritually to stay and grow together with the church. So I didn’t proceed further.” 

Pele is still with Yokogawa more than 12 years later. And while he still travels outstation for work, he’s been able to use his gifts in service to Christ as the Head of Office Systems in CERC.

“I am currently in charge of two key systems for my company. During projects, I encounter many different problems with the systems, and it’s my job to figure out how to solve them. I still occasionally travel for work, but thankfully not on the weekends so I can attend church.”

“My work has taught me how to troubleshoot problems and solve issues I might not have seen before. Because of my job, I was able to set up a working office system in church fairly easily.”

Besides his engineering abilities, Pele is also one of the tutors for CERC membership classes, helping candidates as they seek to commit to the body of Christ locally. He attributes his service to knowing how Jesus deserves worship from His people.

“I took up this role because this was something I could do, given that I have to travel occasionally. Although my strength lies in engineering, I count whatever I can do for the church my duty and my honour.”

“Through our series on Matthew this year in CERC, I have learnt that Jesus is indeed boss and it is our privilege to serve Him. He deserves everything we can give and more, and I am thankful to be able to serve in whatever capacity I have.”

We thank you for your service Pele, and look forward to many more years of serving Christ together!

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