The Origins of the Gereja Ayam or Chicken Church Prayer House

In 1989, Daniel and his family visited the Borobudur area and met a young local man named Jito. From Jito, Daniel learned that there was a hill in the hamlet of Gombong which seemed to fit the description of his vision.  

"I decided that the hill is the place described in my vision. I then called the area Rhema Hill (Bukit Rhema), which means 'the living Word' for Christians. I decided to build the church there."

The owner of the land sold the hill to Daniel a year later. He then started construction of the church in 1992 on 3 thousand square meters of land that make up Rhema Hill. Unfortunately, construction stopped in 2000 because of the monetary crisis.

A center of faith

As a building, the Gereja Ayam might be as incomplete as the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain. But spiritually, it is still complete.

"Some people might think I built a church because I am a Christian," Alamshah said to Nationalgeographic.co.id on October 4, 2018.

"But the Gereja Ayam is really a place of worship for anyone who believe in God — whether they are Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Catholics, Christians, and other faiths— to pray in their own way."

Aside from a place of worship, the prayer house was also used as a rehabilitation center for physically disabled children, drug addicts, and people with mental disorders as well as troubled young people.

Visiting the Gereja Ayam

There are two ways to get to Gereja Ayam. One can drive directly there  via the Borobudur Temple National Park, then go down a road Bukit Rhema. The second route is more of an exercise, as one has to trek on the Punthuk Setumbu path in the middle of the forest.