Monthly Prayer Letter (April 2023)
24th April 2023
Dear companions of FES,
Recently, I read in one sitting the new book, “Family Letters Made Public” 《被公開的家書》, which was given to me by Aunt Him (Mrs. CHAN Lau Kit Ching). It took me to several important stations on the path of Uncle Him (Rev. CHAN Hay Him) and Aunt Him’s ministry life. Even the faithful servants to the Lord cannot foresee which path the Lord has planned, but can only continue to devote themselves fully to Him in the midst of the difficult struggles of reality, and experience His unique molding in the process of devotion. “Family Letters Made Public” gives us another perspective to view history. The stories of ministers’ lives are certainly not models, and institutional history is not necessarily a constant progression. Therefore, each of us involved has a role to play, working together with the Lord to create a historical journey through life that belongs to His care.
The transformation of history is about the people, events, and ideas that have occurred or have taken place still leave marks and reverberate to us today. History has its own kind of order. Neither those in power nor the “general public ” can fully control the direction of history. The book of Esther in the Old Testament concludes with the story of Mordecai’s “‘greatness'” (Es. 10:2). He was at a position of disadvantage, but was turned around in his favor by the king’s sleeplessness and interest in reading the yearbook the night after the banquet (Es 6:1-2). The reign of God in history can be revealed in the smallest details. As the future lies in the hands of no one, we must pay extra attention and be faithful in our own positions, while observing the delicate acts and opportunities that blossom from the cracks.
I have a belief that God will lead the Church in Hong Kong through difficult times, whereas the important details will be written by young people. Therefore, what a precious mission it is for FES to continue to listen to and nurture young people, not to impose on them what they think is good, but to pay attention to the wisdom they have learned, just as this committee from a secondary school Christian fellowship learned about the life of “post-pandemic” fellowship:
We used to think that we must use games, group atmosphere and other mainstream culture to attract people, but gradually the new generation of students will adopt non-mainstream, personal and deep-thinking space, which is closer to the state of students, making them better enjoy in it!
Or, through participation in an eight-week practical summer mission internship, this college student’s perspective is opened:
I see both young groups and experienced organizations striving for change, though at different paces, but there is hope. As lively as the Word of God, we are unwilling to stand still.
Please pray for us as we mark the most important time of the year for our students. Please pray for our DSE Discipleship Program in the Inter-School Department and Integral Mission Summer Internship in the Inter-College Department, that the Lord would gather young disciples and give them a profound and life-changing learning experience. I would also like to make an appeal to you: FES has set up a matching fund for students participating in the Summer Mission Internship. Based on the estimated number of participants this year, we hope to raise $88,000 for the matching fund to support the necessary expenses of the students during the internship. If you are inspired to respond, please indicate “IMSP Matching Fund” on your donation. Please don’t underestimate what we do for young people. These actions will add to the history of the Lord’s shaping of the Church in Hong Kong, with incomparable effects.
Your brother,
Barry Cheung
General Secretary
Donation Methods (Local)
- Faster Payment System: (FPS ID: 1915727), transfer to “Fellowship of Evangelical Students (Hong Kong) Ltd.”. Please fill in your donation items and donor number (if any) in the remarks or message column.
- Crossed cheque: Please make it payable to “Fellowship of Evangelical Students (H.K.) Ltd.”.
- Direct deposit / E-banking: Hang Seng Bank 286-126024-002 / HSBC 108-074980-001
* Please send us the Donation Envelope, enclosing with cheque, bank-in slip or screenshot of successful FPS payment via mail or email (for bank-in-slip and FPS screenshot only).
* Donations over $100 are tax deductible in Hong Kong with our receipts.
Mailing Address: 11/F, Cheung Lee Commercial Building, No. 137-143 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Donation Methods (Oversea)
Donors desiring tax-deductible receipts for income tax purposes must give through the following organization to receive the necessary receipts.
- Online Donation
USA / UK
https://give.ifesworld.org
Canada
https://ivcf.ca/give/ Please indicate the offering target as “Hong Kong FES”
- Cheque Donation
USA*
Making cheques payable to “IFES/USA” and send to the following address.
IFES/USA
PO Box 46007
Madison, WI 53744
Canada*
Making cheques payable to “InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of Canada”
and send to the following address.
Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship
1 International Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario,
M9W 6H3 Canada
UK*
Making cheques payable to “IFES” and send to the following address.
IFES
5 Blue Boar Street
Oxford OX1 4EE
United Kingdom
* Please mark “H.K.F.E.S.” at the left bottom corner and
“designation # 100088” at the back of the cheque.