Monthly Prayer Letter (Mar 2024)
Dear companions of FES,
A philanthropist recently decided to “invest” in college students by donating a large sum of money to a New York medical college that waived tuition for all its students. Nearly half of the College’s students are of Asian, Hispanic, and African-American backgrounds, and many have graduated with about $200,000 in debt. This donation sets students free not only to attend medical school, which would otherwise be unaffordable, but also empowers the community for future growth and renewal. I also learnt from a report that six students from a secondary school in Tin Shui Wai participated in an innovation and technology exchange conference in Tokyo and heard the Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry speak in person. As young researchers with a passion for science and technology, they were inspired by this rare opportunity to broaden their horizons and continue their quest for new knowledge.
Being the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s Kingdom becomes our source of power for the future. What value do we invest with what we have? Investing in youth ministry does not seek self-return, but serves the sake of the Kingdom and the future of society. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (Jn 12:24). I hope that each one of us can pour ourselves into the soil of the Kingdom of Heaven, no longer planning anything for our own sake, but letting ourselves be transformed into a big tree that bears much fruit.
On the annual FES Day this Sunday, we will release the results of the “Survey on the Faith Conditions of College Believers in Hong Kong”. We hope that this quantitative study will serve as a starting point for our fellow youth pastors to listen to what is on the minds of the young people. With the aim of taking a more comprehensive look at how to walk with young people, we will organize a Youth Ministry Forum on June 10th for follow-up feedback and exchange. The program will involve three parts: 1) Review of the ecclesiastical concept; 2) Discussion on the qualitative research of the survey on the faith status of college believers; 3) Experiential practice workshop. It is not only the youth who need to be listened to, but also the pastoral staff who serve in different positions in the church. FES seeks to serve as a bridge in difficult times, listening to the voices of the youth of the church as well as being a support to fellow pastors, walking alongside the pastor and willing to share, equip and encourage one another through the Forum.
The time of writing is also the beginning of a critical era. The Bible tells the story of two God-fearing midwives in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh (Exodus 1:15-22). Today, will we continue to write flesh-and-blood life testimonies for God? Invest in building the faith of the younger generation for the future of this city? Praise the Lord, FES understands more clearly in these times what we are doing, and seeks your spiritual support. In the past six months, we encountered a lot of financial pressure in our daily operation. Before the end of the financial year, please prayerfully consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support our daily operation, helping to meet the shortfall in our faith.
May you always see the goodness of the Lord’s presence!
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
Email Address: [email protected]
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.