Campus Frontline: The Collision of Different Worlds Starts with a Shumai–IS Joint Schools Ministry Sharing– (Issue 498)

fes_admin

2 個月前

Ben Hung , Staff of Inter-School Department

benhung@fes.org.hk

As the school days ended at a slightly different time, students who visited another school arrived earlier and waited in the hall.

“Would you like to try our shumai, they are quite good!” teachers and students at the reception asked, trying to make it easier for their guests.

When the students heard the word “shumai “, their eyes lighted up. Glancing at the accompanying teachers who did not object, they flocked to the tuck shop and mingled with the students of another school. When the students returned to the hall after buying the goodies, some of them looked puzzled and asked, “Can we eat in the hall?” It turned out that joint schools – the collision of different worlds (campus cultures) – had quietly begun outside of the program with the “Shumai Fellowship”, which had been a wonderful prelude to Joint Schools Fellowship.

Reactivating the Joint Schools Fellowship

With the restoration of school life after the pandemic, we are thankful that the Fanling Joint School Fellowship Exchange, which has been suspended for three years, has been resumed in this school year with the concerted efforts of teachers from various parties. This year, the fellowship committees of Christian Alliance S W Chan Memorial College and Fanling Rhenish Church Secondary School participated in the joint exchange, and there were two to three joint school fellowships in the first and second semesters. In addition to a fellowship exchange led by the fellowship committee members of the two schools, there were also visits to the regular fellowship gatherings of the schools to experience the fellowship life of the different schools.

Here are some reflections from participating students:

“The themes of the Joint Schools Fellowship is pretty new, that never thought of incorporating these innovative themes into the fellowship. This fellowship taught me that a new/trendy theme can attract more students to participate in the fellowship. Also, during the fellowship, we analyzed the pros and cons of the theme. I believe that joint school fellowships can facilitate exchanges between the two schools and enrich the contents of our fellowships.”
Yit Man

“This was my first time to participate in a joint school fellowship. Before this, I had never thought that the two schools could fellowship together. The themes of the two schools were different, and each school had its own good points. I had never thought of including the subject of “horoscopes” into the fellowship discussion, and with the sharing and exchange of ideas, we were able to remind each other and make changes for the better.”
Sing Chak

Expanding each other’s horizons

With increasingly full school rhythms for teachers and students and diverse school schedules, there is limited room for this type of inter-school arrangement. However, when students, teachers, and our staff experience the broadening of horizons and the connection between schools, it is indeed a special experience outside of the own school fellowship. More importantly, the students were able to share and witness to each other the amazing and unique work of God in different schools; what turned out to be my prayer/need was already a thanksgiving in the context of another school; what I thought was a rough/ unimportant attempt and perseverance turned out to be a great encouragement to the students at the other school. Indeed, the collision of the worlds in these students’ perceptions broadened their vision of faith and their knowledge of God.

Perhaps this seeing enables us, FES Inter- School Team, even with limited internal resources and changing external environment, to still keep on facilitating all kinds of joint-school programs, with the aim of empowering students to experience God in the wider kingdom of the secondary school campus, and to embrace God and each other to walk together in the present generation.