This busy summer is drawing to a close. Apart from the intensive summer ministry, I had wonderful time to catch up with some of my dear friends who had returned to Hong Kong. We enjoyed the bonding of the Lord’s Fellowship. I hope that you could have some rest this summer, and also get together with your family and friends to feel the grace of a physical life of fellowship in the Lord. Only in the spiritual fellowship given by the Lord we can live out our true self-image and values. This loving relationship is not hindered by geography, social status, or identity (Gal. 3:26-28).
Before the new school year began, I had the opportunity to lead a few teachers’ retreats, and I realized that it is not easy for teachers to enter a quiet and steady rhythm in their careers. They are facing a lot of unrealistic expectations and ideal standards that are not in line with their beliefs. And in the end, they do not accept or enjoy the life that seems to be imperfectly given by the Lord. In facing the tensions and frustrations that lie within our lives, we need the word of the Lord to walk this journey. Only by turning back to Christ alone will that dissatisfaction be transformed into peace and stability. Let us remind ourselves to find true security and safety through the image of the tree planted by the stream in Psalm 1 (Psalm 1:3), whose leaves do not wither.
How do we turn our hearts to the Lord when the world is full of noise? Let’s listen to the reflections of students after their participation in the Regional Conference:
“The theme of EARC is ‘Voice Matters’. In our daily life, there are many different voices, what are the important ones? Which voices are ignored? …… Through listening to the testimonies of other countries, with different Movements students we worshiped, practiced spirituality, listened to the sermon, and listened to the voice of God”.
“This EARC reminds me to fix my eyes upon God and also to be sensitive to His voice in my life so that I can live in His will and be a witness in what He wants me to do.”
Following is a testimonial from one of the participants in the DSE Discipleship Program of our Inter-School Department:
“As we talked to each other at the end of the program, we all shared a sense of sadness…… And so, I remembered this passage from 1 John (v. 14), which I hoped would tell my fellow students that the power of God is very close to us. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, don’t be afraid to take the first step, don’t be frightened to get hurt, and don’t turn your face away from the broken places. Just go and ask God, and we too can be the light that shines along the path of this city through Him.”
We are thankful for the smooth running of the second Youth Bible Conference in early August, which blessed more than 60 young people, ranging from Form 6 school leavers preparing for university to students from different tertiary institutions, in which they came to realize their self-worth moulded by the Lord. Some of the students came to know about FES and campus fellowship for the first time, and we hope that they will find a faith community on campus and grow together in the new school year.
Jesus said, “For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest” (Lk. 9:48). Though we may not receive immediate fruits or applause for our cultivation of young people, such nurturing work will surely blossom spiritually in the future. With the economic downturn in the past few years, FES has been facing increasing financial pressure to reduce in our recurring expenses. We pray that you will consider giving monthly or quarterly to support the continued growth of the FES ministry. Thank you for your companionship!
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
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.
