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After Christmas, it was the New Year's Eve countdown. What is the mood of Hong Kong people in 2019? When the Government is working hard to sell the "Lantau Tomorrow Vision" and continuously promote the economic development momentum of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the "Hope Index" of the people in this community has plunged 35 points to minus 25, being the fifth most pessimistic region in the world. Is it because we do not know how to cherish and always blame, or do we disregard the unfairness and unrighteousness of the system and the hardships of the middle-lower class? Pessimism can spread as we know. In fact Hong Kong people is realistic and generally not keen on politics. Many people simply want to live and work peacefully. However, when the society as a whole is so rich with enormous reserve, it is still helpless. Can we just say "Get rid of pessimism, embrace the future" and that’s all?
The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…" (Exo 3:7-8) If policymakers really "see", really "hear" and do "know" and make a difference, our society can regain real hope.
In recent years, the emotional pressure and suicide rate from kids to college students soared. Families and schools are no longer safety nets. Our newly published title "Goodbye, my love!" expresses the voice of students in distress, to give specific advice, methods and strategies to parents, teachers, school management, and the education authorities, aiming to bring order out of chaos and contribute to the healthy growth of the next generation.
Since the establishment of the Centre by Dr. Pang Yiu-kai in 2014, we have been planning and promoting our ministry cautiously for direct benefit of target groups under the most modest manpower. Last year, we achieved in serving teachers and parents from 30 schools in teachers' development/retreat and parental talks, and the number of contacts exceeded 1,600. The "Grace is Beautiful: 4-Panel Comic Drawing competition" was a success with more than 1,300 entries. We started the Fellowship for Teacher graduates of EdUHK and the university staff "RED DISCIPLE" Bible study course will soon commence for the first time this year. Afternoon lectures, Bible study classes, prayer meetings and morning devotion for teachers and students will continue. Training course for school chaplains will be organised later, and a resource platform of Christian education and activities will be established for frontline teachers.
At present, with limited financial resources, the Centre can survive for not more than three years. I hope that you will continue to be our partner, pray and donate, so that we would strive to build a better platform for the exchange of Christian faith in the university campus, to support the education mission of teachers and the implementation of school Christian education.
Servant pastor
Rev. Benedict Shum
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