CEDAR Fund

Annual Report 2012-2013

施達基金會

Full Version>
Click here to download full report

Abridged Version>
CEDAR’s Vision and Mission

In Christ we build a just and compassionate world together.

To live out the integral mission of the Church in partnership with Christians around the world by:
>Caring for the poor and disadvantaged people
>Facilitating the transformation of lives and communities
>Advocating and practising social justice

 About Our Five-Year Strategic Plan from 2010 to 2014

Select several poorest countries as focus countries, retaining local partners capable of running comprehensive development programmes.

Encourage/assist these partners through professional training and partnership support.

Mobilise and encourage Hong Kong churches and Christian groups to respond to poverty and injustice locally and elsewhere.

Network with different organisations, strengthen communication and cooperation, enrich programme diversity, and take action to effectively respond to poverty and injustice.

Ministry Highlight

In the past, CEDAR established close partnership with local churches in Hubei, Gansu and Yunnan in serving local impoverished communities. In recent years, the social ministry arm of China churches has a remarkable development with the encouragement of Chinese government. Let’s have a glance on the social ministries of Yunnan churches as an example.

Disaster response with local churches

In October 2012, CEDAR team and Yunnan Christian Council sent a relief team to Yiliang to deliver food aid to 6,000 quake affected households in 15 villages, building up local churches’ capacity on disaster management.

See the achievements

In the past six years, CEDAR actively reached out to different provinces to provide training to churches on Integral Mission and helped establish social ministry. Bao Shan church brings transformation to HIV/AIDS affected families and communities through visits and care given.

Looking forward to cross-border ministry

Yunnan is contiguous to Myanmar with high population mobility, which is the main cause of social issues like drug trafficking, drug addiction and HIV/AIDS. Training to churches along the border in the past years has laid a good foundation for the development of Sino-Burmese cross border ministry in the coming year.

Through the faithful services of CEDAR’s partners among impoverished communities in Asia, CEDAR witnesses God’s care among conflict-affected children and communities in Myanmar, transformations of slum communities in Bangladesh, and the breakthrough of Nepalese women in development.

A beam in Myanmar after the flames of war

In April 2012, CEDAR’s partner Full Moon received Burmese government invitation to establish post-war community rehabilitation in Mon State. In Dec 2012, sponsored children from Full Moon Compound visited their home county along with CEDAR’s C. E. Dr. CHAN Nim Chung and his wife.

Transformation in the slums in Bangladesh

CEDAR’s partner SATHI conducts an integrated community project in the slums of Bangladesh, which encourages dwellers to participate in community development. As a woman, Mukta previously had little opportunity to express her views or get involved with social issues; but through SATHI’s women’s group and community health volunteer work, Mukta can now express her concerns on these issues and learn to help families in need.

Nepalese women find hope to develop

Devi Maya (age 20) lives with her parents-in-law, husband and three children in a village in the mountains. When she was young, she yearned for school, but married at age 9 without any schooling.  Now, with the life education course conducted by CEDAR’s partner Share & Care Nepal, she is learning to write and do mathematics thus working hopefully towards economic and social development.

In Africa, impoverished families in sub-urban regions are miserably poor but rich in faith and hope; churches and congregations live out the love of God by walking with their vulnerable neighbours.

Faith of poor children in Ethiopia

CEDAR supports partner AAGC to provide basic needs to over 200 impoverished children. Early in 2013, eleven supporters flew to Ethiopia with CEDAR’s staff to visit sponsored families. The desperate conditions of local families overwhelmed them, but the faith of these sponsored families in God really impressed all the visitors.

Vulnerable families get better social security in Zimbabwe

Khulani has five children. Her husband who works as a taxi driver earns barely enough to support the whole family. With the help of CEDAR’s partner Trinity, Khulani has obtained the official birth certificates of her children, giving them identity to attend the local public school and getting better social security. However, Khulani still needs to find school fees for her children. By providing more comprehensive and appropriate assistance to the impoverished families, our partner now besides legal assistance, is exploring vocational training for income generation to a better life.

‘From Church Through Church’ is the working principle of CEDAR. Mobilising churches and Christians to have concern for the poor is our main ministry in Hong Kong. In the past year, we encouraged churches and Christians to encounter with and embrace the poor through different activities and medium.

Encounter with the poor

Since 2011, ‘CEDAR Club’ has evolved from knowledge learning about poverty and reflecting on faith from different sharing and experiential activities. We now invite different Christian leaders in their field to give their insights about needs and possible solutions. In this way we aim to bring different poverty issues to the table and mobilise our brothers and sisters to concern for the needs of Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world. One such speaker is Dr. Holly MING from Breakthrough who spoke on the parlous situation of Beijing migrant workers’ children.

Embrace the poor

CEDAR encourages churches and Christians to revive the meanings of festivals and live out the life of love. ‘Carbon Fast’ is one of our festival campaigns, encouraging Christian to reflect on our relationship with God, ourselves, others, the communities and the environment through meditation and carbon fast actions during Lent and share their daily carbon-fast actions on Facebook.

Empowered to be Change–makers

In April 2013, over 90 people heard from those who went on an exposure trip to Ethiopia. These trippers shared their experiences, feelings and reflections during/after the trip, encouraging the attendees to join hands to care for the poor.

The Way Forward

Although the concept of ‘Integral Mission’ is not new, there is an obvious growing interest among churches and seminaries of Hong Kong to study and to practise it. However we need to discern carefully that this is not just a revival of social actions in response to needs, which could look like the pendulum swinging back to the other extreme.

The characteristics of the IM movement in the 21st century have a very strong focus on living out the mission of God, and for the global church to act in unity, through creative synergy among Christians in different sectors.

Apart from the various meetings and seminars that CEDAR Fund has been involving, we are beginning to strengthen the partnership with churches in ‘Global Discipleship’ programmes. As CEDAR Fund has a strong network with churches and organisations in many countries, we seek to build a three-way partnership: CEDAR Fund, an overseas ministry partner, and a Hong Kong church. Through this partnership, we will continue to develop in-depth knowledge and skills to work on hard issues amidst difficult social situations. This enables our churches to have first-hand contact and understanding of kingdom ministries, to broaden their perspectives of the work of God, and to grow in faith and community lives. Each ‘Global Discipleship’ programme will be designed jointly with the participating church. A 2-3 year commitment will be required. There lies a great deal of learning and partnership with the overseas churches and organisations. And I believe through God we will encounter creative and exciting experiences.

Dr. CHAN Nim Chung
Chief Executive, CEDAR Fund

Financial Report

2012/13 Financial Highlights