IM Forum

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[Annual Report 2011-2012] Networking

IMforum

Review of 2011 to 2012

IM Forum was set up in Nov 2011. Since then, the Forum have networked over 50 pastors, co-workers and Christians from churches, Christian organisations, seminaries and social enterprises, to explore ways to practise integral mission that link theology and churches, business and community service.

50 more leaders from churches, Christian organisations, seminaries and social enterprises joined IM Forum

Learning and Prospect

We are happy with the business network that had been developed as part of their strategy. In 2012-2013, IM Forum will focus on mobilising frontline Christian organisations and seminaries to explore how Christian organisations and churches can practise integral mission in the community to provide solid theological support to these frontline ministries.

In addition, we will put together the experiences of churches and Christian organisations from Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas to produce materials as tools, teaching and references to provide Hong Kong and Mainland China’s churches to use; and help to develop networks and partnership between different churches, Christian organisations and groups as a way to build the Body of Christ to engage in the global ministry on mission for the poor.

Prospect | Dr CHAN Nim Chung

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[Annual Report 2011-2012] Prospect

prospect

> Dr CHAN Nim Chung, Chief Executive

After the exposure monitoring trips and discussions in the past two years, we have finally chosen Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, India, Nepal, Myanmar and China to be the focus countries for our projects. We have since strengthened our partnership in these focus countries through cooperation and communication to promote our mutual capability on project operation and management to provide more appropriate and effective assistance to impoverished communities.

In recent years, the Chinese and Nepalese governments have loosened official restrictions on local Christian churches. In addition to reforms in the political process in Myanmar, there is a new turning point for the growth of Christian relief and development work in these countries. CEDAR hopes to seize this opportunity to seek furthering the cooperation of Hong Kong churches with overseas churches and Christian organisations. Project sites in the above six focus countries will become important platforms for Hong Kong churches to participate in appropriate response to global ministry in the practice of integral mission. Hong Kong churches can provide strong support in human and financial resources to these overseas partners engaged in frontline ministries. This way we can develop the partnership between different nations, regions, churches and organisations in better synergy.

As a member organisation of the Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor (the HKCNP), CEDAR will endeavor to mobilise local churches to work with frontline organisations, social enterprises and government, facilitating the development of district network for social concern among churches. We look forward to churches becoming the real neighbour to the poor, giving them timely, suitable and holistic care and assistance.

May God guide our way according to His will.

A Witness that Grows with Time | TANG Po Shan

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[ “SHARE” Sept-Oct 2012 – An Eye-Opening Experience of Poverty ]　TAKING ACTION

Author> TANG Po Shan, Education and Promotion Officer

I met Tina during a ‘Deprived Community Exposure Visit’ held by CEDAR Club. She was then studying Chinese medicine at university and she wanted to know more about the world, especially the people she was going to serve.

I have seen Tina bring young people to several CEDAR Barefoot Walks. During our conversation, I discovered that Tina has been joining CEDAR events with her father since she was a small child, and members of her church are also regular supporters of Barefoot Walk. ‘I remember going to the first ever CEDAR Barefoot Walk with my father when I was a few years old, and we have been going every year since. It started as merely “something fun”. When I attended secondary school and served at my church’s youth fellowship, I encouraged fellowship members to support CEDAR and join Barefoot Walk. I changed from being a passive participant to an active promoter. My intent has also changed— I now truly agree with the idea behind the events and I want to express my care and concern for the poor through consistent action.’

Tanton, Tina’s father, has been a volunteer at CEDAR since it was founded in 1991. It was he who introduced Tina to CEDAR. Tina says, ‘Through CEDAR I have the opportunity to care about distant matters and not just the things I deal with everyday. News and information from CEDAR also helps me understand the poverty issues in the world.’ Watching his daughter mature, Tanton is very encouraged even though he did not have a predetermined goal for Tina in the beginning. ‘All that parents need to do is to lead their children to God, to nurture and to discipline them well. Our children observe what we do. We cannot force them do anything but let them explore for themselves. They will take the initiative when they find something suitable.’ ‘Actions speak louder than words’ may be a cliché, but it may exactly be the manifestion of integral mission—Believers living out biblical qualities in different aspects of life can make changes through their actions.

We cordially invite you to join this year’s Barefoot Walk:

Date> 10 November (Saturday)
Time> 3pm
Place> Central
Registration and Enquiry> cedarwalk.org or contact us at 2381 9627

TAKING ACTION introduces CEDAR’s education and advocacy activities in Hong Kong; through participants’ sharing encourages believers to take action and practise their faith.

Annual Report 2010-2011

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After the Strategic Planning carried out in the second half of 2010, CEDAR has started implementing policies and focusing on operations:

  • 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.
  • Networking with different organisations, strengthening communication and cooperation, enriching programme diversity, and taking action to effectively respond to poverty and injustice.

Please click in to read the full version report (Page 1-22), (Page 23-29).

Continue reading Annual Report 2010-2011

Exploring Integral Mission in Today’s World—Integral Gospel (3) │ Dr. CHAN Nim Chung

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Author> CHAN Nim Chung, Board Member of CEDAR Fund

It would be quite natural for us to think of ways to change the world once we have touched on the issue of “Mission”. In fact, it is we who should change first so that our lives and thoughts be transformed to live out the Gospel.  In the previous two installments, I shared with you the multiple-faceted meanings of Integral Mission which is established on the basis of the Integral Gospel. We should not allow our limited knowledge, experience and culture, etc. to restrain the breadth and depth of the Gospel.

Is the Church an integral entity? Along the stream of history, the Church has been divided into many denominations as well as organisations of various functions. Competitions, criticisms and even rejections occur often. Recently there is much reflection and responses to issues in politics, economics, cultural shifts and myriad other social issues spawned by globalization. Many organisations, networks and large scale conferences are emerging.  Let us look at a few aspects of this promising development.

Churches are neither here for their own good nor be good on their own. In contemporary society, developing partnership and network for effective deployment of God-given resources locally and globally trumps one’s own solitary empire building. In the field of relief and development, Integral Alliance and Micah Network, whom CEDAR Fund affiliates with, connect needs with resources effectively. These networks encourage participation of churches around the world to join forces in research, practice and theological reflection, achieving mutual enlightenment, result sharing as well as promoting the implementation of Integral Mission on a broad scale. The spirit of mutual trust and selfless sharing is vital in realizing the spirit of being an Integral Church.

Churches quite often employ an extractional or attractional mode to draw people out of their original background and require them to adapt to a set of established church regulation, culture and operation while churches turn away from other issues of the world. This mode of operation drastically reduces believers’ capacity to dialogue with society and exclude many who are scared by the church but otherwise love Jesus. As Christians, we are sent into the world but not of it, nor to be detached from it. Jesus comes to be Lord in every aspect of this world. Therefore, every Christian should live out her faith in every way possible as well as experience and reflect on the relevance of faith in the context of workplace, natural environment or culture. This may even enrich our theology. The concept of Missional Church has been around for a few decades and has recently been attracting a lot of attention and discussions.

We should not limit to the contextualisation of western theology and church modes but also inculturation (or indigenisation).  The collision and fusion between Christianity and other cultures or sub-cultures allows us to experience God’s epiphany in every scene and in every community, thus enriching our understanding of God. Therefore, not only should we enter into the world but also to learn from people from different parts of the world such as India, Latin America and Africa where there is a mass of frontline experiences and theological reflections. Chinese may participate likewise.

2011 marks the 20th anniversary of CEDAR Fund’s journey of walking the path of poverty alleviation and justice advocacy. Global problems will only become graver in the days to come. Hoping to see the realisation of Integral Church, I am in the process of gathering various Christian communities and individuals for establishing a platform for global care, breaking through boundaries in the spirit of unity and mutual complement, with synergy and through in-depth research constructing the theory of “Integral Mission” and its practises.

(The original Chinese version of this article was published in Christian Times on 26 June 2011)

Exploring Integral Mission in Today’s World—Integral Gospel (2) │ Dr. CHAN Nim CHung

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Author> CHAN Nim Chung, Board Member of CEDAR Fund

The Cape Town Commitment[1] of Lausanne III 2010, with reference to the Micah Declaration[2] released by the Micah Network in 2001, presents Integral Mission as the inseparable nature of gospel proclamation and social involvement. Since its inception in 1991, CEDAR Fund has long been a member of Micah Network whose 300 plus members have been working tirelessly to address the global concern over poverty issues, research and theological reflection upon myriads of serious poverty issues. A decade later, Micah Network has embarked on reviewing the Micah Declaration[3] in the hope of enriching its content to better address the present day situation around the world in a manner that reflect God’s mission and the role of the Church.

On the surface, if Integral Mission equals gospel proclamation plus social concern, then are many churches not on board already? What effect does this mode of engagement have in society, culture and value system? In the first instalment, I maintained that Integral Mission must be established upon the understanding of an Integral Gospel. A cheapened individualistic gospel is powerless in responding to societal and structural evil in many global issues. The Gospel is detached from social concern which is further degraded into a means for evangelism. Behaviour of Christians often faces challenges. If we contend that the Gospel should reach every corner of society, then social action should be carried out on incremental basis which could be categorised into three dimensions:

1. Relief and Provision—providing people in jeopardy with basic need and continuous assistance.
2. Development—transformation of individuals and communities; improvement in capacity and relation
3. Advocacy—addressing unjust authority or system

None of these three should be neglected. However, it is tempting for us to take the easy route of avoiding matters we are not familiar with.

It appears that Integral Mission focuses on saying and doing.  In fact, I consider “being” as the most crucial of the three. Otherwise, everything may just be resounding gongs and clanging cymbals. Talk is cheap. The power of transformation comes from one life influencing another. On the other hand, bad examples are the greatest hindrances. We must therefore take a serious look at whether our own lives and our dispositions carry the fragrance of Christ. Undoubtedly, God needs not rely on us to carry out whatever mission or to witness on His behalf.  It is, however, for our benefit that our faith may grow through the experience.

In addition to being, saying and doing, there are signs and the imprint of the work of the Holy Spirit. Integral Mission enables a community to live out the Kingdom of Heaven or move toward it. Such a community has the power to make a great impact. God’s truth and His Spirit can impact the hearts of those it touches even though not everyone would immediately come to faith in the Lord. Indeed this is something we can neither control nor plan. All we can do is being thankful.

God’s demand is crystal clear— to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.[4] It is one thing to recite these words but quite a challenge to demonstrate true humility in deeds since each of us is self-righteous (Christians are worse at times). Walking with God may merely be the desire to have God fulfil one’s own will in disguise. Learning to practise Integral Mission requires us to humble ourselves and pre-conception and follow the will of God diligently.

 

1 http://www.lausanne.org/documents/CapeTownCommitment.pdf  “10. c”
2 http://www.micahnetwork.org/sites/default/files/doc/page/mn_integral_mission_declaration_en.pdf
3 http://www.micahnetwork.org/pt-br/projects/review-micah-declaration-integral-mission
4 Micah 6 : 8

 

(The original Chinese version of this article was published in Christian Times on 19 June 2011)