Oct 16
["SHARE" Oct – Dec 2017 ] FOCUS ~ Church and Community Mobilisation
This issue:
>Local Churches—the Local Power of Community Development
>We Saw Clearly that the Lord Was With You (Genesis 26:1-32)
>Child Rights for ALL Children
> The Church and the Public—Three Pastors on Community Service
>Mobilising
Churches: From a Social Organiser's Perspective
["SHARE" Oct – Dec 2017 ] BACK TO THE BIBLE
In past 10 years, the Church was able to integrate into the Chinese community through the government’s social service policy which encouraged non-profits to reach its residents. Yunnan was one of the pilot areas. Pastor Daniel Ding, Social Ministry Officer of Yunnan Christian Council, stressed that integration does not mean altering the truth we preach to fit in, but the challenge is to find a way to let our core values prevail.
Pastor Ding reflects on Isaac’s faithfulness described in Genesis 26:1-32 and his experiences, and help us see how God has always been with us as we serve our community...
["SHARE" Oct – Dec 2017 ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS
In Bangladesh, where 90% of its population are Muslims and 10% are Hindus, the caste system plays a significant part in the lives of Bangladeshis. People are categorised into different castes, and people who belong to the lowest social status group in the caste system are the Dalits. Dalits are often discriminated against by the society, and they can only do hideous work, such as collecting dead bodies, cleaning, and emptying trash bins. Poverty has forced many Dalit children to drop out of school to work or get married to share their families’ burden, violating their rights to survive and thrive, and rights to learn and to be protected.
["SHARE" Oct – Dec 2017 ] TAKING ACTION
To echo this issue’s theme: Church and Community Mobilisation, we interviewed three pastors who are heavily involved in caring and serving their communities. They are Rev. Anders Chan Ming-chuen (Associate Senior Pastor of Mongkok Baptist Church), Mr. Jonathan Au (Lecturer of Christian Ministry Institute; Deacon at Kai Tak Peace Evangelical Centre), and Ms. Teo Yun-sarm (Conference Parish Worker of The Methodist Church, Hong Kong). They share their experiences in mobilising the Church to serve the community...
["SHARE" Oct – Dec 2017 ] TAKING ACTION
The Church’s role in Hong Kong’s social development dates back to early missionary times. But, in recent years, churches in Hong Kong were often accused of being absent from major social discussions, except issues that spiked its interest. For this issue’s “TAKING ACTION” section, we interviewed the Organiser of the social organisation, HK Citizens, Daniel Man, and asked him how they mobilise churches to respond to current issues through Community Organising.
When doing development work, beside bringing outside resources, using locally available resources are more important in transforming a community. The church, being a significant part of the community, is more knowledgeable about the community’s needs than outside organisations.
For years, CEDAR has partnered with Tearfund Bangladesh to train and mobilise churches to get involved in serving their communities...
