Page 32 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity

Chairperson's Remarks

Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Soo

uBrothers and sisters, put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and
peace will be with you." (II Corinthians 13:11) (NRSV)
With the golden jubilee year behind us, our ministry has returned to normal. Acting out the role of servant, shepherd, prophet,
bridge and reconciliator, we have continued to seek opportunities to serve the church of Christ and society, and grasp the
moment to promote and live the spirit of ecumenism. Keeping abreast with the latest development, listening and observing
keenly, we have sought to coordinate church members through interactive and embracing events, aiming to create a platform
for peace for our fellowship of churches to evince God's truth and love. Our ministry last year is detailed in the annual report
by the General Secretary.

We pledged to study and reflect on HKCC and the ecumenical movement over our jubilee year, notably review our past and
examine our present, but look into the future. Facing dynamic circumstances, we have reiterated our vision, mission and
strategy in order that HKCC can serve the church and society effectively and be better faithful servants of the Lord. The
Executive Committee having gone for a brainstorming retreat and deliberated at several meetings, a mission statement has
been drafted for reference and discussion of member churches and organizations. We earnestly invite your feedback.

The ecumenical movement is premised on the Lord's work on church reform, the purpose of which is to appeal to churches for
a coordinated effort towards the creation of a kingdom that is pleasing in His sight. HKCC has inherited the mission of unity
such that we strive to explore new avenues to promote the cause of unity in Christ. Our mission is translated into ministry in
four domains: church unity, social concern, ministerial formation and resources sharing. However, my personal feeling amongst
our colleagues is that our emphasis is on compassion and loving one another. God has given us a new commandment which
demands us loving one another. The true trial of our faith to the Lord, our testimony to Him, our glorification of Him, is if we
practice love on earth, if we are a fellowship of love, if we will to be a united body to be a testimony of our love.

The past year saw the SAR's economy recover and people have unwound a little. Hong Kong Disneyland is scheduled for its
opening, which has already brought a joyous aura in the community. A new Chief Executive has assumed office and brought us
new hopes. Notwithstanding, the prosperous outlook hides gloom and anxiety, such as controversies in society, disparity
between the haves and the have-nots, championing for individualism cum isolation and recouping costs for public services,
heavier stress from work, growing pressure on the middle class, rampant speculations in all sectors of the economy, more
exploitations and rip-offs, ruling with power instead of mores, the oppressed turned oppressors, ethical boundaries having been
stretched, deteriorating family violence, continuing shrinkage of public interests, the mass being misled, the populace's voice
being skewed, etc. In the international arena, we have witnessed the emergence of dominance, the surging of terrorism, the
escalation of natural calamities and human tragedies, more countries in debt, the polarization of wealth distribution and power
balance, and cultural pluralism replaced by conformity. Hence, in the spirit of unity, there are numerous issues of concern in
need of our advocacy.

HKCC has as its mission in striving for church unity and the spirit of world community, promoting our common cause and
acting jointly to bring forth God's sovereignty on earth, manifesting God's righteousness and love through various aspects of
our social life: livelihood, morality, economy, and values. In the light of our mission, we have yet to deliver; we are still
working on it. Herewith, allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to Committee members for their effort, to committees for
their hard work, to member churches and organizations and prominent members of society for their caring, and our staff for
their toil, especially our former General Secretary Rev Eric S. Y. So. May the blessings of our Lord be with all those who have
worked for and contributed to the ecumenical movement so that in the coming year they receive more of God's grace, bearing
witness to God's love and glorifying Him for everything.

''Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands- O prosper the work of our hands!"
(Psalm 90:17) (NRSV)

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