Global Ministries

Dear Friends,

New conflicts are happening daily in Hong Kong in mass protests against the Hong Kong government. What triggered the last four weeks of mind-boggling events was the government’s unwise proposal to allow Hong Kong residents charged with certain crimes to be extradited to other jurisdictions, even where there was no formal agreement between the two places.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your continuous support and concern for Hong Kong, which has given us comfort and strength. We treasure this ecumenical fellowship of faith. We share the following to keep you informed and ask for your continued prayers.

Dear Friends,

You may have been reading in the news about the protests in Hong Kong. It's about the proposed legislation to allow the Hong Kong government to send persons charged with certain crimes to be sent to mainland China for prosecution. The situation arose over a Hong Kong citizen who is accused of murdering his girlfriend while in Taiwan. He came back to Hong Kong and there is no method to have him extradited to Taiwan as there is no agreement between the two places to do so. This gave the HK government impetus to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to allow extradition even to other countries that don't have an agreement in place. Taiwan actually did not request this as a solution to the problem and is not in support of the amendment. 

For Hong Kongers, of course this raises great concerns about human rights and a fair trial. The legal system in Hong Kong is based on the British system and at least until 2047, we thought we had guarantee that it would not change. Thus the possibility that someone in Hong Kong could be sent to China for prosecution is alarming, from what we know of the Chinese legal system. 

Thus, many citizens and sectors of society have come out in opposition, besides the young people - lawyers, social workers, teachers and businesses. Many feel that passing this law as quickly as the government hopes will only bring international condemnation as well as lead to devastating consequences for the city. In the appeal below from Hong Kong Christian Council, we propose that the government suspend the amendment and allow further discussion and dialogue between different parties.

Please pray for Hong Kong in this critical moment that the situation will not escalate to violence between protesters and police, that the government give some cooling off period, and that the church can stand strong to serve the community and the nation in the peace of Christ.

With hope in God,

Rev. Judy Chan
Executive Secretary for Communications
Hong Kong Christian Council
Global Ministries Mission Co-Worker

Dear Friends,

Do you recall some big protests in Hong Kong at the end of 2014? That was the heady time of the “Occupy Movement” and “Umbrella Movement”. Tens of thousands of citizens, especially young people, took to the streets in a mass sit-in to fight for universal suffrage and democracy. The 79-day event seems long over and forgotten.

On 27 April, some 500,000 people joined hands to form a “human peace chain” along the 500 km long Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea. They expressed their strong desire for permanent peace in the Korean Peninsula, gathering to celebrate the first anniversary of Panmunjom Declaration and commemorate the centennial of the 1 March Independence Movement.

Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) General Secretary offers prayers and sympathy

 This Lenten season, my mind is stuck on an image of a dilapidated house that I saw in Fukushima. The house is still standing, but it is beyond repair. On first sight, it does not look habitable. Yet when evening comes, there is a light that goes on in the kitchen toward the back of the property. The house was damaged by the earthquake eight years ago. The trees in the small yard are overgrown. The front of the house is a mess. I would not have given the house much thought had it not been for my Japanese colleague pointing it out.

March 11, 2019 marked eight years since Japan’s “Triple Disaster.” Communities and individuals are still marked by this disaster and continue the work of healing. Mission Co-worker in Japan, Jeffrey Mensendiek, shares some reflections from a recent trip he took to Fukushima with Derek Duncan, Area Executive for East Asia and the Pacific.  Part one can be found here. This is part two:

2018 was a tumultuous year in many ways. Personally, I had to say goodbye to several dear friends, one of whom was Teruko Enomoto, the founder of the Bazaar Café. 

Whenever visitors come to Hong Kong, they are amazed at the density of high-rise buildings that house the city’s population of 7.3 million residents. Some towers go as high as 60 floors. This skyscraper phenomenon is due to Hong Kong’s geographical profile. Much of the city’s 425 square miles is hilly terrain, which is not suitable for construction. 40% is zoned for country parks and nature reserves. Thus, less than 25% of the land is developed for commercial and residential use.