Pray in Unity for the City

"The Sichuan Relief Efforts - Hong Kong Christians in Prayer and Action" meeting was held at 3pm on 15 June 2008 at the Tsim Sha Tsui Baptist Church. This was the second prayer meeting on Sichuan relief work after the first meeting held on May 18. The convening organizations included the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union (HKCCCU), Jireh Fund and Media Evangelism. Every participant was given the latest edition of the "Pray for Peace upon China" prayer handbook and a prayer entitled "May the Lord Raise up Prayerful Hearts to Pray for Sichuan". This reminded the believers not to weaken their commitments to pray even when there was less news coverage of the event. The meeting began when the master of ceremonies gave the welcoming speech. An opening prayer was then made. The worship was led by the Amen Ladies Worship Team.

A short video produced by Media Evangelism on the current situation of Sichuan was first shown. Mrs. Chan, General Secretary of Jireh Fund, led a prayer of response. Mrs. Chan indicated that this year China was marked by frequent occurrence of natural and man-made disasters. A blizzard storm hit the central and southern China in January; a train crash incident occurred in Shangxi Province in April; and an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan in May. Three days after the earthquake, Mrs. Chan published a prayer handbook entitled "Pray for Peace upon China". During a meeting that took place earlier, she urged believers to pray for the crisis caused by the barrier lakes. At that time a member from the audience questioned why there was such a great need to pray. He could care less for the lives of these people endangered by the barrier lakes. The news on the following day reported that the actress Sharon Stone referred the Sichuan earthquake as an act of retribution. Both foreigners and the Chinese are bringing curses upon China. It was therefore necessary to remove such curses so that we could inherit blessings from God. Proverbs 11:11 said, "through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted." Mrs. Chan prayed that China would take refuge in the shadow of God's wings until the disaster has passed. She also prayed for rich blessings to come upon China. Last but not the least, she prayed that grace in the latter days would come to China in greater portions than those in former days.

James Hudson Taylor III, honorary Chief Executive Officer for MSI, attended the meeting and shared a message. He stated that the medical doctors from his organization began their ministry in Sichuan 14 years ago. At that time senior government officials from Beijing met with them and commended them for bringing the spirit of Christ to Sichuan. "The spirit of Christ" referred to serving others through self-sacrifice. Jesus said, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mt. 20:28a)

James Hudson Taylor III also shared from the experience of Nehemiah. "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." (Ne. 1:3) When Nehemiah heard such remarks, he immediately sat down and wept. He finally decided to return to Jerusalem and help in reconstruction. He said, "come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." (Ne. 2:17) After the earthquake in Sichuan, many people from in and out of China united together and supported the work in Sichuan. As Christians, our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. We need to adopt a holistic approach as we care for the physical life, bodies and souls. On the other hand, we notice that Nehemiah was neither a priest nor a prophet, but the king's cupbearer who was considered as a professional. At the same time, there are many professionals today who can easily access to places where pastors or ministers cannot. He urged us to offer our expertise for it is recorded in the book of Esther, "and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Est. 4:14)

Sharing by MSI

A representative from MSI shared the current situation in the cities and counties surrounding Sichuan and the medical services provided by his organization. Two weeks after the earthquake, they entered into the areas and provided medical services. The hospitals at certain counties were destroyed and many medical staff died. They assisted in rebuilding the hospital and provided training for the medical staff. They also provided tents, medical services, rebuilt schools and coordinated children ministry for other areas. It would take much time for reconstruction work to complete. More professionals are currently needed to assist in the reconstruction work especially those who speak fluent Mandarin or the Sichuan dialect, or those whose schedule allows them to temporarily stay for three months in the area.

Other Individuals

An individual involved in mission work at various places for the past 18 years also came on stage and shared his work. From June 9 to June 12 he and eight other volunteers (from South Korea, United States, Canada and Hong Kong) traveled to Sichuan to support the relief work. They witnessed the severity of the disaster and were filled with sadness. What was thankful was that there were brothers and sisters from different cities and provinces who voluntarily traveled to Sichuan to assist the relief work. May the believers in and out of China unite together and launch long-term reconstruction work, for it is written in the Scriptures, "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecc. 4:12)

A representative from the E.F.C.C. Yan Fook Church said that the church had started a counseling training course on dealing with psychological traumas. The course is expected to equip individuals to launch counseling and caring ministry for the earthquake victims at Sichuan. He said that at least three churches were destroyed, and the foundation of 11 churches became unstable because of the earthquake. He would travel to Sichuan on June 18 to support the work there.

Pray for the Relief Work

Mrs. Chan, General Secretary of Jireh Fund, shared how the Lord used the prayers of believers to resolve the crises posed by the barrier lakes. First, we thanked the Lord for enabling our national leaders to become aware of the problems posed by barrier lakes, who in turn mobilized the hydraulic experts and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to handle the crisis. When Mrs. Chan read about the news concerning how the barrier lakes were described as "posing extreme risks", a Scriptural verse appeared in her heart: "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire." (Ps. 46:9) At once she used this verse and prayed that the Lord would resolve the crises posed by these barrier lakes. From May 23 to May 26, this prayer was advertised in the local newspaper urging believers to pray in unity. During the news report on June 11, it reported that the crises posed by the Tong Jia Shan barrier lake have been resolved. It amazed us when a reporter made the following statement: "The knife hanging above our heads did not harm anyone".

Next, Mrs. Chan continued to pray that the audience would lend support to the affected areas. We might not be able to travel in person to Sichuan and take part in the reconstruction work; however, it is also important to pray for the work of the frontline workers so that their work may become successful. This is also a way to train our hearts to be fervent in prayer.

Rev. Ying-ngok Yu, an executive board member from HKCCCU, led the congregation in prayer for the Lord's comfort to come upon all the family members of the deceased, sustaining them through difficult days that lay ahead.

Next, a telephone hotline counselor from Media Evangelism said they have received many phone calls from those who witnessed the disaster on television. These people said they experienced difficult emotions. These negative experiences might have usually originated from the callers' own experiences, which in turn led them to become helpless, hopeless and sad. There were also long-term chronic patients who called and said they were the lucky ones compared to the earthquake victims. Next, the hotline counselor led the congregation in prayer and asked the Lord to help the psychologically wounded who had witnessed the disaster.

Afterwards, a brief video on prayer was shown to the audience. It was entitled "May the Lord Remember Every Warrior". These warriors included the 4,500 PLA soldiers who risked their lives as they made landings in their parachutes; firefighters who risked their lives to rescue those in the disaster zones; a teacher who spread his hands and saved four students from falling debris; reporters capturing scenes with their cameras as they fought against falling rocks when they retreated their steps. The video greatly touched the audience. May the Lord richly bless these warriors and that their work would be remembered by the Lord. Next, a representative from Jireh Fund prayed for the Lord to raise up prayerful hearts to continually pray for Sichuan. Last but not the least, another pastor came on stage and prayed for the spirit of Christ to become the foundation of all rescue operations.

After prayer, a sister led the congregation in a hymn response. The hymn was about how we could rely on the Rock and enjoy peace amid the destruction brought by the storms. When we look upon our loving Lord, we know that He is from everlasting to everlasting. The congregation followed as she led them to sing the hymn.

Last but not the least, Mrs. Chan, General Secretary of Jireh Fund, urged believers to continually pray for Sichuan. She also urged them to participate in the rescue and reconstruction efforts in Sichuan. Toward the end of the meeting, Rev. Ying-ngok Yu pronounced a benediction for the congregation.