Category: CEDAR Blog

The Lent – Reflection on Creation Care

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) Before joining CEDAR, I knew little about issues such as caring for creation and climate justice; I only knew some environmental protection concepts. However, this was easier said than done, and my lifestyle was not environmentally friendly. Thankfully, I have learned more about the above issues since serving in CEDAR. My colleagues have become my role models and have gradually changed my lifestyle, such as buying fewer plastic drink bottles and sorting waste at home for recycling. Sometimes, temptations still exist – getting my favourite bottle of oolong tea when purchasing two omusubi at an omusubi shop. It was hard for me to say no to my favourite drinks for

Everyone’s Got a Role in Poverty Alleviation

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) At a morning assembly, we invited a climate expert to share. He mentioned the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ from the Bible and applied the characters in the parable to the context of climate change, prompting us to reflect. I was inspired, ‘What role do we play in the context of poverty alleviation? And what are our responsibilities?’ While reflecting on the ‘Good Samaritan,’ I associated the wounded person with people experiencing poverty. The wounded one was robbed, stripped of clothes, and beaten to near death, much like impoverished communities lacking resources. They not only struggle to get three meals a day but are also oppressed by unjust systems, suffering

Barefoot Walk 2024 Insights: Take This Step, Care for the Disaster-Stricken Poor

Written by: Ken Wong (Communications Officer) ‘I used to farm barefoot as well, and it didn’t hurt at all!’ a farmer from the farm shared with me as he passed by. ‘I used to run around barefoot, and my soles developed thick calluses; how could it hurt?’ Looking across to the path on the other side of the farm, I saw participants and staff from the Barefoot Walk struggling to walk barefoot over a stretch of sharp stones, finding it difficult to move forward. On 2 November, nearly two hundred participants in the Barefoot Walk journeyed to the Zen Organic Farm in Ta Kwu Ling, walking barefoot around the farm. Why do we choose to seek hardship? When

United in Christ to Restore Hope

Written by Winnie Fung (Chief Executive) ‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’ (Isaiah 43:19) The theme of the 20th Integral Alliance (IA) meeting this year is the ability to see God ‘doing a new thing’. It’s a challenging call, as it is easy to see darkness and despair in our world these days rather than hope and ‘new things’. But as Christians, we follow in His footsteps to care about the poverty and suffering in this world, and it is imperative that we practice the spiritual discipline of seeing God ‘doing a new thing’ and

Break Down Interpersonal Barriers through ‘Play’

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) I recently watched an anime show, ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc’. The family of Tanjiro, the anime’s main protagonist, was attacked by a demon, and only he and his sister survived, but his sister became a demon. To find a cure for his sister and avenge those he’d lost, Tanjiro joined the Demon Slayer Corps. Young comrades were trained to fight the demons. In one episode, their superior, Muichiro, was teaching them swordsmanship. Muichiro was often expressionless and trained them rigorously. His personality and training style made the trainees fearful, frightened and tired. Tanjiro knew that although Muichiro was strict, he was worried about the trainees

Learn to be like God – CEDAR Bible Study Insights

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) Earlier, on behalf of my fellowship, I invited a staff member from CEDAR to lead our fellowship Bible study. We explored God’s compassion for the poor, striving to emulate God. Both my fellow members and I benefited greatly from this experience. I want to share our insights with you in this issue of the CEDAR eNews. We studied the parable of the ‘Sheep and the Goats’ from Matthew 25. Before delving into the specific passage, the staff member guided us to first examine the context in which Jesus used this parable. In Matthew 24, as Jesus was leaving the temple, he told his disciples: ‘Not one stone here will be

Practising spirituality, rediscovering the goodwill of the Lord

Written by: Ken Wong (Communications Officer) We previously launched the ‘Lenten Prayer Guide’ (Chinese only) to help everyone cultivate a heart for creation care during this period. Our colleagues have also engaged in various practices during Lent. Some have abstained from eating beef to reduce carbon emissions, while others have chosen walking instead of short-distance transportation. As for myself, I chose to abstain from coffee and organised an outing with fellow brothers and sisters to clean up litter in the countryside. I hope to share some insights from my experience of abstaining from coffee here. The initial reason for choosing to give up coffee as part of the practice was the realisation of the environmental impact of coffee cultivation.

The Lord Rules over All

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) I recently heard a story about timelines in my church: A farmer prayed to the Lord for rain; otherwise, his rice harvest would fail due to a lack of water. At the same time, another person was repairing a barn’s roof, and he prayed to the Lord not to rain until the repair was completed. These two people prayed on different timelines of their lives. Man does not know all, but the Lord does. Eventually, it rained that night after the roof was repaired. The rain did not interfere with the work but irrigated the rice in time. The Lord merged the two timelines to best respond to His children’s

Marginalised Communities Oppressed under Caste Culture

Written by: Gloria Cheung (Senior Communications Officer) Two of our staff members and two pastors from a church supporting CEDAR’s ministry visited the Chitwan region in Nepal in mid-November. They visited Samari Utthan Sewa (SUS), a longstanding partner in the area, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Dalits, particularly vulnerable women and children. Dalits, labelled as the lowest ‘untouchable’ caste in the unequal caste system, are a group that is susceptible to trafficking and exploitation. CEDAR and our partner have established a community centre in the Chitwan region to combat human trafficking. We took a group photo in front of the centre. Two fellow pastors are learning about the latest developments in the ministry

2023 CEDAR Barefoot Walk: More Than We Could Ask For

Written by: Clara Chiu (Head of Partnership Development) We thank our Father for how real His help is. The Lord has boosted our staff’s morale through the Barefoot Walk when society’s sentiments are low, and offertory levels are trending down. Preparation for the Barefoot Walk usually takes a whole year. This time, we started to prepare the Barefoot Walk as early as 2020. Before COVID, we were in talks with Abounding Grace Baptist Church to co-organise the Barefoot Walk and agreed on the route in Tsz Wan Shan. Unfortunately, the pandemic has forced a delay in the activity, and it was not until 2023 that the two organisations could join hands to make it happen. We are incredibly