More than 1,000 Christians gathered in Hong Kong on Dec. 5 for a united prayer service commemorating the victims of the five-alarm fire that devastated Hong Fu Court in Tai Po on Nov. 26, destroying thousands of homes and killing 159 people. The event, held at EFCC Yan Fook Church, also drew about 900 participants online.

The prayer meeting, titled “Christ Among Us”, was organized by the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union (HKCCCU) to support affected residents through prayer, solidarity and pastoral presence. Booths outside the venue offered cards and gospel tracts for believers to share comfort and blessings with their communities.

“Christ Among Us” – Jesus, the One Who Enters the Ashes

Rev. Tong Wing-mun (唐榮敏), President of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, preached on “Christ Among Us – The One Who Enters the Ashes”.

He recalled Christians wearing “God loves the world, Jesus loves you” vests during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, only to face a survivor’s angry rebuke after losing nearly his entire family of 11. He admitted the Wang Fuk Court fire raises the same struggle: “Why does this happen if God loves the world? How can we say ‘Jesus loves you’?”

Rev. Tong emphasised that Christ is among us, not a bystander but God sharing human suffering. “Where is Christ in suffering? His footprints are in the fire scene; he weeps with the bereaved. Serving the least is serving the Lord.” Christ became flesh, enduring humiliation to understand those who lose family.

He urged believers beyond prayer to accompany the broken-hearted, cross denominational lines, and witness unity in tears.

Rev. Lam Yat-kwan: Bereaved, Testifying Love in Suffering

Rev. Lam Yat-kwan(林一君), Senior Pastor of Hong Kong Lutheran Church Diamond Hill Church and a Wang Fuk Court bereaved family member, shared her loss of three relatives.

Her mother called in panic on fire day; news footage of seven blocks ablaze revealed the scale. The family waited agonisingly at Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School, enduring false hopes at hospitals and bloodshot-eyed vigils. Leading prayer drew strangers, bringing hope amid despair.

At Kwong Fuk Community Centre for identification, the suffocating hall and still faces in photo albums haunted her. Bodies found in sleeping posture with ID cards shocked her: family begged her as pastor to pray for resurrection, but she broke down until a co-worker urged her to grieve as family first.

Seeing remains unlike their living selves evoked Genesis 3:19: “Dust you are, and to dust you return.” With over 30 still missing, recovering our family members' bodies was itself a grace.

Praying Together: Love Unceasing, Faith Unshaken, Hope Unextinguished

Executive directors from various denominations, with representatives from Evangelical Free Church of China, Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, Christian and Missionary Alliance Church Union in Hong Kong, and Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong, led Scripture and prayer.

Five themes covered: duty martyrs, bereaved, and frontline workers; deceased families’ grief, injured treatment, eyewitness trauma; church unity and government-NGO cooperation; transitional housing, rebuilding, life adjustment; believers’ loving care and steadfast faith-hope.

Rev. Chan Tak-cheong (陳德昌), Union Vice-Chairman of HKCCCU, prayed earnestly for victims, servers, rebuilding, and the weak in darkness. He prayed that comfort “shine like the stars of heaven upon every lonely night” and that acts of service “blossom into hope amid devastation.” He concluded: “Let love endure, let faith stand firm, and let hope remain unextinguished.”

Church union mobilizes emergency support for affected residents

HKCCCU launched a series of support measures immediately after the fire. From its emergency relief fund, it allocated HK$400,000 (about US $51,400) to frontline partner churches and social service agencies, while also appealing for donations from member congregations.

The union activated its ministries to provide practical assistance, including:

• Elderly care services offering fully subsidized short-term beds for seniors from Hong Fu Court needing palliative support

• Cemetery and funeral ministries waiving certain fees for bereaved families

• Pastoral and social work support, coordinating volunteers, counselors and church networks to assist affected households

The union stated it would continue accompanying residents through the long process of recovery and rebuilding, seeking to be a tangible expression of Christ’s love in the midst of tragedy.