HONG KONG – The largest Chinese Christian church umbrella group held a grand initiation ceremony for a foundation aimed at assisting organizations in the fields of education, charity, medical services, and other public services with funding.
Established in 2008 by the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union (HKCCCU), the “Walking Together Foundation” holds the motto of “Walking Together in Same Heart, Caring for the Social Groups.” The initiation ceremony and fund-raising event was held on Sept. 11 at Royal Plaza Hotel in Kowloon.
Rev. Ming-Tim Woo, the foundation’s chairman and the chairman of HKCCCU, said that the HKCCCU has always upheld the education of believers, the wide-spread proclamation of the gospel, and initiation of social-services as their duties, so the establishment of the “Walking Together Foundation” allows the churches and all sectors of the society to participate.
“We hope that people from all social sectors can eagerly participate in the development of ‘Walking Together Foundation’ and be a soldier who is willing to bear this responsibility, to use your ‘two coins’ to support the needs of the marginalized in the society, and to carry the mission of the society and the gospel,” said Woo.
Secretary for Home Affairs of Hong Kong Tak-Sing Tsang said that the principle of this foundation is coincidentally parallel to the government’s principle of establishing a harmonious society and the administering of rules and regulations; thus, it is worthy of encouragement.
Since the foundation has also set the support of ministries in mainland China as one of its responsibilities, Church leader from the mainland and the chairman of National Three-Self Patriotic Movement Protestant Churches Presbyter Fu Xianwei also showed up to show his support.
HKCCCU has already distributed 10 million HKD as the initiation funds, and they will distribute up to 20 million HKD more as a ‘1-to-1’ matching grant for any outside donations given to the foundation, which meant that for any dollar that the foundation received, the union will give 1 dollar to the foundation.
Tsang Tak-sing, Dr. Pang-Hua Lee, Presbyter Xian-Wei Fu, and Hong Kong Anglican Archbishop Paul Kwong, and other special guests participated in the ribbon-cutting and held up umbrellas that have been labeled with the foundation’s name, symbolizing their hope and desire to walk together with the same heart with those in Hong Kong who are battered in the rainstorms.
Founded in 1915, HKCCCU is consisted of around 320 Chinese Christian congregations and ministries and is the largest Christian church umbrella group in Hong Kong.
Reporter Sharon Chan from Hong Kong Contributed to this report.
