After telling the background and experience of Pishon Association, Rev. Weichen Huang continues to describe how the ministry develops, the methods to manage the problems of finances among the members, the productivity of the ministry and the future plans.
Sharing at gatherings relates closely to reality
Rev. Huang shared that these Christians from Hong Kong who are in mainland China are often times lonely and without someone to share their feelings and thoughts, Pishon has selected to use meal gatherings for praising and message sharing instead of adopting a typical gathering for service, so everyone can participate.
Furthermore, the messages shared in the gatherings are highly relevant to everyone’s life; Topics shared are often times relevant to their professions, family matters, love relationships, marriages, parenting issues, and the Great Commission of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Economic Partnerships Ensure “Five Wins”
At Pishon, everyone who wants to partner with another must follow the Five Wins principles (5W); Partnership must benefit both parties, God, China and Hong Kong, and Pishon Association.
Although it is difficult to follow all five principles, Rev. Huang expressed the absolute need for them.
Rev. Huang shared that it is actually very easy for brothers to talk about partnering with one another, but without experience many arguments arose in the beginning. In the process of facilitating, we came up with the 5W principles.
“If anyone does not follow the 5W principles in his cooperation with others, then I would remind him as part of my responsibility as the minister of the association. If he purposely ignores my reminders, then I will not make any good recommendations for that person.” said Rev. Huang.
Rev. Huang also said that they will soon develop a new system to better manage the problems of members lending money to each other.
Sharing the Gospel through Testimonies at Meal Gatherings
Rev. Huang said that many brothers in Pishon have spouses who are not Christians, yet the first group of people who came to believe in the Lord was their wives. The families that believe in the Lord are increasing more and more.
From Mar. 2006 till Jul. 2006, we held a total of 12 testimonies and meal gatherings to share the gospel with family, worker associates, and friends in Shenzhen, Quangzhou, and Dongong. There were approximately 900 attendants and 100 people who responded positively to faith.
The Act of Serving Brings Positive Influences
The Hong Kong natives who are working in Shenzhen are labeled by others as the “Nomadic Tribe”, which illustrates the great influence that affects their family members and their values. Pishon has coordinated topical training with trained professional ministers and volunteers to guide the Hong Kong natives in upper north in the aspects of work, family-related psychological issues, and to help manage the anxieties and insecurities of the family members in Hong Kong.
According to a statistical breakdown of over 300 standardized questionnaires provided by Hong Kong Chinese University Social Service Department and Statistics department, approximately 98.5% of the families of Hong Kong natives working in China have problems. For the Taiwanese, the statistics shows more than 99%. However, they found that the families belonging to Pishon Association are much healthier.
Rev. Huang shared his hope that the Hong Kong Christians here can bring a very positive influence to the society.
Future Ministry Fundraising Plans
In 2007-2008, Pishon Association has made numerous plans, and until March 2008 they are having a fundraising campaign with Seed Foundation to raise 840,000 HKD. The funds raised will be used for the following ministries:
1. Development of moving ministering and new meeting locations;
2. Nurturing the ministry of market place saints and meal gatherings testimonies (training of EQ in the market place and personal developments, etc.);
3. Support of the living expenses for the ministers and staffs;
4. Support the starting expenses for the service of ministering to the family members in Hong Kong and China of those working in China;
5. Purchase a set gathering and meeting location;
6. To plan and setup social service center and citizen established schools.
If you wish to support Pishon ministry, please visit the website at http://www.pishon-hk.org.
[Editor's note: the interview was conducted by reporter Yeajin Wang in Shenzhen, China.]
