Sailing forward amid the waves in unity

 

In November 2021, Rev. Dr. So Shing Yit Eric (hereafter referred to as Rev. So) retired and stepped down as the Chairman of the Management Committee of HKCS. Since 1999, he had joined HKCS as the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Council, and took over as the Chairman of the Management Committee in 2012. Rev. So has served in the Committee for 22 years. Along with his retirement, he looked back at starting point of this place and recalled his original calling. "HKCS was originally comprised of several Christian service groups, mirroring the spirit of 'oneness'. The crucial thing about this spirit is that we serve people in need regardless of the denomination or background".

Rev Dr So Shing Yit Eric　Former Chairman（2012-2021）

Serving people with the root of Christianity

As an agency rooted in the Christian faith, what direction should it go forward to serve the public? Rev. So offered the answer to the "Trinity" of God - "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit". He said, "'Therefore be perfect as your God in heaven' in Matthew 5:48 means 'love' that shares no boundaries. God created the heaven and the earth, and treats everyone with equality regardless of their behaviour, gender, race, and status. When we emulate God to provide services to people, we should not distinguish who is worthy of help and prioritise a person over another. On the contrary, we should try our best to offer assistance according to their needs".

 

Another important direction is to demonstrate the spirit of "self-sacrifice" of the Son. Rev. So continued: "Today, we often ask about cost-effectiveness? However, by walking in the spirit of Christ, we will not be calculating. On the opposite, we will always ask ourselves, how much can we do for others? It may not generate immediate effect. However, being able to deliver a glass of 'clean water' to those in need in a timely manner is like the valuable rain in the desert. Therefore, we must keep in mind that from Jesus Christ, we should learn to be servants and serve people".

 

Rev. So quoted the book of Galatians to describe the characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and elaborated on the quality of service. He said, "When we choose food, we should not only pay attention to the appearance, but also the nutritional value of the food. When a fellow is providing the service, professional excellence of the agency is of cruciality, but whether the service will bring a little more sweetness to the lives of the recipients is even more important. The beneficiaries can feel the power of 'peace' and 'love' in the midst of difficulties and distress." Rev. So quotedthe nine qualities of the Holy Spirit "love, joy, peace, patience, clemency, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and temperance", to encourage our fellow co-workers and serve as our "evaluators of services".

 

Walking with the underprivileged

Since our establishment 70 years ago, HKCS has always adhered to the original calling of "walking with the underprivileged and disadvantaged". Rev. So highlighted several groups that deserve the attention of our fellows in recent years, including homeless group, ethnic minorities and youth. He said that homeless people have different personal backgrounds, such as age, education level, marital status, mental status, etc., and the causes of homelessness are different. However, the commonality is that the current social welfare policies fail to provide sufficient support. In addition, Rev. So pointed out that many ethnic minorities are involved in the industries with demanding physical labour such as "food delivery" and " construction works". "Does this show that they still encounter difficulties in their careers? We can think about how to further provide them with services and empower them to be more self-reliant."

Rev. So cares about the younger generation. Hong Kong has experienced a series of social conflicts. The mass public is making their decision around leaving or staying, whilst many young people still choose to live in Hong Kong. Rev. So encourages his fellows to pay more attention to young people's thoughts in the future. He said, "Young people still have a long way to go. In the face of the changing social situation in Hong Kong, we need to walk with them, share their joys and sorrows, look forward to the future together, and encourage them to ignite their motivation and pursue their ideals". "Enlighten yourself instead of cursing the darkness", he encouraged young people to start a new page in their lives.

What do we lack apart from professionalism?

How can we better implement the three missions of "Instil Hope, Advocate Justice, Promote Harmony"? Rev. So said, "Returning to the origin of HKCS, we do not count the number of service projects we do each year, nor do we constantly amplify the slogan of our missions. In turn, what we value is the attitude and values possessed by our every fellow".

He recalled a story shared by a former superintendent of a Christian hospital in his early years. The superintendent once visited his friends in a hospital, during which a nurse conducted daily check-up on his friends. After the nurse had finished her duty, he thanked her, but the nurse left without looking back. "The nurse's performance was very professional. However, she did not say a word of condolences to the patient in the ward at all." The former superintendent shared, "Every colleague needs to work professionally and must also be respectful and possess a heart full of compassion. A simple word of condolence would give the patient a little more warmth, wouldn't it?"

"The missions advocated by HKCS are based on the quality of life, values and attitudes of each of our fellow coworker." Rev. So said, "Our fellow should let others feel hopeful no matter what environment we encounter. We have to emphasise fairness and justice, promote being in peace with others and let the service recipients be aware of our missions".

Encouraging the fellows to unite as one

"It is not easy for an organisation to go through 70 years of history, especially since Hong Kong has undergone considerable changes since the post-war 1950s", said Rev. So. "HKCS has also changed and adapted to the needs of the Hong Kong society, and has always adhered to its position".

 

Returning to the original calling, Rev. So encourages the fellows with the spirit of "unity"— "HKCS grows and coexists with the Hong Kong society as always. All coworkers would uphold the goals, values, mission and beliefs embedded upon the establishment of the agency. We have to unite as one. Together, our services will help the people of Hong Kong. No matter what difficulties and challenges we encounter, we will walk with them".