July 11, 2007

“Live Earth” in Hong Kong

Dear Friends,

I’ve been part of a struggling Christian environmental concern group in Hong Kong for several years. Though each member is truly committed to environmental protection, we haven’t made much impact beyond a few sermons and letters. We’re a small, informal committee that meets periodically under the umbrella of Hong Kong Christian Council.

Christians join together for Live Earth in Hong Kong.

A month ago in our committee meeting, one member, Howard Lai, brought up the idea of holding an event on 7-7-07, the day of the 24-hour Live Earth concert on global warming. I had my doubts, since July 7 was only two weeks away. But Howard thought this was the perfect chance to launch our first public event. He stepped up to the plate and agreed to be the organizer. How could we say no?

So, we kicked into high gear. And to our amazement, things rapidly fell into place. We got the venue free of charge. A guest speaker from the HK Observatory agreed to give a talk. Banners, Powerpoint, computer and sound systems, petitions, programs—all were readied in record time. In the countless emails that flew back and forth, we kept reminding ourselves that we would just try our best and leave the results to God.

On the day of the event, we were finally ready. Then we prayed someone would come!

It wasn’t a large crowd, around 50 people. But each person represented someone who wanted to share his or her heartfelt concern for our Earth with other Christians in Hong Kong. Watching the event unfold, I was impressed by the level of discussion about global warming based on solid scientific evidence. I listened to how climate change has already negatively impacted Hong Kong’s weather patterns and what global warming would mean to the future of China. I applauded an outstanding wind and solar energy project presented by senior high students. I bellowed out “This is My Father’s World.” I signed a petition asking the Hong Kong government to seriously tackle global warming.

But most of all, I watched our committee members—Howard, Chris, Calli, Charles, Hoi Wing, Hans, Janet and Paladin—as they exercised the marvelous gifts God gave them. Some are scientists with Ph.Ds., others are experts in the Environmental Protection Department; two are teachers with strong backgrounds in environmental education, and there were even a couple of ministers thrown in the bunch. This no doubt was our finest hour as “Christians for Eco-concerns.”

There are other green groups in Hong Kong. But Christians for Eco-concerns is committed to environmental education and action in churches from a faith perspective. We want Christians to understand that caring for the environment is essentially a spiritual matter, because we’re all called to be stewards of God’s creation.

“Live Earth” was a blessing to the world and certainly for us in Hong Kong. It gave us just the boost we needed to remember that there is something each of us can do to heal the planet:

• Support research on the relationship between climate change and health, environment, resources, etc.
• Support education, warning, and protection concerning the environment.
• Invest in renewable energy sources like solar power and wind power.
• Petition the government to tackle climate change in your town, city, or state.
• Get your church involved in the Christian environmental movement.
• Most of all, live a thrifty lifestyle!

In the peace of Christ,

Judy Chan

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 244