The Archbishop praying for those who came up for the altar call
On Saturday afternoon, 17 May, the Diocese of Hong Kong Island held a Diocesan Gospel Rally at the school hall of SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School. The guest preacher of the day was the Most Revd Datuk Ng Moon Hing, who served as the fourth Bishop of West Malaysia and the fifth Archbishop of South East Asia. The Rt Revd Matthias Der gave the concluding address and blessing. The theme of the rally was set to be ‘Go where?’, and the key verse of the day was ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ (John 10:10b)
The participants, volunteers, and staff numbered 850, and those who answered the altar call and were willing to continue building their relationship with the church numbered 67.
The Archbishop began his sermon with his upbringing, and his own journey when he initially came across the gospel of Christ. He raised three questions that shape a life: ‘What do you eat? What do you do? And where do you go?’ He then offered an answer: ‘To eat properly, do what is right, and go to that place where you ought to go.’
On the subject of ‘eating’, Jesus once said, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.’ The Archbishop then pointed out that eating by itself merely sustains our life; what is important, then, is to eat the correct things, and eat them gladly. We do it gladly because we know our Heavenly Father is always there with us, helping and guiding us along the way. And to eat is to finish the work given to us by our Heavenly Father.
The Archbishop quoted from the scriptures again, ‘Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.’ That is, the wish of following the will of God is a matter of ‘doing’, and by doing so, we then will ‘know’.
Archbishop Ng delivering the sermon on ‘Go where?’
As for the question, ‘Go where?’, the Archbishop offered the passage where Simon Peter answered Jesus, saying, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ Without these words of eternal life, our lives would easily be stuck due to many trivial things. The Archbishop recalled how when he went to Melbourne to attend university, one of the first things he did was attending a gospel rally, and there is where he decided to follow Christ. It has now been 50 years, and he never regretted that day, because back then, he found the words of eternal life by following Jesus.
With these words of eternal life, we discover the simple comfort of peace and quietness, because we know where we are going. Even if our journey may not be smooth-sailing all the way, we can still find stability in life. In face of difficulties, we should pray, we should believe, and we should place our trust in Jesus. We should let go of our own worries, and allow Jesus to be our sure support.
The Archbishop reminded those present that they should seek out our Lord when it is possible to do so. Back in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, the fate of the church is steeped in uncertainty. The Archbishop urged the participants to take the chance present to them, and overcome their fears, taking their first step towards trusting God. The Lord grants us a rich and bountiful life, one where fear is no more, and peace overflows.
Bishop Matthias Der giving the concluding speech and blessing
Hymns, sand-painting, and testimonies
Other than the Archbishop’s preaching, the Gospel Rally also saw a round of music, jointly presented by the Revd Amos Poon, a Chaplain of St John’s Cathedral; Once Vocal, of the St John’s Cathedral Life Enrichment Centre; and Among Us, the Youth Fellowship of St John’s Cathedral. A highlight of the day was the theme song of the rally, ‘Inviting you oh Lord’, with its accompanying music video. The theme song’s composer, lyricist, arranger and producer was Peter Kwok Ka Chun from St Stephen’s Church, and the singer in the music video was Phillippa Tsui（徐善盈）.
Member of the church also came up the stage to give their testimonies, including Iris Leung（梁端容）, Susanna Tsang（曾蔚姍）, and the family of Leo Cheung（張凱傑）. In their testimonies, they shared how they experienced the grace of God in different stages of their lives. The day also saw Ma Chai, the sand-painting artist using his craft to show his touching witness of a Christian life. (Other than being a sand-painting artist, Ma Chai is also a volunteer preacher at The Covenant Church of The Church of Christ in China.)
At the entrance of the gospel rally were ten-odd little sheep, which has been chosen to be the mascots of the event. Participants were eager to take selfies with them.
Preparations for the Gospel Rally
Before the Rally proper, preparations were already at hand to publicise it and maximise the reach of the gospel. The organisers took the material provided by Archbishop Datuk and produced a short video ‘Ten steps of evangelising’ for YouTube. The Diocese also invited clergy to upload short clips promoting the event, that current church members can bring those around them who may yet to believe in Christ to come and attend.
One big focus of this Gospel Rally is the training of mission ministry. Of particular note is a training day for companions of those interested in the faith, held in April, with 53 church members joining. Participants learnt of the ways of walking with people who are interested in the faith, and those who have initially taken the plunge into it, accompanying them in their wondrous journey towards Christ.