The Spiritual Discipline of “Going into the Community”

Spiritual Formation before Semester Starts

　　At HKBTS, the new school year begins in August and every year we prepare our teachers and students for the new school year with a 3-day-2-night “Spiritual Formation Camp.” In January, the new semester begins with “Spiritual Formation Day.”

　　By beginning the new school year and the new semester with Spiritual Formation Camp and Spiritual Formation Day, we try to show through our action that the seminary takes the spiritual development of our teachers and students very seriously. A theologian once said, “Prayer without study would be empty; study without prayer would be blind.” In theological education, study and prayer are inseparable. We learn to live a collective life in the Spiritual Formation Camp: we worship together, listen to sermons together, and engage in group sharing. Each year the Spiritual Formation Day focuses on a different aspect of spiritual growth for both teachers and students to learn about and reflect on.

The Spiritual Discipline of “Going into the Community”

　　The theme for the Spiritual Formation Day on January 16 was “Going into the Community.” In the morning, all our teachers and students attended a talk by Dr. Freeman Huen on “Sowing the Seeds of Change: A Practical Guide” at the Sai O Campus. In the afternoon, teachers and students were divided into seven groups and each joined a guided tour around one of five districts in Kowloon to learn about the real lives of people in those communities.

　　The idea for this year’s Spiritual Formation Day came into being in January of last year. Following last year’s Spiritual Formation Day, in the discussion with our president, Dr. Joshua Cho, on the arrangements for the Spiritual Formation Day this year, I suggested that teachers and students should get hands-on experience with the real Hong Kong by taking community guided tours or volunteering at Christian organizations, for example. This is because modern practical theology emphasizes real-life experience in faith followed by interdisciplinary consolidation and theological reflection. The development of evangelicalism also supports the idea. Since Rev. John Stott and the Lausanne Movement, evangelicalism has been affirming that “evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty.” President Cho also agrees with the idea.

　　In fact, this is what President Cho advocates too. Here is an excerpt from “An Integrated Mission — Good News for the Poor?” He writes that “…the goal of preaching the gospel is not only the proclamation of the knowledge of salvation but also the transformation of lives. …an integral mission which goes beyond persuading others to believe in the gospel by word of mouth. It is also an action: an action of love (Mt 22:37-39). …to love one’s neighbors is to practice this integral mission. Through the power of love, the preaching of the gospel and social ministry are integrated. …mission is the transformation of love, making others Jesus’ disciples and glorifying God in society…. The purpose of the church is to bring about life transformation at all levels through the power of the Holy Spirit and through loving our neighbors, especially the poor. The result is that a diverse group comes together and everyone in our midst experiences the love of Jesus Christ.” (Joshua Wai-tung Cho, “An Integrated Mission — Good News for the Poor?” in Forging of Theologia: Eight Years of Impression, 128-132)

Community Guided Tours and Sowing the Seeds of Change

　　From that time on I had been paying attention to the news and social media to see how the idea might be realized. In June last year I contacted pastor Kung Wai-lok, who was a minister at a church before devoting himself to serve the community of Yau Ma Tei. He is doing a Master of Theology at HKBTS and is currently serving at a church in Tin Shui Wai. I shared with him the idea and asked for his help in inviting Christians serving different communities to be our guides who could show our teachers and students around in community guided tours. In September last year I learnt that Dr. Huen of our seminary would share about the practical operation of “Sowing the Seeds of Change” in a local missionary event series, so I invited him to share with us on the Spiritual Formation Day. Thus the plan for the Day began to take shape.

　　My gratitude goes to Dr. Huen for his introduction in the morning, which gave us all a rough idea about what to expect and pay attention to before we went on the tour so that we would not lose focus and waste the opportunity. I would also like to thank pastor Kung for his coordination and arrangement. With his help we divided more than 100 teachers and students into seven groups, which then had lunch at five districts (Yau Ma Tei, To Kwa Wan, Tai Kok Tsui, Shek Kip Mei, and Sham Shui Po) before having community guided tours. HKBTS would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the ten brothers and sisters in Christ who led guided tours for us. Some of them are church ministers; some work at Christian organizations; some are volunteers; and some are former clients of Christian organizations. A big “thank you” for all your help!

Prayer for “Going into the Community”

　　The theme for this year’s Spiritual Formation Day is “Going into the Community,” which is, strictly speaking, inaccurate: we have been living in Hong Kong all along, and we never left the community. The church as a religious group has always been part of society. Unfortunately, more and more non-Christians find the church disconnected from reality.

　　On the Spiritual Formation Day, I said the opening prayer, which is based on Matthew 9:35-38: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages… When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (NIV) May we follow the example of Jesus Christ and have compassion on those who are harassed and helpless.