Dear mission partners,

There is a Chinese saying called “hold the Buddha’s feet in a hurry” (or “do something at the eleventh hour” in English). We often use it to describe someone who is ill-prepared and scrambling to find solutions only after problems have become too urgent to ignore. I think many people have reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic in a similar way over the past year. They started to look for answers to questions about life when faced with crisis and death. Even Christians were feeling anxious, wondering about the directions of the pandemic and the world.

The truth is, we already have a guidebook for life. As children of God, we have been given instructions from Him through the Bible. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT). The Bible tells us about God, about the future and the end of this world. It tells us how we shall live our days here and now, and how we shall respond when we face challenges. We are to hide God’s Word in our hearts and let His Word be a lamp to guide our feet and a light for our path. In times of trouble, we will not be afraid because we know God is our shelter and strength.

Of course, it is no easy task to read and understand the Bible on our own. We probably had the experience of reading through Genesis but unable to “leave Egypt” (finish Exodus). We may find that the Bible is filled with “narratives that don’t add up, laws that are boring and tedious, poetry that has no logic, wisdom words that are too deep, prophecies that are fuzzy, parables that are confusing, the gospel that is repeated four times, personal letters that are abstract and baffling, and revelations that are mystifying.” How do we come to an accurate understanding, interpretation, and application of the biblical text?

Over the years, COCM’s ministry of Equipping has been focused on helping believers to be rooted in God’s Word, and we have organised various Bible Camps. This June, our Bible Camp will be divided into two parts on 3-5 and 10-12, aiming to help everyone to understand the principles for reading and interpreting the different genres in the Bible. There will be a total of 12 sessions, each session lasts 2 hours.

The COCM team has made extensive research and thorough preparation for this Bible Camp, resulting in a rich collection of teaching materials. I believe this is a great opportunity for brothers and sisters from different churches and fellowships to come together online to study the Bible and apply God’s Word to our lives. Please sign up and invite others to join this ‘Bible Reading’ camp.

On 12 June, COCM will host the second “Walk with You in a Foreign Land” event to welcome newcomers from Hong Kong to the UK. Recently, we have seen a wave of HK new immigrants in the UK, and it is said that more of them will arrive this summer. The COCM staff team has partnered with pastoral leaders from many Chinese Churches to share resources and work together to welcome, receive and assist the large influx of new immigrants. We hope that through this event, they can find out more about life in the UK and get to know more about Chinese churches in different cities, so they can settle down and, more importantly, find a spiritual home here.

Please pass on the news of this welcome event to your friends in the UK or HK who might be interested. We hope they will discover that even after they move to a foreign land, God’s presence and protection are there for them, brothers and sisters in God’s family are also there to walk with them.

Give thanks to God! No matter how long or short we have lived in the UK, regardless of the different experiences we have had in the past, we are all God’s children. May the Lord help us to follow His example, to become one in His love, to be light and salt in this crooked world. May God’s Word continue to urge us to help those around us who are in need. May our actions testify that God’s love and grace are among us.

Serving together in Christ

General Director Rev Henry Lu