Dear CEDAR friends and supporters,
Someone once speaks of the difference between charity and justice: ‘Charity makes people happy but keeps them in an unjust system, while justice frees people from that system.’ At CEDAR, we believe both charity and justice are what God has called us to fight for, as together, they pertain to a vision of human flourishing that is part of God’s will for His creation.
We are most grateful for each of you who is partnering with us in this Kingdom work. We believe in the power of partnership, networks and collaboration. We are delighted to partner with 58 churches and schools this year in our annual Red Packet Campaign to raise funds to provide quality education to poor children in five countries. We thank Renew Our World for sharing their ‘Carbon Fast’ guide with us to translate and adapt for our Lenten Prayer Guide (Chinese only). We hope to raise awareness for creation care and to encourage brothers and sisters to take small, practical steps to shape a world that reflects God’s love for all creation.
This is also the first year we partner with the Asia Academy of Practical Theology to conduct a workshop series on ‘Doing Unto Jesus’ (Chinese only). We thank Dr Sarah Shea for leading this practical theology workshop. Upcoming is also a prayer meeting (Chinese only) devoted to climate justice and praying for our partners in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, who are training farmers to grow climate-resilient crops and adopt conservation agriculture techniques.
On the humanitarian front, we continue our 20-year partnership with Integral Alliance to bring humanitarian aid to people in neglected crises, particularly in Lebanon, Syria, and Afghanistan. Cyclone relief and winter assistance are also something we do every year, but our focus has been more on disaster preparedness and not just on disaster relief.
A lot of the countries we work in are becoming increasingly hostile to Christian faith communities, including certain countries in South Asia. Please continue to pray for our partners who are working in countries where Christians are the minority and where a public proclamation of one’s faith can lead to violence and persecution. Giving up one’s physical security and social status in order to stand with the poor and the marginalised is a choice that our partners have made, and we are proud to stand with them and for them.
Thank you for standing with CEDAR. We are grateful that God’s work is always done in community. May we continue to learn how to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’ and, in the process, fully experience God’s love for the poor.
Your sister in Christ,
Winnie Fung
Chief Executive