At the beginning of this new year, I sincerely extend my blessings to the NPAC family: May God grant us the wisdom and stature of Christ, so that we may grow in favor with both God and man (Luke 2:52).

       As we grow older, we naturally desire an ideal height and physique, with our organs functioning effectively and our mental and emotional well-being developing healthily. If our spiritual lives are to attain the wisdom of Christ, we must follow His example in revering God and becoming those who know the Holy One (Luke 2:40; Proverbs 9:10). This is why the teachers in the temple were amazed by Jesus’ questions, understanding and answers (Luke 2:46-47). Thanks be to God, He has brought us wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption through Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). Because of this, we must actively fulfill the teaching: “Proclaim the gospel, lead people to Christ, and establish the church,” demonstrating that the church is a community in the Heavenly Father’s house which obeys His command to make disciples of all nations.

       Over the past 70 years since the NPAC was founded, we have planted 25 churches. In the 1980s, our former Senior Pastor, Rev. Philip Teng, while serving as the Chairperson of the Christian & Missionary Church Union Hong Kong, drew up a ten-year growth plan for C&MA Hong Kong. The plan encouraged member churches to initiate church planting efforts in various districts. During the past 40 years, NPAC has sent out hundreds of brothers and sisters to serve in church planting ministries in different districts to establish church communities and provide life education and community services for various age groups, students, women, the grassroots, and new immigrants to Hong Kong. In the process of planting churches all these years, God has given us four aspects of learning: 1. Be committed to spreading the gospel widely and win the unreached for God; 2. Pray for deeper spiritual life and imitate Christ in shepherding lives; 3. Bear witness through a life of service using gifts in response to God’s calling; and 4. Establish effective operational structures to utilize and share resources effectively.

       The Lord Jesus not only calls us to pray for workers to be sent to the harvest field but also to go into towns and villages to seek out those who are lost and weary and lead them into the Kingdom of Christ (Matthew 9:35-36; Colossians 1:13-14). During the retreat for C&MA pastors three years ago, God reminded C&MA Hong Kong to pay attention to the gospel needs of the new immigrants to Hong Kong. Many among them have never heard the gospel or received the grace of Christ. In response, at the end of last year, NPAC hired pastoral staff for future church planting. At the Chinese New Year Worship Service, we also collected offerings for the ministry of evangelism and church planting among new immigrants in preparation for planting new churches. The NPAC family’s fulfilment of the mission of church planting has nothing to do with boasting about abundant resources or manpower. Rather, it is about faithfully following God’s will and living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27). I sincerely invite brothers and sisters to walk together in unity on the path of fulfilling the mission of church planting. May God encourage and strengthen us, guiding us once again to enlarge the place of the tent of the Kingdom of Christ, stretch the tent curtains wide, lengthen the cords, and strengthen the stakes (Isaiah 54:2-3).