10. Hong Kong: Update on the ‘Sun Pilot’ Bible Reading Initiative
By Matthew Wong
‘I am studying in a Taoist school. Sun Pilot helps me to stand firm to my beliefs, encouraged by my church leader’
‘If it weren’t for the Sun Pilot Campaign, I think I could only read five books of the Bible during my whole life. But now, I’ve read nearly 40 books!’ said Tang Wai-Lung, a Hong Kong student.
SU Hong Kong started the Sun Pilot Bible reading campaign in October 2005, encouraging secondary school students to join. Partnering with churches and schools has helped the campaign reach more and more young people. Each year about 110 churches and schools in Hong Kong and Macau churches join the campaign, introducing 4,000 teenagers to the one year Bible plan.
Hong Kong had abundant Christian resources, yet lacked a platform for the Christian community to carry out a long-term systematic Bible reading plan. Sun Pilot was started to fill the gap, especially meeting the needs of teenagers. It has three major parts: the three year Bible plan, Bible activities and rewards. Many churches and schools use Sun Pilot when they want to encourage youngsters to read Bible.
Emily Chan sharing in an award giving ceremony
In 2005 much effort was put into promoting Sun Pilot. Since then word of mouth has encouraged participation. There will be further promotion before October 2008 as some young people have completed the three year cycle. Our aim is to recruit others to join the new cycle.
The key effort since 2005 has been publishing the Sun Pilot Bible notes. In the new cycle, SU staff will focus on developing more attractive Bible activities for participants and on providing Bible study materials that follow the reading schedule, igniting group dynamics among participants.
Sun Pilot has become the primary Bible reading campaign for SU Hong Kong. The With All Your Hearts Campaign was launched in October 2007 and aims to promote Bible reading with Christians of all ages. Teenagers who have completed the three year Sun Pilot plan can join this campaign and continue to use SU material.
Emily, a Form 5 Sun Pilot participant writes, ‘I am studying in a Taoist school. Sun Pilot helps me to stand firm to my beliefs, encouraged by my church leader. I have started a quiet-time group at my campus. We meet two to three times a week.’
Please pray that: participants read the Bible daily, opening their hearts to God’s transformation through His Word; and that more people will join the new cycle.
See the Sun Pilot website: http://sunpilot.hk
More about…
TANG Wai-Lung
Tang Wai-Lung is a F.5 student living in a public estate in Hong Kong. He joined Sun Pilot Campaign soon after he believed God. Encouraged by his pastor on the first stage, and attracted by the reward, he completed 2005-06’s plan and won the biggest prize that year.
“Sun Pilot helps me to establish my relationship with God and I can feel that my faith to Him has been built on a more solid ground. When I joined the second-year’s plan, I thought whether I had rewards or not was no longer a matter. The most important thing is to read Bible daily.” Tang said.
“If not by Sun Pilot Campaign, I think I can only read through 5 Books of Bible for my whole life. But now, I’ve read nearly 40 Books!”
Tang Wai-Lung’s life has been transformed by God through reading Bible. He finds that God especially changes his temper when he is dealing with family conflicts or quarrels among friends.
“God tells me to love one another and to live as a good Christian, I’ve learnt a lot from His Words.” Tang said.
Emily CHAN
Emily Chan is a F.5 student studying in a Taoist school. She moved to Hong Kong from Mainland China when she was studying primary school. She believed in Christ through introduction of her elder sister. After two years, as Sun Pilot started and her church became one of the participants, she began to build up her spiritual life.
“In my first 2 years after believing Christ, I found it was quite difficult to build a strong spiritual life and I felt that my faith was shallow. By practicing daily devotions after joining Sun Pilot, I know how to communicate with God. I’ve felt God is talking to me through His Words many times. My faith to God becomes stronger.” Emily said.
“Studying in a Taoist school, I dared not to express my faith in the school so much. And I was also afraid of being teased by my classmates as a Christian. After adopting daily Bible reading, I learn to stand firm for Christ in school and don’t mind what other people think. One day, when I put my Sun Pilot Bible notes on my desk, a classmate passed by and was attracted by the design of its cover. She asked, ‘What’s this book?’ At the beginning, I was quite scared to say it’s a Bible note. But God gave me courage and I began to explain why I read this book to her. You know what? Since then she followed me to go to church and later believed in God.” Emily said.
“I have some classmates who also go to my church. Encouraged by my church leader, I have started to form a quiet-time group in my campus. Christian classmates that I know may meet 2-3 times a week to do quiet time together. I see God’s great power! I have never imagine that I can do quiet time in the campus together with my classmates. God is building us” Emily said.
Web resources of Sun Pilot campaign:
Official website:
Photo album of Sun Pilot event:
http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/sunpilothk/
Theme song of Sun Pilot:
MP3 http://www.sunpilot.hk/sunpilot/themesong/MMM_v22Vocals.mp3
Music Video http://www.sunpilot.hk/sunpilot/themesong/themesongmv(s).wmv
About Matthew Wong
Matthew is the Youth Minister of SU Hong Kong. He joined SU Hong Kong in 2003 to start building its youth ministry. Apart from his ministry in SU, Matthew is also the deacon and youth leader of his own church.
