The Chinese Union Mission (CHUM) held its 2017 annual council on December 5 and 6, 2017, at the Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital, Hong Kong. Delegates from the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD), headed by its newly elected president Kim SiYoung, along with Hong Kong-Macao Conference staff and institutional workers, and the representatives from the UT (Unorganized Territory), attended the two-day meeting.
All the attendees were blessed with good reports from different CHUM departments, ministries and its affiliated institutions. By the end of November, 300 evangelistic meetings were held across the CHUM territory. The number of people in the audience reached 80,000. More than 3,400 people were baptized in 2017. The charitable work of the church was also strong. Hong Kong Adventist Hospital helped with a fund-raising lunch in May with the theme “Women of Hope.” A total of USD350 was raised. The development department of CHUM, under the directorship of Audrey Folkenberg, collected nearly one million US dollars from donors worldwide. CHUM staff participated in local volunteer services for more than 250 hours.
For evangelism in 2018, a new book, The Power of Hope, was dedicated by a special ceremony led by Kim SiYoung and Robert Folkenberg, Jr., president of CHUM. The Adventist Church plans to distribute the book to the public for outreach in 2018.
Another memorable event was the dedication service for the newly renovated CHUM office located in Shatin, Hong Kong. On the morning of December 6th, all delegates were invited to tour the new office, listening to the history of the office and appreciating the need for renovation. Pastor Kim SiYoung prayed, asking God to bless the CHUM staff and the new facilities for better and more services to the Lord.
Despite the ever-changing and growing challenges in its territory, CHUM looks forward to another successful year in 2018.