“Remember God is with us,” says Bishop Coadjutor Elect

Publish Date: 30-Sep-2020

The consecration service for the Very Revd Matthias Der to the Holy Order of Bishop will take place at 3:00pm on 3 October at St John’s Cathedral. Because of the pandemic, the service will be streamed online instead of being open to the public.

Echo interviewed the Very Revd Der on 9 September, the Bishop Coadjutor Elect, who is better known as Dean Der. He talked about the coming consecration service, his preparations for the new responsibilities and the many changes taking place in Hong Kong.

Dean Der said that nobody would know what would happen in the future aside from God, but any changes to come would bring new challenges to him as a bishop.

“We all should work together for the future. I believe the Church would be able to achieve certain things, but there are also other things that might put the Church in difficult situation. Each era brings its unique challenges. Perhaps what we are facing now is a norm if it is seen from the perspective of the tides of history. No matter what, being the Church charged with the mission of the Kingdom of Heaven, we should play our part well. I am convinced that God would guide and protect us.

“It is normal to have divergent voices within the Church. The challenge is how we embrace them with mutual love and respect. I hope the Church can achieve this and become a witness of God’s love on earth so that people know that ‘the Church represents God on earth’. However, we have to first admit that there are problems, but we are willing to communicate honestly.” Dean Der believed that many people anticipate the coming of such a moment. Therefore, he called on the faithful to seek God’s wisdom and leading. At the same time, he reminds the faithful not to overlook the importance of any of the Church ministries in the society, no matter how insignificant they seem.

Dean Der also pointed out, “God is with us and He has never left us, Hong Kong, or Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The question is whether we have turned to God through the grace and love of Jesus Christ.” He frankly admitted that at the time of the interview, he was not yet consecrated as a Bishop and it would be hard to say what he would do. However, he stressed the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit. He hopes that people would find common ground among their differences and learn to appreciate each other’s gifts.