This year is a meaningful year for Hong Kong Christian Service. For half a century we lived a testimony of serving Hong Kong through holistic community services.

We would like to, first and foremost, bestow our thanksgiving to God. We are equally grateful to our executive committee members, colleagues, volunteers and the community of Hong Kong. At this stage, a unique agency image, an upgraded service quality, a well-attended resource base and an expanded network in the community are the pertinent goals for us. To reach these goals, various task forces have been formed to carry out such missions.

The prelude of this celebrating year was the 'Mangrove-planting program' organized solely for us by the Friends of the Earth on April 13. Mangrove is a habitat for marine organisms and also acts as a natural habitat to filter wastewater. It is planted to protect coastline and enhance the environment. We took this symbolic gesture to show our determination in cultivating a harmonious living environment for our community.

The program had brought together our colleagues and their families, our volunteers and our service clients. It served to bring a sense of unity among our organization.

A number of activities and programs with intended themes will take place all through this year. A special seminar for social service practitioners will be held on May 29. While we recognize that social service models are challenged by rapid changes, we facilitate an opportunity for practitioners to tackle and to examine the evolution of an Integrated Service Model. Such would be considered a practice to strengthen our service quality. By the end of the year, a second seminar will be organized focusing on 'Promoting Excellence and Innovation'. During the event our different services will be introduced and exhibited.

A special newsletter edition will also be published. In addition, a Fiftieth Anniversary Thanksgiving Worship and Dinner will be arranged in the latter half of the year. All the events put together specially for this celebrating year will be updated in our 'fiftieth anniversary' web page.

With the king-size poster hung on the outside wall of the Headquarter and our fiftieth anniversary advertisement posted in the mass transit railway stations, we are proud and happy to share with the community our loyalty and our commitment, i.e., Affirming our Foundation, Bringing Hope to the Future.