Page 19 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity

10

On the Orientation programme, wo aro trying to enlist the
service of some church leaders both lay and ordained who know the
cultural and h istorical background of China and Kong Kong to give
lectures and to have informal discussions with missionaries. This
is a new joint venture. Although we s t ill cannot know the result
of the work of this Committee, yet we believe that by working to­
gether in this fie ld of service, we may be able to create an at­
mosphere of greater unity among the Christian groups.
As this Committee is trying to do something which is relevent
to the tota l life and work of the churches and yet in an almost
impossible situation, we sincerely hope that may have fu ll support
and cooperation, from both the Church headquarters abroad and the
Churches in Hong Kong. Huro we submit our brief report with a special,
request for your advice and prayers.

4. World Day of Prayer Committee

The World Day of Prayer Service in Hong Kong was not held at
the same time as the rest of the world because the fir s t Friday in
Lent was also the second day of the Lunar New Year Holiday. There­
fore the local service was held on Friday, 17 February, 1967 in the
Chinese Methodist Church, Gascoigne Road, Kowloon.
There was a joint Planning Committee for 1967 instead of sep­
arate Chinese and English Committees with additional joint meetings.
In this way much duplication of discussion was avoided and a greater
feeling of unity established. A promotion meeting was held on Jan­
uary 13th, to which a ll Churches were invited to send representatives.
There were about 60 present and, before fin al arrangements were made,
Miss Wong Yuk Mui and Miss Lois Armentrout spoke about the World Day
of Prayer as it has been observed in Hong Kong.
The Service had been prepared by Queen Salote of Tonga, and
completed just before her death. The theme was "Of His Kingdom there
shall be no end” and this was used with perception and feeling by
the two speakers, the Rev. Lee Ching.Chee, Chaplain of Ying Wah Girls'
School, and Mrs. Martha Baker, wife of the newly elected Bishop of
the Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau.
A choir, about eighty strong, helped to establish a very wor­
shipful sp irit among the eight hundred who attended from many den­
ominations, Anglican, Church of Christ in China, Lutheran, Methodist
and Roman Catholic representatives led the worship, which was a
really ecumenical experience.
The offerin g, amounting to $1,171»- was sent to the Committee
on R elief and G ift Supplies for the r e lie f of famine in India.
All those who share in the planning and leadership of such a
Service find their reward in a growing sense of Christian Unity} not
only among the denominations but also among the nations represented...
"Thy Kingdom stand and grows for ever, t i l l a ll Thy creatures own
Thy away".

X ll. WORK OF AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS

1. Hong Kong Christian Welfare & R elief Council

Two a ctivities of the HKCWRC stand out in 1966; the merger of
our Council with Hong Kong Church World Service and the move to new
o ffice s in the Hong Kong Christian Centre. Following upon discuss­
ions over the past few years, a Memorandum of Understanding which
was to form the basis of a Constitution was accepted by our Council
along with HKCWS Council and the- HK Christian Counc i l . A Constitu
tion Committee was formed to work on further details before a ll the
materials was passed to the s o licito rs. In anticipation of the
formal acceptance of the new organization to be called Hong Kong
Christian Service, our Council's staff -and HKCWS sta ff began to
work together on an informal day-to-day basis. We look forward to
the formal establishment of Hong Kong Christian Service following
Annual General Meetings in 1967.