Page 28 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity

VOTE OF THANKS encouragement and never-failing support.
We are very thankful for the officers, the Execu­
We are profoundly grateful to our Chairman, the
tive Committee members and more than a hundred
Reverend Dr. Peter Wong. Dr. Wong has been the
friends serving on the various committees or sub­
longest serving chairman in our 29 year history. He
committees of the Council. A great deal of the
was chairman from 1965-1970 and 1980-1983, a
work of the Council is committee work. Despite the
total of eight years altogether. (The next longest
constrictions that they all faced (especially during
serving chairman was S.C. Leung who served from
this time of staff shortage) they have all done a
1958-1965, a total of seven years).
marvellous job.
During Dr. Wong’s chairmanship, two important
There are so many others, both locally and from
mission consultations for the churches were held, one
overseas who have been most generous in giving us
in 1970 and the other in 1980. Both of these helped
great support ranging from donating to our Fund
the churches in Hong Kong map out their missional
Raising Campaign for the World’s poor to regularly
thrusts in the 1970’s and the 1980’s respectively. The
reading our publications. Please be assured of our
one in 1970 was more symbolic (it was opened by His
gratitude.
Excellency the Governor, Sir David Trench) and
focused on vital issues within the church. The one in We appreciate our staff members. During the past
1980 was more pragmatic and defined the five major year we were extremely short of executive staff. Ms.
missional tasks facing the church in Hong Kong in our Jane Chui took a ten-week maternity leave. Mr.
time. History will eventually tell what effect these Cheung Hui Kwan and Mr. Mok Shu Yan resigned to
consultations will have on future generations of pursue further studies. To date, we have not been
churchmen. able to find replacements for these key positions. All
The second most important contribution Dr. our supporting staff members discharged their duties
Wong made as Chairman of the Council was the admirably. They undertook some of the jobs which
rebuilding of the relationship between the churches normally are done by programme staff.
in China and those in Hong Kong. These churches are At the time of the writing this report, we have
parts of the one Church in China, but for almost 30 located at least three suitable candidates for the
years there had not been any contact and fellowship vacant positions. We hope that both vacancies can
between them. be filled before July so that when we look ahead
Thirdly, Dr. Wong was also instrumental in to the coming year, we can do so with a much stronger
helping the Council become financially self-supporting, team to carry on the work of the Council.
mainly through the contributions of local churches'
and through rental income.
People often look at the Council’s General
Secretary as the chief policy architect. The office of
General Secretary to-day is a very burdensome one.
The General Secretary has to provide leadership for
the Council staff, manage Hong Kong Christian
Service, be involved in many other organizations either
as chairman or vice-chairman and work with church
leaders and the Executive Committee. The present
General Secretary would have been a very lonely
person if he had not had Dr. Wong as the Chairman.
Allow me to add a personal remark. For the past three
years, Dr. Wong has shown full confidence in our
judgement, and has given unreserved guidance,

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