Page 182 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity

1. T he Introduction o f the A nniversary C elebration w ith the G overnor of H ong K ong to visiting
(O ctober 1989) "boat people" inside the V ietnam ese refugee
cam ps.
Since its founding in 1954, the H K C C had never
held an anniversary celebration. T he very first A fter the visit, the delegation gained a m uch
one took place in 1989. T he E xecutive clearer picture o f w hat w as hap pening in H ong
C om m ittee decided to postpone the A nnual K ong especially am ong the churches and a very
G eneral M eeting until O ctober to concur w ith difference im pression o f the H K C C itself.
the 35th A nniversary T hanksgiving W orship Initially, they cam e to H ong K ong w ith a heavy
Service and other activities. W ithin the
heart, w ith som e caution but not w ith a captious
assem bly hall, w here the W orship Service took attitude. They, how ever, left w ith a positive
place, the ban ner o f the H K C C w as surrounded outlook and feeling m uch encouraged about the
by the ensigns representing each m em ber church situation here. Such encounter offered both
and organisation, signifying the solidarity o f the
sides the opportunity to experience the unity in
m em bers o f the body o f C hrist w orking together C hrist leading into a caring and genuine
through the difficult tim e. A fter the W orship fellow ship w ith one another.
Service the participants feasted together, giving
them an opportunity to becom e better acquainted 3. C onsultation on the M ission o f the C hurch in
w ith each other and to enjoy the fellow ship in H ong K ong in the 9 0 ' s (A pril 1990)
C hrist. W ith the situation o f that tim e, the
A nniversary C elebration w as indeed very
T here w as an obvious difTerence betw een this
m eaningful even providing an encouraging consultation and sim ilar conferences held
outlook tow ard the future o f the Council.
before. A t this C onsultation, there w ere
representatives from all m ainline churches and
2. T he V isit o f the D elegation from the B ritish also a large increase in the num ber of
Council o f C hurches (February 1990)
participants from evangelical and other
independent churches. T his w as a very w elcom e
s
D uring the 1980’, churches in G reat B ritain developm ent. F or the future o f H ong K ong, we
becam e increasingly aw are o f the com plex
should sincerely dem onstrate m utual respect and
situation in H ong K ong society in light o f the recognition. T he five-day C onsultation
approach o f 1997. T hey w ere a bit anxious to proceeded in a harm onious atm osphere. At the
try to understand the different points o f view
end of the C onsultation, a M anifesto w as issued
am ong H ong K ong churches on issues such as
declaring the vision and goal o f the churches in
H ong K o n g 's future political system , C hinese H ong K ong in the 9 0，s. W e had hardly ever
and B ritish nationalities, right o f abode,
w itnessed such unity in C hrist w ith such a joyful
em igration, plus the problem o f V ietnam ese
and open m anner. W e deeply felt the guidance
refugees etc. T hey w ere also concerned about
o f the H oly Spirit and the w ork o f the A lm ighty.
signs o f division w ithin the H K C C itself.
C onsequently, the B ritish C ouncil o f C hurches
Shortly after finishing this article, I w ill be back
decided to send a delegation to visit H ong K ong
once m ore to serve in H ong K ong. I am looking
and to learn about the situation first hand. Led
forw ard to the opportunities o f m eeting and
by the A rchbishop o f Y ork the delegation
w orking w ith m any brothers and sisters in
consisted o f representatives from different
C hrist there again.
denom inations in E ng lan d and Ireland. Besides
being the host, the H K C C also assiduously m ade
(Dr. Heyward Wong was General Secretary of the
all the arrangem ents including details for the
Hong Kong Christian Council from 1988-1990)
different m em bers o f the delegation to visit a
w ide variety o f people, both inside and outside
o f the C hristian com m unities from all w alks o f
life. T his included everything from m eeting
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