God's Sovereignty Continues in Hong Kong

One of the most watched, debated, and feared events of 1997 was the return of the British colony of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. For more than 150 years the British presence had been felt in Hong Kong. In 1984, Britain and China negotiated the return of Hong Kong to China, with the understanding that for 50 years Hong Kong would remain a Special Administrative Region (S.A.R.) governed under the Basic Law as "One Country - Two Systems." This became a reality on June 30, 1997.

ABWE missionaries in Hong Kong were privileged to have front-row seats to what some termed the event of the century. To put this changeover into perspective and understand its significance, consider that in the history of the world there has never been a peaceful transfer of such a large, financially powerful city from the sovereignty of one nation to another. From the world's perspective, this event had great political and economic significance. The Christians' concern was that the religious freedoms enjoyed under British rule would continue under the new Chinese government. From the time the agreement to return Hong Kong to China was hammered out in 1984 until the present, many feared that religious freedoms would be curtailed. Two of the Basic Laws signed by China deal with religious freedom:

Article 32
"Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of religious belief and freedom to preach and to conduct and participate in religious activities in public."

Article 141
"The government of the S.A.R. shall not restrict the freedom of religious belief, interfere in the internal affairs of religious organizations or restrict activities which do not contravene the law."

What has happened in Hong Kong?

We are happy to report that Chinese Christians demonstrate a wonderful testimony of faith, showing no signs that fear of the future will slow down their service for the Lord. For example:

• New daughter churches are being planted by ABWE churches in Hong Kong.
• The China Baptist Theological College purchased new property with plans for expansion.
• Plans and strategies for reaching into the growing Mandarin speaking population are being developed.
• Each day 150 new immigrants from China are legally admitted into Hong Kong. This provides a wonderful opportunity for evangelism and training.

Since the turnover, missionaries and local Christians experience the same degree of freedom felt prior to the handover. Our Hong Kong ABWE missionaries are optimistic about the future and are praying for additional personnel to work in the following areas:

1. Working with the many Filipinos living in Hong Kong
2. Working with Mandarin speakers from China
3. Teaching English
4. Starting an international English language church for Chinese returning from abroad
5. Locating an additional professor for a graduate level program in the China Baptist Theological College

We missionaries in Hong Kong attribute the smooth transition to the prayers of countless Christians worldwide who have upheld the believers here. We hope, however, that the smooth transition will not lull our prayer warriors into complacency, as Hong Kong is on the leading edge of an Asian century of missions and evangelism.

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