Celebrating God's Faithfulness in Hong Kong

Background

In 1951, Victor and Margaret Barnett, veteran missionaries to China, opened the ABWE work in Hong Kong. During the following 50 years, 49 missionaries served in Hong Kong, evangelizing through medical clinics, kindergartens and day care centers, study centers for youth, and service centers for the elderly. Through their efforts, in partnership with local Christians, 31 churches and congregations have been established.

In 1966, ABWE started the China Baptist Theological College (CBTC), now governed by its own independent board and with a predominantly local administrative staff and faculty under the leadership of Dr. Teddy Cheng.

Purpose of the Celebration throughout 2001:

To remind ABWE-Hong Kong churches of their history and heritage;
To give thanks to God for what He has done during the past 50 years;
To challenge attendees to even greater accomplishments for God in the future.

Celebration events to help accomplish these objectives:

March 4 - Anniversary banquet for pastors, deacons, and missionaries. The guest speaker is Rev. P.W., ABWE International Director of Chinese Ministries. He became a Christian through the ministry of ABWE, was the first graduate of CBTC, and was a leading pastor in Hong Kong for 20 years before emigrating to work among the 400,000 Chinese in Toronto, Ontario.

May 6 - Informative workshops

October 7 - An all-church thanksgiving and communion service with guest speaker William Commons, missionary TO Hong Kong for 15 years, now ABWE's Executive Administrator for the Far East.

Outreach

The Hong Kong Fellowship of Churches has established work among the Chinese in northern Thailand and sponsors short-term missions to other Asian countries and to Sudan. For the past 16 years, the Fellowship has ministered to Filipinas working in Hong Kong.

Update from ABWE missionary Harry Ambacher

In November 2000, I traveled to Vanuatu in Melanesia. These islands were once the home of headhunters who killed-and ate-missionaries. In 1994, the Hong Kong Fellowship of Churches sent Jeremiah and Loretta Chung to Vanuatu. The Chungs and their national co-worker, Norman, have now translated Matthew, Mark, Acts, and 1 and 2 Timothy into the Merei language.

I traveled with the Chungs to a jungle mountain village for three days-quite a change for this city boy after 31 years in the concrete jungle of Hong Kong. My Thanksgiving Day meal was banana wrapped in a leaf and cooked in coconut oil. That afternoon, I sat in a hut and shared concepts from Ephesians with a descendant of headhunters. I said damamasa (thank you) to the Merei chief for the meal, but also to the Lord for what He is doing among the Merei people.