ENG-1979 — Page 248

RELIGION AND CUSTOM

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A wide variety of service programmes are sponsored by the churches. These include clinics, homes for the aged, vocational training centres, family service centres, aid for the handicapped, hospitals, community health programmes and scholarship aid for students. Co-operative work is facilitated by two organisations, the oldest being the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union. The basis of its membership is congregations; it currently has some 200 members. Work is carried out through its departments of evangelism, Christian education, charities, cemeteries and information.

The second ecumenical organisation is the Hong Kong Christian Council. The major denominations plus the Young Women's Christian Association, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Bible Society, the Chinese Christian Literature Council and other groups form its membership. The Christian Council is committed to building a closer relationship between all churches in Hong Kong as well as with churches overseas. This is achieved through several operational bodies including the Hong Kong Christian Service, the Com- munications Department, the Industrial Committee, and the United Christian Medical Service.

During 1979, the churches actively promoted the International Year of the Child, sponsored by the United Nations. Activities included many celebrations, preparation of posters and reference materials for schools and churches, and a seminar.

The Hong Kong Christian Council and its member churches and organisations also responded to the influx of Vietnamese refugees into Hong Kong by giving assistance. The council helped to co-ordinate services of member churches to aid the refugees and, in addi- tion, operated one of the open camps for the Vietnamese. Through its service division, the council maintained connections with Protestant churches overseas and world church bodies to increase the assistance available for the refugees.

The year also saw a new approach to work in the New Territories. With the development of satellite cities, most of the churches began diverting more resources to work in the new towns. Through the offices of the Christian Council, the churches are gradually co-ordinating this work.

The ecumenical movement continues to flourish in Hong Kong. Joint pastoral letters were again issued with the signatures of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops plus that of the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Council. The letters covered Christian unity, concern for health and Communications Sunday.

Muslim Community

There are about 30,000 followers of Islam in Hong Kong. The majority are Chinese, with the rest from Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East. During 1979, they gathered for prayers at the Shelley Street Mosque on Hong Kong Island and at the Nathan Road Mosque in Kowloon.

A mosque situated in Wong Nai Chung Road was demolished in December, 1978, to make way for the Aberdeen Tunnel project. However, the government has made available a site in Oi Kwan Road, Morrison Hill, for a new mosque, and work on this commenced in September, 1979.

The Shelley Street Mosque, the first to be built in Hong Kong, dates back to the early days of the introduction of the Islamic faith in the 1880s. It was rebuilt in 1915.

The Nathan Road Mosque in Kowloon was built in 1896 for use by Muslim soldiers of the former Indian Army and was subsequently handed over to the local Muslim community. It is planned to replace this mosque with a beautiful new mosque.