ENG-1982 — Page 282

RELIGION AND CUSTOM

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Christ in China, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Adventist, Alliance, Salvation Army and Pentecostal, as well as a number of smaller independent groups.

In addition to offering spiritual counselling and operating religious and social welfare organisations, including the Hong Kong Christian Service, special centres and programmes, Protestant groups are active in other fields. In the areas of education and health services, Protestants run 200 kindergartens, 175 primary schools, 120 secondary schools, three post-secondary colleges, three schools for the deaf, several for training the mentally handicapped, and 15 Theological Seminaries and Bible Institutes. They operate five major hospitals, many clinics, and other health services.

Co-operative work is facilitated by two ecumenical organisations, the Chinese Christian Churches Union and the Hong Kong Christian Council. The former brings together over 200 congregations for its membership and carries out its work through departments of evangelism, Christian education, charities, cemeteries and information. The latter bases its membership on major denominations and ecumenical service bodies such as the Young Women's Christian Association, the Young Men's Christian Association, The Bible Society In Hong Kong, The Ecumenical Study Centre and the Chinese Christian Literature Council. The Christian Council is committed to building a closer relationship between all churches in Hong Kong as well as with churches overseas, and to stimulate local Christians to minister to the needs of the people in Hong Kong. It implements its programmes through the Division of Mission, the Hong Kong Christian Service, the Communications Centre, the Christian Industrial Committee, and related service agencies including the United Christian Medical Service, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and the Tao Fung Shan Ecumenical Centre.

The ninth and present bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau is the Rt Rev Peter K. K. Kwong. Bishop Kwong, who was enthroned at St John's Cathedral in 1981, is the first Chinese bishop of the diocese.

A major event during the year was the official visit to Hong Kong of Dr Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as guest of Bishop Kwong. During his five-day stay in January, Dr Runcie met the Governor and diocesan leaders, visited churches and religious organisations and held evensong at St John's Cathedral. On January 8, Dr Runcie left Hong Kong for China to hold private talks with Bishop K. H. Ting, Chairman of the Chinese Christian Council, and other church leaders.

Further efforts were made during the year to strengthen ties between the churches in Hong Kong and China, building on the visit to China the previous year by an 18-member delegation organised by the Hong Kong Christian Council at the invitation of the China Christian Council and the Protestant Three-self Movement. Young Christians visited their counterparts in Guangdong; Hong Kong church leaders made fraternal visits to church leaders in China; and Hong Kong churches, through the Hong Kong Christian Council, sent a representative to China with their views on a clause dealing with religious activities in the proposed new draft of the Chinese constitution.

In the area of social concern, a joint statement was issued in 1982 by Protestant Christians advocating a social security scheme; a body was formed to monitor public policy; a mass media group was set up to deal with the quality of television programmes; and a seminar was held on the implications for the Church in the future of Hong Kong.

In providing worldwide emergency aid, $500,000 was collected by the churches for distribution to the people of Bangladesh through a campaign entitled Five Loaves and Two Fish conducted by the Hong Kong Christian Council; and funds were raised to aid flood victims during the heavy spring rains in Sichuan, China.