October 21st70 Years of Working Together in Hong Kong
Take Mennonites from 7 different places and begin to tell stories from 70 years of working together. Throw in an array of photos from those 70 years plus visits to see present ministries in churches and lots of conversations mixing all these things together over good food. That’s the weekend that I had with the Conference of Mennonite Churches in Hong Kong. (CMCHK)
Several Mennonite mission agencies have been involved in working with the Mennonites in Hong Kong over the years. Former Mennonite Church Canada Witness workers, George and Tobia Veith and Tim and Cindy Buhler made the trip to celebrate. It was a delightful time of reminiscing and renewing old friendships. But it was also more than that.
The presence of many of these old friends plus brothers and sisters from several Asian countries was an act of solidarity at a time when the ground is shifting under their feet in Hong Kong. Congregations have already been tested as they dealt with differing opinions on how much to join the wave of protests that hit Hong Kong pre-2020. They have stood together and watched huge changes happen in their city. They have watched as many friends, family members, and church members have left Hong Kong.
Yet, as the stories were told and as they described their present ministries, I didn’t detect resignation or defeat, I saw an incredible sense of resilience and quiet faithfulness. We visited a congregation of about 25 people. They run a boys and girls club that has 70 children in their tiny space every week. They have community building events for adults like seniors’ exercise club, craft clubs, and book clubs. They welcome new immigrants from the mainland who often arrive with no social supports as they struggle with low paying jobs. As they noticed the learning issues in the boys and girls club they started an after school homework program that provides support for children with ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety and other issues, giving personalized help that they often don’t find in the crowded classrooms. In their corner of Hong Kong, the impact of this small congregation is astounding. They described how the service programs help to support the church as people come to the church through the programs and then go on to serve in the programs by becoming part of the church community. It was a beautiful picture of how “worship and work are one” – which was the song they chose to open the anniversary celebration.
I came away from this celebration with a renewed sense of the importance of small groups of believers, locally rooted, serving their community. These are signs of God’s “Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” 