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On November 8 myself and a small group from the Diocese of New Westminster landed very early at the airport in Hong Kong, delighted to be there and expectant of developing a stronger relationship with the Diocese of Hong Kong Island.  Bishop Mathias Der of that Diocese had been extremely helpful in setting up an itinerary that allowed us to visit a variety of churches, social outreach locations and a few schools, all connected with the Diocese.  On the trip was the Rev. Marin Wong, the Rev. Bill Mok, Dr. Kevin Zakresky, and my wife, Ruth.   

The intention of the visit was to meet as many people as we could connected to the Anglican Church in that area and so our schedule was very full.  I preached at St. John’s Cathedral on November 10, for Remembrance Sunday.  The Cathedral is beautiful and full of life.  They very much preach the gospel but also live into the gospel of Jesus Christ.  There are about one thousand people who attend there over a weekend. 

One of the visits we made in the Diocese was to St. James Settlement.  This is a fascinating place. It has a very modern and beautiful church incorporated into a large multi-storey tower.  Within the tower is a school and a long list of other services offered under the umbrella of outreach through the Diocese.  These services include health, youth, education, rehabilitation, community development, continuing care, and family counselling.  There is also housing available that offers a whole range of supports connected with it, at this site and other sites in Hong Kong.   

We were very inspired and amazed at the work of social outreach and social justice taking place in the Diocese.  They are very responsive to the needs of the community and very connected to the neighbourhoods around them.  The churches are not simply stand-alone buildings, but places that receive government support for the good work they do in response to the housing and health and community concerns around them.   

We were grateful to see all of this and wondered how we might borrow some of their knowledge and wisdom in our Diocese.  I was grateful to see the work of a Church very much in action.   

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Photo: Bishop Mathias Der and Bishop John Stephens at St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong.