ADVANCING GOD'S KINGDOM IN HONG KONG
I have been back in Hong Kong for nearly two years. After completing an initial six-month contract, I had a full four months to pray and wait upon God, whilst looking for work. After about a month, God led me to rent a 1000 sq. ft. office space in the heart of Kowloon for the church. In the meantime, God impressed upon my heart to give equal emphasis to ministry in the marketplace, whilst pioneering the church. God also gave me the name of BBC Ministries – parallel ministries of Building Biblical Church (church planting) and Building Bridges for Christ (marketplace ministry).
Launching church ministry
On 6 November 2010, the church ministry was launched; the day I was invited to attend a Freemason Dinner and Dance! Having served God for some 18 years, one thing I have learned is patience. Everything in ministry happens according to God’s timing. My last sermon in London was on 1 Kings 18:41-46: FAITH IN ACTION – Positivity to Possibility to Productivity. I carried that vision of “a cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea" with me back to Hong Kong where I started all over again from scratch!
On 6 November 2010, the church ministry was launched; the day I was invited to attend a Freemason Dinner and Dance! Having served God for some 18 years, one thing I have learned is patience. Everything in ministry happens according to God’s timing. My last sermon in London was on 1 Kings 18:41-46: FAITH IN ACTION – Positivity to Possibility to Productivity. I carried that vision of “a cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea" with me back to Hong Kong where I started all over again from scratch!
The church ministry is still “a cloud as small as a man’s hand” after one year. The average attendance is 7 to 8 people. We had our first Christmas Service on 18 December 2011, where 13 people attended, including our 6.5-month-old grandson Sebby, who dressed up as Santa. It was a joyful occasion.
Marketplace Ministry in Hong Kong
In comparison, the marketplace ministry is a bit more exciting. God opened a door for me to join my current company just over a year ago. Out of the 180 people in the company, about 10% are Christians, whilst only a handful is serving God in their churches.
After working in the company for about six months, I wrote a message to everyone in the company to introduce myself, mentioning my church planting work in Europe. Soon after, I started a weekly lunchtime study group on “Introduction to Exploring Christianity”. 15 people attended the first meeting. The attendance dropped to three after four weeks and which all the non-Christians disappeared! I knew then that it was not God’s timing. I needed to build relationship and credibility first.
Three months ago, God led me to launch a Sports & Social Club, with the blessing of the big boss. I invited one representative from each of the eight different discipline groups in the company to join the Committee that I chair. The plan is to have one major event every quarter and a quarterly newsletter covering company and staff news. A number of interest groups were formed with staff taking ownership in planning and running them. The Putonghua group started about a month ago and it was a huge success. Other groups planned included cake making, hiking, bowling, golf (my group), basketball, Bible study, and prayer.
The big boss and many staff thanked me for a well-planned celebration. One staff member commented that it changed the image of the company for good. I know in my heart that God was the one who got all the glory! In God’s time, the cloud as small as a man's hand will one day become a mighty heavy downpour.
In comparison, the marketplace ministry is a bit more exciting. God opened a door for me to join my current company just over a year ago. Out of the 180 people in the company, about 10% are Christians, whilst only a handful is serving God in their churches.
After working in the company for about six months, I wrote a message to everyone in the company to introduce myself, mentioning my church planting work in Europe. Soon after, I started a weekly lunchtime study group on “Introduction to Exploring Christianity”. 15 people attended the first meeting. The attendance dropped to three after four weeks and which all the non-Christians disappeared! I knew then that it was not God’s timing. I needed to build relationship and credibility first.
Launching Sport & Social Club
Three months ago, God led me to launch a Sports & Social Club, with the blessing of the big boss. I invited one representative from each of the eight different discipline groups in the company to join the Committee that I chair. The plan is to have one major event every quarter and a quarterly newsletter covering company and staff news. A number of interest groups were formed with staff taking ownership in planning and running them. The Putonghua group started about a month ago and it was a huge success. Other groups planned included cake making, hiking, bowling, golf (my group), basketball, Bible study, and prayer.
First major Christmas Lunch party
The first major event was the Christmas Lunch Party on 23 December. 160 people joined. We had a full program of an ice-breaking game, a nine-course Chinese banquet, a magic show, a song presentation by one of the staff, birthday cake celebration (for the big boss), more games and lucky draw with prizes totally HK$15,000, all taking place in a very nice sea-view restaurant. It was a dramatic change from previous Christmas celebrations, which had takeaway food brought to the company. The only bit of excitement/fun then was the lucky draw!
The big boss and many staff thanked me for a well-planned celebration. One staff member commented that it changed the image of the company for good. I know in my heart that God was the one who got all the glory! In God’s time, the cloud as small as a man's hand will one day become a mighty heavy downpour.
Written by Pastor PK Tse from Hong Kong
- For more information about HIM Hong Kong - Email Pastor PK (pkinhongkong@googlemail.com)
