April 1967.....the Hong Kong Peak is issued by missionaries of the ABFMS.

Easter 1967

Easter--1967--in Hong Kong, meant many things to many people. In the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church on that day 98 people were baptized. For them it was a very special day and one to which some had looked forward for some time. The Kowloon City Church is the mother church of eight chapels, and, among those baptized were many who had heard the Christian message and made their decisions in, one or another of these chapels.

One of those chapels is in Tsun Wan. In the premises used during the week by the Moon Lok Kindergarten, a service of worship is held on Sunday afternoons. This program started in November of last year, and the growth in interest and in numbers has been spectacular. Twenty-three persons from that new little group of believers were among the 98 to be baptized.

Members of the Kwun Tong Chapel and friends gathered in the afternoon for the laying of the cornerstone of their new church building. Usually a corner-stone is laid at the beginning of the building process. This time, although the concrete framework is almost complete, the cornerstone had not yet been laid. How delighted the church members were to invite Dr. James L. Sprigg to handle the trowel Setting in place this important stone! Hugh Smith preached on that occasion and the choir of the chapel outdid itself under the leadership of Barbara Koons. It was an occasion not to be forgotten.

The mission "family" which was scattered in the morning with different responsibilities, repaired to the Koons' home in Kwun Tong after the laying of the cornerstone Jim Sprigg was there which made it a special occasion. Over tea and cake we visited while the children scampered in and out, happy for the opportunity to be together.

That evening a combined choir, bringing together young people from several churches and chapels, gave a concert in the Kowloon City Church. Mr. Gabriel Chi directed the singers.

Yes, there were sunrise services also, Easter day, remembering how the women went to the tomb early in the morning and found it empty. For us, as for them, it was a day of joy, because Jesus had risen indeed.

Asian Baptist Youth Conference

Over 200 delegates from 1.7 countries attended the Asian Baptist Youth Conference held at Central Philippine University, Iloilo City, Philippines, from December 25, 1966 to January 1, 1967. This was the third such conference. June Sutton attended as one of group of 50 representing Baptist churches in Hong Kong.

The theme of the conference was "Ye are my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Challenging messages were given on the witness of Christian youth in Asia in time of crisis, in civic and social life, education, business and industry, and in a world in revolution. Each address was followed by discussion where young people told of their personal situations and the problems due to conditions within the various countries. They also shared ways in which God was leading them to witness for their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The daily program also included morning devotions, a Bible study series, a question time, and in the evening a "panorama of nations" presented by the different delegations.

The messages were challenging, the "panorama of nations" informative, the discussion groups stimulating. However the most inspiring experience was sharing with young Asian Christians the Dealings of the Lord in our own personal lives. Many had suffered persecution because of their allegiance to Christ, while others had known the loneliness of being the only Christian in their family, school, or factory. Some had given up home, others another career to be a minister of the gospel; yet all spoke of the Joy of knowing Christ and living for Him in these crisis days in Asian history.

The climax of the conference was the New Year's Eve service when the Rev. Greg Tingson, known as the Billy Graham of the Philippines, preached to a gripped audience for over an hour and a half. His plea for young people to re-dedicate their lives, that Asians may win Asia for Christ, was powerful, and almost every delegate responded to it. As a new year was beginning 200 people resolved that they would be witnesses in their Jerusalem, their Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the world.

Serving the Kwun Tong Chapel

Mr. and Mrs. Yiu Jing Kwok serve the Kwun Tong Chapel whose building., is just being completed. Both Joseph and Carolyn are members of strong Baptist families. It happens

that both his father and hers have been chairmen of the Joint Committee of Swatow Baptist Churches. Although not yet ordained Joseph is leading the church as pastor, succeeding the Rev. Chen who has moved to another chapel. Carolyn supervises a roof-top kindergarten operated by the church. They have one daughter, and one son.

The Transplanted Missionary; Some Come

Dr. and Mrs. William S. Hackett will be coming to Hong Kong during the summer months for service here, after many years in Burma. Dr. Hackett who holds a doctor's degree in anthropology as well as being an ordained minister, is Burma-born; it seems especially unfortunate that he is, of necessity, transplanted. However, we look forward to profiting from his long years of experience, his drive, and his vision. Mrs. Hackett, Marion,.who is also ordained-- having been ordained by the church in Burma- has given outstanding service as a translator of the scriptures. She has worked in the Ta-o language of Burma, often called the Taungthu language.

The Rev. and Mrs. Harold D. Schock will also be coming during the summer with their children: Judy who is 15 years old, Linda who is 9, and Phillip who is 8. Harold and Estelle lived in Rangoon during two terms of missionary service. One of their especial interests was the establishment of a center for Christian witness and community service in Okkalapa, a satellite town several miles from the city.

Others Go

John and Ruth Espy and their boys leave for the United States early in May. This is somewhat earlier than they originally planned because John is to begin a study program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, and must enroll for summer courses.

The Espy family has lived on the campus of Chung Chi College, where John is a lecturer in Chemistry and teaches industrial chemistry. One of his major concerns has been the drain of science graduates to the United States and Canada, even though Hong Kong is an industrial city and desperately needs management and technical personnel. John has written articles, made addresses, and worked in other ways to alert the community to this urgent problem, but a solution is not yet in- sight. John has also been active in the Hong Kong Management Association where he has served on the Personnel Management Committee. Ruth has served on the staff of the Chung Chi 1ibrary; she has been responsible for ordering books in English, and for the accounting work of the library.

Alvin and Barbara Koons leave for furlough the end of April.. They arrived in Hong Kong in September 1962 with Kathie and David. Since then Melissa has joined the family. So as we welcomed four, we farewell five. Their contributions to the work have been many. We would mention particularly:

1. Alvin has prepared lessons for the study of the Swatow dialect, using a phonetic system which makes the acquisition of the difficult tones more sure. There are 24 lessons in all, in 2 volumes, or enough for 12 months of intensive study. The lessons are being printed for the use not only of missionaries here, but those in Thailand and in other places who work with Swatow-speaking people.

2. Barbara has prepared a manual for choir leaders and members - -the principles of music made easy. The idea for this came from her experience in the music conference conducted by the Swatow Baptist churches in August 1966. Chinese schools teach singing with music written not in notes but with a numerical system which is simple to learn and inexpensive to print. But choir music is written in notes, and many of the choir members need to learn how to read music written in this form. Thus, how to read notes, how to use one's voice correctly, how to direct a choir, and how to select good music for use, are all taken up. The manuscript has been translated into Chinese, and we anticipate that it will be published in the near future.

Alvin and Barbara will spend two weeks in Germany on the way h,)me. They will attend a conference of German Baptists in Reutlegin, to carry greetings from Swatow Baptists.

More Comings and Goings

Dr. James L. Sprigg arrived in Hong Kong on March 22. His six days here were filled with consultations, tours to see various parts of our work, as well as dinners in his honor, and visits with missionaries. This is Dr. Sprigg's first visit to Hong Kong as Secretary of the Overseas Division of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society.

Dr. William H. Rhoades of the American Baptist Home Mission Society and his wife were in Hong Kong recently for several days.

Dr. Edwin H. Tuller, general secretary of the American Baptist Convention, flew in and out of Hong Kong March 20-21, long enough for the missionary staff to have, a delightful evening with him, and an opportunity to ask questions about the progress of the A.B.C. Ed had been in Vietnam for an Easter visit to the troops, in his capacity as vice-chairman of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The Rev. and Mrs. Hubert W. Spillett left Hong Kong for retirement in April Mr. and Mrs. Spillett are English Baptists whose experience in Chinese work extend., over 37 years, on the mainland and here. He has in recent years been the secretary of the Chinese Christian Literature Council, formerly the Council on Christian Literature for Overseas Chinese. He has emphasized the need of Christian literature written by Chinese, and has tried various means to encourage writers. It is entirely suitable that his successor is a Chinese. Dr. Hayward Wong will come to Hong Kong from the United States in May to take over the leadership of C.C.L.C. We wish him and his colleagues well.

Mission Retreat

If the mission needed an excuse for an all-day retreat, it had two. Of the 12 persons making up the American Baptist "family" in Hong Kong this year, 50 per cent are leaving within two months. Of those leaving, Dr. and Mrs. Prentiss Pemberton, although not under appointment by the A.B.F.M.S., have made a vital contribution in thought and challenge, and we wanted a time of conference with them. So, on Friday April 14, we gathered at the Castle Peak Hotel, 18 miles out of Kowloon on the west coast- -a beautiful spot. The beauty of the sea and islands and boats was distracting in itself. Added to this was the novelty of having a movie shot on the pier below our, meeting room. We watched with bated breath as the girl tried to push her suitor into the sea. Time and again he was rescued at the last moment by the shout, "cut", Finally, in he went, and we had that off our minds.

But seriously, in the morning we shared together some of our experiences in Hong Kong. With the guidance of Frank Knight we spoke of our joys, and of our frustrations, of uplifting and challenging experiences, both in our personal lives and in connection with our work - -a distinction difficult to make, as all will recognize. We spoke of how we had grown in spirit.

Our session with Dr. Pemberton lasted from four to after six. His plan for establishing small "renewal groups" of people concerned for their own spiritual growth, and indeed the growth of the Kingdom, was explained. He used illustrations from several such groups with which he has had experience. Questions were asked especially with regard to the facing of common problems by persons of different cultural background. No plans were made for setting up a group such as he told us about, but the challenge is with us, and will no, be forgotten.

The day ended with dinner, and laughter, and fun.

Missionaries....
Mr. and Mrs. John Espy
Dr. and Mrs. William Hackett
Rev. and Mrs. Frank Knight
Rev. and Mrs. Alvin D. Koons
Rev. and Mrs. Loren E. Noren
Miss Mildred Proctor
Rev. and Mrs. Harold D. Schock
Rev. and Mrs. Hugh W. Smith 
Miss June M. Sutton