January 1977....the Hong Kong Peak is issued by missionaries of the ABFMS.

CHUK YUEN KINDERGARTEN

Sometimes small milestones bear important significance. For eight years the American Baptist Mission has operated a kindergarten in connection with its Chuk Yuen Christian Center program. For most of this time our missionary, Harold Schock, has been director of the Center and supervisor of the kindergarten. At a special party given by the kindergarten in October, Harold handed over the files to the new supervisor Mr. Goh Sau Moo, a deacon in the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church. Joseph Yiu, pastor of the church and also recently appointed director of the Christian Center, looks on with approval. These little milestones indicate a greater responsibility being assumed by the Swatow church leaders in Hong Kong. May God prosper their continued endeavor to serve the whole man in the spirit of Christ through the various activities of the Christian Center.

THEOLOGY DAY CELEBRATIONS

Chung Chi College

Approximately 200 people gathered on October 15 for the 1976 Theology Day Celebrations. After a tea reception in the Theology Building brightly and informatively decorated by the students, Dr. Chow Lien-hwa of Taiwan gave a challenging address on "Pastoral Work-Changes and Prospects." As an influential pastor-theologian (he gave the address at Chiang Kaithek's funeral) his comments raised various issues which stimulated further discussion.

As always, the dinner following was an occasion for conversation for people who often meet only in formal gatherings. One of the contributions of the Chung Chi Theology Division is this drawing together so many pastors, members and young people from the various supporting churches.

The climax was the evening Commissioning Service held in the College Chapel. Six graduates were commissioned: 2 now in pastoral work, 2 teaching Biblical studies, 1 at work among factory workers, 1 in further studies in England. Then the 12 new students were introduced. A fitting conclusion was the sermon by the Anglican Bishop applying the words of Christ concerning the tasks of his disciples to the present life of the church in Hong Kong.

Graduate School of Theology

Can you imagine a school spread over 8 countries? Such is the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology which utilises the resources of the 32 member schools of the Association. Chung Chi Theology Division is actively involved and this year we have 3 students with us. Mr. Stephene Thu of Sabah is completing his Master of Theology while Rev. Tong and Rev. Chen from Taiwan are doing one year of their course requirements for the Doctor of Theo_ logy. This regional school enables Asians to study Asian problems in an Asian context, and to be involved is exciting.

New President for Chung Chi

At the Founder's Day Service Dr. TAM Shang-wai was installed as the new College President. As a teacher and researcher in Cheminstry he has been well respected academically (he has been Acting Dean of the university's Graduate School) and he brings to the presidency a strong Christian commitment and a proven administrative ability. This will mean much as the College undergoes changes in the next few years in view of the restructuring of the Chinese University of Hong Kong of which we are part.

The College's 25th Anniversary is being marked by many special events. At Founder's Day Service the appeal was launched which is seeking to raise US$210,000 (HK$ 1M) as an Endowment Fund for support of the chaplaincy (until this year provided by mission societies), and also for student welfare programs.

The College is determined to continue to practise its name: "Chung Chi" - "Honour Christ."

- John and Elaine Olley

CASTLE PEAK BAPTIST CHURCH

An occasion for joy was the dedication of the new and more adequate premises for the Castle Peak Road Baptist Church on the third floor of a highrise building in an area of dense population. Money from the World Mission Campaign funds made the project a possibility, but the enthusiastic faith of its dedicated pastor and people has made it a reality.

No one in the church has means, but they give. One woman, a worker in a garment factory, pledged one month's salary to the new church, in addition to her usual tithe.

The dedication of this church, and of the Homantin Church's new premises in June, have given the Swatow churches a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm.

VBS and SUMMER PROGRAMS

During the past summer, 11 of the 16 Swatow Baptist churches and chapels conducted Vacation Bible Schools. They felt it important enough to spend HK$11,037.15 for their 1389 students taught by 151 devoted teachers. Of this amount, Vacation Bible School, Inc. contributed HK$3500.

In addition to VBS, both Moon Lok and Chuk Yuen Christian Center conducted summer programs for neighborhood children. At the Center, typing, folk dancing, sewing and guitar playing all proved popular. Young people's enthusiasms seem the same the world around. About 44 fee-paying students took the lessons, but the Center also had a supervised recreational program for neighborhood youth in the evening.

WU OI

For the past full year 106 people have been detoxified at some location related to Wu Oi, and claim to have accepted Christ as Saviour. We know for certain that 25 of these continue to be drug free and remain faithful to their Christian commitment. At our recent ordinary meeting, 103 came for the fellowship, the witnessing and the emotional support they receive at Wu Oi.

The building in Chuk Yuen we have been using we will have to give up at the end of March. A search is presently underway to find an adequate replacement for this location that has served us so well.

Macau

People from Burma continue,to trickle into Macau, and Estelle now joins me in this worthwhile ministry one weekend a month. She is helping to get a women's meeting started there, with the first regular meeting to be in January 1977.

-- Harold Schock

Again during the year most of those baptized into the Baptist churches have come from Burma.

Bill and Marion Hackett also contribute one weekend a month to this worthwhile course. Macau is a historic spot in missionary annals as it has the grave of Robert Morrison.

WONDERFUL WEEK IN BURMA

When vision and faith are energized by enthusiasm, there could well be an explosion. The past 18 months the Burma Baptist Convention has poured its vigorous enthusiasm into its vision of letting the whole country know about Christ. To touch some 30 million people with the Gospel is no easy task. Great measures of faith must be part of the mixture. We hope a Christian population explosion will result.

The current emphasis developed by the Convention and passed on to all the language groups has evangelism at its heart. The headquarters people not only have prepared the materials, they also regularly go to main centers where Christian leaders gather for demonstration and teaching. These methods then filter down through to every town and village where Baptist churches are coming alive with a new zeal for evangelizing.

In the developing stage now is another form of evangelism -- the cassette tape ministry. Equipment is being secured, and material gathered to prepare good programs, tape them, make hundreds of copies, and then circulate them throughout the country, telling people of the Christ who loves them and came to save them. Arrangements have been made to purchase about 600 tapes and 20 cassette players. Players can usually be found in most towns, and we believe everyone will be eager to hear these well produced Christian programs.

Leadership and money are keys to making visions become reality. Thra Victor San Lone, General Secretary of the BBC, and Sra Zau Yaw, Treasurer, play major roles in these areas of responsibility. They, together with 5 other BBC officers, are leading seven language groups involving 2500 Baptist churches in this new thrust of evangelism.

We thank God for the continuing freedom in Burma for the national Christians to preach the Gospel of Christ in churches and in mass open air meetings, and to hand out tracts that tell of God's redeeming love in Christ Jesus.

(This brief report on Burma comes in the PEAK because two of our Hong Kong families, Hacketts and Schocks, formerly served in Burma and now occasionally visit Burma for a week's stay.)

Ruth Espy continues deeply committed to brailling with a new need to provide college-level materials in braille, since the first 2 blind students have just been accepted at the University of Hong Kong. No material is presently available. She has begun training 7 new students.

"They Bring the Message of Love"

….so the headlines in the Chinese newspaper says of the Overtones of Pomona lst Baptist. "The 'Overtones', a gospel singing group, from California have arrived in Hong Kong. They will bring God's message through Gospel songs in modern rhythm. Most of the members are university students and amateur musicians.

The 'Overtones' sing in order to give God's message and express the idea of brotherly love. They will sing in the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church tonight and in the Grace Church tomorrow night. Both concerts are free."

Marion Gives Thanks

Many of our readers know that for nine years I had been in increasingly poor health, often hospitalised, very rarely active. In February Bill and I learned that God occasionally worked through the Rev. Stephen Sidebotham, Vicar of the Anglican Christchurch, and a faithfully praying group, to bestow many blessings including healing on His children. After much prayer and thought and reading, we accepted gratefully a service of divine healing on March 14th. Since then my progress has been almost unbelievable, and I continue to improve steadily. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow"!

Marion Hackett is now not only active in leading a Bible study group and accompanying Bill on weekend trips to Chu Lap Kok and Macau, but has recently been elected Chairman of the Mission. Praise God indeed.

Swatow Baptist Women

Estelle Schock writes: The Swatow Women's Assn had 4 big functions during the year: 1) a retreat for new officers at Sai Kung in February attended by 100 women 2) World Day of Prayer in March at which HK$1555 was received for Nicaragua earthquake relief 3) Retreat for all members. Five big busloads went to Baptist gardens in, Fanling. Worship service in the morning, but afternoon session emphasized the Christian women's responsibility for her health - a very practical and helpful session. Offering of day was given to the church scholarship fund. 4) The November Thanksgiving Service. The women gave $700 of their offering to purchase new hymnals for the Immanuel Chinese Baptist Church in Rangoon, Burma.

A new younger women's group was formed in the Kwun Tong Church. It is refreshing to see these young women becoming active.

John Espy is excited about the 285 applications received for 25 places offered by Lingnam Institute of Bussiness Management to government officals in a 2 year diploma program in Management Studies. We must be doing something right! - he says.

HERE IN HONG KONG........

Among visitors to H.K. Were Doreen and Bill Braisted, formerly of So. China and India. Bill burnished up his Swatow and Doreen her Hakka as they chatted and ate - and ate with former medical colleagues and friends. Bill is president of Connecticutt Conv. this year... Espy's Christmas quests, the John Scammons, formerly of Andover-Newton, came up from Iloilo where they are doing a second special service tour at the Theological College ... Pearly and June Gates left a hole in H.K. when they left Kowloon Union Church for a second retirement - almost - a little matter of a few months in Taipei Union first ... Bob and Yvonne Otto of K-Mart, friends of the mission-and dedicated members of Union Church are greatly missed as they return... June Sutton writes she is busy and happily at work in graduate studies at Wheaton College. That female Australian dynamo probably has more energy output than Americans even ... Cecil Carder, Jr. of Thailand is doing his junior year of studies in the Chinese University ... Steve Smith (Hugh's son) is on campus doing a project for his interim semester... Gam Shaes of Burma and Indonesia visited enroute furlough and new assignment to Trinity Theological in Singapore... A choice group of 6 from Geelong visited H.K. and will be long remembered for their fresh enthusiasm... Edna Smith Armstrong after several bouts with ill health, seems well and active (yes!) again... Hugh Smiths are still so greatly missed that the Chinese can't really accept yet their non-return Ruth and Loren Noren's cheering promise to return in July or August greatly helps bereft feelings and pleasures their innumerable friends ... Carl and Louise Capen although unable to attend Graal's wedding in October, did meet her husband Mike Porelle during their brief home leave in the spring ...Schocks rejoiced in having all their children in H.K. for 25th wedding anniversary...Pastor Lee Chun-tsek,after a short hospital stay is back at his active retirement work among the churches. He says his illness was God's way of telling him to take his heart medicine as well as pray... John Scott brought a tour of 3 mighty nice mission ladies from Japan to H.K. and other points over Christmas... In November a Missionary Involvement Tour group unde7r the leadership of Rev. Clayton Smith brought a blessing to us! Seldom have we known a more dedicated, loving tour group than these 25. Come again and stay longerl

S T E P

So Ka Lok is one of the students assisted by the Students Tuition and Expenses Program. As recent arrivals, her parents are finding it difficult to find jobs. John Kwok, another assisted

student in his final year of theological studies writes: "I must learn piano harder since this is my last year. If God wills, I hope I can go to Thailand perhaps to take up missionary work. So I must be able to play the piano in the church. Please pray for me."

These are 2 of the 31 students whom you have helped with your gifts this past year.
Editing:  Louise Capen

Missionaries....
Rev. and Mrs. Carl Capen (Louise)
Mr. and Mrs. John Espy (Ruth)
Dr. and Mrs. William D. Hackett (Marion)
Rev. and Mrs. Loren E. Noren (Ruth)
Rev. and Mrs. John Olley (Elaine)
Rev. and Mrs. Harold Schock (Estelle)
Miss June M. Sutton