November 1972.....the Hong Kong Peak is issued by missionaries of the ABFMS.

Eighteen Weeks in the U.S.A.

After 5 years in Hong Kong, Marion and I had hoped we might be able to return to the U. S. for a period of furlough. However, the very idea of travel caused Marion to blanch, so it was decided that I should make a trip anyway. By leaving just 3 days after classes ended one year and arriving back 2 days before school reopened, I squeezed in 18 weeks of conventions, conferences, deputation speeches, and a very little time with family.

I flew directly from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, arriving the same day that I left. For the first 4 days I traveled around Alhambra, Claremont and Redlands, visiting some retired Burma and China missionaries, many of whom had watched me grow up in Burma. It was a great satisfaction to report in person about what has been going on in Burma to those who had spent 35 or 40 years of service there, and who find it hard to get news concerning the church and their friends.

By planning more than 6 months ahead and writing scores of letters, I was able to arrange an itinerary which took in the American Baptist Convention and allowed for visits to many of the churches who have designated support to us for years, almost without doubling back again and again. I spoke in these churches located in Northern California, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine, working my way across the country and not even getting to my home in Massachusetts until after the 4th of July.

Because I had arranged my own schedule, to a large degree, I was in churches that had a keen interest in our work, both in Hong Kong and Burma; so I got a wonderful hearing from concerned people. World Missions mean much to many American Baptists, and I met many of them. However, there are many church people who are becoming somewhat isolationist in their thinking. I suspect that the isolationism which seems to be a part of the political picture is influencing Christians. Church, State Convention and national denominational budgets almost universally show a smaller percentage of church money going overseas. General Secretary Chet Jump showed me figures for the last 15 years which indicate that almost 5% less (of the Unified Budget) is going to the Foreign Mission Society. If we look at the total of all money spent by American Baptist Churches, only 3% goes to overseas work.

Admittedly, American society is facing many problems. After being overseas for 5 years, I was appalled by some of what I saw. Yet I cannot see that robbing part of the 3% devoted to carry a message of God's love to 3 billion plus in order to add a bit to the 97% already devoted to the 200 million Americans is a rational answer. Perhaps a reordering of priorities as to the use of the 97% would be in order. Certainly I saw many who call themselves Christian devoting too much of their worldly goods to less than worthy uses.

Those of us who live here, close to one quarter of the world's population who have been virtually cut off from the Gospel for 23 years, are concerned that, when the greatest missionary challenge in world history appears, Christians in America may forget that we are to bear witness to Him "in Jerusalem (your own home town), and all over Judea and Samaria (the U. S. and Canada), and away to the ends of the earth (China and the rest of our world)." (Acts 1:8 NEB)

Thanks be to God for those who give generously for the Mission of the Church to the whole world. May their numbers increase, and may American Baptists continue to be a great missionary church as in the past!

-Bill Hackett

Special Service Worker Marty Hackett

Marty Hackett is one of a host of young people who feel they ought to give a few years of service to society without regard to remuneration beyond living expenses. From the time she was a school girl of 12 years she talked about going back to Burma to serve in a rural district as a missionary nurse. She didn't make it to Burma, or to a rural area, but she managed to achieve her other aim. She is now working at Maryknoll Hospital in Kowloon, working with the less privileged workers of this highly industrial society.

Martha Jane, the name she got from her grandmother Hackett, missionary to Burma for more than 30 years, is the elder child Rev. and Mrs. William D. Hackett, w spent 29 years in Burma and the past 5 in Hong Kong. She qualified as an R. N. after studying at Newton - Wellesley School of Nursing in Massachusetts, and then took 3 years at the University of Bridgeport, Conn., to earn a B. S. in Nursing. After working for 3 years with the Boston (Mass.) Visiting Nurses Association, she received a Federal grant to enter a program at Down - State Medical Center in New York, being awarded the Certified Nurse-Midwife qualification, which givees her the capability of delivering most babies without a doctor in attendance.

The A. B. F. M. S. has designated Marty as Special Service Worker (with no financial responsibility on the part of the Society), and she has been serving in Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital since she arrived in Hong Kong at the end of 1970. Back of the present unusual and unique service as a Baptist missionary nurse in a Roman Catholic hospital is her life-long desire to serve humanity in the name of Christ with the skills of nursing and caring. Her medical work has been marked not only with competence, but with unusual sensitivity for her patients as persons: she has combined nursing expertise with Christian compassion.

With tremendous energy, Marty started working with Chinese nurses and patients at the same time as she was studying first-year Cantonese. She had to communicate, and she did, and has learned Cantonese very rapidly. Recently she received what may be considered a real accolade by being nominated by her own Chinese colleagues for promotion to Nursing Supervisor, which indicates that they feel she is competent both in nursing skills and in personal relationships in a cross-cultural situation.

Marty lives with her parents on the Chung Chi College campus. (Her salary, which is on the Hong Kong Chinese Nursing pay-scale, would hardly pay for a small apartment in high-rent Kowloon.) She commutes to work through Lion Rock Tunnel in her tiny Japanese car, which she affectionately speaks of as "Little Mango," mostly at night; she takes night duty because most of the Chinese nurses do not like to be out at night. She has delivered hundreds of Chinese babies in the past 20 months, using her highest skill to fill a very great need in Maryknoll Hospital.

Significant Advances in Theological Training at Chung Chi College

Six men and one woman became, in September this year, the first candidates for the newly approved Master of Divinity (M. Div.) programme of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. For graduates who already have a recognized Bachelor degree, this three-year course provides professional training for the ministry, teaching Biblical Knowledge in high schools (B. K. is a full subject in schools in Hong Kong), or other forms of Christian leadership.

The Theology Division of Chung Chi College is now fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools of South East Asia (ATSSEA). ATSSEA, through its S.E. Asia Graduate School of Theology, supervises examinations and awards a B. D. degree - in June, 1972, the first 2 students from Chung Chi were, awarded the B. D. after 5 years full-time study (both have now returned to serve churches in Sabah).

Why can't competent Chinese scholars do their basic research degrees in a Chinese environment under the guidance of Chinese teachers? Discussions are under way to enable the Theology Division to participate in the research-oriented M. Theol. programme of the S. E. Asia Graduate School of Theology.

Two new full-time Chinese faculty give added strength to our work - Dr. James Pan (Ph. D. from Edinburgh) and Rev. Peter Kwong (M. Th. from Colgate-Rochester) have both come to their new tasks after pastoral work and have a strong pastoral concern.

A degree factory? While degrees provide a framework within which we work, we are always aware that our aim is to train men and women to serve the church of Jesus Christ. Beginning September '72, a new Field Work programme now provides compulsory guided experience for the students with frequent opportunity for reflection upon their work.

And what about pastors who desire more training or refresher courses? Several pastors and other Christian leaders also attend courses and, if they desire and are of the appropriate standard, they may also sit for the B. D. examinations (where their previous training was of a lower standard).

Elaine and I find it a thrilling privilege and challenge to be representing the American and Australian Baptists in this work. How much we have valued the prayerful concern of so many!

Programmes of Study in the Theology Division. Chung Chi College

Note: B. A. and M. Div. are awarded by The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

B. D. and M. Theol. are awarded by the S. E. Asia Graduate School of Theology.

-John Olley

Smith Family Returns from Furlough

Hugh and Ann Smith, accompanied by their four children, returned to Hong Kong at the end of August after a regular furlough in the States. They spent the year in Newton Centre, just outside of Boston, where they purchased the former 4 missionary residence known as Newell House.

During the first half of the year, Hugh had a marvelous time on deputation. In all, he visited 26 states and Puerto Rico. During the second half of the furlough, he was enrolled as a special student at Andover Newton Theological School.

The whole, family enjoyed the experience of living in Newton Centre. It is a beautiful community, with lovely tree-lined streets and friendly neighbors. Quite a contrast to Hong Kong's concrete canyons! In spite of the obvious problems of lousing, traffic, noise and overcrowding, however, it still seems good to be back -among our Chinese friends once again. There is a great work to be done in Hong Kong and we begin this 4th term of missionary service with hope and expectancy.

-Hugh Smith

Seminar on Drugs

The Medical Services Committee of Hong Kong Christian Service recently sponsored a seminar on drugs which brought together some fifty participants from local churches.

The theme of the seminar was expressed in the question, "Is there a place for the Church in the rehabilitation of drug addicts?" One of the purposes of the seminar was to arouse the awareness and concern of Christian people to the problem of drugs and to help them understand the Church's role in the rehabilitation of drugdependent people.

In addition to a panel discussion, there were presentations by an ex-drug addict and a relapsed addict. This is the most serious social problem confronting Hong Kong today, and the Chinese Pastors and Church Workers who attended the seminar expressed interest in a continuing program of education in all the churches.

-Hugh Smith

Ordination

As a part of the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the beginning of the Homantin Swatow Baptist Church, Mr. Chan Hop-Sang was ordained by the Church into the Christistian ministry. The service was held on Sunday afternoon, June 18, 1972 at 3 o'clock. The son of a former Swatow minister, Rev. Chen SiangChio, Chan Hop-Sang was graduated from the Chung Chi Theological Seminary in May, 1969. He has served as pastor of the Homantin Church since 1970, which. also includes responsibility for the Tsz Wan Shan and the Chu Lap Kok Chapel programs.

Rev. Loren Noren, as the Ordained Advisory Minister of the Church, conducted the ordination service, assisted by several other ministers: Rev. C. T. Lee offered the Ordination Prayer, Rev. John Chen preached the Sermon, and Rev. Chan Hop Sang pronounced the Benediction.

New Premises for Brotherly Love Village Chapel

One of the oldest Swatow Baptist Chapels has become the victim of a major development project of the Hong Kong Government. Early in the 1950s a group of cottages, a primary school and a chapel were built by the Baptist Association to settle a group of refugees. This was one of the first resettlement housing projects in Hong Kong following the 1949 revolution in China. Since many of the refugees were Teochiu (Swatow) Christians, the Chapel work became the responsibility of the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church.

In 1971 the whole area was demolished to make way for a projected housing development. The people were settled into new high-rise buildings in an area called Tsz Wan Shan. The Kowloon City church applied for and was granted space on the ground floor to continue the many activities of the Chapel. One room was redecorated for worship and church meetings, and the other two rooms for various youth activities.

The new premises were dedicated on Sunday afternoon, July 16, 1972 at 3 o'clock. Dr. L. Doward McBain, Minister of the First Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, visiting Hong Kong in connection with his duties as Chairman of American Baptists' KEY 73 program, preached the Sermon. Following the Dedication, a delicious Chinese feast was held with Dr. and Mrs. McBain as honored guests.

-Loren Noren

Dr. and Mrs. Dryden L. Phelps Visit China

Former missionaries of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society in West China Union University, Chengtu, China, Dr. and Mrs. Phelps were invited to visit China from Septhember 22 to October 22, 1972. They were impressed by the enthusiasm and self confidence of the people in their task of building a new China. When asked where he celebrated his 80th birthday, he replied that word of his birthday seemed to have preceded them and a special birthday feast was held in several of the places they visited. They saw very little evidence of religious activity, and Dr. Phelps feels it is too early to anticipate what the eventual situation for Christianity may be.

-Loren Noren

Missionaries....
Mr. and Mrs. John Espy (Ruth)
Dr. and Mrs. William D. Hackett (Marion)
Miss Martha Jane Hackett
Rev. and Mrs. Loren E. Noren (Ruth)
Rev. and Mrs. John Olley (Elaine)
Rev. and Mrs. Harold Schock (Estelle)
Rev. and Mrs. Hugh W. Smith (Ann)
Miss June M. Sutton