Asia – Hong Kong

    Hong Kong Highlights

  • Volunteers teach English
  • Non-Christian students are attracted by the quality education

Teaching English in Hong Kong

More than seven million people live on the tiny island and peninsula of Hong Kong, giving new meaning to the term urban ministry. Originally governed as a British colony, Hong Kong is now a part of China. Under the principle of “one country, two systems,” Hong Kong has more political freedoms than mainland China. One of those freedoms is religious freedom, including the ability to start churches and teach Jesus in schools.

About 30 years ago, WELS missionaries along with South Asia Lutheran Evangelical Mission (SALEM), consisting of eight churches with approximately 1,000 members, started Immanuel Lutheran College (ILC). It was always the missionaries’ intent to turn over full ownership of the school to SALEM, their Chinese ministry partners. ILC is a government-funded school, but SALEM gets to oversee the religious curriculum. Consisting of roughly 1,100 junior high through high school-aged students and also offering one year of college, presently ILC is one of the top English speaking Christian schools in this part of Hong Kong.

    The conversation naturally flows into a desire of sharing their faith.”

For the past six years, Kingdom Workers has been sending a volunteer English teacher to ILC to serve for one year. The volunteers have come from different educational backgrounds, including art, business and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary students. Because Hong Kong has such high academic standards, unless these individuals have advanced degrees in English, they are considered an assistant English teacher. Even having a native English speaking assistant teacher on staff is enough to be a big advantage for the school. The assistants serve as English tutors, help with speech and test preparation, as well as English Club. As staff members, they are also allowed to join in student fellowship opportunities, including Bible studies and Christian youth group activities that are biblically focused. They even get to testify freely when asked why they come to teach at ILC. The conversation naturally flows into a desire of sharing their faith.

An additional responsibility Kingdom Workers requires is for the English assistant to complete two English outreach projects at a local SALEM congregation during their stay. Sometimes the assistants will start study groups for students or begin a six to eight-week English class. Members of the church are encouraged to join these groups as well as invite their friends. These opportunities serve as a bridge to evangelism once relationships are formed and the Bible is introduced.

The rewards of this ongoing program of sending English teachers from the United States to ILC are seen in numerous ways. Non-Christian students are attracted to the high caliber of education offered by one of the top secondary schools in the area, and as a result of the nurturing Christian environment and exposure to the gospel message, many become Christian during their time at ILC. Another reason for continued success is due in large part to student-driven outreach at the school. During a student-run event called Gospel Tea Time, students take over the gym, set up tables with tea and snacks, invite all their friends from school, and play Bible trivia games. “Their knowledge of Bible facts is astounding,” says a former WKW volunteer. After the games, the event turns into group sharing time where everyone takes turns explaining how and why they became Christians. During one such event, a student wanted to know more about Christianity. By the end of the dialogue, that student was overjoyed with new found hope in Christ.

Imagine how awe inspiring it was to see the Holy Spirit at work first-hand in the matter of an hour. Whether all results of outreach efforts are as obvious as the previous example or not, we do know the Word works. Isaiah 55:11 says, “It (God’s Word) will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Kingdom Workers is pleased to support the Ministry of Immanuel Lutheran College and continuing outreach efforts in Hong Kong through SALEM churches.