HONG KONG – On October 27, 2013 The Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod (LCHKS) celebrated 100 years of confessional Lutheran witness in China at a special service at Concordia Lutheran Church (Yau Yat Chuen) in Kowloon.
Numerous Chinese and American pastors participated in the centennial service, with Rev. Dr. Jeff Oschwald of Concordia Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri) preaching. The LCHKS’ President, Rev. Dr. Allan Yung, was also present, bringing greetings to the assembly of 1,200 gathered on the festive occasion. He expressed thanks for those missionaries who established a mission culture in the region, and encouraged the congregations of the LCHKS to continue putting the Great Commission into practice.
The Centennial Anniversary of Lutheran Missionaries Coming to China service recognized Rev. Edward Arndt’s 1913 arrival in China. Rev. Arndt, a pastor of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), moved to China one hundred years ago to share the Gospel. His work led to the establishment of churches and schools in the area of Hankou, China, where he passed away in 1929.
Rev. Arndt was also instrumental in the establishment of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s mission work in China at large. Following the Chinese Civil War, when Christian missionaries were forced to leave the country, LCMS missionaries moved to Hong Kong to minister to refugees there. That led to the founding of The Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod, which in time grew to become a self-governing, independent church body.
Today, The Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod has 34 congregations, 8 mission stations, 40 schools, and 43 social service units. It is a member church of the International Lutheran Council.
For more information on the history of Lutheran outreach in China, watch this video from The Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod.
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