1980-present

Mission History 1980 to Present

After serving twenty-five years in Taiwan, Hugh and Janet S9runger moved to Hong Kong in 1980, marking the joint efforts of the Commission on Overseas Missions (former General Conference Mennonite Church, now Mennonite Church USA) with EMBMC. T and S S9runger (COM) and Edmond and Kay Hoy (EMBMC) were sent to join the team in 1981.

The Mennonite Centre on Waterloo Road was purchased in 1983. Also in 1983 the East Kowloon Mennonite Church began worshipping in Kowloon Bay. During this period a number of Hong Kong Chinese who had studied overseas, primarily Canada, began returning to Hong Kong. Many of them came to faith while in college overseas. Desiring a closer connection with others who had studied abroad, they joined together to form Ho Man Tin Mennonite Church in 1984 (later to become Grace Mennonite Church). In 1987 East Kowloon merged with Grace Mennonite Church.

1984 also marked the year Miss Ch!u Bo-Kwan (Anna Ch!u) became the first Hong Kong Mennonite to graduate from seminary (China Evangelical Seminary in Taipei Taiwan). She managed the Lok Fu study centre before entering seminary and ministered in the Hong Kong Mennonite churches after seminary and before being called to missions in Ch!na.

A new ministry began reaching out to low-income workers and families in Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan in 1984. This outreach grew into Helping Hands Ministries which opened a student tutoring center in Kwai Fung in 1989. 1989 was also the year Hope Mennonite Church sprang up from the fruit of this five year ministry.

Lauren and Peggy Reusser (COM) joined the team for two years beginning 1985 and Winfred and Jean Soong were sent out jointly by EMM and COM for a year. Winfred Soong is pastor of Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church in Canada.

After 23 years of faithful ministry in Hong Kong, Ira and Evelyn Kurtz “retired”, returning to the United States to pastor. Barbara Kauf?man arrived in Hong Kong in 1990. In 1995 Barbara left Hong Kong to serve with China Educational Exchange in Mainland China.

Changing its name to Agape Mennonite Church, the Lok Fu church moves from Lok Fu to Prince Edward Road in 1989. Agape again moved in 1991 to Sha Tin. Agape Arts Centre also opened at this time, a creative attempt to more effectively reach out to the community while also providing some income to the church.

The Conference of Mennonite Churched in Hong Kong, LTD, was officially registered with the government in 1991.

One year before Hugh and Janet Sprunger retired in 1992, George and Tobia Veith (Mennonite Church Canada Witness) came to Hong Kong from Canada. Eastern Mennonite Missions sent G!enn and June Kauf?man to Hong Kong in 1992. 1992 was also the year Rev. Daniel Ngai agreed to serve as pastor of Grace Mennonite Church and Choi Wing-Kau (Jeremiah Choi) is installed as pastor of Hope Mennonite Church.

After serving the church in Hong Kong for five years, George and Tobia Veith were called to begin the first Mennonite mission to Macau in 1996. Andrew and Susan Wade arrived in 1996 to replace the Veiths. They focused in leadership and church development and worship and prayer.

T!m and Suanne S9runger were called to new ministry in the United States in 1997, leaving Hong Kong after 16 years of mission work here. In 1998 Tim and Cindy Buhler (Mennonite Church Canada Witness) arrived serving alongside Pastor Jeremiah Choi at Agape Mennonite Church for five years before joining the Veiths church planting in Macau.

Alde Wong graduated from China Graduate School of Theology and began ministry with Rev. Ngai at Grace Mennonite Church.

Expanding vision in 1999 led to The Integrated Mennonite Church in the Philippines sending their first missionary, Annie Fe Lagrada, to Hong Kong in order to reach out to the large population of foreign domestic workers from that country. Her outreach was through St. Philip's Society, Cheung Chau Christian Centre. When Annie returned to the Philippines to be married in 2002, Nora Iwarat was sent to replace her. During this time there was also a dramatic shift toward hiring Indonesians as domestic workers rather than Filipinas. It was discerned that the ministry needed to expand to reach these Indonesian ladies so in 2003 Dewi Kumalasari was send from the Mennonite Church in Indonesia to join the international mission team. Dewi returned to Indonesia in 2006 and was replaced b

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