Sheng Kung Hui
Encyclopedia
The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), is the Anglican Church in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

. It is the 38th Province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...

 of the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...

. It is also one of the major denominations in Hong Kong.

The Most Reverend Paul Kwong
Paul Kwong
Paul Kwong is the second Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island. He was elected and consecrated the bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, on December 30, 2005, and March 25, 2006, respectively...

 is the current Archbishop
Archbishop of Hong Kong
The Archbishop of Hong Kong is the senior bishop, spiritual and moral leader of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The archbishop is also Primate of Hong Kong , and both incumbents have, coincidentally, also been Bishop of Hong Kong Island...

 and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island
Diocese of Hong Kong Island
The Diocese of Hong Kong Island is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Islands District, Central and Western District, Wan Chai District, Eastern District and Southern District, as well as Ma Wan and northern Lantau Island in the...

 with his seat at the St. John's Cathedral
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
St. John's Cathedral , officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road, Central, is an Anglican cathedral in Hong Kong. It is the Diocesan cathedral of the...

. The Rt Reverend Dr. Thomas Soo
Soo Yee Po
Thomas Soo Yee-Po, JP is the current Bishop of the Diocese of Western Kowloon in the Hong Kong Anglican Church. He was the chairman of the Hong Kong Christian Council until 2010....

 is Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Diocese of Western Kowloon
Diocese of Western Kowloon
The Diocese of Western Kowloon is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan , Kwai Tsing, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong...

, and also the chairman of Hong Kong Christian Council and the Board of the Hong Kong Bible Society
Bible society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization devoted to translating, publishing, distributing the Bible at affordable costs and advocating its credibility and trustworthiness in contemporary cultural life...

.

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Church is a global family and a fellowship of churches which trace their roots to the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

, with a province being a basic autonomous unit. There are presently 38 independent and self-governing provinces spanning over 160 countries. With over seventy seven million members, the Anglican Communion is the third largest communion in the world, after the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

In the Anglican Communion, there is no central governing authority. Churches uphold and proclaim the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 and Apostolic
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...

 faith. The front-line unit of Church is the "parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

". Parishes of similar vicinity are then grouped together to form a "diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

". Dioceses sharing similar cultural and national background would unite and form a "province", participating in the Anglican Communion under the leadership and jurisdiction of an archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

.

The Four Instruments of Unity for the Anglican Communion:

  1. The Archbishop of Canterbury
    Archbishop of Canterbury
    The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

    ,
  2. The Anglican Consultative Council
    Anglican Consultative Council
    The Anglican Consultative Council or ACC is one of the four "Instruments of Communion" of the Anglican Communion. It was created by a resolution of the 1968 Lambeth Conference...

    , which is organized once every three years,
  3. Lambeth Conference, a global Anglican bishops' meeting which is held once every ten years, and
  4. Primates' Meeting, the meeting of the most senior leaders of the church, which is held at least on an annual basis.

Anglican Faith


The Anglican Faith is based on the belief that the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

, the Holy Scriptures of the Old
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...

 and the New
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

 Testaments, "contain[s] all things necessary to salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...

". Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui further maintains the ministry of the Church which it has received through the Episcopacy in the three orders of Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

s, Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

s, and Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

s.

History and origin

Sheng Kung Hui started in Hong Kong in 1843. The first Chinese church, St. Stephen's Church, was founded in 1865. From then onwards, in the course of development of the Anglican Church in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

, churches continued to grow and witnessed the establishment of the Diocese of Victoria in 1849 under the See of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

; the establishment of the Kong Yuet Diocese under the Province of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui
Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui
Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui was the Anglican-Episcopal Church in China. It was formally established as the Anglican-Episcopal Province of China in 1912. Soon after the communist revolution in China in 1949, it ceased to exist. Its dioceses in Hong Kong and Macao became an independent province...

in 1913; and the birth of the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau  in 1951, which was subsequently completely separated from the national Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui.

In the 40th Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...

 of the Diocese held in December 1991, it was resolved that steps were to be taken to expand the Diocese into a province and eventually in 1998, the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui was established.

Dioceses and Missionary Area

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui consists of three diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

s and one missionary area. There is a bishop in each diocese. The dioceses are:
  • The Diocese of Hong Kong Island
    Diocese of Hong Kong Island
    The Diocese of Hong Kong Island is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Islands District, Central and Western District, Wan Chai District, Eastern District and Southern District, as well as Ma Wan and northern Lantau Island in the...

     (香港島教區)
  • The Diocese of Eastern Kowloon (東九龍教區)
  • The Diocese of Western Kowloon
    Diocese of Western Kowloon
    The Diocese of Western Kowloon is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan , Kwai Tsing, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong...

     (西九龍教區)


(The Diocese of Eastern Kowloon and the Diocese of Western Kowloon are divided by the geographical constituencies of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...

.)


The missionary area is:
  • The Missionary Area of Macau (澳門傳道地區)

Parishes and churches

A complete list is also available in Chinese Wikipedia

General synod

The Provincial General Synod
General Synod of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
The General Synod of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui exercises the metropolitical authority of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. It is a tricameral synod which governs the Province and has the final authority in all matters affecting life, order and canonical discipline of the Church...

is composed of the House of Bishop, the House of Clegy and the House of Laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

. Members come from the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, the Diocese of Eastern Kowloon, the Diocese of Western Kowloon
Diocese of Western Kowloon
The Diocese of Western Kowloon is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan , Kwai Tsing, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong...

 and the Missionary Area of Macau. Under the General Synod, there are different Commissions responsible for different areas of ministry.

Mission and pastoral work

The Church is a community with no boundaries in age, social or ethnic status. Members include Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

, Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

 and Westerners from all over the world. The worship in Churches features Cantonese, Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....

, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...

 languages.

Pastoral Care
On the parish level, pastoral care is given through fellowships
Communion (Christian)
The term communion is derived from Latin communio . The corresponding term in Greek is κοινωνία, which is often translated as "fellowship". In Christianity, the basic meaning of the term communion is an especially close relationship of Christians, as individuals or as a Church, with God and with...

 for children, youth, adults, women, elderly and other related groups to cater to the different needs of people of various age groups and background. Retreats, silent meditation, pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

 and tours to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

 are often arranged. Caring for the elderly, family counseling service, spiritual support in hospitals, pastoral care in correctional institutes, mission to Seafarers and religious service at the Airport are some of the Church's services.


Religious Education
Religious education of parishes are carried out by Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

s, seminars, disciple training courses and catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...

 class, among others. The whole Church relies on the Religious Education and Resource Centre to co-ordinate religious education research, provision of religious education curriculum and promotion of religious education. Besides training ordinands, Ming Hua Theological College also provides multi-faceted theological, spiritual and biblical studies for laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

.

Social service

Social service of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui started in mid 18th Century. At present, many social service organizations and social service models in Hong Kong were those initiated and promoted by the Church. Services provided by the Church are multi-faceted, including services for family and child-care, children and youth, the elderly, rehabilitation service, community development service and other supportive services. There are more than 230 units providing social service run by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui at present.

In January 2010, the Inland Revenue Department
Inland Revenue Department (Hong Kong)
The Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong Government is one of Hong Kong government departments which is responsible for the administration of the following Hong Kong ordinances on taxes and duties and the related rules and regulations:Betting Duty Ordinance Cap.108Business Registration...

 began to pursue the SKH for unpaid taxes in the amount of HK$180 million, relating to a parcel of land in Tai Po
Tai Po
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...

 which originally housed an orphanage. In 1993, after the closure of the orphanage, the SKH let Cheung Kong Holdings develop luxury apartments on the site, and were estimated to have made profits of HK$450 million in cash, in addition to receiving 120 apartments for free.

Education

There are altogether 33 secondary schools sponsored by Sheng Kung Hui in the territory, amongst which namely:

Primary schools

  • Sheng Kung Hui Chu Oi Primary School
  • Sheng Kung Hui Chu Oi Primary School (Lei Muk Shue)
  • Sheng Kung Hui Ho Chak Wan Primary School
  • Sheng Kung Hui Tsing Yi Estate Ho Chak Wan Primary School
  • Sheng Kung Hui Tsing Yi Chu Yan Primary School
  • Sheng Kung Hui Holy Spirit Primary School

Secondary schools

  • Diocesan Boys' School
    Diocesan Boys' School
    Diocesan Boys' School is a boys' school located at 131 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1869, making it one of the oldest secondary schools in Hong Kong....

  • Diocesan Girls' School
    Diocesan Girls' School
    Diocesan Girls' School, founded in 1860, is one of the oldest Anglican girls' schools in Hong Kong. DGS is located at 1 Jordan Road in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is administered under the Grant Code and uses English as the medium of instruction. It has always been ranked as the top secondary school in...

  • Heep Yunn School
    Heep Yunn School
    Heep Yunn School is an Anglican girls' secondary school founded in 1936. It is located in Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon, Hong Kong.Heep Yunn is notable for its students' high academic achievement...

  • Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School
    Sheng Kung Hui Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School
    Sheng Kung Hui Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School is an Anglican secondary school located at Kwai Shing Circuit, Kwai Chung, the New Territories, Hong Kong. The school was founded in 1970 by Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and was named after Mr. Lam Woo for his donations to promote education...

  • Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School
    Sheng Kung Hui Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School
    The school motto is HYPOMONE, a Greek word meaning 'perseverance, forgiveness and tolerance'. The school aims to give young people a balanced education, based on Christian love, and promotes equally moral, intellectual, social, aesthetic and physical development...

  • St. Mark's School
    St Mark's School (Hong Kong)
    -History:St. Mark's School was founded at Glenealy in Central in 1949, first known as St. Paul's English PM School. It was renamed St. Mark's School in 1953, and moved to Shaukeiwan Road in 1956. In 2001, it was relocated to its present site, a brand new building in Aldrich Bay.In 2009, St. Mark's...

  • Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School
    SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School
    SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School ,often referred to simply MST or, in Chinese, 莫壽增, is a co-educational secondary school in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1975, and named after Bishop Mok Sau Tseng of Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui. English is used as the medium of instruction of the school...

  • St. Paul's Co-educational College
    St. Paul's Co-educational College
    St. Paul's Co-educational College , is located at 33 MacDonnell Road, Mid-levels, Hong Kong....

  • St. Paul's College
    St. Paul's College, Hong Kong
    St. Paul's College is an Anglican day school for boys in Mid Levels, Hong Kong and is located adjacent to University of Hong Kong. Established in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in Hong Kong that is still in operation...

  • St. Stephen's College
    St. Stephen's College, Hong Kong
    St. Stephen's College is a Christian DSS coeducational secondary school located in Stanley, Hong Kong. With an area of about 150,000 sq. ft., the College is the largest secondary school in Hong Kong, and is also one of the very few boarding schools in the territory, many buildings in the campus...

  • St. Stephen's Girls' College
    St. Stephen's Girls' College
    St Stephen's Girls' College , known as SSGC, which is one of the grant schools under Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui , is a girls' schools in Hong Kong. Originally on Caine Road, the school moved to its current location at Lyttelton Road, Mid-Levels, in 1923. The main building is listed as one of the...


Education reform controversy

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, with its sponsored primary and secondary schools, were embroiled in the School-Based Management Policy
School-Based Management Policy
The School-Based Management Policy is an education policy within the Education Ordinance of the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. The policy was made law when The "Education Ordinance 2004" bill was passed by Legco in July 2004...

 controversy with the government in 2002, five years after the handover.

Theological College

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui runs its own theological college: Ming Hua Theological College, named after Bishop Ronald Owen Hall
Ronald Owen Hall
Ronald Owen Hall CMG, MC was an Anglican bishop in the 20th century.Hall was born on 22 July 1895 and educated at The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bromsgrove School and Brasenose College, Oxford. He served in the First World War winning the Military Cross and Bar...

.

See also

  • Anglican Communion
    Anglican Communion
    The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...

  • Christianity in Hong Kong
    Christianity in Hong Kong
    Christianity has been in Hong Kong since 1841. Of about 670,000 Christians in Hong Kong, most of them are Protestants and Roman Catholics.-Catholicism:...

  • Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong Island
    Diocese of Hong Kong Island
    The Diocese of Hong Kong Island is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Islands District, Central and Western District, Wan Chai District, Eastern District and Southern District, as well as Ma Wan and northern Lantau Island in the...

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong

External links




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