Our Story 

Fifteen years ago, Pastor Phyllis Wong, the current minister-in-charge, started serving at Kowloon Union Church. At that time, she noticed that many asylum seekers and refugee friends came to the church for Sunday Worship and Bible Studies. 

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At one Bible Study meeting, a brother from Africa who was seeking asylum shared his frustrating struggles in Hong Kong. Far away from loved ones, unable to work, forced to rely on others for relief. Language barriers, discrimination based on the colour of his skin and his status, and physical and mental exhaustion in the face of an unknown future. This brother shared that it turned out that he had escaped from his home and came to Hong Kong, only to enter another prison, and life was worse than death. After Pastor Phyllis heard this brother's cry for help, she felt uneasy and sad. She remembered Jesus saying, "I came that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). What does abundant life mean to refugee brothers and sisters? Just after this reflection, Pastor Phyllis saw the gifts and strengths of the refugee brothers. Everyone is loved by God, and He will give them different gifts to enable them to live happily and abundantly. 

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Pastor Phyllis found that this group of brothers from Africa were good at singing and dancing, and they were very motivated and infectious when they played the African drums, so she organized the "African Voices" group. The group is made up of asylum seekers from different African countries, both as a fellowship and as a sing group. They came together and played drums. Firstly, they sang in church worships, and then the church began to arrange some outreach sharing activities, allowing the refugee brothers to sing, play drums, dance and share their life stories, so that brothers and sisters in other churches and young students on campus can understand the life of refugees and their current plight, and learn to appreciate the rich African culture. Brothers who go out to share are "Christ's Ambassadors of Peace", spreading the message of love, acceptance, and diversity with one another. Through outreach participation, brothers regain confidence, build friendships with different communities, and increase society’s awareness of refugees. 

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Since its inception, "Peacemaking Programme - Refugee Ministry" has continued to develop according to the needs and circumstances of refugees. At present, the ministry is mainly aimed at the pastoral care of all aspects of refugees’ lives, and develops in the following three areas: 

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First, spiritual care – rooted in the teachings of the Bible and with the great love of the Lord, ministering refugees from different countries and religious beliefs, responding to their spiritual, emotional and life needs. 

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Second, empowerment activities - various types of empowerment workshops are held to enrich refugee friends and help them participate in society. 

Third, community education - regular community education is held to enable all sectors of the Hong Kong community to understand the plight of refugees, and to promote the church community to care for refugees and to practice loving one's neighbour as oneself. 

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Some friends who participated in "African Voices" in the past still stay in Hong Kong after obtaining refugee status or right of abode, and they are committed to different local churches and non-profit organizations, and continue to provide various forms of support services to refugee groups. 

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Today, Kowloon Union Church serve asylum seekers and refugees from countries from Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, ranging in age from newborn babies to 73 years old. Of these, 60% are adults and 40% are adolescents and children. Our activities include Refugee Fellowship, Refugee Kitchen, Outreach Sharing, Human Library, Adult and Children's Choir, Cooking Class, Sewing Class, Swimming Class, outdoor events and more. Although the ministry has been affected by the COVID epidemic in recent years, we still spared no effort in the ministry of pastoral care and outreach education. 

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We are part of the global refugee crisis 

Over the years, the refugee ministry at Kowloon Union Church has been full of challenges. On the one hand, the instability of the group itself makes it difficult to develop long-term projects; on the other hand, the mobility of group members is relatively large, which means that we have to adapt to different needs and changes all the times, and we need to readjust our workforce every year as well as evaluate its sustainable development. 

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In fact, the structure of our refugee community is closely related to the global refugee crisis. These crises, including persecution, war, climate change, human rights violations, economic hardship, famine, gender and sexual orientation, all directly affect the demographics of those we serve today. In short, the impact of the refugee crisis is not limited to the problems and responsibilities of certain countries; rather, the refugee crisis is a call for the international community to participate in global justice. When injustice happens in this world, any citizen of the world is called to join in this mission. The church, as a community of witnesses to Christ, has a duty to do so. 

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When this ministry first took off, many of the asylum seekers were Africans from central Africa who had desperately fled their countries because of genocide, religious and political persecution. Since 2010, asylum seekers have come not only from central Africa, but also from countries in northern Africa such as Egypt, Yemen, Somalia and Libya. Egypt is one of the most difficult countries for Christians to live in. The country’s laws are based on Islamic principles and the country is governed by Islamic principles. Most of the Egyptians we serve have been forced to flee their homes because of religious persecution. Famine in Somalia and civil wars in Yemen and Libya have also forced local people to flee their homes. 

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Therefore, when planning the development direction of the ministry, Kowloon Union Church affirmed the three-stage pastoral care, providing appropriate pastoral care for the refugee families and their children we serve, and helping them build a whole life. 

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Simply put, in the first phase, when asylum seekers come to our church, we are concerned with their individual spiritual needs and psychological conditions. In the process of fleeing, they often face various traumatic challenges. Formerly citizens of a country, but now asylum seekers in Hong Kong, we must remind them of their status in the Lord: although their status on earth has changed, each of them is a child of the Lord, who is constantly being loved deeply by the Lord.

In the second stage, after they apply for asylum at the Immigration Department in Hong Kong, they will still face various life challenges arising from their lack of financial means. At this stage, we provide them with practical material support to help them settle down in Hong Kong. Their daily activities are also restricted for the same reason and we will encourage them to participate in workshops organized by our church or local organizations according to their abilities, interests and expertise, so that their body, mind and spirit can develop healthily. 

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In the third stage, some people in the group will adapt to life in Hong Kong relatively quickly, and their spiritual life and quality of life will also be ready to testify for the Lord. So, we invite them to become "peace ambassadors" to share their testimony among different groups. It is an empowerment exercise that gives them the power of affirmation and recognition from their status as "asylum seekers" or "refugees". 
 
In fact, before making them feel the hospitality of others, the most important and practical part is to help them accept their special status as "seeking asylum" and recognize that the Lord personally led them to Hong Kong. The Lord is not here to see them suffer, but for them to walk on the path that the Lord has prepared for them with a mission, and to bless the people and cities around them during their asylum-seeking journey. 

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Outreach beyond charity 

Imagine if a person doesn't even have a bed and has to sleep on the ground, or a person whose stomach is empty on a daily basis, how can s/he have the spirit to discern God's guidance for his life? As a church, we do need to support their practical needs, providing rent support and meal support as part of our pastoral care for them. For example, in 2022, we partnered with the Justice Center to distribute fresh food and groceries to refugee families in the community. But as a church, we need to do more than that. 

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The refugee issue not only awakens the society's attention to humanitarianism, but also awakens the need for the church community to properly practice hospitality. In our contact with refugees, what I particularly noticed is that after they came to Hong Kong, they were often able to understand the power of faith during their stay. For example, they learned patience, reconciliation with family members, and perseverance in the midst of hardship during the indefinite waiting for deliverance. It is during this time that many of the good nature of God manifested in their lives. 

To help them internalize their experience of walking with the Lord, another major focus of our ministry is community education. Through community outreach activities, asylum seekers or refugee friends can share their life stories, their experiences fleeing from persecution, and to bring the gospel of peace to the local community. 

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The lives of these stragglers, like the jars of clay that Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 4, faced enemies on all sides, persecuted, knocked down, fragile and full of rifts, but their lives had the glory of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, in the hardships of their lives, shining through the cracks in the earthenware. As a church, we have a responsibility to keep this light shining and illuminating the darkness. 

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When the world condemns refugees as a burden to the city, we show the world their perseverance. 

When the world labels refugees negatively, we can tell the world that they are only a small group of diaspora, and the stories they experience are real and cruel. 

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When the world is clamoring to help refugees in faraway Ukraine, we tell the world that refugees are living in our cities too. 

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When churches don't seem to see the need to host refugees locally, we tell the churches to have faith and ask Christ to provide us with what we need to do local cross-cultural ministry to serve them. 

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For a long time, Kowloon Union Church has been devoted to the refugee ministry and testified to the church community. Based on our experience walking with refugees, we honestly don't need to have anything substantial to think about developing this ministry, it all started with a prayer from the heart. We have few resources, but whenever we want to develop various pastoral activities, we always receive timely and sufficient donations from different churches and organizations to achieve and maintain the development of the ministry. 

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In refugee ministry, the groups we serve, through different levels of participation, serve each other, not only appreciate the benefits of helping others to help themselves, but also build the communal spirit of mutual help in the Body of Christ. 

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The incarnate Christ gave human beings abundant and complete life. After fifteen years of service, we have continued to minister the whole refugee community in the direction of "abundant life" and "whole life". 

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Since last year, we have added elements of somatic education to help refugees observe their own body and mind. From the experience of physical and mental perception, to the exercise of the ability of physical and mental awareness. The process focuses on the relationship between personal spirituality and physical health, guides them to be aware of their physical, mental and spiritual needs through activities and sharing of personal stories to heal their various traumas caused by their escape experience and living in a foreign place. 
 
It is hoped that in the days to come, in addition to continuing the existing activities, we can develop the direction of caring and storytelling from the unity of body, mind and spirit, and minister to the whole refugee community. By combining spirituality and the Word, reflecting on faith and life, and citing it in outreach community education, walk humbly with refugees to build a community that respects humanity and peaceful communion.