Concordia Shenzhen Leading Education in the Hundred Million Population Greater Bay Area’s 9+2 Cities
A year ago, our Synod was invited to co-establish the Nanshan Chinese International College Concordia HKDSE Division in Shenzhen.
The recent data released by the Shenzhen Education Bureau show that there are over 3,000 students enrolled in Hong Kong-type schools across the Greater Bay Area. Remarkably, almost 1,000 of them attend our Concordia HKDSE Division in Shenzhen which accounts for one third of the total number. This achievement makes Concordia a leader among the Hong Kong-type schools there.
Concordia Winter Concert in Shenzhen
On 16 December 2024, the Nanshan Chinese International College Concordia HKDSE Division held a winter concert in the school hall. The school’s orchestra performed several world-renowned pieces from both ancient and modern times, including works of Western and Chinese composers. Among notable pieces, the “Magnificat” by the 18th-century Lutheran composer Johann Bach as well as various Christmas carols could be found. Indeed, this Christmas music filled the entire audience with joy.
LCHKS First Vice President Rev. Paul CHAN Visiting the United States
On 16 November 2024, Rev. Paul CHAN, the First Vice President of our Synod, arrived in California, being welcomed by Rev. Dr. Mike GIBSON, President of the LCMS Pacific Southwest District, and Dr. Michael THOMAS, President of Concordia University Irvine. Three of them discussed potential partnerships and closer collaboration opportunities with the LCHKS.
The 75th Anniversary of the LCHKS cum Reformation Day Joint Worship
On the evening of 31 October 2024, the 75th Anniversary of the LCHKS cum Reformation Day Joint Worship took place in Concordia Lutheran School (Kowloon). Brothers and sisters from the LCHKS congregations, schools and social service gathered to glorify, praise and thank God.
Concordia University Nebraska Team’s Summer Bridging Programme at Nanshan Concordia
This past summer (2024), Dr. Vicky ANDERSON’s Team from Concordia University Nebraska (CUNE) came again to our Nanshan Chinese International College Concordia HKDSE Division in Shenzhen to organise a bridging programme which aimed to help our local students advance their English language skills and prepare them well for the new academic year. Over 200 students participated in this programme.
Dr. ANDERSON’s Team also contributed to our intense and exciting Vacation Bible School (VBS) activities taking place at many schools across Hong Kong. More than 1,100 students joined, with over 600 of them coming from the Sheng Kung Hui (Hong Kong Anglican Church) schools. Through these diversified and entertaining educational initiatives, local students could not only enhance their proficiency in English but also deepen their understanding of Christian faith.
News
Brothers and Sisters in Christ Help One Another Globally
Close cooperation between brothers and sisters in Christ knows no geographical or ethnic boundaries. Numerous service teams keep coming to Hong Kong from afar to help different units of our Synod.
Concordia University Texas Team
On 12 May 2024, professors and students of Concordia University Texas (CTX) visited our headquarters where the LCHKS President, Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG, extended a warm welcome to them. Members of the CTX Team are engaged in different forms of collaboration with our Synod.
Concordia University Nebraska Team
On 22 March 2024, Dr. Vicki Anderson, Professor of Concordia University Nebraska (CUNE), visited our Nanshan Chinese International College Concordia HKDSE Division to provide training and encouragement for teachers. From 15 to 26 July this year, Dr. Anderson is going to bring students from her university to join our students in summer holiday activities.
Colorado Team
From 10 to 17 March 2024, a group of six brothers and sisters from Colorado (US) came to serve in Hong Kong. They stayed at the Lui Ming Choi Lutheran College (LCHKS) together with teachers and students.
Teams mentioned above are our treasured partners. We enjoy collaborating with them and keep moving forward in the Gospel work and educational ministry. May the Lord watch over the feet of those who preach the good news!
The LCHKS General Conference (2024)
On 27 April 2024 (Sat), the General Conference (Convention) of the LCHKS was held at Concordia Lutheran School (Kowloon). At the meeting, seven members of the 17th Executive Council were unanimously elected as well as the election of the ten Standing Committees was carried out. Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG was re-elected to serve a tenth term as the President of the Synod.
Members of the 17th Executive Council:
President: Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG
First Vice President: Rev. Paul Y. S. CHAN
Second Vice President: Rev. Tony LAU
Chinese Secretary: Mr. Kai Hing LAM
English Secretary: Mr. Paul S. K. CHAN
Treasurer: Rev. Ying Leong KWAN
Member: Rev. Jian Ren SHEN
Rev. Kevin D. Robson, Chief Mission Officer of LCMS, Rev. Charles Ferry, LCMS Office of International Mission Asia Region Director, and Mr. Samuel Borgwardt, LCMS OIM Asia Region Business Manager, wrote to request a meeting with the President on 8 January 2024, to discuss resolving the difficulties between the Synod. The meeting has been held as scheduled.
Strengthening Gospel Work in the Asia Region with LHM
On December 7, 2023, Dr. Kurt Buchholz, the CEO of Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), and Gunya NaThalang, the Asia Regional Director of LHM, visited us to discuss evangelistic work.
LHM spreads the Gospel globally through various multimedia platforms. Their programs are broadcasted on over 1800 radio stations each week, reaching a vast audience of over 195 million people in more than 60 countries.
Lutheran Hour Ministries has achieved significant success in Hong Kong over the past decades and will collaborate more closely with us to further enhance Gospel work in the Asian region, including Hong Kong.
Greater Bay Area Concordia Education Service Office Announcement
NCIC Concordia HKDSE Division is a program that has been simultaneously approved by both the Shenzhen Education Bureau, and the Hong Kong Education Bureau. It is managed by a well-established organization with a 70-year history of education in Hong Kong. In the curriculum for Grades 1 to 9, we will offer an excellent ‘bi-literary’ and ‘trilingual’ (Cantonese, Mandarin, and English) learning environment. We primarily follow the Hong Kong curriculum, integrating the advantages of international curricula into the Hong Kong curriculum to achieve internationalization. For Grades 10 – 12, we will offer three diversified education paths for “DSE/GCSE, A-Level/AP.” Students with Hong Kong ID cards, or overseas passports, can participate in the various degree allocation systems under Hong Kong’s educational system and policies. Thereby securing placements in Hong Kong schools and seamlessly transitioning to the Hong Kong curriculum. They also have priority access to the middle, primary, kindergarten, and international schools established by the Hong Kong Collaborative International Education Group (“the Group”), with support from the Group’s schools in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Additionally, students have various pathways for further education, allowing them to aim for prestigious institutions, both domestically and internationally.
The establishment of the Greater Bay Area Concordia Education Service Office is aimed at understanding and assisting the educational needs of parents and students in the 9+2 cities in the Greater Bay Area. The office promotes mutual communication and is specifically linked to nearly fifty middle, primary, kindergarten, and international schools supported by the Group in Hong Kong. Furthermore, it is connected to a network of over two-thousand affiliated schools worldwide, enabling the provision of professional advice and assistance.
The representatives of the Concordia Education Group, met with Professor Wei Xiangdong, the Secretary General of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA)
In connection with the application for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) by Hong Kong students from Nanshan Chinese International College Concordia HKDSE Division in Shenzhen.
On October 6, Dr. Chan with representatives of the Concordia Education Group, met with Professor Wei Xiangdong, the Secretary General of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), and his team. After discussion, the Bureau gave an assurance that students of NCIC Concordia HKDSE Division would be allowed to sit for the Diploma examination in Hong Kong as, ‘Self-study Students’. At the same time, because of Concordia educational advantages in Hong Kong, students who do not want to take the examination as, ‘Self-study Students’, can choose to take the examination as, ‘School Candidates’, of the Concordia Education Group’s schools in Hong Kong. The Concordia Education Group guarantees to make appropriate arrangements (including SBA scores, accommodation, and transportation during the examination period, etc.) The students of NCIC Concordia HKDSE Division can have the same treatment as Hong Kong candidates.
In addition, the meeting also marked the beginning of the voyage of the NCIC Concordia HKDSE Division to become a ‘DSE Examination School’ for the diploma examination. The Concordia Education Group has actively contacted with various parties to make plans and preparations for becoming a ‘DSE Examination School’. With our existing rich strength and experience, we are confident that it will be achieved swiftly. The representatives of the Concordia Education Group also expressed to the Bureau the hope that the HKEAA will actively optimize and improve the relevant policies and arrangements for examination, so as to better facilitate and benefit Mainland students of Hong Kong nationality.
In short, NCIC Concordia HKDSE Division has unique advantages and characteristics which guarantee that all students in the NCIC Concordia HKDSE Division can rest assured – whether they are ‘School Candidates’ or ‘Self-study Students’. By taking the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination, they can enjoy the same conditions as all Hong Kong students, and look forward to a bright future.
Establishment of Education Advisory Board
We have always been committed to enhancing both local and international educational standards. Pursuing this goal, we have recently established an education advisory board consisting of scholars and administrators from prominent academic institutions in Hong Kong. The Board’s objective is to lead the way towards excellence in higher education. We are proud to announce that each member of the Board is either our member or our alumnus.
Moreover, we believe that the Board’s expertise and guidance will be highly beneficial to our Synod, to our educational institutions and to all our students, empowering and equipping them to achieve more.
Let us work together to pursue excellence in education.
On 16 September 2022, The Most Reverend Andrew CHAN [陳謳明], the Archbishop and Primate of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican [Episcopal] Church in Hong Kong) visited the Office of the LCHKS President, Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG [戎子由], who extended a warm welcome to the SKH Primate on behalf of our Synod. Both church leaders discussed the ministry work and shared their insights and experience related thereto. Teachers and students of Concordia Theological Seminary, Concordia International School and Concordia Lutheran School, which are operated by the LCHKS, joined in greeting the SKH Archbishop who gave encouragement to all participants.
BCIS Making Good Accreditation Progress
Sunday Worship Services Online
Due to the current pandemic situation, Sunday worship services must be conducted online. Please visit the website “LCHKS Churches & Mission Stations” to find links.
Asia-Pacific Lutheran Churches Christmas Carols Video Project
The Christmas carols video project engaging the Lutheran Churches of the Asia Pacific region coordinated by the Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod (LCHKS) is a precious opportunity for all of us to glorify Christ, God in flesh, God with us (Emmanuel) and to console fellow brothers and sisters with the message about God’s care and God’s saving plan for all human beings, working together as Asian Lutherans in unity and peace. The life-giving message (the Gospel), which resounds through the hymns “Joy to the World, the Lord is come” and “Angels We Have Heard on High”, is an encouragement to us in the face of the current pandemic and inspires us to serve the neighbour with joyful hearts amid numerous challenges. Hallelujah!
全國政協副主席梁振英博士蒞臨本會
A Concordia International School Network is Growing and Welcomes Two New Schools
Impossible Possible
God has His ways to keep us safe and to keep us together. All God’s works described below appear to be an impossible mission, yet God enables us to accomplish what appears to be impossible. He empowers us to achieve more than we could achieve by ourselves, more than we could ever imagine…
Forbes Annual Selection
BCIS No. 9 in the Greater Bay Area
On Tuesday May 18 Forbes China announced their Top 100 International Schools in China rankings, with Buena Vista Concordia International School coming in at Number 54 on the list. This placed us at Number 9 in the Greater Bay Area. Based on a rubric that includes the financial strength, levels of technology, enrollment, faculty and staff, and school reputation, this list reads like a ‘who’s who’ of international schools around China. Most of these ranked schools come from Tier 1 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. To make this list is quite an honor – to rank so high on this list is a testament to the hard work and dedication that the faculty and staff of BCIS put in each and every day. Aiming to offer the best education to students in the Greater Bay Area, this Forbes China ranking is proof-positive that BCIS is delivering on those promises.
2021 VBS
With God’s help, we continue to run English Vocation Bible School (VBS) this summer. We are now recruiting volunteers who can use English as a platform to bring the Gospel to more than 5,000 families and more than 15,000 people in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories.
For enquiries please contact:
Rev. Anthony HUANG (Hong Kong Island & Kowloon East): 9505 7822
Rev. Albert LAU (New Territories): 9858 8875
The LCHKS General Conference (2021)
The General Conference (Convention) was held successfully on 24 April 2021 at Concordia Lutheran School. Seven members of the 16th Executive Council were elected at the meeting, including the President and the two Vice-Presidents. The members of the ten Standing Committees were also elected. The voting members of the Synod re-elected Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG to serve a ninth term as the President of the Synod.
On 28 February 2021, The Most Reverend Andrew CHAN [陳謳明], the Archbishop and Primate of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican [Episcopal] Church in Hong Kong) accompanied by his spouse, visited Amazing Grace Lutheran Church [沐恩堂] to meet Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG [戎子由], LCHKS President, to discuss church ministry in this time of the epidemic.
Five volumes of the Chinese Edition of Luther’s Works were presented to the Most Reverend Primate CHAN by Dr. YUNG on behalf of our Synod.
Setting up of funds to help people in need
To encourage members of the church to support each other, to serve diligently and to witness in the community, LCHKS will set up several funds to show the love of Christ by offering help for the disadvantaged in our community. The fund information is as follows:
On March 3, Mr T. Du, Principal of CISHK visited HKIS to discuss about the Ritman Scholarship.
On 18 June 2020, Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG, LCHKS President, received Rev. Dr. Paul LINNEMANN and his wife Cindy. Dr. LINNEMANN is the President of the Northwest District of the LCMS and he was accompanied by Rev. Joel SCHEIWE….
Visit to Chengdu Concordia International School
On October 8th, 2019, Mr.T. Du (Principal of CISHK) was invited to visit Chengdu Concordia International School (CCIS). During this four-day visit, Mr. Du met with the Executive Director, Mr. Guan Mao, and Principal Dorgelo to assist them in planning for the establishment of a high school program in 2020….
Concordia Conference Professional Development 2019
Concordia School Group is pleased to present our fifth professional development conference from November 15-16 in BCIS (Shenzhen)…
Concordia Summer Service in Hong Kong 2019
Three students from Shenzhen were admitted to Stanford University this year. Two of them, Simba XU (second from left) and Glede WANG (third from left), are from the Buena Vista Concordia International School (BCIS). In the photo, there is also the BCIS Principal Cockborn (first from right). Dr. Yung (first from left) awarded the Concordia Alumni Services Scholarship to the two outstanding students.
A Resolution of Executive Council
The Executive Council deeply regrets that the LCMS has not yet responded to the LCHKS but rather, as a trustee, sold the three properties and transferred the revenue outside Hong Kong against the wishes of the donors who intended to use these three properties to develop Gospel-ministry in Hong Kong.
The Executive Council unanimously resolved to suspend (freeze) the partnership with the LCMS and to reserve the right to take legal action. On the other hand, we uphold the partnership with all like-minded LCMS co-workers in Hong Kong and in Greater China for God’s glory and for the benefit of people (Resolution 2019-27)
News from Lutheran Quarterly 548
- On April 18th, due to lack of consultation beforehand and lack of need, our church decided not to adopt “The Lutheran Services Book” edited by CLSB Dr. Michael Paul.
- On April 21st, our church was approved by the Innovation and Technology Bureau which will grant about 3.9 million Hong Kong dollars to develop a sign language software application which includes:
(i) a sign language interactive communication platform,
(ii) a pioneer system translating Chinese sentences into the sign language, and
(iii) a sign language e-learning program.
This project is given to the Literature Department, Lutheran School for the Deaf and the Social Service Department to follow up the relevant work.
- On May 8th our church suspended the membership and its fee of the International Lutheran Council.
- On May 8th, Mission of Christ Network Director General Rev. John Mehl visited Hong Kong and on May 15th discussed with President Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG the various works of MCN.
- On May 15th, preparation of the Missionary Information Form (Contact Information) was completed. All foreign long-term volunteers must complete the form and easy follow up.
- On May 28th, the School Director Board of BCIS approved to pay a total pre-tax value of RMB 3.5 million for a number of services and training services for the school provided by our church.
- On June 1st, the fourth issue of the Wheat Field newsletter reported on four ministries for the elderly, including the “Hundred People Marriage Memorial Ceremony” held on April 28th. For the remaining three elderly programs, please refer to the Wheat Field newsletter.
- On June 6th, 2019, three students from Shenzhen were admitted to Stanford University. Two of them graduated from BCIS. President Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG personally presented the “Concordia Alumni Service Scholarship” to two outstanding alumni, XU Hao Ran and WANG Qi.
- Pastor Anthony Wong visited three districts of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod in the United States (in Kansas, Iowa and Missouri) from 30/5 – 12/6 to discuss matters related to the SVBS.
- On June 15th, Dr. Henry Rowold published an 80th Birthday Memorial Journal. President Rev. Dr. Allan YUNG congratulated him on his contribution to the Chinese ministry in the past half century.
- On June 20th, re-arrangement of co-workers was done for VBS. Pastor Anthony Wong will be responsible for Hong Kong and Kowloon and Pastor Lau Siu Ming for the New Territories. They will coordinate with each other to promote the ministry.
- On June 20th, LCMS Michigan District Vice President Rev. Craig Bickel will visit Hong Kong for discussion of ministry at the end of August.
- On June 26th, Lyman and Ruth Stone of the Mission of Christ Network handed in a report on the foreign mission volunteers in Tuen Mun District.
- The three-year development plan of the Evangelism Committee, the Christian Education Commission and the Social Services Division was unanimously adopted.
- We unanimously approved that the HK$484,365.00 raised through the 2018 Education and Church Development Fund will be allocated according to the following arrangements:
(A) 10% of the fund raised by the schools and the Social Service Department will be given for education and ministry development.
(B) The remaining amount will be used to support the theological education and gospel ministry of the Church.
Letters of Clarification regarding the Relationship between the LCHKS and the LCMS
A Letter of Concern to the LCMS District Presidents
The General Conference (Convention) of the Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod (LCHKS), which took place on 27 April 2019 (Sat), endorsed the appended letter to the LCMS District Presidents [Resolution 2019-03], while the LCHKS Executive Council resolved that this letter was to be sent out on 29 April 2019 (Mon) [Resolution 2019-4].
24th October 2018. Member Church Leaders of the Lutheran World Federation and Hong Kong Lutheran World Federation…
5th July 2018 The Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service (HKLSS) operated by the Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod (LCHKS) was selected by the Development Bureau to revitalise Luen Wo Market in Fanling under the Batch V of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme (Revitalisation Scheme)…
Concordia International School Hong Kong(CIHS) received Full Accreditation from Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) on 11 May, 2018…
Publications / Info
Lutheran Quarterly
News from the Field
History
In 1915, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod sent missionaries to China. They preached the gospel along Changjiang in Hubei and Sichuan. The Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod, HK & Macau Mission was established at that time. In 1949, the missionaries planned to return to the United States, but when they saw so many refugees in Hong Kong, they decided to stay. They started evangelical work in Hong Kong, and later established the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Hong Kong Mission.
Mission
