@Ming Hua SKH Ming Hua Theological College First Edition Spring 2013
Round Up Welcome! Welcome to the first edition of @Ming Hua, the new journal for Ming Hua Theological College. Through this journal we hope to provide a window on everything that is taking place at Ming Hua, ranging from the regular courses and activities aimed at students, to lectures and open events for the wider Church community in Hong Kong. But most of all we want the journal to be a voice for the Ming Hua community, and for that to be a success, we need you. If you have any comments or ideas, or you would like to write an article, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at editors@minghua.org.hk Ming Hua library The College s library is open to all clergy, alumni and members of the wider Christian community in Hong Kong, as well as students and staff at Ming Hua. Named after the chief benefactor Mrs Lai-Wong Yan-lin, the library houses more than 30,000 books and more than one hundred periodicals on topics including Christianity, theology, philosophy, church history and humanities. Alongside continuing to develop its physical collection, the College is also developing a digital library, where electronic resources and online databases will be available. For further details, please visit the library section on the College s website. A highlight from Ming Hua s graduation ceremony in January 2013 New Programme Director Ming Hua was delighted to welcome Dr Matthew Jones to the College in December as the institution s new Academic Programme Director. Dr Jones is tasked with managing the detailed accreditations of the College s academic programmes, including Ming Hua s chaplaincy partnership with St. Michael s College, Llandaff and Cardiff University. Dr Jones joins the college from the Solomon Islands, where he ran the academic programmes at Bishop Patteson College in Honiara. He has a PhD in contextual theology from the University of Auckland. He comes to Hong Kong with his wife Anna, and two young sons, David and Edward. Ming Hua s Principal Dr Gareth Jones said: I am delighted that Matthew is joining us. I trust that we will all enjoy working with him closely as we develop the best possible programmes for everyone in our Church.
Ming Hua: A Vision To Pursue Principal Dr Gareth Jones sets out his hopes for Ming Hua I am delighted to introduce to you the first issue of the College s new journal, @Ming Hua. I want to thank Nicky Burridge and Grace Flint, the editors, for all their hard work and for giving us something excellent, distinctive, and informative. I also want to thank everyone who has written something for the journal, and also Archbishop Paul, who found the time for a long interview in the middle of all his many commitments. Hopefully everyone will find that interview, and the rest of the journal, fascinating and worthwhile. Our vision is for an educated and thoughtful Church. The editors have asked me also to write something about the College s vision for the future. Others often ask me the same question, and I always start by saying the same thing: our vision is part of the Archbishop s vision for an educated and thoughtful Church, and our plans centre upon playing our part in his vision. More specifically, of course, we have some key ideas that we are implementing in 2013. Many of those ideas involve the way the College participates in the life of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. Ming Hua is becoming more and more open to everyone in the Church, and we enjoy welcoming people to our new courses and programmes. Similarly, a huge amount of work has been done by Lam Chun Wai, Matthew Jones, Yasti Cheng, and Helen Cheung, to make the College, and especially its library and teaching, fit for the challenge of playing a bigger role in the Church s life. It is right to celebrate their contributions and repeat how important they will be in everything Ming Hua achieves in the future. If I had to pick out certain key ideas that are central, however, I think there are three big things to mention. First, we must have a first-class library, with all the books, journals, and electronic resources that that entails. Every single member of our (small) Church has a right to use our library, and every single member deserves the best possible material that we can provide. Such a first-class library is the brain of Ming Hua: without it our other work will lack guidance and direction. Second, the heart of the College is our teaching: for without the best programmes and courses that we can offer, taught by our best faculty, then we cannot play our part in Archbishop Paul s vision for an educated and thoughtful Church. So people visiting Ming Hua, or checking out our website, should see throughout 2013 the regular development and increase of our lectures and classes. Good things should happen in the College and they are. Third, and most important, the College s people are its soul, and without good people actually in the College, as students, staff, teachers, and visitors, no amount of courses and materials will turn us into a first-class institution. As I write this note we have visitors from New Zealand, the USA, Myanmar, Wales, and England staying at Ming Hua. We have all of our full-time students taking classes of course, but we also offer evening classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And we have just completed an intensive weeklong module of the Cardiff University MTh in Chaplaincy Studies. That adds up to well over one hundred people in College, taking, delivering and supporting several different courses and programmes. I won t be happy until every member of our Church gets something from Ming Hua. In the end, that is Ming Hua s vision: lots of good people coming together to enjoy happy and productive times studying together, for their own personal growth and for the deeper life of our Church. I won t really be happy until we have found a way for every single member of our Church, young or old, to get something from Ming Hua; to enjoy and benefit from the work we are all doing. That may sound hopelessly optimistic, but it s the goal towards which we are pushing every day. @Ming Hua will play a distinctive and important role in that work. This first issue is a great beginning, but the journal will grow and develop as the College grows and develops. Do please read it, talk about it, and write to the editors with your thoughts and views. Together they, and you, will make the journal a success, and its success will be an important part of Ming Hua playing its role in the Archbishop s vision for our Church. Dr Gareth Jones Principal
A view from the Archbishop Archbishop Paul outlines his vision for the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Archbishop Paul has a clear vision for the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, and at the heart of this vision is mission. Mission was a driving force when the Province was created in 1998, and the old Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau was divided into three new Dioceses, with Macau added as a Missionary Area. Mission is exactly what the Hong Kong church is about, the Archbishop explained. We hoped that by upgrading the Diocese into a Province, it would allow more people to take part in the life of the Church and for further expansion of the Church in mission. To undertake mission effectively, the Church must train people. But he is keen to stress that in order to undertake mission effectively, the Church must train people, and this includes both those who are ordained and lay people. I see this as very important for the future mission of the Church, and that is why we have committed to developing theological education here in Hong Kong and have a new principal at SKH Ming Hua Theological College, he said. It is also the reason why there are two departments at Ming Hua, one offering vocational training to current and future clergy, and the other providing lay training. Archbishop Paul also has a vision for mission beyond Hong Kong and Macau, and Ming Hua has a role to play here too. I really want to see Ming Hua as a theological hub, not only for Hong Kong, but also for this region: for China and for the neighbouring countries in South East Asia, he said. As a result, he is keen for Ming Hua to collaborate with other theological colleges, both locally and overseas, and he is pleased with the links that are currently developing with partners in Australia, the UK, the United States and others. He said: This is my vision for the future of the Church in Hong Kong. The Church will continue to face challenges from society, and in order for the Church to meet these challenges and to spread the gospel effectively, training is very important. I see the Church in Hong Kong as a learning church, but I also want it to continue to be a caring church. With this in mind, alongside developing theological education, the Archbishop is also continuing to grow the social services that the Church offers. The Anglican Church is already the third largest social services provider in Hong Kong, with more than 4,000 fulltime trained social workers serving Hong Kong and Macau. I want to see that develop further. We want to continue our Anglican vision of social services. In the past the services we provided to the community were always cutting edge, Archbishop Paul said. These services have ranged from a very early project set up to help girls from poor families who were sold as domestic slaves to work in wealthy people s homes, to the church s more recent Act of Love programme, which was put in place in response to the financial downturn in 2008, to help people who had lost their jobs and felt they had nowhere to turn. The growth of the Church can be a curse, as well as a blessing. The Church also has a number of projects in Macau, including a rehabilitation centre for gamblers. Archbishop Paul is also keen to strengthen the link between the Anglican Church's 150 schools in Hong Kong and their local parishes. As part of this aim, he wants to develop school chaplaincy, and he has set a long-term aim of having at least one Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, called on his followers to understand and live their faith in their everyday lives. Ming Hua Theological College recently hosted a short course and workshop on Ignatian Spirituality to learn how his approach could be incorporated into their own lives. Ignatius model was different from the prevailing 16 th century model of the Benedictine rule, which centred around regular prayers, and upon which the Anglican offices of Mattins, A short course on Evensong and Compline are based today. Instead, it was born of his own life experiences and reflection upon them in the light of the Scriptures. His approach is very adaptable to the ordinary person living in the secular world, as it does not depend upon the discipline of communal worship several times a day. Instead, it requires the discipline of regular personal reflection on the activity of God in one s own daily experience, and upon short scriptural texts, trusting God to speak through both. Participants on the course learned that Ignatius offers a very practical approach to discerning the activity of God in their own lives, and allowing God to transform their lives, by transforming their practice, values and thinking. But this transformation requires their active participation.
Notes from the Pulpit By Rev Lam Chun Wai Director of the Lay Training Programme at Ming Hua chaplain in every one of the Church's schools. I want to have chaplains because students have lots of problems and the teachers are far too busy to spend time with the students listening to them. Hopefully, having a chaplain staying at school will help to solve some of these problems. To help achieve this goal, Ming Hua has made a link with St Michael's College in Wales, which offers a programme in chaplaincy, and six people from the Province have enrolled to take the course. But as well as the many positive developments, the Hong Kong Church also faces challenges as it continues to grow. Archbishop Paul said: The growth of the Church does not necessarily only bring blessings, it can be a curse as well. Parish priests are getting increasingly busy to look after the congregations. Most of the priests not only look after the parishes but they have other responsibilities as well, such as being governors or part-time chaplains. And for this reason, he urges those who are currently training to be priests to be dedicated and work hard. He said: I want to tell them to study hard and read as many books as they can in order to equip themselves better for their future ministry. I also want to see them being diligent. I don t want them to be lazy priests, but hard working ones. Here is a word that we may from time to time come across during Lent: repentance. Repentance is not a word of threat. It is not God nagging us to do what has been commanded. But rather it is a word of grace ; a word that promises us that divine retribution is not God s way of redemption. Repentance helps us to live as forgiven people. It helps us to have faith without fear. It helps to prepare us to live with humanity and dignity in the face of tragedy. But not everyone sees it this way. In Luke 13:1-9 we hear how some people came to see Jesus and told him two tragic stories and wanted to know if God had targeted the victims. The first story is about some Galileans, probably Gentiles, who were slaughtered by Pontius Pilate s soldiers while making sacrifices at their holy place. Their deaths caused the altar to be profaned with human blood. The second story is about eighteen people, possibly Jews, who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. The people wanted to know if the Gentiles were worse sinners than their fellow Gentiles, and if the Jews were worse offenders than their fellow Jews. At times we like to resort to divine retribution. But Jesus tells us: Unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did. (Luke 13:5) Judgment belongs to God. All one can possibly do is to repent. Any self-righteous judgment will only blind one s eyes to seeing God, who is slow to anger and full of mercy. Pointing out others faults is not God s way of redemption, and people who do this are often resistant to self-criticism. Repentance is only possible when we stop trying to figure out what is wrong in someone else s life. But God never lets us stop here. God is like a gardener who is going to water the tree, fertilize it and watch it grow. God does not want to lose it and definitely does not want to leave the tree s salvation to chance. (Luke 13:7-8; see also Luke 15:32) Everyone is under the watchful care of God. And this is why we say repentance is a word of grace. Ignatian Spirituality When Ignatius and a group of friends formed the Society of Jesus, he was instructed to produce a Rule and Constitution. After many years, he offered instead the Spiritual Exercises. The participants learned that these are not specific exercises for us to copy, but simple instructions to his companions in the society on how to guide others on the spiritual journey, either on an intensive 30 day retreat or, if that is not possible, on a retreat in daily life. The foundational understanding is of the love of God and the belovedness of the individual person in God s eyes. The lecture considered the context of Ignatius s life and circumstances, and the background to his spiritual development. It also introduced the notion of Examen, or prayerful reflection on the events of the day, and a way to practise it. The workshop focussed on some methods to help participants reflect on Scripture so that they could become more aware of God Present, and more aware of themselves and one another. This approach aims to help people discern the movement of the Holy Spirit within themselves and within their lives, and also helps them to avoid the pitfall of assuming that God either thinks or acts like we do, or manipulates us into doing his will. The course ended with a short Examen of the day. Both the lecture and the workshop were well received, with more than 30 members of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui attending, as well as a few visitors from Catholic and Evangelical churches. By the end of the full-day workshop, participants were challenged to experience spirituality in new and different ways. Ming Hua Theological College looks forward to opportunities to include the HKSKH community in future lectures and programmes.
Chinese New Year greetings from Dear treasured friends of Ming Hua Theological College At this reflective time I send special warm greetings to Ming Hua - to my respected colleagues, to Faculty friends and associates, and to members of the Governing Board. I pray God's richest blessings upon the entire Ming Hua community. I look forward to continuing to strengthen our very sincere bonds of affection. I feel so privileged to have established this connection over many years now of mutually uplifting friendship and colleagueship, in the sacred common cause of theological education. With fond love to you all Dr Jenny Plane Te Paa Principal of Te Rau Kahikatea, St Johns College, Auckland, New Zealand
our partners around the Communion
Events at Ming Hua And Now for the Hard Part: Reading Difficult Bible Stories The Revd Professor John Kater, PhD, Emeritus Professor and former Director, Centre of Anglican Learning and Life 6 weeks: Thursday 7pm - 9pm 7, 14, 21 March and 11, 18, 25 April Ming Hua is pleased to welcome Canon Professor Martin Percy who will be giving a series of Holy Week lunchtime addresses in the College 25-29 March Full details to be confirmed Upcoming Events Special Events Anglican Narratives: Stories from Anglican Christians around the World The Revd Professor John Kater, PhD and Dr Peter Ng 6 weeks: Tuesday 7pm - 9pm 5, 12, 19 March and 2, 9, 16 April Venue: All Saints Cathedral, Kowloon Public Lectures on Luther Studies 15 and 17 March Lutheran Theological Seminary Regularly Scheduled Events Meditation in the Lady Chapel Every Monday 12:30pm - 1pm St. John s Cathedral, Hong Kong Lunchtime Recital Every Wednesday 1:15pm - 1:45pm St. John s Cathedral, Hong Kong Growing in the Scriptures: An introduction to the Bible Every Wednesday 8pm St. John s Cathedral, Hong Kong Programmes at Ming Hua Bachelors of Divinity (Honours) The Bachelors Degree is Ming Hua s core theology programme for both laity and clergy. It is designed to help students understand their faith and ministry in the Church more deeply. It covers the four key areas of Biblical studies; theology and philosophy; Church history; and practical and pastoral studies, including understanding religion and society in Hong Kong. It can be taken full-time, half-time, or even quarter-time, under which just one course is taken each semester. For fulltime students, the programme covers 24 courses taken over six semesters. The programme can be taken to certificate, diploma or honours level. It is open to all applicants who meet the required standards to study at this level. Each course costs HK$4,000, and students pay only for the courses they take each semester. The fee includes the use of College facilities and membership of the Library. The programme starts on February 25, 2013. Late comers are welcome and should get in touch with the college. Enquiries should be directed to the Academic Programme Director Matthew Jones, who can be contacted at matthew@minghua.org.hk. Masters in Chaplaincy Studies (Cardiff) The Masters in Chaplaincy Studies is an exciting collaboration between Ming Hua and its sister college in the Anglican Church in Wales, St. Michael s Theological College in Llandaff, Cardiff. The programme, which can be taken as a postgraduate diploma or Masters programme, is awarded by Cardiff University, one of the best universities in the UK. It is taken part-time over one, two, or three years, and is designed to train chaplains, or those who wish to work as chaplains, in both the Church and society. Clinical Pastoral Education Ming Hua is an accredited training centre of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP), USA. This professional training programme is mainly for those who are interested in pastoral care ministry. It helps them to develop and affirm their mission and professional identity during the training process. Lay Training Programme The Lay Training Programme is aimed at members of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui who want to build up their knowledge in areas that interest them, or try out some subjects before committing to a longer programme. The course offers a wide range of different classes and talks throughout the year, ranging from Biblical studies to contemporary religion and society. The classes, which run from September to June, are at a lower level than the Bachelors Degree programme, and provide an access into such higher awards. They also offer a good level of knowledge and understanding in their own right.