# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S14 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 14 MISSIONS In the area of literature production, KLM’s magazine New Life is among the most widely distributed Christian magazines in Korea. Two thousand copies of each issue have been ordered by the chaplains’ section of the Korean Army, the first time that a religious magazine has been included in their budget. Some of these issues go to ROK army personnel in Vietnam. c. Ministers and Ministry. The Lutheran Theological Academy will graduate its first class in 1969 (two stu- dents). This ‘house of studies’ seminary program is arranged in conjunction with Yonsei University and is now completing its third year of operation. It is hoped that two to four students can be enrolled each year. Con- scious efforts have been made to coordinate the number of graduates with the planned expansion of local minis- tries in the greater Seoul area and, it is hoped, through- out South Korea in the future. In addition to Immanuel, St. John’s, and Trinity congregations in Seoul, work has been launched in Ok Soo Dong and Pul Kwan Dong dur- ing the past 2 years and is projected for the Walker Hill area. d. Ministries of Mercy. The ministry in Ok Soo Dong, a low-economic community, was first related to meeting the physical needs of people—through community in- volvement in sanitation efforts (such as sewage disposal, “outhouse” toilet construction, and sweeping of streets) and through sewing and cooking classes. Because of these activities, people in the community asked for Bible study and worship services. Twenty-five to 50 people have attended classes and services consistently, resulting in more than 40 baptisms and confirmations during the first year. The social ministry at Ok Soo Dong is part of the KLM’s broader Ministry of Mercy and Service, which reaches approximately 700 people at any given time in programs of relief and rehabilitation. Despite a membership of less than 500 the KLM has distinguished itself by its Lutheran witness throughout Korea and beyond. A personnel exchange program has been developed with the Japan Lutheran Church. In 1968 Dr. Won Yong Ji of the Korea Lutheran Mission staff accepted a 3-year appointment as Asia Secretary of the LWF in Geneva. 5. Hong Kong: Each in His Own Tongue a. Christian Education. The Hong Kong Mission of the Missouri Synod is strongly committed to using Chris- tian day schools as a major medium to communicate the Gospel. It maintains 11 schools. The completion of several new facilities within the past 2 years has brought the enrollment (in schools and rooftop clubs) to approxi- mately 10,000 and has also provided a more complete “system” of Lutheran schools to meet the educational needs of the church and community in Hong Kong. Be- sides the regular primary and secondary schools, the mission also operates Anglo-Chinese schools that provide instruction in the English language. Chinese graduates are then equipped to enroll in Hong Kong University, which offers the best university-level education in the colony. The Hong Kong International School has a capacity enrollment of more than 740 students from kindergarten through high school. Twenty of the 50 teachers in this school have been recruited from our Lutheran school system here in the States, a major factor in carrying on a program of Christian education in this unique school. In connection with the construction of Savior Lu- theran School and Hong Kong International School, the first two separate chapel buildings of the Hong Kong Mis- sion have been completed. Savior Congregation, with approximately 1,900 members (468 communicants), has embarked on a program of complete self-support in 1969. If successful, this will be the first self-supporting congregation in Hong Kong. All Nations Lutheran Church, Repulse Bay, worships in the chapel connected to the Hong Kong International School and serves the English-speaking community in that part of Hong Kong. b. Special Ministries. Work among the deaf has re- sulted in 250 baptized members. Various educational opportunities are offered the deaf, so that they may be able to take their place in society. A special Center for the Blind was recently opened in the Wong Tai Sin area of Kowloon, where the blind are especially concentrated. During the first 6 months of daily operation 84 people have been reached. The only lingering adverse effects on the work of the church due to the political disturbances in Hong Kong in 1967 have been in Macao. There political unrest affected membership in St. Paul’s Congregation and enrollment in St. Paul’s School, primarily because people left Macao. The work continues, however, in both school and church. In Hong Kong the need for direct relief work is de- clining. However, local congregations and the Board for World Relief still engage in some social-service activities. Enrollment in rooftop clubs has also gradually declined. Possibilities are being investigated for converting these to vocational training schools or clubs. The Mission in Hong Kong continues to be related to the Haven of Hope TB Sanitarium, with primary support from the Wheat Ridge Foundation. A new phase in theological education was initiated in September 1968, when a class of eight students enrolled in acooperative Lutheran preseminary program operated by the Hong Kong Mission of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong on the Concordia Seminary campus. There are 11 additional students in the regular seminary program. c. Mass Media. Under leadership of the Lutheran World Federation Broadcasting Services office in Hong Kong (Missionary William Dingler of the LCMS, director) a joint Audio-Visual Productions Coordinating Com- mittee has been formed. Through it openings have arisen for Lutheran involvement in radio broadcasting as well as in television. A major development in the area of literature has been the organization in early 1968 of the Southeast Asia Christian Education Curriculum Committee, serving Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia. The committee has