親愛的弟兄姊妹平安:
英國華人教會的建立，是以生活在這裡的華人為主要的服侍社群。過去30年，這裡最大的新華人社群是來自中國大陸的留學生和勞工。
上世紀九十年代，先是大陸來的訪問學者和博士生；新世紀來了很多碩士生；其後有了很多很多大學生和中學生。這期間，來自大陸的眾多勞工和家庭，也進佔了華人的餐飲業。教會的普通話福音事工和普通話教會，在神的恩典下，得救的人數增加，教會蓬勃地興起。
英國華人教會在過去10年有急劇的增加，從138間到超過200間。主要原因是普通話教會的建立和過去兩年從香港來了的新移民。2021-2022年的英國大學就學登記，共有143820名是中國大陸的留學生，香港的學生有16655人。在2021-2022年藉BNO簽證而來英國定居的香港人估計有15至20萬人。 2022年，英國聖經公會華人事工部進行了一份英國華人的宗教信仰調查，大約1/4 華人宣稱自己為基督徒，這個比例遠遠超過中國大陸的5%，台灣的4%和香港的12%。讓我想起上世紀80年代韓國的基督徒人口1/4比例，這小小的一塊土地韓國，竟是派出最多海外宣教士的一個強國
今日，神把這麼大的華人基督徒比例放在英國，豈是無緣無故？華人教會的使命固然不忘我們的骨肉之親，來自五湖四海的華人；但若停留在此，而沒有向田觀看，傾聽萬國萬民的呼聲，我們就辜負了神的心意！如經上所記、「 神為愛他的人所豫備的、是眼睛未曾看見、耳朵未曾聽見、人心也未曾想到的。」(林前2:9)
「焉知你得王后的位分，不是為現今的機會麼？」(斯4:14)
主內
王 興
2023年2月17日
< For Such a Time as This > 17th February, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
The UK Chinese churches were established to serve the Chinese community living here. Over the last 30 years, the largest new Chinese community here are students and workers from Mainland China.
In the 1990s, we received visiting scholars and doctoral students from China. Since the 21st C, many master students came, followed by many college and High School students. During this period, many labourers and families from the Mainland also entered the Chinese catering business. By the grace of God, Putonghua ministries and churches are blooming, with the increase in the number of new converts.
The number of Chinese churches in the UK have increased dramatically in the past 10 years, from 138 to more than 200. The main reasons are the establishment of Putonghua churches and the new Hong Kong immigrants in the past two years. In 2021-2022, there are a total of 143,820 students from Mainland China and 16,655 from Hong Kong. In 2021-2022, 150K to 200K Hong Kong people have come to settle in the UK via BNO visas.
In 2022, the UK Bible Society Chinese Ministry conducted a survey on the religious beliefs of Chinese people in the UK. About 1/4 of the Chinese claimed to be Christians, which far exceeded the 5% in Mainland China, 4% in Taiwan and 12% in Hong Kong. It reminds me of the 1/4 ratio of Christians in South Korea in the 1980s. This small piece of land, South Korea, is actually a powerful country that sends the most overseas missionaries.
God has put such a large proportion of Chinese Christians in the UK today, is it for no reason? The mission of the Chinese Church certainly does not forget our own people, the Chinese from all corners of the world. But if we don’t look at the fields and hear the calls from all nations and peoples, we are failing God’s will! As it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love Him.’ (1 Corinthians 2:9)
‘And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’ (Esther 4:14)
In Christ,
Sam Wong