Hundreds of Hong Kongers are now living in Edinburgh and many are worshipping in Corstorphine following upheaval in the former British territory
At the end of a quiet and peaceful cul-de-sac right at the heart of the village of Corstorphine, groups of Hong Kongers can be seen walking in the same direction every Sunday. They are likely heading to Corstorphine Community Church for worship.
Corstorphine Community Church (CCC) started to receive Hong Kong Christians two years ago. The story started with an email dropping into the church’s inbox from a Hong Kong reverend called William Yeung on Good Friday 2021. Duncan Whitty, pastor at CCC, met the warm-hearted reverend who shared his vision of partnering with a local church to establish a new congregation to serve Hong Kong Christians. The new church called HKCCE (Hong Kong Christian Church in Edinburgh) was started in May 2021 with 47 people attending the first service in the CCC church hall. The number attending has since grown, so much so that the youth now meet in another building. HKCCE is part of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church which originates in the USA.
In February of 2022 the Community Church started its own Sunday afternoon bilingual English/Cantonese service called ‘Hong Kong Circle’ which is also flourishing. So there are currently two Hong Kong Sunday services in the church building with a combined attendance of over 100 adults. They include people of different ages - teenagers, young adults, families with children and the elderly. Among them, there are also people not yet committed to the Christian faith but who are looking for connections to help them adapt to life in a new country. They are getting a chance to hear the Christian gospel maybe for the first time.
Corstorphine Community Church (CCC) started to receive Hong Kong Christians two years ago. The story started with an email dropping into the church’s inbox from a Hong Kong reverend called William Yeung on Good Friday 2021. Duncan Whitty, pastor at CCC, met the warm-hearted reverend who shared his vision of partnering with a local church to establish a new congregation to serve Hong Kong Christians. The new church called HKCCE (Hong Kong Christian Church in Edinburgh) was started in May 2021 with 47 people attending the first service in the CCC church hall. The number attending has since grown, so much so that the youth now meet in another building. HKCCE is part of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church which originates in the USA.
In February of 2022 the Community Church started its own Sunday afternoon bilingual English/Cantonese service called ‘Hong Kong Circle’ which is also flourishing. So there are currently two Hong Kong Sunday services in the church building with a combined attendance of over 100 adults. They include people of different ages - teenagers, young adults, families with children and the elderly. Among them, there are also people not yet committed to the Christian faith but who are looking for connections to help them adapt to life in a new country. They are getting a chance to hear the Christian gospel maybe for the first time.
‘The small congregation of Scottish worshippers at CCC are really pleased to have so much new life in the building. Before the Hong Kongers came we had a very small congregation of mostly elderly Scots, but now we are a much bigger church made up of Scots and Hong Kongers and of all ages. It’s amazing how God has transformed the life of our church,’ says Duncan.
In January 2021, in response to increased government restrictions in Hong Kong, the UK government announced a new visa route to allow Hong Kongers to permanently immigrate to the UK. The UK Home Office says 144,500 people have done so since the visa system started. Life is not always easy for these new immigrants however. An independent survey carried out at the end of 2022 discovered around 30% of the recently arrived Hong Kongers said they are still struggling to make a new life in the country. More than half said they still need help "understanding the UK society, politics, economy, culture and habits as well as integration into local community"
(Source: https://cootl.org/#/post/1346).
The Hong Kong Circle congregation of Corstorphine Community Church, sees the need for these newly arrived Hong Kongers to be able to mix together and get mutual support. Besides the bilingual Sunday service, they organize regular social gatherings and activities to help people adapt to the new environment of Edinburgh. These include an over 60s group, a badminton group, a teenage basketball group, barbeques, games afternoons to mention a few of the activities. By the grace of God, the church has been given a new large community of people that need social companionship and practical support. There will be challenges but both the Scots and Hong Kongers at CCC understand the need to carry each other’s burdens and in the words of Galatians 6 to ‘do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’
In January 2021, in response to increased government restrictions in Hong Kong, the UK government announced a new visa route to allow Hong Kongers to permanently immigrate to the UK. The UK Home Office says 144,500 people have done so since the visa system started. Life is not always easy for these new immigrants however. An independent survey carried out at the end of 2022 discovered around 30% of the recently arrived Hong Kongers said they are still struggling to make a new life in the country. More than half said they still need help "understanding the UK society, politics, economy, culture and habits as well as integration into local community"
(Source: https://cootl.org/#/post/1346).
The Hong Kong Circle congregation of Corstorphine Community Church, sees the need for these newly arrived Hong Kongers to be able to mix together and get mutual support. Besides the bilingual Sunday service, they organize regular social gatherings and activities to help people adapt to the new environment of Edinburgh. These include an over 60s group, a badminton group, a teenage basketball group, barbeques, games afternoons to mention a few of the activities. By the grace of God, the church has been given a new large community of people that need social companionship and practical support. There will be challenges but both the Scots and Hong Kongers at CCC understand the need to carry each other’s burdens and in the words of Galatians 6 to ‘do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’
