As months of violent clashes between police and protesters continue in Hong Kong, Kowloon International Baptist Church (KIBC) offers the hope of Christ in the midst of the conflict.
“We’ve been praying for years that Hong Kong would see its brokenness, and boy do they ever now,” said Butch Tanner, KIBC pastor.
The Hong Kong protests began in June over the government’s plans to allow extradition to mainland China.
Under the “one country, two systems” arrangement from 1997, Hong Kong maintains some autonomy from China, and its people enjoy certain rights. The extradition bill was withdrawn in September but protests continued. Now, protestors demand full democracy and an inquiry into actions taken by the police.
More than 6,000 have been arrested and the country is in an economic recession. KIBC has become a refuge from the chaos. It hosts special prayer nights for the city, and in the pews each week sit people, many who are first-generation Christians, from all three sides — protesters, government and police — worshiping together.
KIBC reports an unusually high number of baptisms in the last six months since the protests started. Several are waiting to be baptized, with even more interested in talking about a relationship with Christ.
“That seems to be a huge plus in the middle of all this,” Tanner said. (BP)
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