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     Bayview SDA Church has served as a campus church for Hog Kong Adventist College; ever since it was moved from Dongshan to Shatin then to Clear Water Bay.  However, it wasn’t until 1965-1966 that King Huy Hall was built to become a simple, but beautiful church building with a scenic bay by the side, facing the mountain that points her face toward heaven.  Located on the campus of Hong Kong Adventist College at 1111 Clearwater Bay road in Sai Kung; it became a landmark; fishermen looked to it as a light tower to guide them home after their toiling fishing activities during the night.

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     The church in its early stages served the faculty, staff, and students of the College, and baptized many elementary and middle school students.   The baptistery was built behind the basketball court before the cliff before King Huy Hall was built.   Later in 1965-66, King Huy Hall was built and it was funded by Dr. Chan Shun and the building was named in the remembrance of his father. This church of “Sea Light” (the name of the church in Chinese) not only has brought light to the fishermen, but also to the children of the fishermen and the villages. Children of the village head and other villages who studied in the school became members of this church. This church also became a mother church in supporting the churches in Rennis Mill, Kung Tong, and Sai Kung.

 

     During the sixties and seventies through the many foreign faculty and staff, as well as the Mandarin speaking teachers, students were taught and molded to speak and sing bilingually in the church.  And even though they didn’t have Mandarin classes; the students learned English and Putonghua which prepared them to become effective leaders when transferred to overseas countries.

 

     Bayview Church helped to train many students through their participation in the leading of the Sabbath schools and Adventist Youth programs. In the seventies, this church had the most student baptisms.  Some of the most memorable moments during these years were also some of the most unforgettable.  One such moment was the outreaching activities of the 11 branch Sabbath schools in the surrounding villages organized by the church and the College students.  They would organize themselves into small groups after lunch on Sabbaths and go out.  After returning to the campus, all the dormitory students would gather to attend the Adventist Youth program which was again conducted by the college students until dinner time.  Bayview Church played its role as a nurturing and training center in preparing scores of students from overseas countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Having a church life greatly impacted the lives of these young people and most of them became church leaders either in their homelands or in various Chinese communities around the world.

      During the eighties, Bayview Church became a special worship place for retired church workers.  These workers contributed their talents to the life of the church by teaching in the Sabbath School classes, and in the editing of the church bulletin.

In the nineties, Bayview Church also served a major group of Filipino, because of the English speaking environment…. as there has been an increase in the number of domestic helpers in the surrounding communities.

 

 

Bayview Church at Present

 

      Today, due to the development and expansion of the College and the Academy, the church is a multi-cultural mixture of Asian, Western and Hispanic cultures.  As a campus church, our congregation comprises of college and academy teachers, staff and students, the local community of Tsueng Kwan O and other countries.  Countries such as, Japan, Korea, America, Costa Rica, just to name a few, are represented in our congregation.  It is this diversity though which makes Bayview a unique and special church.  Furthermore, it allows for both an exposure to and appreciation of other cultures.

 

        On average, Bayview has 91 members regularly attending or Sabbath school and 179 members regularly in attendance for the worship services.  Furthermore, our services are also privileged with having a wide range of visitors from different parts of the world. These visitors are able to join our members in the different Sabbath school programs and classes where interesting and informative lessons are reviewed.   From, the Filipino, to the Hispanic, to the English and to the Chinese classes, there is sure to be a place where visitors can feel at home, actively engage in and be blessed.  On many occasions in our Chinese classes; the sharing and discussions are so interesting and members are being so enriched; the lesson reviews are continued in the afternoons.  For the Divine worship service, one can expect an encouraging and enriching bible focused sermon from one of the three pastors, elders or an invited guest speaker. The children are left-out either as they too can be enriched during the children's storytime.  Every Divine worship service is a blessing; whether it’s a regular Sabbath program, English worship program or one of our other special programs.

 

       Music and singing are integral parts of our service and we are blessed to have a variety of singers and musicians. Our services are accompanied by violinists and a pianist, who make singing more enjoyable. Furthermore, one can expect to see these different individuals blessing the congregation with special music through their voices or an instrument. From children to adults, the congregation is blessed every Sabbath with wonderful singing or instrumental music. Also, one can expect different groups and choirs to participate on special occasions, such as the Easter Cantata and others.  Interestingly, it is not strange to hear songs rendered in another language other than English or Chinese, due to our cultural diversity.

 

      Through various afternoon activities and groups, members continue the Sabbath fellowship, as well as being spiritually nurtured.  From AY programs, the Women Ministry and the Pathfinders Club, just to name a few, all are designed to further meet the needs of members as well as to draw visitors. Furthermore, many of these programs provide essential training to help members fulfill the mission of the church. For example, the Pathfinders club is a place where early teens-teenagers can learn important life skills, values and morals which will help them in becoming responsible young people and productive adults in the future.   Through our family ministry department, parents get more tools to further help them with parenting challenges they may face and how to have more meaningful relationships with their children. Furthermore, through other departments, such as the Women Ministry and Personal Ministry, members get opportunities to be involved in outreach programs to the local community and the greater part of Hong Kong.  Such is what is being provided to both members and visitors,  with the central theme of it all being working in unity in service for others, Jesus and growing in Him.

 

      At Bayview SDA Church we feel spiritual growth and nurture are essential to one’s Christianity. Therefore, opportunities to study and learn Biblical truths through the Bible and other spiritual materials are provided. Through small groups and other bible study programs, one can learn more about the wonderful treasures in the Bible, strengthen their faith, as well as learn a practical Christianity.  On the other hand, since prayer is “talking to God as to a friend” and since Jesus encouraged His followers to pray; we strongly believe in uniting for prayer and so conduct various prayer services. Services are being offered not just for our regular members, but also for the residence of the campus on Wednesday afternoons, with prayer services on Sabbath mornings for all the participants of that Sabbath’s Service.

  

     Finally, it is our desire to express God’s love by warmly welcoming visitors and members.  We strive to grow and nurture believers through the Sabbath school lessons, discipleship training, outreach and nurturing programs, sermons, and our personal care. Completion of our website, expanding the ministries of our departments, creating our own media material for evangelism and other outreach programs are just a few things in the future in accomplishing the church’s mission.  Furthermore, by encouraging and having members engaged in the mission of the church (as apart of Total membership involvement, TMI), our vision is to reach and extend to the greater community of Tsueng Kwan O by the grace of God and His blessings.  Ultimately it is our utmost desire for each person to have a personal relationship with God while strengthening the bond of unity in our diversity, and reaching out to others in preparation for Jesus’ second coming.