A New Meeting House in Kowloon Tong

Kowloon Tong Chapel

Situated at No. 7 Castle Road, Kom Tong Hall was once a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, but following its transfer to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and conversion into the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum, the early 20th century mansion stands as a rare preserved example of classical architecture in Hong Kong.

The Church now holds among its properties the Hong Kong China Temple at Cornwall Street, Kowloon Tong, which has won the "In Recognition of Merits Architecture" award, and the well-known 14 storey red brick Church Administration Building located next to Wanchai Police Station on Gloucester Road. Carrying on the tradition of high-quality classical-style architecture, the Church will soon complete a meeting house with its own classical characteristics at Dorset Crescent, Kowloon Tong.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum (Kom Tong Hall - a former Church chapel)	Church Administration Building	Hong Kong China Temple

When asked about their understanding of the LDS Church, many in Hong Kong may think of those Cantonese-speaking foreign missionaries with the white shirts, ties and little black name tags. They may not be aware that the Church has had its roots in Hong Kong for over 50 years, and that over the decades church membership in Hong Kong has grown from just a few people to more than 20,000 members. This steady growth in membership has forced the Church to abandon a former practice of renting commercial space for worship and other church meetings in favor of acquiring land and constructing its own properties. The Kowloon Tong meeting house, across from the Hong Kong China Temple in Kowloon Tong is the latest of these properties, and is set to be completed and open to the public in early July.

The light red outer wall and classical elements of the new building may appear unique in comparison to other recent construction projects around Hong Kong, but for most members of the LDS Church the look will be very familiar. To accommodate its rapidly expanding worldwide membership base, currently beyond 13 million members, the church has established a set of standard guidelines and systems for the most efficient approach to constructing its 17,000 meeting houses. Thus the Kowloon Tong meeting house, while one-of-a-kind, brings with it elements that can be spotted at many of the more recent meeting houses scattered throughout every corner of the world.

For Latter-day Saints, the church meeting house is a hub of religious and social life. In addition to Sunday activities, the meeting house can serve as a center for music, arts, sports, education, and social activities throughout the week. The Kowloon Tong meeting house has a chapel to accommodate 200 people, as well as 13 classrooms, a small library, a small basketball court and a baptism font. The building will house three separate congregations, the China Hong Kong mission office, a distribution center for church materials, an employment resource center and family history center.

While the activities that take place within the meetings houses are varied, the underpinning motivation is always for families and individuals to help one another overcome life's challenges, learn of Jesus Christ and strive to become like Him. For Latter-day Saints, their buildings are important, but not nearly as important what goes on within their walls. It is the development of strong families, establishment of lasting relationships and the expansion of faith in God is what that matters most to members of the church

"Our chapels are not all constructed with the same design features," said Church apostle Elder L. Tom Perry in a worldwide conference. "However, each one centers on the mission of our Savior. They are buildings dedicated for the purpose of worshipping Him."