An Untold Story of Tseung Kwan O Meetinghouse & Tiu Keng Ling ( Rennie’s Mill ) Branch


Distant view of the location of Tiu Keng Ling Chapel from the pier

Hong Kong China Stake Presidency (June, 2011)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was first established in Hong Kong in 1949 when Hong Kong was dedicated as a Mission of the Church.  The Southern Far East Mission was founded in 1955 and the membership has grown steadily since then.  The Church membership expanded in Hong Kong between 1959 and 1962 and around this time a number of people from Northern China moved into the Rennie's Mill area. The Church welfare and proselyting missionaries were thus sent into the area to help the people. As well as receiving basic information on hygiene and food preparation, many of the people received instruction in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and were baptized into the Church.

In 1959 the Church purchased a 0.32 acre lot in Rennie's Mill and constructed a small meetinghouse for Tiu Keng Ling Branch in 1960.  Between 1960 and 1977 the membership grew and ranged from 100 – 200 members with some 30 – 40 members actively attending the Sunday meetings.  As a result of the isolated nature of Rennie's Mill area, many of the young family members moved out to more sophisticated facilities in Kowloon and the New Territories as they grew up.  Some emigrated to the USA with their parents.  This gradual exodus of members resulted in the remaining members (10 families) to be too few to economically support a branch. As a result, the branch was closed in 1 August 1983.

Early in 1988, President Yeung Wai Chow (楊煒秋), the then stake president of the Hong Kong Island Stake had a vision on the need to re-open the Tiu Keng Ling Branch, to identify and re-activate the members there before their resettlement. After lots of ground work, approval from the Church was obtained for re-opening the Branch.  Yet, it involved much hardship and sacrifice of members to carry out this vision.

Brother Luk Lau-Chun (陸留春) and his family, who used to attend the then Shaukeiwan Ward with Brother Luk be the then counselor in the Shaukeiwan Bishopric, was the only active family in Rennie’s Mill.  Understanding his mission of re-opening the Tiu Keng Ling Branch, Brother Luk and his family had sacrificed the privileges of enjoying normal LDS life in Shaukeiwan Ward.  Brother Luk accepted by faith the calling of the Branch President of the Tiu King Ling Branch which was reopened in May 1989. The Luk’s family (which included the Luk’s couple and their 1-year-old son) was the only active family in the Branch.

With the strong will of the faithful members who firmly sustained the priesthood leaders’ decision, Sunday meetings could be held regularly by only 1 active family plus the assistance of stake missionaries from the Hong Kong Island Stake and full time missionaries.  They had sacrament meetings, 1 Sunday School class (for investigators and missionaries), as well as Priesthood meeting and Relief Society meeting each week.  At the beginning of the re-opening, membership of Tiu Keng Ling Branch was about 100.  After much visiting work, many were confirmed to have moved away and the membership was left to 30 among which most of them were less active.  With the enthusiasm and effort of the faithful members and the missionaries, 2 sisters and 1 young man were baptized during the period when the branch was re-opened from May 1989 to 12 January 1992. 

Being the only family in the Branch and not knowing how long their special assignment would last, the Luk’s family often felt lonesome. Brother Yu Kwan Ming (俞昆明) of Shaukiwan Ward was later called as the counselor in the Tiu King Ling Branch Presidency.  He was quite old and suffering from asthma.  Though it was only about 20 minutes walk for us to get to the meetinghouse, it took Brother Yu much longer to walk uphill there.  He rested many times on his way to the meetinghouse but the hardship never defeated his will of attending Sunday meetings of the Branch and carrying out his duties in the calling faithfully.

Apart from the Luk’s family and Brother Yu, many others had also contributed a great deal in this Lord’s work.  Stake missionaries from the Hong Kong Island Stake took turns to help the Branch on Sundays.  They helped in the blessing of the sacrament, sacrament talks and Sunday school lessons and helped with visiting less active members.  Those stake missionaries came to the meeting on time though they spent much time in travelling.  The last pair of full time missionaries served in Tiu King Ling Branch were Elder Nip (聶國雄長老) and his companion.  Elder Nip is now a staff working for the church office in Wan Chai Administration Building.  Besides, many young men and young women from other wards also assisted in holding activities and helped cutting grasses in open areas around the meetinghouse.

At the beginning of 1992，as not much more could be done in finding and re-activation, the then stake president Tse Wai Man (謝偉文) recommended discontinuation of the Branch. President Luk was advised to announce in the last sacrament meeting of the Branch on January 12, 1992 about the decision and the members were directed to go to Shaukiwan Ward for meetings then.

Brother Luk continued to live at Tiu Keng Ling until early 1996 when clearance of the area started. Subsequently, he moved to Tseung Kwan O and attended the Shun Lee Ward.  He participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tseung Kwan O meetinghouse on March 14, 1998.  When the Tseung Kwan O Ward was organized on July 15, 2001, Brother Luk was called as the first Bishop of the Ward.  The sacrifice and dedication of Bishop Luk, his family and his counselor Brother Yu Kwan Ming (俞昆明) have played an important role in obtaining a piece of land to build a magnificent Tseung Kwan O meetinghouse and making up a part of the brilliant church history of Hong Kong.

Photo showing Elder David H.H.Chen (left)and Elder Jerry D. Wheat (right)
taken in the late 50s with the Tiu Keng Ling branch members

Youngest son of Brother Luk with Tiu Keng Ling Chapel at the background

Today’s Tseung Kwan O Chapel, located at 15 Po Lam Lane, Tseung Kwan O