Provo Temple
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Since Brother Sheldon POON was called to the office of the Hong Kong District president, he frequently shuttled between Hong Kong and Salt Lake City. He used this opportunity to make preparations for the saints of Hong Kong to receive temple ordinances in the newly combined Provo Temple in Uath. He also made a lot of efforts to help young members study abroad. He spared no effort in his service in the Church and made many contributions over the years. He is truly another pioneer of the Church in Hong Kong. Through the arrangement of President POON, the first group of 18 saints arrived in Salt Lake City on 31 March 1974 where they were able to meet the prophet, President Spencer W. KIMBALL. They also visited many church departments including the Family History Department and Church History Department. They entered the temple on 2 and 3 April. President Sheldon POON had helped record the whole process of the endowment in Chinese between smoothly with the help of President POON and the returned missionaries. Among the Hong Kong saints were Brother CHAN Kim-fai and Sister YAU Suk-wah, who had been engaged for three years and now entered into their eternal matrimony. |
On 4 July, Brother Jerry D. WHEAT, the new mission president arrived in Hong Kong. In order to strengthen the development of the Church, he reorganized the District. Brother AU Kwok-chiu and NING Ching as the first and second counsellors to the president. To encourage members to participate more in the missionary work, he also called Brother Sheldon POON to be the first counsellor to the mission president and Brother NG Kat-hing to be the second counsellor. With a goal to organize the Hong Kong District into a stake, President WHEAT had the branches set up Elders Quorum to help with the missionary work. He also enhanced the family visiting programme to activate the inactive members.
To tie in with the development of the Church in Hong Kong, the Church Headquarters sent the bishop training manuals to Hong Kong in December to help the local leaders and the newly called District presidency gain a better understanding of the stewardship of a bishop. This was done to pave the way for the organization of the Hong Kong District into a stake in the future. On 17 December, President Jerry D. WHEAT conducted a seminar on the 4th floor of the Hong Kong Furama Hotel. The subjects of discussion included: 1) how to delegate and to fulfill the duties and obligations of a branch president and how to conduct an interview and be an effective conductor of a meeting; 2) the rules and ordinances of the priesthood; 3) the management of the funds and finance of a branch. 4) the District Missionary Plan; and 5) the necessary qualities of a leader. The topics of discussion were all based on the teachings of Christ and doctrines of the Church and in line with the practical situation. Local leaders had in-depth discussions of these topics and studied how to put them into practice. By this, the Church made a further step forward. The year 1974 also saw a good harvest in the summer missionary programme. 95 local brothers and sisters participated. Their term of service was from 1 July to 31 August with at least 20 hours a week. In a month, their work helped bring over 50 investigates to the water of baptism.
On 16 March of the same year, the sisters of Hong Kong District held a party in the Kam Tong Hall to celebrate the 132nd anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society on 17 March 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois. The party started at 7 p.m. and was conducted by Sister FUNG TSANG Bo-fun. Sister FUNG TSANG Bo-fun is one of the earliest members in Hong Kong and another pioneer of the Church. Other early pioneers also included sister KWOK HO Wai-sin, LEE CHAN Yung-oi, WONG LING Ho-yin, WAN TSE Wai-fong, KWONG WAN Oi-mai, NG YIP Bo-fun, NG PANG Lai-ha, YAN LEE Kwan-ying, LEUNG Nim-chi and many others that cannot be all listed. Performances after the dinner included “Show Your Talents” by the District presidency, a talk show by President and Sister BRADSHAW, dramas by the West Point Branch and Kowloon City Branch, a dance by the Kwun Tong Branch and songs by other branches. The audience was impressed by the beautiful songs. Over 400 people came and all fully enjoyed themselves. It should be noted that the Chinese version of the Doctrine and Covenants was published in May of the same year.
To give the public a better understanding of the organization and fundamental doctrines of the Church, President WHEAT organized a gospel display in the City Hall on 3 January 1975. The display was about the four basic subjects: 1) the restoration of the gospel, including the restoration of the priesthood and the organization of the Church by the prophet Joseph Smith; 2) the meaning of the Book of Mormon; 3) the basic principles of the gospel, that is, faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost; and 4) the purpose of life, that is, the pre-existence, the present and future life, and the family relationship. These were all illustrated on 30 display boards with pictures and written descriptions. President WHEAT held a reception in the City Hall on 2 August of the same year to help the public gain further understanding of the organization and activities of the Church. Over 4,000 people came to the reception. |
