Why are most of the members of the church women? Why don't you have more men?
Like most countries, Hong Kong does not want people from other countries taking jobs away from the local Hong Kong people. In general, people from outside are only allowed to work in Hong Kong in certain jobs where it is felt that the need cannot be filled by local people. There are some people from the Philippines who work in Hong Kong in mainly highly skilled jobs but the main work open to Philippine people in Hong Kong is that of “domestic worker.” Since most employers prefer to have women do these jobs the great majority of people from the Philippines in Hong Kong are women, and this is reflected in the attendance and membership in the church.

Would you like to hire a Filipino minister?
We wish we could, and we did try at one point. However, Hong Kong government regulations make it impossible for a church of our size to hire a full-time minister from the Philippines. Crisanto Awitan, from Nagsangalan, Vigan, I.S. was invited to come and be co-minister in the church and to work for a charity organization that promised to provide housing and part of his salary. The government, however, refused to give him a visa to do this kind of work.

Can you help me find a job in Hong Kong?
Sorry, we do not have enough staff to provide this service. Since all contracts for domestic work must be processed by an employment agency anyway, we suggest that anyone who wants to work here should find an honest agency and apply through them.

Can I give financial help to churches in the Philippines?

Yes! The church policy is that we do not give regular support for any minister or ministry except the Asin at Ilaw television ministry and five Bible seminaries. However, we will give one-time help to any worthwhile project of a church (after we verify that the church and the project are legitimate). If your church or organisation would like to request this kind of help, please send full information to the church in care of Ben & Karen Rees.