United Theological College’s Dr Anthony Rees recently visited Hong Kong to attend and confer degrees at the graduation of Ming Hua Theological College (a partner school within the CSU School of Theology)
“Ming Hua Theological College is a part of the CSU School of Theology,” Dr Rees said.
“It is the theological college of the Hong Kong Anglican church. In a similar fashion to UTC, Ming Hua teaches CSU degrees, as well as being responsible for a range of training for ministries in the church.”
“The graduation I attended included the conferring of CSU degrees, as well certificates for all the other programs the college runs.”
“It was a wonderful experience to be there and to take part in the ceremony, which was folded into an evensong service. The Archbishop and auxillary bishops of the diocese were all there as well, demonstrating the commitment of the church leadership to the college.”
“After conferring the degrees I was invited to address the graduates which was a great privilege. The celebrations continued after the service with a 10-course banquet which was attended by all the graduates and their families.”
“The Hong Kong context differs from our own in many obvious ways. However, I was struck by two key similarities: a commitment from the faculty to the life of the church and the importance of the education of lay-people (almost all the CSU graduates were lay people).”
“Like Ming Hua, our college is a meeting place for people from across the church and indeed from beyond the confines of our denominational identity. It was a great joy to be so far away and still feel home.”
