Love thy neighbor

About 600 UK churches of different denominations have signed up to be "Hong Kong Ready" in a commitment to welcome Christians from Hong Kong into their communities.

The Church of England has been vocal about its mistakes in the past of failing to welcome the Windrush generation from the Caribbean. At the time, the new arrivals were turned away from Anglican churches.

The Reverend Mark Nam, a Bristol-based curate, said: "We don't want the church to repeat its mistakes by neglecting the needs and desires of people coming here from Hong Kong. I've read many harrowing testimonies from the Windrush generation. We want the Church of England to be ready and welcoming to everyone this time."

He added: "We need to learn from history."

More than a million people with the British National (Overseas) visa can arrive in the United Kingdom in the next five years, by official estimates.

Earlier this year, the Home Office received 34,300 applications for a new visa from Hongkongers. One in 10 of the new arrivals is estimated to be Christian.

Later this year, the Church of England's committee for minority ethnic Anglican concerns will host a conference on how parishes can welcome those arriving from Hong Kong.

The sentiment is making waves within clergy lines as well.

A support group for Church of England clergy of east Asian heritage was recently launched at Southwark Cathedral. The Teahouse is designed to create connections between the 0.2 percent of paid clergy of Chinese or east Asian descent and, as Nam noted, "to empower them at all levels of the church."