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Shining a light on the Mormon church in Hong Kong

Despite being seen as secretive, the church has flourished since its first missionary arrived in the city in 1950

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Elders Nathan Colton Sargent (left) and Aiden Kade Earls at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Wan Chai. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Elder Lynn Beckstead, an American Mormon missionary who came to Hong Kong in 1973, says it used to be easier to convert locals to the religion than it is now.

He did more “tracting” [knocking on doors to speak to potential converts] than teaching, whereas the opposite would be true for the church’s missionaries today, and he had quite a high success rate for facilitating baptisms.

“I felt we were part of the community,” he said. “I felt I was really loved by the Chinese people here. They were surprised a gweilo could speak Cantonese.”

The Mormon church, which originated in western New York during the 1820s, has a reputation for being somewhat mysterious and secretive. It remains a minority religion in Hong Kong, but the church estimates its membership here has grown from zero to 25,000 members in under 70 years.

During a meeting with the church’s senior members at its headquarters in Wan Chai, they admit they are often not considered “mainstream Christianity” because of their strict practices and commitment to following both the teachings of founder Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible.

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