Our mission is to help as many people as possible to know, love, and serve God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength.
what we believe
HOLY GOD
We affirm the classic core of Christian faith, One True God revealed to us as Sovereign Father, Redeeming Son, Indwelling Holy Spirit.
God in His love is revealed as a Good Father with a Mothering Heart. He is Creator and Lord of His creation. He is Lord of History and works with His prophets and Church
to bring history to His purposed end.
God in His Love is revealed as Jesus Christ, sent by the Father to be our Brother and Saviour.
He identifies with our human condition. He takes on Himself our failures, redeems us in His death from our sin, and in His resurrection restores us to fellowship with God. With the resurrected Christ, we work to spread His kingdom.
God in His Love is revealed as Holy Spirit. The crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus lives now within our hearts as the divine indwelling Spirit. The Spirit is the bonding power of God and humankind. The Spirit is the energizing power of God which is our conscience and guide for Christian living.
HOLY BIBLE
We affirm the centrality of the Bible as the base for Christian doctrine and life.
While we develop various doctrines and procedures, the Bible is the guide.
The Bible is holy history, the account of the faith community,
discerning the work of God in human history with a divine purpose.
The Bible is redemptive wisdom, the account of the faith community, pointing the way for believers to understand and claim their need for salvation and guidance in life.
HOLY CHURCH
We affirm the calling of God to live with Him through His Church.
As a Church, we are a human democratic body indwelt and guided by the divine power of God. We are The People of God, The Bride of Christ, The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
As a Church we commit ourselves to being good disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship for us means faithful attendance in weekly worship of God, diligent study of holy scriptures, missionary concern to share a saving gospel for those in need of saving light, compassionate caring for the neglected
and weak, and courageous standing for justice and peace in our troubled world.
our vision
is that we will become a...
...worshipping body—participating in personal, family, small-group and corporate worship
...praying body, developing in our understanding and practice of prayer, including individual, family,
small-group and congregational prayer
...discipling body, teaching and training our members so they can grow in spiritual maturity and leadership through preaching, teaching, training, seminars, small groups, and retreats
...growing body, growing in our personal spiritual relationship with God through Jesus Christ and in our family relationships with one another
...loving body, demonstrating our Christian love to others in our Church family, and to those who have not yet come to experience salvation through Jesus Christ
...redemptive body, reaching out in the love of God to those in our area of Hong Kong who may come from any culture or national origin, that they may have the opportunity to make an informed response to the Gospel of Christ and to become a part of our Church family
...maturing body, becoming an autonomous congregation that is completely self-supporting
our history
1971 – 1990
Our Church had seeds of beginning with a Sunday School class sponsored by Tai Po Baptist Church (our Mother Church). In 1971, Pastor Peter Leong invited Ms. Betty Vaught, a newly arrived Southern Baptist missionary, to teach an English-language Sunday School class. She soon began a class at Tai Po Baptist Church; the class averaged about 10–15 people for several years. It was a struggle to let people outside the Church know of the class, but a core group was forming.
1991 – 1994
In 1991, the Bible class fellowship moved to Fu Heng and became a “preaching point” of Tai Po Baptist Church. At this time, the attendance was about 35 people each Sunday. Ms. Betty Vaught was ordained as a deacon in August 1992 and Mr. Marvin Bond was recognized as a deacon in 1994.
Marvin and his wife Jean, and Ralph and Betty Yoars were important missionaries in the early life of the Church. Ralph was our first worship leader and pianist, the young adults’ Sunday school teacher and youth mentor (he was gifted in evangelism and in winning young people to faith in Jesus Christ). He also introduced hand bells to Hong Kong.
Dr. Joshua Wong became pastor in Autumn 1993. He was our first full-time pastor. On 6 January 1994, the Fu Heng “preaching point” officially became a chapel of the Tai Po Baptist Church—known as the “Fu Heng English Chapel”.
1995 – 2005
Rev. Jim West, a Southern Baptist missionary, was installed as new pastor in March 1995. He and his wife Bobbie served faithfully and tirelessly for 10 years before retiring on 27 March 2005. There was growth in our Church. Sixteen new members came by transfer of church letter and 27 were received by baptism.
The Church's Mission and Vision statements were formed during this period. On 30 June 2004, as a result of Pastor West’s vision that we become an independent Church, Fu Heng English Chapel was officially registered with the Companies Registry of Hong Kong and changed its name to Tai Po International Baptist Church. We became a legally independent church. Mr. Tom Wong was ordained as a deacon in 2003 and continues to serve in that capacity.
March 2005 – August 2007
After the retirement of Pastor West in March 2005, the Church Management Committee kept the Church going while searching for a new Pastor. It was difficult to find a pastor for a small English-speaking church. Guest speakers were invited to the pulpit to preach every Sunday for more than 2 years. This was a testing and trying period for the Church, but the Lord is faithful and provided for our every need.
August 2007 – September 2015
Rev. Dr. Jerry Moye became pastor in August 2007 upon retiring from the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Ruth first arrived in Hong Kong in January 1973 as Southern Baptist missionary teachers and advisors for local Cantonese churches. They were close friends and missionary associates of Ralph and Betty Yoars, Marvin and Jean Bond, and Joshua and Ruth Ann Wong.
In 2008, the Church moved from Fu Heng to its current location in Tai Po Baptist Public School, Kwong Fuk Estate, where we have more room for worship, Sunday school, and Church office.
Ms. Vicky Lam was ordained as a deacon in 2009; Tom and Vicky presently serve as our Church deacons and liaisons to our Mother Church. We are enriched by members and attenders from several different countries of the world.
As 2014 drew to a close, Pastor Moye shared with the CMC that he had started thinking about retirement. Shortly after, in January 2015, an old student of Pastor Moye contacted the Mother Church, asking about opportunities to work in ministry in Hong Kong.
As God has called Pastor Moye to a new part-time ministry at Tsim Sha Tsui Baptist Church, we fondly remember Jerry and Ruth as a very loving and kind couple with a passion to see spiritual growth in believers, and merciful hearts for those who are poor, sick and lost in this world. Under their period of service, the congregation has been graciously loved and greatly blessed by their shepherding ministry.
September 2015 – August 2018
We welcomed Pastor Bryan Peistrup and wife Christina to Hong Kong in August 2015, 7 short months after Christina first contacted Pastor Chu at Mother Church asking about ministry opportunities in Hong Kong. As the Peistrups move on, we trust that the Lord would continue to be their guiding light.
September 2018 – Present
In September 2018, we had the pleasure of welcoming our Minister-in-Charge Chris Tang and his wife Christine to serve here. In November 2020, long-time church members and ministry leaders Yan Lai and Winnie Chan were ordained as deacons.
In March 2022, Minister Joanne Sham retired after 14 years of serving in this role, and we welcomed our new Minister Dalbbie Ho.
We praise the Lord for His perfect plan, timing and gracious provision. We thank God for our history and look forward with excitement to our future and what the Lord will do at TPIBC.