Kwok Nai Wang Papers

Rev. Kwok Nai Wang (郭乃弘 Guo, Naihong) was born in 1938. He was the youngest son of Ms. Pancy Leung (梁德芳) and Mr. Kwok Chung Yu (郭宗宇), the deacon of China Congregational Church. Rev. Kwok’s siblings include Mr. Kwok Nai Hong (郭乃康), Ms. Kwok Sau Chun (Josephine Claessen 郭守真) and Mr. Kwok Nai Sik (郭乃適). He was married to Ms. Dorothy Louise McMahon in 1966 and they have a daughter named Michele Ming Ling (明玲) who was married to Mr. Albert J. Tong (唐子傑). Rev. Kwok and his wife Dorothy Louise divorced in 1973 and he was married to Ms. Man Wah Dorothy Wong (汪曼華) in 1993. Rev. Kwok has two grand-daughters named Katherine Halen Tong (唐晞蓮) and Elizabeth Haven Tong (唐晞芸)

Rev. Kwok graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1963 and the Yale University Divinity School in the United States in 1966. He was ordained at the Centre Church on-the-Green at New Haven in the same year.

Upon returning to Hong Kong in 1966, Rev. Kwok became the pastor of Shum Oi Church, the Church of Christ in China in Shek Kip Mei until 1977 when he took up the post of General Secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Council 香港基督教協進會 (HKCC). HKCC is an ecumenical body of Christian churches, organizations and institutions in Hong Kong. In 1988, Rev. Kwok resigned and founded the Hong Kong Christian Institute 香港基督徒學會(HKCI) with some Christians and pastors and he became the first director in September. HKCI is a platform to gather Christians with similar views to make contribution to society and the Church in Hong Kong. During the twenty-three years from 1966 to 1988, Rev. Kwok also took up other responsibilities and served in different Christian organizations. He was a part-time lecturer at the Chung Chi College 崇基學院, the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1967 to 1973, the Director of the Hong Kong Christian Service 香港基督教服務處 from 1980 to 1988, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital 雅麗氏何妙齡那打素醫院 from 1981 to 1982 and the Chairperson of Board of Directors of United Christian Medical Service 基督教聯合醫務協會董事會 from 1985 to 1987.

Rev. Kwok served at HKCI for twelve years and retired in 2000. Then he taught at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) for another 15 years. During this period, he also served as the honorary consultant for ministry with local congregations at Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) from 2002 to 2006, and held the post of senior minister at the Kowloon Union Church (KUC) from 2006 to 2008.

Rev. Kwok is a liberal and outspoken Christian leader who has been actively involved in the circle of the Christians, churches and Christian organizations. He has participated in various conferences and workshops related to Christianity, church development and evangelism. He also has immense interest in advocating the principles of human rights, church reform and Christian faith, justice, democracy and future development in Hong Kong. He participated in and sometimes initiated social and political action and movements for democracy, direct election, political reforms and human rights. Moreover, he has written tremendous number of English and Chinese articles in newsletters, newspapers, journals and books, and he also delivered speeches in different occasions such as church services, training workshops and conferences related to religious, social and political issues.

Rev. Kwok’s strenuous efforts in his work and services brought him recognition from different organizations. He received the award of the Gamaliel Chair in Peace and Justice for his insistence for human rights and democracy in 1997, and the Lux et Veritas (Light and Truth) alumni award from the Divinity School of Yale University in 2010, an honor for its alumni “with demonstrated excellence and distinction in ministering with Christ like compassion”.