click to enlarge

GEOGRAPHY

Area 17 sq.km. A tiny peninsula and two islands 64 km west of Hong Kong on the coast of Guangdong Province of China.

One of the most densely populated areas on earth.

Capital Macau 432,000. Urbanites 100%.

PEOPLES

Chinese 96%. Mainly Cantonese. Mainland migrant labour 25,000; Hong Kong 14,000.

Macanese (Eurasian) 2.7%.

Other 1.3%. Westerners 4,000; Filipino 3,000; Thai 1,500

Literacy 90%. Official languages Cantonese, Portuguese.

ECONOMY

One of the richest cities in the world in the 16^th and 17^th Centuries. The dominant industry is now gambling and tourism. It is also an important gateway for China's special economic zones adjoining Macau. Income/person $17,600 (62% of USA).

POLITICS

Rented by the Portuguese in 1577. Became a Portuguese Colony in 1887, considered a Chinese Territory under Portuguese administration since 1974. Macau reverted to Chinese rule as a special autonomous region in 1999, with a high degree of economic and political autonomy. It was both Europe's first and last colonial possession in Asia.

RELIGION

Under the agreement between the colonial administration and China, there is full freedom of religion.

Missionaries from Macau
P,I,A 55 – all in Macau.

Missionaries to Macau
P,I,A 154 in 22 agencies from 13 countries: USA 64, Brazil 9.

click for legend

Challenges for Prayer

1 Macau has the dubious distinction of being the first Christian territory in Asia to become non-Christian. In 1600 Macau was 95% Catholic. By 2000 this had been reduced to about 7.4%. The Catholic Church has suffered disastrous decline, and Protestant churches have always been small. The number of Protestant churches had grown from 33 in 1986 to 78 in 1999. Pray for the people of this territory to be changed by the Word of God.

2 Macau was the starting point of Protestant missions to China. There, the first Chinese convert was baptised, the first Chinese Bible translated and Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to the Chinese, was buried. Yet today it is one of the least-discipled communities of Chinese in the world. The Church is small, divided, introspective and weakened by emigration and a high turn-over of leadership. Pray for local leaders to be raised up who will help the Church survive and grow and be a blessing to China and the world. The Macau Bible Institute was the first theological school, but there are now three theological institutions for training leaders.

3 Macau was named 'City of the Name of God' by the Portuguese, though it was a Chinese god that gave it its present name. It has truly become the 'City of Sin'. Gambling and prostitution are major money-earners which are run by ruthless Triad gangs who wage wars for control of this lucrative 'industry'. Lawlessness characterized the twilight of Portuguese rule, but the new government is seeking to change this. Pray that this city might lose its unflattering reputation and the gospel of Christ change a society so blanketed by sin.

4 Evangelical Christians doubled in number between 1990 and 2000. There was increasing cooperation to present a unified witness in the time leading to the hand-over to China. The major hindrances to continued growth are the lack of Christian workers, a close-knit family structure and fear of offending the local god A-Ma after which the city was named. Pray for the breaking of every chain that prevents people coming to the Lord.

5 There are a number of missionaries from Hong Kong and other lands, most being involved in evangelism, church planting, drug rehabilitation and Bible teaching. Major missions are Brazilian and US Baptists (IMB-SBC) with a total of 20 workers, YWAM (18), CBI (8) and OMF (5). Pray for their effectiveness in this crowded, pressurised and sinful city.

6 The less-reached:

a) Many mainlanders work in Macau – some legally, many illegally. They work long hours with rare days off, but are more open to the gospel. Pray for those seeking to reach and disciple them.

b) Those involved in the entertainment industry. There are a few seeking to reach them. The Macau Evangelistic Band is one such.

c) The 12,000 Chinese refugees from Myanmar. There is one church among them (Baptist).

d) The Macanese are mostly nominally Catholic. There is one very small evangelical church among them, but they are largely neglected by evangelical agencies and churches.

7 Supportive ministries. Much literature and over 40,000 Bibles were distributed in homes in the late 1990s (EHC, UBS). Pray for lasting impact.

Internet Links