With a cultural foot in Hong Kong and England, Katie Woo is hoping her experiences will help her to be the bridge between the two cultures in Berkshire.
Katie is the National Church Hong Kong Communities Enabler in Berkshire, a new role created to partly serve the diocese as well as the national church. Katie was born in Hong Kong after her parents moved there in their 20s. She left the city when she was 17, arriving in London to study.
She said: “I’m excited to get started. My unique background means I understand the culture of both places, Hong Kong and England. A few friends said to me ‘this job is made for you’ and I think they’re right!
“In the first 100 days I will be looking to make connections and networking to understand the challenges Berkshire Hong Kongers face. I’m not here to just serve these people, I want to help them understand each other in particular with the host church members.”
Katie’s role will journey alongside the hundreds of Hong Kong Christians who have made England their home to help churches welcome them and support them in their adopted home country. She will also spend some time getting to know the community and gathering data about it.
A qualified accountant, Katie previously worked in project finance for the Church of England’s Education and Growing Faith project. She has spent more than 20 years volunteering at her own church, most recently in the children’s church and youth work, supporting young families with a multitude of different languages feel included in their church.
Katie is also the church mission secretary supporting 24 missionaries in five continents. Currently she is completing her therapeutic counselling study at Spurgeon’s College to be graduated in July as qualified counsellor.