History

Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service is a multidisciplinary social service agency organized by the Ward Memorial Methodist Church and established in 1967.

In 1953, the Methodist Committee for Overseas Relief (MCOR) came to Hong Kong with the Wei Li Kung Hui (The Methodist Church). MCOR is an international welfare organization sponsored by the United Methodist Church, USA. It serves over 40 countries around the world with basic programmes of emergency relief, cash assistance and resettlement. MCOR also works through other international and ecumenical organizations, such as Church World Service and the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the early years, when trained social work personal was almost completely unavailable, MCOR worked along with other agencies to meet the needs of Hong Kong on an emergency basis. When the Wei Li Kung Hui was in a position to develop its own local casework and relief programmes, MCOR was ready to establish the Yang Social Service Centre (YSSC), which was managed by the Ward Memorial Methodist Church in 1967, in memory of Rev Chester Yang, the founding pastor of the Ward Memorial Methodist Church. The new building of YSSC and Ward Memorial Methodist Church situated at the Waterloo Road were dedicated to open on October 29, 1967.

The Wei Li Kung Hui and the Chinese Methodist Church united in 1975 and formed the new Methodist Church, Hong Kong. In September 1990, YSSC was renamed as the Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service.