With hearts full of gratitude and sorrow, the Council for World Mission (CWM) remembers and celebrates the extraordinary life of Reverend Lee Ching-Chee, who went home to be with the Lord peacefully on 27 May 2025 at the age of 93. Rev. Lee was a prophetic leader, pioneer of women’s ordination in Hong Kong, devoted educator, and beloved pastor whose life and legacy continue to shape generations across Hong Kong and beyond.
Born in Hong Kong on 26 April 1932, Rev. Lee’s spiritual journey began at Ying Wa Girls’ School, where she first encountered the Christian faith. That seed of faith blossomed into a life of service and transformation. In 1966, she was ordained by the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC), becoming the first woman pastor in Hong Kong, a groundbreaking step in an era when the ordained ministry comprised predominantly male pastors. Through her courage and determination, Rev. Lee opened the way for women to serve equally in ministry, setting a powerful precedent for gender justice within the church.
In 1977, Rev. Lee joined the staff of the Council for World Mission in London as the Executive Secretary for Mission and Education, bringing with her a deep passion for ecumenism and global solidarity. She served as a missionary of peace, travelling extensively to visit partner churches across the world, including Northeast India, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the South Pacific. Her encounters with communities under curfew, conflict, and economic hardships gave her opportunities to listen, earn, and build bridges of compassion and cooperation between CWM churches in the Europe and the Global South. She brought to her global ministry a quiet strength and profound humility, always attentive to the voices at the margins.Upon returning to Hong Kong in 1981, Rev. Lee served as the Associate General Secretary of the HKCCCC until her retirement in 1998. Simultaneously, she continued to serve her alma mater, Ying Wa Girls’ School, as a vice principal, chaplain, teacher, and supervisor, where her influence as a pastor and educator made a lasting impact in the lives of many. She transformed religious education into a dialogical, life-oriented discipline, creating space for honest conversations about life and faith. Through morning assemblies and personal mentoring, she sowed seeds of hope, self-worth, and spiritual curiosity in countless young women.
Rev. Lee was a prophetic voice for women’s empowerment in the church, not through confrontation, but through gentle guidance and example. As a long-time advisor to the Hong Kong Women’s Christian Council, she quietly but firmly advocated for gender equality and dignity. She walked alongside younger women, encouraging them to recognise their gifts and to serve boldly in faith, while also respecting the unique contexts of the church.
Her life was rooted in four simple yet profound principles:
“Give up not, refuse not, fear not, and have hope.”
In 2005, Rev. Lee was nominated as one of 1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize, a recognition of her lifelong commitment to peacebuilding through education, mission, and service. Her leadership was always marked by deep empathy, uncompromising faith, and a pastoral heart.
For those who knew her, as teacher, chaplain, mentor, colleague, and friend, Rev. Lee was more than a leader. She was a person of abundant wisdom and serenity, known for her humour, her gentle smile, and the way she made each person feel seen, and loved. As we mourn her passing, we also celebrate her legacy—a legacy that continues to inspire all who seek to follow Christ in humility, justice and love.
The Council for World Mission gives thanks to God for the life of Rev. Lee Ching Chee, a faithful servant, a courageous pioneer, and a beloved sister in Christ. Her legacy lives on in the hearts of those she nurtured, the systems she transformed, and the global church she helped to shape.
Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord. (Matthew 25:23)
Funeral and memorial service details will be shared by the HKCCCC and Ying Wa Girls’ School in due course.
