In 1949, American missionaries Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Charles A. Roberts came to Hong Kong due to the troubles in China and headed up work under the auspices of the Emmanuel Church in Nathan Road.
Sham Tseng Emmanuel Church was the first daughter church of the Emmanuel Church to be established in 1955, built on land in Sham Tseng donated by entrepreneur J H Ruttonjee of brewing fame. A school was built and a clinic opened and the church used the school’s auditorium for meetings.
The original Emmanuel Mission Church was started by the Dr and Mrs Lechmere Clift in the 1930s and led by them. It continued after their deaths, and has now grown to six churches. The original church is known today as The Emmanuel English Church, and the rest are Cantonese speaking congregations. Evidence would suggest that the daughter churches have sought to carry on the traditions of medical care and education set by the mother church.