Posts Tagged ‘China’

By Linda L. Scisson

[Jesus speaking] “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9 ESV).

According to the grace of God given to me [the apostle Paul], like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it (1 Cor. 3:10-11 ESV).

The China Harmony and Unity Center in Beijing, China is being considered a new outreach of Fellowship’s global ministry, “Fellowship Unleashed.”

From January 20 to January 27, 2010, Paul Chapman, Fellowship’s Unleash Missions Pastor, and Fred Wood, Overseeing Elder, will be in Beijing, halfway around the globe. Their eight-day mission is to see first-hand the workings of the China Harmony and Unity Center, known as “CHUC” (pronounced “Chuck”), and report back to the Elder Board if they believe this is something our church should pursue.

According to its Facebook page, the five areas of focus for the China Harmony and Unity Center are:

• Leadership Development
• Marriage and Family
• English as a Second Language
• Medical Assistance
• Youth Development Programs

Several USA evangelical ministries and churches are already lending a hand with the China Harmony and Unity Center, including (1) Christ Community Church (Omaha, Nebraska), (2) Crown College (St. Bonifacius, Minnesota), and (3) FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (Little Rock, Arkansas). One couple from our body, through their work with FamilyLife, Jim and Judy Burrows, have recently moved to Beijing to provide guidance in the area of Marriage and Family at the CHUC.

By way of phone interview on January 15 (five days before Fred and Paul make the 14 hour flight), Paul told me that in the ministry of missions, three actions typically take place:

(1)  Relief work

(2)  Rehabilitation

(3)  Development

This ministry opportunity in Beijing, the second largest city in China, deals with development.

Since the fall of Communism in China, there has been a shift on several fronts that affect the people’s livelihood and lifestyle. There appears to be a widening window of opportunity for faith-based organizations, including Christianity, to bring their gifts, talents, and knowledge to the People’s Republic of China.

The nation’s leaders see a need for practical solutions to their challenges, such as a divorce rate that exceeds 50 per cent and a depression rate in the 60 percent range. They are beginning to sense and, on some occasions, see that a life centered around a healthy moral foundation, such as what our faith proclaims (and has proclaimed through the  centuries), could turn things around for their good.

“The goodness of God leads to repentance” (see Romans 2:4).

Thus enters the missionaries — “as servants and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1 ESV) — the scouts, the trail-blazers, the pioneers, the builders, the maintainers, the pastors, the prophets, the teachers and, equally important, those able to provide financial backing and prayer support. 

Please keep Paul Chapman and Fred Wood in your prayers, as well as the decision-makers of Fellowship Bible Church, as the thoughtful process continues to see if the China Harmony and Unity Center is one area (among so many) that we are to expand our church’s goodwill and, by God’s grace, advance and nurture the Kingdom of God, knowing the authority — all authority — behind such ventures is Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-19).