Church News From China - Volume 3 No. 2
* CHURCH GROWTH
The church in China is experiencing enormous growth,
with an estimated 10,000 people becoming Christians
each day. In July 1993, for example, a Christian meeting
point in southern Guangdong had only 40 members. By
September 1994 it had grown to 651 and the church has
appealed openly for funds to build a facility able
to hold 1,500 people. (OMF)
* BIBLES IN DEMAND
The demand for Bibles in China continues to grow. A
house church leader who represents 600,000 believers
in Henan estimates he needs at least 23,400 Bibles
each month just to supply new converts. Another house
church leader passes his congregation's sole Bible
from family to family; each keeps it for two or three
days, copying as much as they can before passing it
on to the next family. (NNI)
* CHINESE DELEGATION ATTENDS
MEETINGS WITH POPE
China's government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association
(CPA) sent a delegation of 24 priests and officials
to the Philippines in mid-January to attend an international
youth meeting led by Pope John Paul II, leader of the
Catholic church. The landmark delegation has increased
speculation among China analysts that Sino-Vatican
relations, frozen since 1957, could improve. A split
has existed for almost four decades within China's
Catholic church between underground clerics who remain
affiliated with the Vatican and those aligned with
the CPA. Numerous cases of pro-Vatican clerics arrested
and detained by local government officials were recorded
in 1994. (NNI)
* 10 MOST PERSECUTED NATIONS
China joins a list of the ten nations that most severely
persecute Christians, according to Open Doors. The
other nine countries on the list are Saudi Arabia,
Afghanistan, Sudan, Comoro Islands, North Korea, Iran,
Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen. All except China and North
Korea are Muslim nations. (IFA)
* CHRISTIAN RADIO ANNIVERSARY
The Dallas Chinese Youth Chamber Orchestra planned a
program for March 18 called "To China With Love"
in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Far East
Broadcasting Company (FEBC). FEBC broadcasts Christian
programs into China on a regular basis - in Mandarin,
Cantonese, and other languages spoken in China. FEBC
reports record listener response to its programs for
most of 1994. (For a list of broadcast times and frequencies,
write FEBC, P.O. Box 2016, Monterey Park, California
91754.)
* PASTORS REQUEST PRAYER
Six Christian pastors in Beijing sent the following
written appeal through the Associated Press: "We
call on brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for
us, members of the Body who have suffered abuse, and
to be concerned about how the situation develops."
The church in China is experiencing tremendous growth
despite persecution by the communist government. (IFA)
* CHURCH OPENED FOR CHRISTMAS
China's Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) permitted Beijing's
historic Xi Pang Catholic Church to re-open for the
first time in 40 years. The church, first built in
1746, was closed shortly after the communists seized
control of the country in 1949. The RAB allowed a Christmas
Mass to be held in the church in 1994. The building
has since been temporarily closed again for restoration.
(NNI)
* CHILDREN'S TV PROGRAM AWAITING
APPROVAL
An animated children's Christmas program produced in
China by the U.S.-based Christian Broadcasting Network
(CBN) did not receive government approval in time for
broadcast on Chinese state television during the Christmas
season. U.S. producers of the program say, however,
they are optimistic the Chinese government will approve
the program so that it can air at a later date. The
program was produced in China at the Shanghai Film
and Animation Company. CBN is also awaiting permission
from the Chinese government to send comic books to
children who write letters in response to the TV program.
(NNI)
* PASTOR DISMISSED
The long-feared crackdown on Gangwashi Church, Beijing's
largest government (TSPM) church, finally came on
October 30 when Pastor Yang Yudong was forcibly dismissed
and police escorted Yu Xinli of the Beijing TSPM to
take over the church. Gangwashi Church sources say
Beijing TSPM authorities have been attempting to oust
Yang for the past year due to his evangelical and independent
leadership style. TSPM officials claim their dismissal
of Yang is in line with a policy to retire pastors
over the age of 70. More than 200 plainclothed police
and TSPM representatives were at the service when Yang
was forced to step down. (CNCR, NNI)
* CHRISTIAN MEDICAL TEAMS VISIT CHINA
A 24-member Christian medical team from the U.S., Singapore,
Malaysia, and Hong Kong visited western China in November.
They served with local medical personnel and gave lectures
and demonstrations. Five more medical visits are planned
for 1995. (OMF)
* PERSECUTION INTENSIFIES
New regulations issued by the Chinese government last
year give police sweeping authority, including liberty
to arrest Protestants associated with house churches
(those not registered with the government), Catholics
who don't belong to the Catholic Patriotic Association
(which denies the authority to the Pope), and all others
considered guilty of "disrupting public order,
or doing harm to the public interest through other
means."
These regulations widen the scope of persecution of Christians already fined heavily for listening to broadcasts from overseas, having any contact with foreigners, or owning a Bible printed outside China. (Rutherford Institute)
* DAWN IN CHINA
A project to start a million more churches in China
has begun - via radio. From Hong Kong, the Far East
Broadcasting Company (FEBC) broadcasts programs into
the mainland, including two 15-minute "DAWN China"
programs and a daily half-hour training program on
discipleship training, personal evangelism, church
growth, and missions. FEBC and two other organizations
are sending training booklets into China to help new
church members. (Pulse)
* HENAN CHURCH MEMBERS ARRESTED
A Taiwanese preacher and 169 local Chinese Christians
remain in detention following a Public Security Bureau
raid on a house church near Zhoukou, Henan Province.
Sources describe the raid on the unregistered house
church as a "major police operation." While
it is not known if any of the local Christians were
injured during the incident, one source said it is
"very likely" that the assault was violent.
Following a similar raid in Fangcheng, Henan Province,
last year, the number of Christians in the area grew
dramatically. (NNI, Charisma)
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