China News

by Tony Lambert

SARS CRISIS OVER
Christians worldwide join with believers in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in thanks to God that in June the World Health Organization officially declared all three areas safe to visit. However, WHO has warned the disease could re-emerge this coming winter.
The medical profession in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan—many of them Christians—worked heroically. Christians in Beijing, Shanghai and many other cities were able to use their church networks to inform and educate believers who stayed quietly at home to pray and read the Bible. The world may soon forget the crisis, but it has traumatized the lives of many thousands. The economic effects have also been serious as tourists and business people canceled their flights in droves. Many Christians were unable to serve the Lord as they had hoped this summer in the Far East. OMF made July a special month of prayer for China. We deeply believe that God can bring good out of undoubted evil—more fervent prayer, many unseen acts of love for sufferers and their families, and hearts humbled and made open for the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power.

HONG KONG IN CRISIS
The government of Hong Kong is reeling after a massive show of people power. On July 1 up to 500,000 people took part in peaceful demonstrations against the introduction of new anti-subversion laws (Article 23 of the Basic Law). Soon after, unpopular Hong Kong chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, backed down and postponed the second reading of the new bill which many feared would destroy Hong Kong’s autonomy and bring it under greater control from Beijing. Most of Hong Kong’s educated middle-class oppose the new laws. Even some of Tung’s traditional backers have resigned from the coalition which has enabled the millionaire executive to run Hong Kong largely at Beijing’s behest since the handover from British control to China in 1997. (Reuters and AP, 7 July 2003) The new laws were the last straw for many: popular discontent is at an all time high. Hong Kong’s economy has nosedived, property prices have decreased by 60% since 1997 and unemployment has soared. The Hong Kong government’s ineptness in handling the SARS outbreak also caused resentment.
However, Hong Kong is now sailing into dangerous uncharted waters. China supported Tung’s re-appointment to a second five-year term of office and is unlikely to agree to his stepping down or to a greater degree of democracy, despite the “one country, two systems” policy. It remains to be seen how Beijing will react to Hong Kong people’s growing dissatisfaction and whether a political confrontation can be avoided. (The Economist, 12 July 2003)
Bishop Joseph Zen, head of Hong Kong’s large Roman Catholic community has been the most vocal Christian opponent of the new laws which he sees as “very dangerous.” Evangelical Christians have been less outspoken but many share the same concern.
Hong Kong’s traditional affluence and complacency have been badly hit by the successive waves of economic, health and political crises. There is a new openness to the gospel. Pray for pastors and full-time Christian workers in local churches and from OMF and many other Christian organizations.

STUDENT OUTREACH
Many universities and colleges now have small Christian fellowships among both students and faculty. Most are still very low-key. A Christian student in Guangdong wrote to FEBC recently: “I joined a fellowship group while I was at college. We met to share God’s Word twice a week. Our leader is theologically trained and we grew fast. However, quite a few are graduating and there are only a couple of new members. The fellowship may have to disband.” Small numbers and eventual graduation lead to fragmentation and lack of continuity. Some graduates, including a few who have studied theology overseas, are known to be in full-time ministry to students and post-graduates in such cities as Beijing and Shanghai. They need much prayer.

THE CHURCH IN WEIHAI
Weihai is a large port city on the extreme tip of the Shandong peninsula in north China, facing Korea. It has a population of 320,000, although Greater Weihai including country areas and several smaller towns has a total population of 2.5 million. Because it is surrounded on three sides by the Yellow Sea it has been designated as one of the 200 “most healthy places” in the world to live!
Weihai has an unusual history. In 1898 Britain leased the port, then known as Weihaiwei, to use as a naval base to counter the Russian lease of Port Arthur (now Dalian) to the northeast. It was a kind of miniature north Chinese Hong Kong for over thirty years. Britain gave up the lease in 1930. During World War II, it was the site of a concentration camp for Allied nationals.
The gospel was brought to Weihai by British missionaries in 1889. The Brethren, the Anglicans and other denominations followed and by the early 1940s there were about 800 believers. Four churches were built (two of which have since been demolished). There were also several Christian-run schools and hospitals.
In recent years the church has flourished. Sunday worship was re-established on May 23, 1994 with only 40 people attending in a private house leased for worship. But such was their fervor that a year later numbers had increased to over 500! In 1995 700 people came for Christmas services, and in 1996 over 1,100! The corridors of the three-story building were packed and the courtyard outside overflowing. In 1997 the church rented two floors of a commercial building, each holding 700 people. In 2001 and 2002 Christmas services saw more than 3,000 people attending!
The church is made up of three distinct parts: the local Christians, Korean minority Christians from northeast China and South Koreans, many of them on business. There are also many smaller meeting points to be cared for.
Every year the church runs two Bible-training courses for 3-4 weeks, with about 70 students at each course. It also supports three theological students in full-time training.
Because the church is again bursting at the seams, it plans to build a much larger facility capable of holding 1,500-2,000 people in the main church. There will also be two smaller halls each having seats for 400 people. The new church will have a music room, nursery facilities, projection room, baptismal tank etc. It is also planning to build a Bible training center to house 60-80 students. It will have dormitories, library and reading room, kitchen, dining room, offices etc.
The church has chosen as its motto as it begins construction, John 10:7 and 9, where Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep” and, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.” As in so many other places throughout China there are many hungry souls needing to enter through that gate to find salvation.

PASTOR GONG STILL IN PRISON
Pastor Gong of the South China Church was arrested in August 2001 and sentenced to death in December that year with four other church members. However, an international outcry led to a suspension of the death sentence in January 2002. A retrial was ordered in October 2002 at which all church-related charges against Gong were dropped and he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of rape and assault.
The Chinese Ministry of Justice issued a statement on June 26 to the Associated Press stating that: “Reports that Gong is near death as a result of abusive treatment have no basis in reality.” In early June a source inside the prison in Hubei, where Gong is being held, revealed that he had been beaten and seriously injured. Members of his church then wrote to friends overseas claiming he was passing blood and near death. They claimed that 63 other members of their church are still being held. (AP 26 June; Compass Direct 11 July 2003)