Christians returning to China
This section contains our blog posts or email newsletters that are sent out regularly.
In this article, Wang Ziyu shares from personal experience about one summer that taught Wang the value of preparedness. Wang likens preparedness for the school year with readiness for the coming of God’s kingdom. Article in English and Chinese
https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/chinese-church-voices/peace-and-preparedness
Continue reading “Peace and Preparation for Difficult Times”
Many Christians in China today are seeking to be salt and light in their communities and in society. But what does that look like? In the translated article below, originally posted on the mainland site Christian Times, the author summarizes a talk given by a pastor in Henan Province on the topic of being salt and light.
https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/chinese-church-voices/being-salt-and-light-to-influence-society
It’s lunchtime on Christmas Day, we’re sitting around our dining room table about to tuck into the turkey, ham, stuffing and cranberry sauce – the traditional Christmas dinner. Sitting around the table is my husband, my mum and dad, Alison and Andrew (a boyfriend and girlfriend from China), Tim* from Vietnam and not forgetting Archie the dog who is under the table, sitting expectantly, hoping that something might fall off for him! Alison, Andrew and Tim have never been in the UK on Christmas Day before. In fact, they have never celebrated Christmas before. They know very little of what Christmas is about or of who Jesus is.
https://omf.org/blog/2018/01/05/do-they-know-its-christmas/
Returnees Committing to Church in China: I wonder what excites us most about the prospect of brothers and sisters returning to China:
Yes, such inspiring thoughts spur us on in serving our Chinese friends from overseas and yet how individualistic is this perspective? Indeed, perhaps we do stress the importance of church but to what extent is this merely pragmatic? Without a supportive church community, how else will our friends stand firm in such a challenging context? No, this is something far more significant for church is right at the heart of God’s eternal plan. (Ephesians 3:10)
http://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/returnees-and-the-church-in-china
If isolation is a key underlying problem, then helping students to make connections that will develop into nurturing and supportive relationships in China is a critical need and the best place to find nourishing spiritual relationships should be in a church or fellowship. What can be done to connect returnees to churches and fellowships and help them to settle? In this third and final part In this third part we will focus on how to help returnees settle in a church or fellowship where they can serve and be supported in their daily Christian walk.
https://thrivingturtles.org/2018/08/12/what-does-it-take-for-returnees-to-thrive-part-3/
Why is it so hard for returnees to continue in their faith after returning home to China? I suggest that the chief cause is a conflict of cultural values that has developed because they responded to the gospel and were discipled in a Western cultural context and are unable to adapt their faith to the cultural context of China. This article by Thriving Turtles was published last year in the Mission Round Table journal.
https://thrivingturtles.org/2018/01/29/going-home-is-not-what-i-thought-it-would-be/
Continue reading “Going home is not what I thought it would be”
Currently, most courses in cross-cultural ministry are only offered during semester times when campus workers are busy with ministry. The Summer Institute is a new initiative of Thriving Turtles to equip front-line gospel workers with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective cross-cultural gospel ministers. The Summer Institute offers short modular courses at the end of the summer holidays each year. These courses build on each other, and the training can extend over several years. Our facilitators have extensive experience in cross-cultural ministry. The courses are provided as eLearning through our online Moodle classroom, and are highly interactive with forums, chats and video conferencing. This platform allows us to offer this training at a very affordable cost. With an investment of 10 hours over a 2 week period each year, and no need to travel away from home, you can equip yourself to be a more effective cross-cultural minister of the gospel.
29th Jan – 15th Feb 2018 – Trial courses for free
For more information see the website via this link www.thrivingturtles.org/summerinstitute
Infographic Video: https://biteable.com/watch/the-summer-institute-introduction-1686099
Big Brother is Watching
In recent months, news articles have pointed out developments in censorship and communication in China, and I have been asked many times for advice on how to communicate with Chinese people, both here in Australia and in China. There is no easy answer to these questions, but let me try and lay out some of the known facts and then consider what options are available.
What does it take for returnees to thrive?
In part one of this series we considered the importance of discipling Chinese students as Chinese believers who are prepared to live in a Chinese context (contextualized discipleship). In this second part we consider the need for pre-return training to prepare returnees for the issues they will face on returning home. Experience has shown that there are four key topics that need to be addressed:
Read Part 2 of the Pre-Return Training article here: https://thrivingturtles.org/2017/08/26/what-does-it-take-for-returnees-to-thrive-part-2/
Continue reading “What does it take for returnees to thrive – Part 2”