China Mission Update — Chinese in Diaspora: A Conversation with Chris
Praise the Lord! The Outreach Foundation has received permission to return to mainland China from July 22 - August 1! If the past few years have taught us anything, it is not to take anything for granted and as Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). Therefore, we are grateful and humbled that the Lord has opened the door for us to visit our friends in China, and seek understanding on how we might serve the Kingdom of God along with them.
In our prayers, we also asked some questions, as have many sinophiles. “What if we cannot visit China anymore? What does partnership look like if China closes again?” While these questions are painful, it seems realistic to prepare for some shifts in this one of our most historic relationships. We were able to have a dialogue on these and other matters with Bin Wang, “Chris” to those of us who know him in the United States. Chris has hosted Outreach Foundation teams on behalf of the China Christian Council and Three Self Patriotic Movement in Suzhou of Jiangsu Province and now he is an MDiv student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC.
Chris, tell us about you and your family.
Qian is my wife, and together we have two daughters Yingya and Jingwei. We are from China, and despite China’s restrictive policies Qian and I found favor in the eyes of the Lord and were saved during our college years in 2000s. We are among so many Chinese whom God is leading to Him through Jesus Christ. In 2008, I entered full-time Christian ministry upon my graduation from Nanjing Seminary, and I served as a congregational minister until 2020. At that time, we were given permission to return to the United States for study. We also received encouragement from The Outreach Foundation and enjoyed the hospitality and kindness of several Presbyterian churches and leaders. We are so glad to have found friends at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charlotte and in March 2023, joined as members there.
What caused you to want to study in the United States?
Seeing much of my own ministry work being curtailed, restricted, or even suspended since 2018 because of several religious policy shifts. Most notably our children were no longer able to attend church, which is happening for all Chinese Christian families. So, Qian and I prayed for ways to continue in ministry with our family. Then as the pandemic broke out and China’s policies became even more restrictive, we applied for a visa to study abroad and were permitted to leave in December 2020.
How has God answered your prayers for continued ministry?
God has seen fit to place me in international student ministry at University of North Carolina - Charlotte. I have been focusing on Chinese students and scholars. We build friendship with them and care about their lives. We host birthday parties for the children. I have invited many to Westminster to experience their hospitality and Christmas worship service. I organized a visit to the Billy Graham Library so they could learn about this great evangelist, encounter his enormous spiritual and social impact, and learn of his and Ruth’s connections with China.
Thanks to gifts through The Outreach Foundation, I organized a short weekend retreat for my Chinese international students. We held the retreat in Wilmington, N.C., where we toured the historic streets, enjoyed Wrightsville Beach, had spiritual conversations, and visited with First Presbyterian Church there. Also, I am working with a Chinese PhD student in computer science. I helped him practice driving until he could pass his road test to get his driver‘s license. There is a visiting professor at UNC Charlotte who claims to be suspicious of all religions. However, as I have been working with him he has come to enjoy Bible study, open discussion about various topics, and to our amazement, he’s become a regular attendee of the weekend Bible Study meeting of a Chinese Church in the university park.
One of our new friends is conducting her doctoral research in bioinformatics, while her husband works in China and takes care of their younger son Yuan. Though they are not Christians yet, we have become close friends and she is gradually opening her heart to the Spirit of God.
One more story is from a friend “Johnny” who came to the U.S. last year and has been granted asylum. I can’t get into the details other than to say he was enduring much hardship in Nanjing where the city was locked down. I knew him in Suzhou!. He was abandoned by his parents because of his hearing disability—this is very common—and grew up in an orphanage. Johnny is still a baby Christian, and we meet with him on a weekly basis for prayer, study, and encouragement.
That’s incredible diaspora ministry! What about your friends in China?
I maintain connections with friends back home through digital platforms. I am co-leading “Faith and Learning,” an online Chinese Christian fellowship that was initiated in early 2020 when all church gatherings were suspended because of the pandemic lockdown measures. The fellowship is intended to connect and serve young, well-educated urban Christians. We organize online talks and lectures, promote Christian learning and unity, and encourage careful observation and reflection on our Christian faith in our Chinese context. We have had several international guest speakers and I translate their sessions. The Outreach Foundation is to be thanked for making all this possible.
In March 2023, I remotely organized a “film and faith” event with about 40 people in Suzhou. A third of them were not believers but were invited by their Christian friends. The film was Pier Pasolin’s (an Italian Marxist) Gospel According to St. Matthew. This film has been permitted in China so that we are able to use this as an approved instrument of the gospel. The film even appeared on the municipal government’s official social media account. The discussion that followed the film showed us that God is still working miracles among people in China!
In April 2023, Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, Executive Director of Oxford Center of Religion and Public Life (OCRPL), spoke on Mt 16:13-21 titled “Confessing Jesus Christ in a Challenging World” to our audience of 200. Built upon the implications of Jesus’ challenge to his disciples against Jewish, Greek, and Roman backgrounds, Dr. Sookhdeo challenged us to resist the idolatries of power, comfort, vanity, moral relativism, and ethno-nationalism. We were urged to commit to the vision of a spiritual and peaceful Kingdom of God centered on Jesus Christ who redeemed us from the present evil age through his sacrificial death and called us into a new life of love and service.
In May 2023, we hosted a discussion in our social media group on the issue of faith and suffering. There are particular ways this topic applies to those living in the far East and our discussions are robust, open, and intellectually challenging.
Thank you for agreeing to co-lead our visit to China this year! What are your hopes for this visit?
This trip will allow us to reconnect with familiar friends in China after an unprecedented three-year suspension due to the pandemic. Also, we will be able to meet some new friends in the younger generation with whom we have had exciting digital live exchanges. As always I hope this visit will strengthen the friendship between churches in China and the United States as only face-to-face meetings can achieve. While we seek opportunities to be of some help and support in their witness and service, we are also ready to be encouraged and inspired by their resilience and creativity in a difficult season. I look forward to our update when we return!
Chris, the door to China is open for now, but you and others say it might not be for long. What do you have to say about this?
All we can say is “If the Lord wills, it will be.”
How can we pray for you and your family?
1. Please pray for safety and fruitfulness of the upcoming China visit. Pray for my family while I am traveling especially that Qian will be safe in driving.
2. A season of welcoming new international students begins soon. Pray for me and the other volunteers that we will demonstrate love, teamwork, and efficacy in our work of service and witness with more international students.
3. Pray for those Chinese students and scholars I’ve mentioned but cannot name in this conversation. The Holy Spirit has caused our paths to cross for Christ’s glory. Pray that I will be faithful and that they will remain curious!