Update: D. & J. (China)

November 27, 2009:

Dear praying friends,

The Lord is our joy and strength.  He has answered our prayers!
 
Many have been asking what happened this Sunday, did we worship in the park, in the auditorium?  Neither.  We were informed last Saturday that we were worshiping in an atrium of the Tsinghua Science Park (across the street from our home).  According to Pastor TM, when the authorities forced the landlords to end the rental contracts for the church at the end of October, it seems that the police did not really think that the church was really going to worship in the park as they said they would.  They probably assumed like in the past, the church would close their doors for awhile or underground into the homes.    Apparently not this time.  Shouwang church stated their bottom line: worship service will continue no matter what… indoors or outdoors, rain, sleet or snow.  And snow it did that first Sunday in November.  (We may need to reconsider the 1 inch snow canceling policy in the US).

Thankful

Are we sufficiently thankful for the freedom of assembly?

Would we still assemble in worship if we faced 7 years in prison for doing so?

UPDATE: S. & H. (Kyrgyzstan)

November 17, 2009:

Dear Prayer Partners,

It’s been nearly 2 weeks since we’ve back and just now we are starting to feel a little bit more readjusted to life here. It’s taken a bit longer this time around to get back into the flow of things. But everyone has been very understanding and is making sure that we are cared for. Thanks for your prayers over these past few weeks. They have meant so much to us.

UPDATE: B. & H. (Indonesia)

Update received November 24, 2009 …

Due to the extremely sensitive nature of their work, the verbatim-entirety of the latest update email from B. & H. has been removed from this site.

Please continue to lift them & their young children up.  As well, please continue to lift up their work.  A good deal of translation has been completed and is starting to be disseminated, so may communication flow smoothly and may a good & powerful impact be made.

UPDATE: D. & J. (China)

November 23, 2009:

Dear praying friends,

Thanks for your prayers.  The Lord has shown much favor and has been answering our prayers.  The 7 visas on Nov 20^th were all approved.  The US embassy visa officer first asked to see if there were those who didn’t speak English and when they said “yes”, he spoke in fluent Mandarin starting with calling one of our guys “[  ]”(brother G.).  The Lord arranged a Christian, an American born in Taiwan who served in an overseas Chinese church to be the US visa officer to interview our group.  The officer was knowledgeable of the house church movement and even knew about Shouwang Church.

Joint Thanksgiving Worship

Please join us as we gather with other area churches to worship together in anticipation of our day of Thanksgiving.

• Tuesday, November 24th
• 7.30p Worship
• Calvary Baptist Church (7 St. Paul’s Place, Ossining)

Worship will be followed by fellowship over pie & coffee.  Each church is responsible for contributing to the pie-fellowship, so if you’d like to make / bring one (or more!), please arrive at 7.15p.

URGENT UPDATES from D. & J. (China)

Friends, the word “saga” applies here, but not in the facetious, over-wrought sense in which we so often use it.  This is serious stuff.  Please read D.’s chronology, from the top and scroll down, and keep our millions-upon-millions of brothers and sisters in your fervent, faithful prayers, in anticipation of the free worship we’ll share together in Heaven.

In case it seems like it’s just “we Christians” who care about the Church in China, read here for perspective from the Wall Street Journal …