Easter Sunday (“Resurrection Day” in Chinese) is a highpoint for Christians in China, as it is for followers of Christ the world over. Not only do Chinese believers celebrate the resurrection of Christ; they also celebrate the new life experienced in Christ by those who have come to faith within the past year. Easter Sunday baptisms are an important part of church life. In some larger churches hundreds of new Christians may celebrate their spiritual rebirth through baptism on a single day.
This Gospel Times account, “What Questions Need to Be Answered at Baptism?” translated and posted last year on Chinese Church Voices, provides a window into this Easter Sunday experience at two large urban churches. The article, published originally on the internet in China, looks at the steps new believers take in preparation for baptism and the questions they answer prior to being baptized.
As you celebrate the resurrection may you be encouraged by this testimony of God’s faithfulness among his people in China.
He is risen indeed!
The ChinaSource Team
News and Notes
This month ChinaSource sponsors three coach-training events in Hong Kong, one in collaboration with CRM and OC International.
Joann Pittman is the speaker for a Friendship dinner at the Hospitality Center for Chinese in Minneapolis on March 19.
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Ways to Pray
- Pray for China’s leaders as the National People’s Congress—China’s legislature—holds annual meetings this month in Beijing.
- In an atmosphere of increased social pressure, believers in China find themselves under greater pressure. Pray for Pastor Joseph Gu, a prominent leader in China’s officially recognized church who was detained in January. Pray, too, for Zhang Kai, a Christian lawyer who was forced to make a confession on national television and who also remains in detention. Both men spoke out strongly against the forced removal of crosses from hundreds of church buildings in China.
- Last month ChinaSource sponsored a week-long spiritual retreat for a dozen local believers who lead ministries among the marginalized in China’s cities. Pray for lasting impact in the lives of these leaders and in the organizations they serve.
- Pray for the ChinaSource Board of Directors as they meet in Hong Kong this month.
Header image credit: China 340 by David Rowley via Flickr.
Text image credit: Cross by Mars Hill Church Seattle via Flickr.
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