In the past several weeks, China has seen outbreaks of COVID-19. Worst hit is Heibei province, which borders the capital Beijing.
Once thought to be all but rid of the virus, the country has been on alert after the sudden rise in cases. This outbreak comes on the cusp of Chinese New Year, the largest annual human migration in the world. Authorities are ramping up precautions, including closing churches near the outbreak.
In this article from China Christian Daily, one pastor in the affected area calls on Christians to pray for them.
Pastor in Shijiazhuang: “Please Pray for Us”
“Please pray for us!” This was the request made by a pastor of a local church in the coronavirus-hit Gaocheng, Shijiazhuang, on January 13.
While a fellow worker of the Gospel Times was interviewing her, the pastor said that the church in her town has suspended its meetings since New Year’s Day. She preaches to the faithful through WeChat groups. Due to the closure of the church, there is no live stream preaching (there is no network installed in the pastor’s home). The town has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 for now, but because it is located near a high-risk area, the people in the town have had three nucleic acid tests.
When it came to specific prayer points, the pastor said we should pray for the prevention and control of the pandemic, for health workers, and for the spiritual life of believers.
The worker of the Gospel Times also contacted a pastor in downtown Shijiazhuang, who said that the city is far from the high-risk area of the epidemic, and the worshippers are fine, with no confirmed patients.
As of 4 pm on January 13, 401 cases of COVID-19 patients in Shijiazhuang had been confirmed, 29 of them cured, and 372 cases confirmed. In order to prevent the export of the virus, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang of Hebei Province are under closed management, and people and vehicles are not allowed to go out unless necessary.
Original Article: Pastor in Shijiazhuang: “Please Pray for Us” by China Christian Daily
Edited and reposted with permission.
Image Credit: Shijiazhuang Gospel Church, Hebei, China Christian Daily.
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