As the year draws to a close I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you on behalf of the ChinaSource team for your support in 2015, and to invite your partnership with us in the year ahead.
A quick look back at 2015
A quick look back at 2015 suggests the many ways in which ChinaSource has been blessed to serve the body of Christ both inside and outside China:
We started off the year with A Fellowship for China Giving, a conference which brought together 20 ministry and foundation leaders for a wide-ranging discussion around effective granting into China.
Another conference, Partnering in Education, convened leaders of Christian schools in China and the United States to look at ways of working together to promote China’s growing Christian education movement.
Through a series of podcasts coming out of last year’s Walking with Leaders consultation, we explored the role of coaching, mentoring, and spiritual formation in the development of Christian leaders in China.
In May we launched the Chinese-language Good and Faithful Steward blog site in order to support the church in China with biblical stewardship and generosity teaching. Part of a multi-organizational effort called the Faith and Generosity in China Initiative, the blog and social media resources have thus far reached more than 150,000 users in China.
Throughout 2015 ChinaSource publications offered a range of perspectives that highlighted the diversity and complexity of the church in China today. The ChinaSource Quarterly continued to delve deep into critical issues facing the church and ministry in China, with the summer issue featuring several scholars in China writing on developments in Chinese theology.
Chinese Church Voices and ZGBriefs opened unique windows into, respectively, the lives of Chinese believers and China’s social and political landscape, while our weekly blog, From the West Courtyard, provided a platform for many who are engaged in China to share from their own experiences.
My newly released book, China’s Urban Christians: A Light that Cannot be Hidden, explores how massive urbanization is affecting the church in China and, conversely, how the church is impacting China’s cities.
Looking ahead to 2016
Looking ahead to 2016, we will be launching the ChinaSource Institute, a new online training and orientation platform for individuals and groups preparing for short- or long-term service in China.
In May, Joann Pittman, editor of our weekly ZG Briefs e-newsletter and of Chinese Church Voices, will lead a “vision tour” to China for the Hospitality Center for Chinese, a ministry that works with Chinese students at the University of Minnesota. During the 13-day trip, participants will visit Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, and Hong Kong to learn about the history, culture, and faith of China. If you would like to go on this trip, please write TakeMetoChina@gmail.com for more details. The deadline to sign up is January 4.
The Faith and Generosity in China Initiative will enter a new phase by making available additional stewardship resources and equipping Chinese Christian leaders to raise up faithful stewards in their churches, fellowships and businesses.
As China’s church develops a growing vision for its involvement in world evangelization, we will continue to participate in various forums to explore how best to partner with Chinese believers in this new era. As part of this exploration we will convene leaders in Asia and North America to review results of an in-depth survey, currently underway, into the state of the church in China and its collaboration with overseas churches and organizations.
Further details on our current and anticipated activities may be found in our 2015 Annual Report.
With our warm wishes for a joyous Christmas,
Brent Fulton
President
Brent and Jasmine Fulton
News and Notes
In November Brent Fulton and Joann Pittman joined ChinaSource Board Chair Michael Barbalas in Beijing for two ChinaSource Connect events, where they shared updates on China church developments and the ways in which ChinaSource is serving. (If you would like to host a ChinaSource Connect event in your city, please let us know.)
During her two weeks in China, Joann also had the opportunity to connect with ChinaSource partners and friends and learn first-hand some of the things taking place in the churches in Beijing.
For Prayer
- Give thanks for Christian leaders in China who participated last month in two spiritual formation retreats sponsored by ChinaSource. Pray for them as they take what they have learned into their own churches and organizations.
- As you celebrate Christmas, remember brothers and sisters in China who are utilizing this occasion to share their faith through special activities in their cities. Ask for the Spirit’s anointing and for the Lord’s hand of protection upon these Christmas gatherings.
- Translation into Chinese of The Steward Leader by Dr. Scott Rodin, former chair of the ChinaSource board, has been completed. Pray for official permission to print the book in China.
- Continue to lift up the year-end financial needs of ChinaSource, and join us in giving thanks for the Lord’s provision for this ministry.
To make a year-end gift to ChinaSource.
By online giving click here
By mail:
In the US, checks should be made out to ChinaSource and mailed to:
ChinaSource
PO Box 2160
Orange, CA 92859
USA
In HK, cheques in HKD should be made out to ChinaSource Partners, Ltd. and sent to:
ChinaSource Partners, Ltd.
17/F Unit B
Wing Cheung Industrial Building
58-70 Kwai Cheong Road,
Kwai Chung, NT
Hong Kong
SAR, PR of China
By direct deposit in HK:
Hang Seng Bank account 283-536761-883 (to receive a receipt, send deposit details to info@chinasource.org)
Header image credit: Asian Lantern in the Snow by Steve Webel via Flickr.
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