The Lantern

Getting to Know You


Warm calendar and Chinese New Year greetings!

We had a breakthrough year in 2021 at ChinaSource as God has blessed our commitment to the growth and nurture of the ChinaSource team. These friends and colleagues are much valued treasures and we want you to know them.

Throughout the year we have introduced our new colleagues in this space. This month we are pleased to introduce Rachel Anderson, who is the newest member of the ChinaSource team and our first ever Assistant Content Manager, serving alongside our Content Manager Narci Herr.

As you read, you will see why we are so thankful the Lord sent Rachel our way! Please pray the Lord will renew and sustain Rachel in her work as well as bless her family. Pray also that our team will be a vital encouragement to her.

May you, your family, and loved ones be steeped in the rich grace of our Lord Jesus Christ throughout 2022!

Kerry Schottelkorb
President

Introducing Rachel Anderson

I grew up in Southern California, nourished by the sun, the ocean, and my grandfather’s tales of growing up as the son of missionaries to East Asia. I’ve loved stories since I was a tiny child. Bedtime books, silly made-up yarns on long car rides, Bible stories, and, eventually, writing my own fiction and poetry, were a huge part of how I understood the world, connected to my family, and drew close to God.

In university, my love of stories—especially mythology—and language study led me to earn a bachelor’s degree in 2003 and a master’s degree in 2009 in the Greek and Roman classics. My husband and I got married in 2003 and quickly started our family.

After leaving academia, I needed a job that would allow me to work while raising my exuberant gaggle of children. I landed in (or God guided me to) the world of freelance writing, editing, and later digital content management. My academic background gave me the research and writing skills to produce content on a huge variety of topics, from business insurance to destination wedding photography to planned real estate communities all over the United States and Canada.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Los Angeles was under shelter-in-place orders, I joined other pastors’ wives in suddenly becoming the church IT expert. I put my digital content skills to work, live streaming services and keeping the church website and Facebook page updated to help people feel connected to their church community during those strange and difficult weeks.

I am delighted to be working with ChinaSource and helping tell the stories of all that God is doing in China. I joined the team on November 1st and have learned so much from my wonderful, welcoming colleagues and from the articles I’ve been privileged to edit. Excitement and energy are the two words I would use to describe how I feel about this work.

I live in the Los Angeles area with my husband, an Eastern Orthodox clergyman, and our five delightful children, who range in age from 3 to 17. We’ve continued the family tradition of stories with our kids—sharing fairy tales, mythology, family memories, and especially stories of how God works in our lives. We also love singing, roasting marshmallows, and going to the beach.

News and Notes

ChinaSource Quarterly, 2021 Winter Issue

A Look at Reformed Churches in China Today, guest editor, Bruce P. Baugus

In his lead article, “China’s Reforming Churches, Continued,” Dr. Baugus sums up the articles in this issue of ChinaSource Quarterly:

In the first focus article, Happy surveys current Reformed perspectives on the relationship between church and state in China, noting a diversity of views that are debated and, we might add, put into practice in sometimes overlapping and complex ways. In the second focus article, Gudao considers how developments of the last five years have impacted life and ministry among China’s reforming churches, paying particular attention to worship. In the third, Gao Zhen is joined by his wife, Dong Mei, as they consider the many challenges to Christian discipleship in contemporary Chinese culture, and the ways China’s reforming churches are responding to them. The final focus article is an updated report on the state of Reformed theological education in China. Finally, Tony Wang reviews Wilhelmus à Brakel’s The Christian’s Reasonable Service, a four volume system of Reformed theology that, recently translated, is finding new life among China’s reforming churches.

Brent Fulton sums up the situation of China’s reforming churches in his ChinaSource Perspective piece.

To read this compelling issue of the ChinaSource Quarterly, go to “A Look at Reformed Churches in China Today.

ChinaSource Team News

Ways to Pray

From the ChinaSource Team

  • We’re thankful to the Lord for his wondrous provision, and for our friends from twelve countries, who both provided an end of year matching grant totaling US$100,000, and then provided US$136,000 to meet and surpass the goal!
  • Let’s praise our Father together for leading ChinaSource into its 25th Anniversary year! Please pray that we will follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance throughout 2022.
  • Rejoice with us and continue to pray for Rachel Anderson, the newest member of the ChinaSource team, as she continues her onboarding process as our Assistant Content Manager.

From the 2021 Winter Issue of ChinaSource Quarterly

  • Ask the Lord to grant wisdom to China’s reforming churches as they worship under new restrictions and strive to maintain separation between church and state.
  • Pray for Reformed churches as they adjust to recent changes throughout the country involving not only tighter restrictions but also COVID-19 constraints, faithful adherence to reformed doctrine, a need for laborers, and a focus on missions.
  • Pray that believers in China will be able to order their priorities keeping Christ first amid life’s pressures and economic challenges.
  • Lift up pastors that they would know how to best convey God’s truth, to nourish and care for believers, strengthen their faith, and build bridges between the temporary and eternal in a limited amount of time.
  • Pray for the house church schools that exist and that more will be established; for wisdom in dealing with the difficulties they present.
  • Pray that in this twenty-first century, when the crisis of faith has intensified and culture has created many complexities, house churches will know how to present biblical truth in a contextualized manner.
  • Pray for those involved in theological education as they seek the best ways of delivering this instruction while achieving stability, simplicity, and continuity over time.

In Case You Missed It

A selection of recently published items:

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Image credit: Rémi Thorel via UnSplash.

ChinaSource Team

ChinaSource Team

Written, translated, or edited by members of the ChinaSource staff.          View Full Bio


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