China Christian Council to visit Crystal Lake church
Submitted by First Congregational Church
Twenty-three leaders of the China Christian Council are visiting the United States this fall. Four of them will visit the First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake, 461 Pierson St., Sunday, Oct. 9.
Kan Baoping, general secretary of China Christian Council; Bao Jiayuan, associate general secretary of China Christian Council; Yuan Shiguo, general secretary of Sichuan Christian Council; and Jiao Yang, Staff of the Protestantism Affairs Division of State Administration for Religious Affairs, will speak at both the 9 and 10:45 a.m. services.
They are here to build relationships, exchange ideas and explore opportunities for future cooperation and exchange of visits. They are visiting Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas and Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 28 to Nov. 10, and are in the Chicago area for two weeks.
From Oct. 11-16, they will host the Chinese Bible Ministry Exhibition in downtown Chicago and present seminars on Church Life, Theological Education and Social Service Ministry in China and the United States. Previously, the Bible Ministry Exhibition of the Church in China was held in Hong Kong in 2004; L.A., Atlanta and New York City in 2006; and Germany in 2007.
The Chinese government is becoming more tolerant of churches and now officially recognizes five faiths: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. All others remain illegal. The government also is becoming more open to the idea of faith communities doing more than worship.
In disasters like the 2008 earthquake in China, churches demonstrated an ability to organize and respond in a way the state hasn’t been able to, especially in rural areas. As the Chinese government has become more accepting, the China Christian Council has created a Department of Social Services, which is now sanctioned by the government.
This delegation is interested in how Christian churches in the United States engage their communities — “the church beyond its walls.” They specifically mentioned an interest in services to the poor and elderly.
While in the Chicago area, they will spend a day with Advocate Health Systems, a day with Lutheran Social Services, a day with Methodist Social Services and also visit seminaries.
Their view will be largely inner city and agency-driven, including services to immigrants, ethnic minorities and the homeless.
On Oct. 9, they will divide into four groups and visit outlying churches; FCC in Crystal Lake, the Apostolic Church of God on Chicago’s South Side, Our Saviors Lutheran in Arlington Heights and Epworth United Methodist in Elgin.
They will be exploring faith-based social services in the McHenry County area in the afternoon. These are likely to include Faith In Action, the Crystal Lake Food Pantry, the Family Partnership Health Clinic and other local agencies.
For details, call the church office at (815) 459-6010.