Dear Friends and Family,

Ever since I first came to China as an English teacher in 1994, I have attended churches that are full to overflowing every Sunday morning. I have heard again and again from Chinese Christians that two new churches open every three days in China. In September I was privileged to witness this church growth for myself and to share in the joy of a rural Korean-Chinese congregation as it celebrated the dedication of its new building. This new church, Young An Church, is located in a Korean-speaking village about 30 minutes outside of Shenyang, a major city in China's industrial northeast and the city where I now teach.

As we drove down the narrow tree-lined road and looked out over the rice fields heavy with grain, we caught a glimpse of a gold cross rising above the surrounding houses. The cross drew us towards the church as it will certainly draw others. The church itself is a modest white-tiled, one-story building tucked between two small red brick farmhouses. Although the lane was muddy after the morning rain, crowds of people were arriving by bicycle and on foot. The sound of hymns came to us through the open windows and we were greeted with many bows and smiles.

The sanctuary was full of a spirit of joy and thanksgiving. This small congregation of about 40 members had been meeting in people's homes, as do so many Chinese congregations, and now, on this gorgeous late summer day, they were holding their first service in their own sanctuary.

Church building projects in the United States often face difficulties with raising funds, purchasing land, designing buildings, and meeting the requirements of zoning commissions, inspectors, and neighbors. Building a church in China involves many of the same issues, but for the Young An congregation, the process went amazingly smoothly. Funds for the building were provided by a Korean-Presbyterian congregation in the United States and channeled through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and then the China Christian Council, a fine example of churches working in partnership. The whole building project was approved by the Religious Affairs Bureau, an agency of the Chinese government that oversees all religious activities. The neighbors, whose houses are only twenty to thirty feet from the church, are delighted at the prospect of having a church next door. The actual building of the sanctuary and the separate kitchen and small parsonage was completed in less than three months, with members of the congregation helping with the construction.

Although the congregation numbers only about 40 adults, the dedication service was attended by about 150 people, including Korean-Chinese Christians from nearby rural churches and the choir from the large Korean-Chinese church in Shenyang. It was indeed a day of praise and thanksgiving and a day of anticipation of the opportunities for growth and outreach.

In fact, the growth and outreach has already started. The midweek service, three days after the dedication, was attended by 50 people. Over the weeks, attendance has steadily increased. Church leaders believe the congregation will increase to 100 within the first year. The possibility of having a service in Chinese for the Chinese-speaking people in a nearby village has already been mentioned.

Young An Church is but one example of the continuing growth of Christianity in China. New churches open every week all over this vast country. Young An Church is blessed with a seminary graduate as its pastor, but many rural churches and meeting points have only lay leaders with little or no formal training. In fact, when asked what is the most serious problem facing the Christian church in China, Chinese Christians mention the shortage of theologically trained leaders and quote Matthew 9: 37-38: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

I would ask that you pray for Young An Church and for all the churches in China, that their faith might remain strong as they labor to bring in the harvest.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is also active in other ways in this part of the world. In November we traveled to the port city of Dandong, just across the Yalu River from North Korea. There we visited a warehouse stacked high with tons of flour purchased by PC(USA) for shipment to a church in North Korea. The church in Pyongyang uses the flour in its noodle factory and feeds thousands of people each day, people who might otherwise starve, as food is very scarce in North Korea. The situation will become even more critical as the cold weather arrives.

North Korea, like China, has many house churches, but often these small congregations lack even trained lay leaders who can preach, teach, and preside at worship. Gifts from American Presbyterians are being used to purchase TVs and VCRs so that local congregations can view sermon tapes and teaching materials presented by trained clergy.

I am reminded of Matthew 4: 4, where Jesus says: "It is written ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" In this one day I saw proof of our church's commitment to feeding God's people both physically and spiritually. I would ask you to remember the people of North Korea and their need for both bread and the word of God.

In Christ's love,

Barbara Maynard Penney