Get me to the Church On Time

Well, so far, my church experiences in China have been quite eclectic. Here is a summary:
o    Saturday, Sept. 12: Attended Southern Catholic Church’s Saturday mass
o    Sunday, Sept. 13: Attended Beijing Baptist Church
o    Wednesday, Sept. 16: Attended an English-teaching Bible study on Solomon building the temple
o    Sunday, Sept. 20: Attended a house gathering of Lutheran American English teachers/missionaries
I suppose that is not as eclectic as it could be. It is possible I could have found an Armenian congregation, attended a Chinese church and then worshipped with Charismatics. However, I think my experiences so far have been varied enough to be dubbed “eclectic.” I mean, by the mere fact that the second-ever mass in my life occurred in China and transpired completely in Chinese makes my church attendance as of yet worth a blog post, I think.

So, to begin, I met a wonderful Chinese girl last Saturday, Jenny, or 江皓 (Jiang Hao). I went to her work, and once she got off work, we began walking. She informed me that we were going to 天主堂（tian zhu tang, Catholic Church). So we arrived at 南堂 (nan tang, Southern Church) around 5:30. Mass began at 6:30, but by 6:00, the church was packed full of people. We sang hymns, had Scripture readings, listened to the homily, partook of the Eucharist. I watched the line of people go up for the Eucharist – old, young, some well dressed and some who looked like they had just pedaled up to the church on their old, rusty bicycle carts. I spotted two other Westerners in church as they approached the Chinese 神父 (shen fu, priest). I caught one of the Westerner’s eyes and nodded to him in acknowledgement. By all accounts, it seemed just like a Western Catholic Church – except all in Chinese.

The following day, I struck out on my own in search of 中旅大厦 (zhong lv da sha, middle road mansion). My Uncle Tom Nettles, a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, had connected me with a man who lives and works in China and attends Beijing Baptist Church. As it turns out, Phil had just returned to the States for 2 months. We passed through the same airport terminal at the same time, but have yet to meet. I shamelessly played the name game, though, when introducing myself to people at BBC, dropping his name and my connection with every new acquaintance. The BBC fellowship consisted of about 50 people, from all over the world – the States, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, South Africa – all in China for various reasons, but all together for this special time on Sunday.

My friend, Jenny, had recommended that I attend an English Bible study that her American friend Josh led. The original plan was for me to accompany her Chinese friend to the study. The friend never answered her phone, though, and because I had already arranged for Josh to meet me outside his apartment complex, I stuck it out and traveled the 45-minute commute to the Bible study location. I listened for two hours as Josh led a group of six Chinese women and one American (myself) through 1 Kings 5, 6 and 8.

Josh is part of a larger group of Americans who are living in China as teachers/missionaries – teaching English to everyone from small children to engineers and chemists. There are about 15 Americans currently in Beijing as a part of the Lutheran Church’s Friends of China ministry. Josh invited me to fellowship and worship with their group Sunday morning. So, once again, early Sunday morning, I struck out on my own and met Josh at the subway stop at 知春旅 (zhi chun lv). We met in some of the girls’ apartment and studied the prophetess Miriam then held a small service, complete with chocolate chip cookies for break and a trumpet.

Quite a mix, right? There is a uniting factor, though. And I’m slowly but sincerely realizing that there is at least one thing in life that breaks all boundaries – time zone, language, culture, location etc. For my third-generation Catholic Chinese friend, who’s father was beaten and abused for his faith during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the group of American missionaries meeting in a Chinese apartment reciting liturgy and singing to a trumpet, God’s love exists. Even in the simple English Bible study, where the language is simple and slow, God’s truth exists. And no matter the language or the level, it is still life changing. That’s neat, and I’m glad I’m a part of that.

Pictures of Southern Catholic Church in Beijing