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The Church in Liaoning Province GENERAL INTRODUCTION Known by its abbreviated name of "Liao" and situated at the southern end of northeastern China, Liaoning province, together with Jilin province and Heilongjiang province, are called "The Three Provinces in the Northeast." Since ancient times, Liaoning has served as a bridge connecting China to the outside world. Facing the Pacific Ocean and being very close to North Korea, Liaoning's location is excellent. The abundant resources in the province not only contribute to the development of the economy and trade, but also makes the province the window through which the northeastern regions and Inner Mongolia can reach the outside world. Liaoning is a province of heavy industry; its industries include gold smelting, machinery, chemical engineering, and lumber and building supplies. Its major mineral products include iron, diamond, and boron. The excavation of the Honshan Culture demonstrates that Liaoning is one of the places where the Chinese culture originated. The population of Liaoning is about 41,200,000, of which almost 16% (approximately 6,550,000) are minority people. The number of minority people in Liaoning ranks fifth in the nation, being less than that in Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. The minority groups with more than ten thousand people include the Manchu, Mongol, Hui, Korean, and Xibe. In 1990, the number of Manchus amounted to 4,954,000, which is more than half of the total number of Manchus in China. Qian Mountain, located in the south central part of Liaoning, has a long history of Taoism and Buddhism. There are twenty some pagodas and temples on this mountain. Every year a great number of people come here from all over the nation on pilgrimage.
CHURCH HISTORY Gospel work began in 1867 when missionary William C. Burns first entered Liaoning. In 1920, approximately 100 missionaries and 7 mission organizations worked in the 26 mission stations in the province. At that time there were about 16,000 Christians. In 1931, the Bethel Band held itinerant revival meetings in the Three Provinces in the Northeast. John Sung also preached messages on salvation at those meetings. Before the Cultural Revolution (1965), there were about 60,000 Christians in the province.
THE CURRENT CHURCH SITUATION In 1993 there were 140,000 believers. Because the eastern border of the province is close to North Korea, one fifth of those believers were Koreans. In 1999, the number of believers increased to 400,000, a seven-fold increase from before the Cultural Revolution. Although there has been a great increase of believers, the number of believers in the province is only 1% of the whole population in the province. Church ministry is more targeted toward the Koreans. There is significant support from the Christians in South Korea. Moreover, because the Manchus mostly reside in the mountains or villages, in recent years some churches have been focusing their Gospel work on this minority group. Recently, in various churches of the province the number of young people who believe in the Lord has increased. These young people earnestly serve the Lord. The believers in the villages fervently share the Gospel, and without any fear of difficulties they are spreading the Gospel to the Inner Mongolia region. The churches in the province are also affected by cults. Some people preach non-biblical teachings such as now is the time of the Lord's Judgment; the Lord will become flesh and be born to the world again in the future. Some other teachings include the following: ask for a drop of oil˘wit will last for three years; ask to see light; Romans 14:7-8 was written for the Romans˘wso believers do not have to live a life for the Lord like Paul did. Some people even preach that Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, and the Commander in Chief Zhu De are the Holy Trinity. There is a seminary˘wthe Northeast Seminary in the capital city, Shenyang. Students include Koreans and the local people.
THANKSGIVING and PRAYER Requests 1. Pray for the Gospel work in the province. Now the number of believers in the province only amounts to 1%t of the population of the province. Please remember the unreached groups, especially the minority people. Pray that God will send more workers to this cold and remote place to share the Gospel so that more people will be saved. 2. Pray that God will bind the evil power of Satan in this region. Many people believe in Buddhism and Taoism. Pray that God will open the eyes in the local people's hearts so that they will see the true light of the Gospel, turn away from idols, and turn to the Lord. 3. Pray that God will wipe out the disturbances brought to the churches by cults. May the Holy Spirit implant biblical truths in the hearts of the people so the people can secure true freedom. 4. Pray for God to expand the Northeast Seminary so that more students will have the opportunity to receive training. May the students be equipped with truth to share Christ's salvation and grace in the Last Days. 5. Because there are many heavy industries and factories in Liaoning, many labor workers come to this province to earn a living. However, recently many workers have been laid off and unemployment has become a serious problem. Pray that the problem can soon be solved. Also pray that the jobless people can find the Lord of life in this perishing world.
Other PRAYER Requests CHRISTIANS AFFLICTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS "There are seven meeting points in our village. Natural disasters have destroyed all our crops. Our church and all the members have been affected. Some family members of our church workers are sick, but they cannot afford to see the doctor. Some of the workers cannot afford to pay for transportation expenses, so they travel on foot, climbing hills and crossing streams, on a journey that lasts as long as twenty-four hours to serve various churches. They have to sleep on hills without shelters at night before they can reach a destination. Though tired and hungry, they serve the Lord persistently." (Letter from a believer in Guangdong Province) Pray that the Christians afflicted by natural disasters will put their trust in God while they are in the midst of adversities and difficulties. Also pray that they will have faith in God that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. May God provide all their needs and enable them to continue to worship Him. At the same time, pray for God to strengthen the faith of the church workers and to use them to serve Him in a mighty way. FLOODS IN FUJIAN PROVINCE "Some regions in Fujian were struck by severe flooding caused by rainstorms on June 15 and 16. The flooding in one of the regions was unprecedented. The lands of most of the Christians in this region were submerged; over sixty houses collapsed; two churches were badly damaged and numerous houses were flooded. Thanks be to God that no one was hurt. " (Sharing by a co-worker) Pray for the regions in Fujian affected by floods. May God enable the people whose houses have been damaged to rebuild their houses soon. May God also enable the affected Christians to rebuild their churches soon. Also, pray for the other provinces that have been recently affected by floods. May God show His mercy to all the flood victims and enable the Christians to share the Gospel widely among them. May His Good News bring great comfort to the suffering people. THE GRIEF OF A YOUNG CHRISTIAN "I was converted when I was ten years old. My mother was the first one in the family who confessed faith in Jesus, followed by my father. My father changed completely after he donated some money to help build a temple for ancestral worship. Not only would he no longer let my mother go to church but he also burned all her books. My father makes my mother cry a lot. In the past, my father used to talk and play with my sister and I a lot. The situation is totally different now. Sometimes I want to talk to him very much, but he orders me not to make any noise even before I start talking. Now he is absorbed with reading about lotteries all the time. He is indifferent to the people in our family. I'm very unhappy about this situation. I would like my family to be as happy as we were in the past." (Letter from a young Christian in Guangdong) Pray for God to comfort this young Christian and to give him hope. Also pray for his father to repent from his sins and to let God manage his life once again. May God protect the Christians in China, and enable them to stand firm in their faith so they will not walk in the path of sinners while living in a world full of wickedness and confusion. |
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