International Ministries

Christmas in Nanjing: Looking Back with Joy on the Witness of the Churches

February 25, 2009 Journal
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Once again, Christmas marked a fantastic time for evangelism in the churches in China.  In Nanjing, the number of services held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day has been steadily increasing in response to incredible numbers of people coming to see what this special event really is that they’ve only heard about.  What would your church do on Christmas Eve if, after those attending your last service left, your sanctuary filled again with people you’d never seen before? They were waiting anxiously for something to happen.  Can you imagine?  The Mochou Road Church had planned three Christmas Eve services.  However, between the afternoon and the evening service, the sanctuary filled again, and the church spontaneously began an additional service.  After the “last” evening service ended at around 9:30, again the sanctuary filled and people waited.  I watched and participated as the second spontaneous extra service began.  On Christmas Day, the church held a morning service that was on its regular schedule.  Later that afternoon, the sanctuary filled again with expectant faces, and yet a third spontaneous service was held.  This situation is not unique to one church.  At the same time, a large crowd of other people gathered on the seminary campus lawn for a Christmas Eve program of music, drama, scripture and preaching, with additional opportunity for small group discussion to learn more about faith.  What a blessed Christmas we had here in Nanjing!