Jan. 24, 2008 - People hungry for the gospel lined up every day to receive gifts of Christian literature during the "Gospel for China" conference in Hong Kong, reports Jimmy Lin, Chinese ministry leader for The Back to God Hour, the Christian Reformed Church's electronic media agency.
"It was an unbelievable experience," says Lin, who with his staff handed out more than 18,000 pieces of literature and CDs of radio programs. "I have not seen such hunger for spiritual materials before."
Held in the Asia World Expo Center, the three-day event drew more than 5,000 Christians, many from mainland China, making it one of the largest gatherings of its kind in many years, if ever, to take place in China, according to Jun Wang, editor of the California-based New America Media (NAM).
"Christianity in China is showing signs of emerging from the underground," writes Wang in a story posted on the NAM web site. "The 5,000-attendees of the Gospel of China conference ...are a perfect example of this new force."
Most of the people who attended the conference were from house churches, but others are members of larger congregations. Some have been Christians for many years, while others are new to the Christian faith.
"Some of the attendees pastor thousands of people, while others were new believers," says Lin. "People came from as far north as Heilongjiang, while others came from the southern tropical province of Hainan."
Lin says the line of people waiting to get Chinese devotional booklets, CDs, and discipleship materials was so long that security guards volunteered to help direct traffic. One guard commented, "You're saving a lot of postage."
"But more importantly," Lin explains, "these materials are being delivered into the hands of those who need them, without the risk of them being confiscated."
Although Christianity is still almost invisible in the public sphere some 200 years after it was introduced to China, the Christian population is growing as the country opens up economically and spiritually, says Wang.
Christians in some places of China still face a measure of risk for possessing Christian literature or meeting for worship. Even so, many traveled to the conference to hear speakers, study the Bible, and to obtain resources from groups such as BTGH.
"All these experiences strongly reinforce my conviction of continuing to reach out to China through radio, Internet, printed materials and CDs," Lin emphasizes. "Please pray that the Word that we share 'will not return to [the Lord] empty, but will accomplish what [God] desires and achieve the purpose for which [He] sent it' (Isaiah 55:11)."
For more information about The Back to God Hour's Chinese ministry visit www.btgh.org <http://www.btgh.org/> . or www.chinese-goodnews.org <http://www.chinese-goodnews.org/> .
-Nancy Vander Meer, staff writer for The Back to God Hour
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Henry Hess
Director of Communication
Christian Reformed Church
To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church visit www.crcna.org <http://www.crcna.org