November 2009 Trip to China

November, 2009 China Report – Agape Healing International – Martha and Alf Davis

There are 3 different types of churches in China:

• the Beijing International Fellowship Church which focuses on foreigners and ex-patriats – it is necessary to show a passport at this church; there is no limit on numbers
• the Three Self Church that is self governed, self supported & self propagating – this is a government approved church.
• the underground/house church which is made up of groups from 10 to 50 people.

The China government seems more open to Christianity:

• groups under 200 people are less scrutinized
• the Three Self Church doesn’t need to submit sermons for approval now
• house churches are acceptable as long as they register and inform the gov. rep

Christianity appears to be cooling as persecution drops:

• the rural church (4% of population) is mainly female and aging as males move to the cities
• only 1% (170,000, people) of Beijing is Christian, as the population worship idols & materialism
• the Beijing International Fellowship Church is still vibrant, but it focuses on foreigners and ex-patriats with passports
• the Singapore and Taiwan Chinese seem more active and committed to Christianity than the national Chinese

Idol and ancestral worship is still dominant:

• in Xiamen, most stores and restaurants still have an idol or idols out front
• many Chinese worship a mixture of Buddism, idols and ancestors
• dead ancestors are worshipped as gods living after life
• the temples are still actively visited as the center of spiritual life
• families purchase and burn paper money, paper houses, paper cars, paper cellphones etc for their ancestors, so that their relatives will have these things in their next life
• the smoke of the burning incense is how their prayers rise up to the ancestors
• they throw two red discs on the floor to receive an indication of God’s will – three consecutive answers with one side up and one side down equals a yes

Chinese economic growth is spectacular:

• Canada represents 2% of the Chinese population
• where our growth is flat, they are still growing 8 to 9%
• when they do something, they do it quickly – roads, trains to airports, hospitals
• five years ago where there was nothing in Xiamen, there is now a huge Trade Centre, hotels, apartments and restaurants
• in the last two years alone, there are fewer bicycles and more cars
• China is open to windmill power generators and green technology
• China seems to be concerned with good governance, participatory democracy with feedback from the bottom, environmental issues, health concerns and encouraging entrepreneurship – business and making profits is in
• where we put up a one 20 story building, they put up 10 forty story buildings
• there are fewer police and troops visible and construction cranes everywhere
• the government just wants the world to see how hard they are trying to help their population
• the Chinese are hard working, disciplined, energetic people who are making things happen

Christ-centered inner healing:

• the Chinese people have the same mental and emotional challenges as any other population
• Christ-centered inner healing works as effectively in China as elsewhere
• all of the 11 people I counseled were helped significantly
• the training was particularly well received in Xiamen (50 people)
• our contact in Xiamen, Tan Kah Beng, is a Singaporean missionary who has worked in China for years. He and his wife Annie run Care Corner Counselling Centre, as well as a church, a Christian book store and an outreach to university students. They connect with a big Taiwan population in Xiamen. Tan is well known to other pastors throughout China & wants to bring Christian counseling to all the Chinese provinces.

Warm Thanks to Jane and Teo Phoon in Beijing, Annie and Tan Beng in Xiamen and Phillip Wang in Gulangyu for such generosity and warm hospitality.

Alf received a new name in China. They had trouble saying the name Alf, so he became Tafu which means “big blessing” in Chinese.

Thanks for your interest and support,