In my February 2017 letter on “Old Strategies for New Realities,” I included “cooperating with other China ministries and with Chinese churches” as an essential aspect of reaching Chinese worldwide.
Actually, I should have included Western churches, for they have played a pivotal role in evangelism, edification, and equipping Chinese in the West.
From the beginning, our service as missionaries has depended heavily upon collaboration with various China ministries and with local churches. For more on this principle, see my Reaching Chinese Worldwide.
Churches
We were sent out to Asia by the Chapel Hill Bible Church in 1975, and they are still praying for us and supporting us financially. One prayer group has interceded for us (and other missionaries) every Monday night since 1976!
Faith Bible Fellowship Church in Farmville, Virginia, joined our support team in 1976.
In Taiwan, we attended a Chinese church during our language study in Taichung, and then worshiped and served at Friendship Presbyterian Church in Taipei for seven years. We have often returned to that congregation since we left in 1988.
We settled in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1989 and began attending Trinity Presbyterian church. I served as Missions Director for four years. During that time, they also began to support us. A few years later, Grace Community Church in Charlottesville enrolled us among their cross-cultural ministry partners.
Since moving to Texas, we have attended a church in our small rural community that has warmly welcomed several Chinese families.
China Institute – Global China Center
The Chapel Hill Bible Church told us that we needed either to join another organization or form our own. We decided to start China Institute as an outreach to Chinese students and scholars in the United States.
With Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin, I formed Global China Center in 2004 to encourage Christian scholars and to be witnesses of Christ within the academy in China and the West.
At the heart of CI and GCC is our Board of Directors. They meet three times a year to hear reports from me and from our volunteer Director of Finance and Administration.
These faithful servants of God give me constant support and encouragement. They also speak strong words when necessary, mostly to curb my unrealistic ambitions! During our meetings, they pray for us and for all who are connected with the ministry.
CI Partners and GCC Associates now number sixteen, including Dori and me. They live in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, and England. All of them participate in local churches, most of which have active programs to reach Chinese.
We are blessed to have two part-time editorial assistants (in Japan and Germany), and a part-time bookkeeper in Charlottesville. Without them, we could not function.
China Ministries
We sent to Asia with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (now called OMF International), and were with them until 1990, when it became clear that we would not be going back to Taiwan.
Over the years, we have cooperated with various organizations, including ChinaSource and China Academic Consortium. Part of my work now includes regular conversations with leaders of several Chinese ministries.
A combined effort
In other words, we do not try to do things apart from others. This ministry has always been a collaborative effort, in which we each try to play our part as members of the Body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:7-16).
Your part
From the earliest days, we have seen our prayer partners as essential co-workers with us in the vineyard of Christ.
We truly believe that our Father uses your intercessions both to enable us to serve and to produce fruit from our labors.
God has led some of you to contribute to the work financially also. It goes without saying that, humanly speaking, these gifts make our ministry possible. You may donate online from any of our websites, or send a check to China Institute at P.O. Box 7312, Charlottesville, VA 22906.
Thank you for all that the ways in which you have joined us in bringing the “whole counsel of God” about Jesus Christ to Chinese people all around the world. May our Lord richly reward you.