Dear Praying Friends:
As you probably know, our ministry has two facets: Ministering to Chinese, and Mobilizing others to participate in what God is doing among the Chinese.
For each of these tasks, the Internet has become a major tool.
Ministry to Chinese
Two of our websites have Chinese-language pages.
The Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (bdcconline.net) features more than 250 original stories in Chinese about Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries.
Written mostly by Dr. Yading Li, these short biographies portray the lives of people who dedicated themselves to glorify God by reflecting his love and his truth among the Chinese people. In vivid language based on solid research, they refute the common perception of missionaries as agents of foreign aggression and of Chinese believers as traitors to their nation and its culture.
These stories also show God at work in and through his people – usually ordinary folk who simply tried to follow the leading of their Lord.
The English page, of which I am editor, contains several hundred articles, some from previously-published reference books, but many freshly researched and written for the BDCC. Since many educated Chinese can read English, they are among those who benefit from the stirring examples of these servants of God.
Some of the stories are about famous people like Hudson Taylor, Jonathan Goforth, and Lottie Moon, but others narrate the no-less important lives of Chinese and Westerners whose lives still speak to us today.
The China Institute web site (chinainst.org) has some materials which have been translated into Chinese, most of them written by me. This site is now under re-construction to make it more accessible and useful.
I am working with translators to supply much more content in Chinese.
Email: Dori and I both correspond with a number of Chinese friends, both Christians and seekers, who write to us with their concerns, questions, and news of progress. Recently, for example, a student who visited our church and came to our home with her group last spring wrote to say that she had become friends with Christians and was now going to church regularly.
Mobilization
We have always seen equipping others for more effective ministry among Chinese to be a major priority.
Both the Global China Center web site (globalchinacenter.org) and the China Institute site contain book reviews and articles that supply information and analysis for those who want to reflect God’s love to Chinese people.
The book reviews digest the main points of recent publications about Christianity in China, as well as about Chinese culture and society.
These materials have mostly been in English, though a few have been translated.
Every Monday, I send out a weekly prayer update with news of answered prayer and fuel for more intercession.
For several years, my monthly prayer letters have, like this one, focused on one particular way of reaching Chinese worldwide with the gospel. The goals have been to remind people of what they can do and to motivate them to pray, especially for our efforts.
Recently, these prayer letters have been translated into Chinese for the benefit of our many Chinese prayer partners.
My recent book, Reaching Chinese Worldwide distilled and expanded upon previous letters to present a relatively comprehensive overview of principles and best practices for ministry among Chinese.
At the back of this book you will find a list of other resources available on the Internet, such as the ChinaSource Quarterly ZGBriefs.
Your part
Would you pray for this vital aspect of our work? Ask God to:
Cause many more to visit our web sites.
Give us wisdom as we write articles, book reviews, and prayer letters.
Raise up more writers for our 3 web sites.
Move more people to sign up for our monthly and weekly prayer updates.
Your fellow servant of Christ,
Wright