Apr 12: China, People’s Republic, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Nei Mongol), Jiangsu Province

Answer to Prayer

Christians are now found in every stratum of Chinese society. The emergence of vibrant urban professional churches – a third expression of faith distinct from the official churches and traditionally rural house churches – marks a turning point for Christianity in China. Tragedies such as the Tiananmen Square (1989) massacre and the handling of the SARS epidemic (2002) spurred many to seek answers to difficult life questions. Corruption within the government and society has further disillusioned people. One result of such ideological disillusionment – together with rising distaste for crass materialism – has been a significant turning to God for the first time among urban professionals and rural and minority populations.

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Challenge for Prayer

Mongolians are now a minority in their own land, and their culture is imperilled, due to massive Han Chinese immigration in recent decades. Yet there are more Mongolians here – over four million – than in independent Mongolia to the north. Hundreds of thousands have been forcibly resettled from their ancestral pastures. Mongolians are much less evangelized than the Han majority, but they are very open to the gospel, probably exceeding 40,000 believers – a number that is growing rapidly. Pray for:

a) The binding of spiritual powers that blind Mongolians to the truth. Their religious practices include aspects of shamanism, ancestor worship, totemism and magic, combined with Lamaistic Buddhism of a variety similar to that practiced by Tibetans. In all cases, the spirit world is very real and profoundly powerful and influential.

b) More workers. Praise God for the increase of mission-minded believers from neighbouring Mongolia, from the Han majority and even from further afield. Yet more workers are still needed.

c) The recently translated Old and New Testaments in three different scripts and two different translations. Praise God for this great achievement! Some Scripture is also available in audio format. Pray that sufficient copies would be available and well used for witness and discipleship.

d) Worship music, which has been developed in the Mongolian language and style.

e) FEBC broadcasts in Mongolian on shortwave and FM radio.

     For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Challenge for Prayer

Nanjing is a key city for Christianity in China. The national seminary for the TSPM is here, as is the Amity Press, China’s biggest printer and the source of 50 million Bibles and NTs so far, with millions more published every year. Its sister organization, Amity Foundation, has a ministry involved in community development, medical care, rural education and social welfare. It also majors on promoting church involvement in social service, a crucial step in the maturation and development of Christianity in China.

     For an additional Challenge for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.