Bible distribution van brings joy
to China’s remote Christians

PR CHINA — On June 15 2001 in Jiangsu Province, 13 people boarded a van loaded with Bibles and set off for Huaiyin. Purchased by the China Christian Council (CCC) with funds from Opportunity 21, the van was assigned specifically to Bible distribution in the Province the previous February as part of an O-21 project to expand China's Bible distribution network.

The travellers consisted of four overseas Bible Society general secretaries, a two-strong video team from the American Bible Society, a Lutheran Church minister, Kua Wee Seng, UBS Asia Opportunity Coordinator, and his assistant, the UBS Consultant of Amity Press and three staff from CCC.

Jubilant

The journey took the party more than 700 km (430 miles), delivering a total of 3,568 free Bibles. Throughout the journey, everyone on board was joyful and as they arrived at each destination, they received a jubilant welcome from church staff and members. At each stop, everyone worked happily together to unload the Scripture consignment.

Huaiyin Church has a new building capable of seating 4,000 people. Mr Gao, the pastor, is 75 years old, a warm and friendly person. He was just 19 when he gave himself to the Lord and enrolled at a seminary. At 24 he graduated and he has been serving the Lord faithfully ever since. He has endured much suffering on account of his faith.

When the repression which characterised the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) ended, the church was able to resume its worship services and the number of believers has now grown to more than 3,000. In addition to its Sunday service, its Sunday School and its youth choir fellowship, the church also holds Bible study and literacy classes. The oldest student in the latter is 80 years old. After a year of study, most students can read up to 1,000 words. There is also a separate literacy class for women: the first class of 150 students has graduated and the church is currently running the second class.

Great boon

The local believers who met the visitors thanked UBS for the support, help and contributions the Fellowship is giving to the churches in China.

Christians in places where the transport infrastructure is so poor find the new form of delivery a great boon.

According to Mr Gao, for the church to receive Bibles by post, road or rail used to take a lot of time – normally between a week and 20 days – because any cartons had to be full before they were despatched.

On foot

He told the story of how he once went alone to Shanghai to buy four boxes of Bibles. In order to get them home, he had to carry them on foot for a total of 48 km (30 miles). Whenever a Bible fell off his back, he would ask a passer-by to help him pick it up and replace it. He, in particular, is filled with gratitude for the coming of the distribution van because he has experienced personally what it means to have a shortage of Bibles.

Chuanxing Church is a rural village church which was set up in 1984. The members of the fellowship, now numbering a thousand, live in poverty and their building, an old factory, is dilapidated. The person who established the church, Sister Zhao, is a devoted woman who is now 75 years old. Although poor materially, the believers in Chuanxing are happy to proclaim that “Joy is complete in the presence of the Lord.”

The church in Suyang meets in a former factory warehouse which was converted in 1993. It has grown from having just 27 believers in 1984, to 300 by 1988 and approximately 1,200 now. Despite a shortage of resources, the church puts 70 people a year through home-grown ‘nurture classes’.

The pastor is the 40-year-old Rev Wan. He listed several factors which, in his experience, had led to the rapid growth of the church. Allowing that growth was “the miraculous work of God,” he said that it was crucial for believers to bear good witness by their lives, and he added that his church had had good support from the local government authorities.

The fellowship had seen chronic gamblers and alcoholics released from their addiction after becoming Christians; and blood relatives who were in conflict and relatives by marriage whose relations were strained were likewise reconciled.

“Nowadays,” he added, “it is not just believers who come to purchase Bibles but non-believers, too, who claim that they want to read the Bible in order to learn more about Western culture.

“Prior to the distribution van,” he explained, “Bibles were delivered through post via road or rail and some became damaged in the process. UBS’s gift of the distribution van to deliver the Bibles directly to the people is a great blessing! We thank God for his provision and we thank you all for your love and support.” (SR 29/22 - 4/5.02)