Greetings from the China Christian Council (CCC)
Greetings and news from Protestant Christians in China
Greetings and news from Protestant Christians in China
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On behalf of the Protestant Christians in China, I bring you warmest greetings for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
In the past year, China has made rapid progress on its way of building a harmonious society. The successful manned spaceflight of Shenzhou Six inspired the enthusiasm of the Chinese people. Meanwhile, we remain determined that China must choose a way of peace and development, for what we believe is the King of Peace.
The churches in China are still developing. Nanjing Union Theological Seminary held its groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus in January of this year. The renovation project of the Holy Trinity Church is estimated to start next year after the design and formalities will have been finalized. As in previous years, new churches have been built throughout the country over the past year. A so-called mega-church, Chongyi Church in Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province), was opened last summer with a capacity of 5,000 people. We are grateful to God for all these achievements.
Overseas relations of the CCC/TSPM are also developing. More than 800 overseas guests have been received in our new headquarters so far. On one occasion, we received more than 60 foreign friends at once, who had come to China to attend the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Amity Foundation. The CCC also attended the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Athens, Greece, in May 2005. During the conference, we held a workshop introducing the current situation of the churches in China. Next February, the CCC will send a delegation of five to attend the 9th Assembly of WCC in Porto Alegre, Brazil. During the period from April to June 2006, the CCC/TSPM will hold a China Bible Ministry Exhibition in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York and we are now busy preparing for it.
We hope that through all these activities, foreign churches will gain a deeper understanding of the situation of the churches in China and that our fellowship will be enhanced. We are thankful for the efforts made by the editorial team of Amity News Service to bring information about the churches in China to the ecumenical world. We also would like to thank all readers for their care and prayer.
Rev. Dr. Cao Shengjie
President, China Christian Council