Pray with China, January 26, 2025
Lectionary Selection: Luke 4: 14-21
Prayers for China
Dear Creator God,
Thank you for the partnerships that connect our faith communities across cultures and distances. We pray for the churches in China as they seek to proclaim the Good News and promise of God’s favor to the people of that historic land.
We give thanks for the growing Christian community throughout China, especially in the Shaanxi and surrounding provinces. We pray for the Shaanxi Christian Council and the area churches as they seek to meet the needs of Christians in China for theological education. Bless the development plans to expand Shaanxi Bible School to address the limited and insufficient space of the old campus with new classrooms, a library, and dormitories.
We pray for the faculty of Shaanxi Bible School, especially the guest Lecturers from secular universities who teach the public courses required by the Department of Higher Education. May the school also find the resources to add new books to its library to meet the reading needs of teachers and students.
We pray for the people of Northwest China, especially during this four-month heating season. We remember Shanxi Bible School and its campus facilities. May their natural gas boilers supply heat reliably, and may they be able to meet their annual heating fee.
We pray for the students of Shaanxi Bible School, especially those from rural areas whose families are financially constrained. Bless the school as it uses churches’ donations to provide financial aid. We pray for these students and their families so the school can prepare the church workers needed for this undeveloped region in China.
For Shaanxi Bible School’s continued witness, we ask your grace and mercy to be with the school, its new campus project, and all the churches in China.
Amen.
Mission Moment from China
The first wave of Christians to enter China were Nestorians from the Middle East to what is now Shaanxi Province in northwest China. The first 150 years of Christian history in China was recorded on a large stele, or stone tablet, erected in 781 CE and now on display in Xi’an, an ancient cosmopolitan capital and today the Provincial capital and a city of 13 million. Since then, a Christian community has found its place in Shaanxi amid the predominant Chinese Buddhist and Confucian culture.
There are some 40 million Protestant Christians in China today, most living in rural areas but many in urban areas like Xi’an. The China Christian Council has 22 theological seminaries and bible schools, which produce more than a thousand graduates each year to minister to the thriving Christian community. Global Ministries has partnered with Shaanxi Bible School for many years to support theological education in its region. Shaanxi Bible School has grown to educate pastors and church workers not only in Shaanxi but other surrounding provinces, many of whom come from impoverished communities and minority ethnic groups.
To meet the needs of the growing Christian community, Shaanxi Bible School plans to build a new campus and become Shaanxi Theological Seminary. This project includes new classroom buildings, a library, and dormitories for faculty and students. Since Northwest China is an economically underdeveloped region, there is still a significant gap in funds for the new campus project. Winter is also an expensive time for institutions in Shaanxi, where heating is costly during the four months of cold weather.
In addition to expansion and operating costs, however, Shaanxi Bible School President Rev. Hong Wang says many students still need tuition assistance and support for basic needs while staying at the school. She asks churches to pray for the Christian community in Shaanxi and the development of the school as it seeks to meet its growing future needs.
Written by Rev. Hong Wang, President of Shaanxi Bible School,
with translation from Rev. Guangyu Lou, Global Ministries Mission Volunteer
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