China (MNN) — China will keep its borders closed for another year, concerned about spiking COVID-19 cases and variants in surrounding countries.
It means a longer wait for China Partner to visit the country. But Erik Burklin says, “We were on a WeChat call with a pastor up in the northern part of China. We had visited him I think two years ago. We asked him specifically, ‘How was 2020 been for you as a church?’ And he said it’s been somewhat frustrating. They had to close down for a while. But the ministry continues. And then I asked them, ‘How many baptisms Did you have of new believers last year?’ and he said, ‘In our whole city, combining all the churches that I oversee, about 300.’”
Religious freedom in China
While China has had restrictive religious laws on the books for a long time, the current government has been enforcing them more often. Ask God to give Chinese Christians wisdom as they navigate these changes.
Burklin says, “The Chinese church leadership is saying ‘Be patient with us right now.’ They’ve even asked us not to do any zoom training for right now, especially since they just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party on July 1. But they have also said at the same time, ‘Please don’t forget about us. Continue to pray for us.’”
Pray China Partner can resume training church leaders in China soon.
Header photo courtesy of China partner on Facebook.
