How does the church help blessing friends?
[Pastor Chen Zhaoqing’s response]
Interview, photography/Liao Meihui
Currently, there are about 700,000 to 800,000 Fuzhou immigrants in the United States, of which about 500,000 to 600,000 are in the greater New York area. They are the fastest growing group of Chinese Christians in North America in recent years. How can the church help baptized Christians in the restaurant industry and friends of the gospel?
Pastor Chen Zhaoqing has seen countless testimonies of Christians in the restaurant industry being transformed after being baptized. He made the following three suggestions:
1. Sincerely accept
New immigrants from Fuzhou left their hometowns and came to the United States to seek life. Most of them did not have legal residence status, were even burdened with huge debts, and were suffering physically and mentally. The church should sincerely accept this group of new immigrants who are alone, provide spiritual support, and help them adapt to the new environment according to their needs.
2. Follow up quickly
The membership of Min'en Church is extremely fluid, with some leaving and new ones coming in every month. This is not a "bad thing". Before being baptized, seekers are required to attend Sunday school and learn about the life of Jesus; when they decide to be baptized, they are required to write testimonies; after baptism, discipleship training must be followed up quickly.
3.Three Journeys of Spiritual Journey
‧Introduction to the Holy Word—Help them lay the foundation of truth, study the Bible, and know Jesus Christ.
‧Life creation—affirm their inner changes in adjusting their life values.
‧Service equipment - Cultivate them to become preachers or leaders, do God's work with a joyful heart, and find more suffering friends.
Interviewee profile
Pastor Chen Zhaoqing is the senior pastor of "Christ Min'en Church". He and his wife, Mrs. Xie Sufang, both graduated from Singapore Theological Seminary. He once worked for the Association of Christian Ambassadors (AFC) in Dallas, Texas, and was responsible for the work of students in South America for fourteen years. In 2000, he served in the Min'en Church in New York. The church was founded in 1988 and is the first Christian church in the United States that is mainly composed of Fuzhou people, with a congregation of more than 3,000 people. There are currently nine full-time pastors and preachers. There are four meeting venues: New York's Chinatown, Queens, Brooklyn and Northeast Philadelphia. Church website: http://cgfchurch.org/Contact us/tabid/645/language/zh-HK/Default.aspx