Mennonite Weekly Review

HARRISONBURG, Va. — A group of retired Mennonite college professors traveled to China recently, where they took stock of progress made among churches in the communist country.

Participants in a consultation Oct. 13 at Beijing’s Institute of World Religions, Division of Christianity. Standing in back row, from left, are Elmer S. Miller of Philadephia; Myrrl Byler of Harrisonburg, Va.; Xiyi (Kevin) Yao of Hong Kong (with Mennonite Mission Network); third from right, Marlin Jeschke of Goshen, Ind. Seated, from left, are Theron Schlabach of Goshen; Robert Lee of Harrisonburg; Cal Redekop of Harrisonburg; John A. Lapp of Akron, Pa.; Al Keim of Harrisonburg; and Ray Gingerich of Harrisonburg. All others are faculty members and students at the Institute of World Religions. — Photo by Ray C. Gingerich/EMU

Mennonite Partners in China, formerly China Educational Exchange, arranged the October visit at the request of the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society, a group of retired professors, primarily from Eastern Mennonite University, who seek to connect faith and life in contemporary academia and the church.

The 17 participants visited the Great Wall and Beijing’s Forbidden City, the canals of Suzhou, skyscrapers in Shanghai and the ancient Terracotta Army in Xian.

A visit to the seventh-century site of the first Christian church and monastery in China was another highlight for many.

According to John A. Lapp, former executive secretary of Mennonite Central Committee, a primary objective for the group was “to listen and learn what the spirit is saying to the churches in China.”

After a worship service in Beijing, the church’s senior pastor shared the history of her congregation of 7,000 and fielded questions from the group.

Visits to seminaries in two cities highlighted the progress that the church has made in training pastors. However, leaders admitted that most churches still rely on lay leadership.

An unusual privilege was the visit to a meeting place for Christians in the remote countryside of Sichuan Province. Christianity came to this area of China less than 20 years ago, but already more than 300 believers attend.

Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg contributed funds for the completion of a building where the believers meet.

Albert Keim and others from Park View brought greetings from their church. Chinese believers who had gathered at the meeting place shared several songs, and the pastor explained how the church had been helped by other churches in the province in their battle against false teachings.