Mennonite Church Canada Witness – Ministry in China

CHINA

China is a vast and diverse land…

Home to modern cities…

And geographical richness.

China has impoverished rural areas…

ancient traditions…

And a dynamic economy - annual growth of 9% over the

last 2 decades.

In China you find fantastic

food

and 1.3 Billion fascinating people.

• Population 1.3 billion

• Urban-30%• Rural-70%• 8% Economic

Growth over last 10 years

• Huge Gap between rich and poor

China is a Vast Country

“We live in a global village. As Christians we should be leading

the way in building bridges of understanding.”

-Pastor Yuan Shiguo- EMS Graduate

Mennonite Church Canada Witness with three other partners has

formed China Educational Exchanged

• Eastern Mennonite Missions• Mennonite Church Canada Witness• Mennonite Central Committee• Mennonite Mission Network

• CEE is an Inter-Mennonite Program

• CEE has worked in China since 1981

• 240 people have served in China with CEE over its 25 year history!

Mennonites are building bridges

• with the Church• through Education• by connecting people• via Social Assistance

Mennonites help build bridges with the Chinese Church

Building bridges by sponsoring lay leadership training

Assisting Bible School and Seminary Students

Partnering with Churches in the construction of Meeting Points

Sponsoring pastors and evangelists to study abroad

Yin Hongtao-AMBS Grad

Wu Jinzhen and her husband, Wu Wei, are currently at Eastern Mennonite Seminary

Providing financial assistance and

encouragement to evangelists and pastors

Mennonites help build bridges through Education

• People teach English at Chinese universities for two year terms

• There are also opportunities for… – 5 week– 1 semester– Or 1 year

assignments

Rick Leonard in Class

Todd Hanson with Students

Building bridges through teaching English fosters

• Relationships• Understanding• Friendship• Changed Lives• And…

Peace

Connecting People is another way Mennonites build bridges in China

• Over 200 hundred English teachers from Chinese universities have been on the Exchange Program.

• Every year 8-12 Chinese English teachers spend a semester at Eastern Mennonite University.

MCC - International Visitor Exchange Program

Wang Ping, the first Chinese IVEPer, taught at a school in Pennsylvania.

Cross-Cultural Learning Tours

• 2005 – Mennonite Church Canada Learning Tour

• 2004 - Eastern Mennonite High School Choir

• 2004 – Eastern Mennonite University

Mennonites build bridges via Social Assistance

Projects

• Jeanette Hanson chats with

The Nanjing Counselling Centre

• begun in 2002 in Nanjing by Sun Wen and Wang Xuefu.

• is a Christian institution which attempts to contextualize counselling into Chinese culture.

• partners with Mennonites in helping people become whole.

Assisting Poor Primary School Students to Remain in School

• Rapid changes have left huge gaps in the social safety net.

• Many can’t pay school fees.

• Mennonites help needy students stay in school.

Providing School Kits to needy students

• Families are often unable to provide school supplies for their children.

• Mennonites have provided school kits for needy children.

• Hundreds of Children in Guangan Prefecture, Sichuan Province have hearing deficits.

• Lack of testing centres and no funds for hearing aids mean many children are not helped.

• Mennonites have helped train speech therapists.

• Mennonites have helped test children and purchased hearing aids for children.

Sponsoring Early Childhood Hearing

Program

• Amity began in 1985 at the initiative of Chinese Christians.

• Amity works in:– Health– English Teaching – Social Services– Rural Development– Special Education– Disaster Relief

Mennonites are building bridges through a partnership with the

Amity Foundation

Amity Printing Company

• The Amity Printing Co. is a joint venture between the Amity Foundation and the United Bible Societies.

• Founded in 1988, Amity prints many kinds of Christian materials, including hymnals, calendars, and Bibles.

• Over 42 million complete Bibles have been printed by Amity. They are made available in churches and bookstores through a nationwide network of distribution points.

• Because the United Bible Society donates the paper, Chinese Christians can purchase a Bible for 12 Yuan ($2.00 CDN or $1.50 USD)

When asked what would be the most helpful activity in which Mennonites could be engaged in China, one Chinese Scholar said: “to build a bridge between people of different cultures.”

Building Bridges

with China

• with the Church

• through Education

• by connecting people

• via Social Assistance

Together, we are aligning with God’s work in China through our

partnership in CEE and Mennonite Church Canada Witness