From China To Findlay

From Findlay to China 

The Lord has entrusted our church with an opportunity to impact China. The Nazarene Church does not have a district in China at the present time. But through the events of a faithful missionary named Hilbert Miller, we have two individuals training for ministry who are from China. Hilbert is a retired Nazarene missionary from Africa who currently lives in Pennsylvania. His wife was in a nursing home where he met a couple from China and has been influential in their lives ever since.

In just a few weeks we will be meeting this young couple from China and welcoming them to our church as new staff members. Huang Ronglan will come and be mentored as she attends Winebrenner Seminary to study for a Doctorate of Ministry degree. She just graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. Rao Yi is her husband and he graduated from Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary with a Certificate in Christian Ministry. Rao Yana is their 2 ½ year old little girl. They come to us from mainland China and will be arriving on June 13.

In Romans 10:13-15 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' ”

This passage reminds me of all the pieces that need to be in place for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be spread. The Lord doesn’t need us to further His Kingdom, He has chosen to minister through us. We are to be His hands and feet. Just think, God has chosen our church to impact China. As Rao, Ronglan, and Yana attend Winebrenner and our church and are trained for ministry, they will take that back to China and put it all into practice and spread the Word of God. How humbling it is to think that the Lord wants to use our church for global impact. Everyone in our church will have a part to play as we prepare Rao and Ronglan to go back to China and minister in Jesus’ name. They will be learning many things about church as they watch all that goes on in our body life. We would be better as a church if we would learn all that God has for us in this process as well.

There are many things to put into place as we prepare for the arrival of Rao and Ronglan. We have acquired a toddler bed and now we are assessing the other things we will need in the next few weeks as we work to prepare the apartment for their arrival. I would like to form a task force to help assess the items we will need. If you would like to be a part of this journey then please contact the church office and we will be in contact with you within a week.

I want to remind you to sign up for a Backyard Bible Adventure starting on Monday, June 3. You can sign your kids up and also volunteer at one the of the four locations. You can also volunteer even if you don’t have kids. It’s going to be a great time! Invite someone and attend!

This Sunday will be graduation Sunday. There are 5 high school and 6 University graduates. Come and encourage them as they embark on a new chapter in their life. I will continue my series on “Moses: Going Deeper.” I’m looking forward to a great day in the Lord.

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike